Articles
Meet the Not-Quite-Writer: Tess Allen
In this article, we interview Tess Allen, Not Quite Write Prize regular since January 2024, winning third place on her first attempt!
How the Judging Process Works
At Not Quite Write, we value transparency in the judging process, so we’ve put together this handy overview so you can see what happens after you hit “Submit”.
How to format your Not Quite Write Prize Entry
We know what it’s like to enter a competition and wonder how the story will look on the other end, particularly when submitting via an online form.
In the interests of transparency, we thought we’d share a little more detail about how the entry process works. We hope it helps to soothe some of those competition nerves so you can focus on the most important part – telling a good story!
Enter Now
Results of the October 2024 Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction
The October 2024 Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction challenged writers to create an original piece of fiction of no more than 500 words, which:
1. included the word PALM.
2. included the action ‘telling a lie.’
3. broke the writing rule ‘avoid head-hopping.’
Read all the stories that made the shortlist, along with comments from the judges.
Writing Rules: Avoid head-hopping
As writers, we know everything there is to know about our story world and its characters, so it can be very easy to slip into the habit of narrating the story exactly as it appears in our imagination. To be effective storytellers however, we need to maintain a close handle on our narrative voice.
A key component of narrative voice is the perspective or Point of View (POV) from which we choose to tell our story. We need to maintain consistency in our chosen POV to avoid head-hopping.
Enter Now
Level Up! Understanding POV
This article highlights the strengths and weaknesses of different narrative Points of View (POV) to help you choose the optimum POV for your story.
Meet the Not-Quite-Writer: Jo Skinner
In this article, we interview Jo Skinner. Jo makes regular appearances on the Not Quite Write Prize longlist and has just announced the release of her novel, The Truth About My Daughter with Hawkeye Publishing.
Level Up! Opening With Dialogue
Ed and Amanda share their top tips for taking your flash fiction game to the next level.
Enter Now
Meet the Not-Quite-Writer: Chad Frame
In this article, we interview Chad Frame, WINNER of the April 2024 Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction. Chad has been with the Not Quite Write Prize from the start and prepared for his win by also placing 2nd in the January 2024 round of the competition.
Results of the July 2024 Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction
The July 2024 Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction challenged writers to create an original piece of fiction of no more than 500 words, which:
1. included the word TABLE.
2. included the action “stealing something.”
3. broke the writing rule “avoid purple prose.”
Read all the stories that made the shortlist, along with comments from the judges.
Level Up! Flash Fiction Tropes
How original is my idea? In this article, we dish the dirt on the most common stories submitted to 5 major flash fiction competitions: The Not Quite Write Prize, Furious Fiction, Twist in the Tale, Writing Battle, and Globe Soup. We call these story ideas the Flash Fiction Tropes.
Meet the Not-Quite-Writer: Athena Law
In this article, we interview Athena, WINNER of the January 2024 Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction.
Writing rules: Avoid Purple Prose
Ahh, purple prose: a trap laid with delicious words to capture unsuspecting writers!
Writers are often cautioned against falling into this trap, but it can be hard to tell the difference between beautiful words and purple ones in the wild. In this article we hope to explain what purple prose looks like, as well as the dangers of its use.
Enter Now
Meet the Not-Quite-Writer: Dean Koorey
In this article, we interview Dean Koorey, renowned Furious Fiction judge, 4th place holder in the January 2024 Not Quite Write Prize, and WINNER of the 2024 NYC Midnight 250 Word Flash Fiction Challenge.
Level Up! Naming Your Character
Ed and Amanda share their top tips for taking your flash fiction game to the next level.
Enter Now
Results of the April 2024 Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction
The April 2024 Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction challenged writers to create an original piece of fiction of no more than 500 words, which:
1. included the word DATE.
2. included the action “picking a winner.”
3. broke the writing rule “always use said.”
Read all the stories that made the shortlist, along with comments from the judges.
Writing rules: Always use said
A writing rule you’ll often hear is that you should always use the dialogue tag “said” rather than a more descriptive verb. This can be confusing because it contradicts other writing advice which tells us to opt for descriptive verbs wherever possible.
Enter Now
Level Up! Choosing a Killer Title
Ed and Amanda share their top tips for taking your flash fiction game to the next level.
Enter Now
Results of the January 2024 Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction
The January 2024 Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction challenged writers to create an original piece of fiction of no more than 500 words, which:
1. included the word PUNCH.
2. included the action “spilling something.”
3. broke the writing rule “avoid clichés.”
Read all the stories that made the shortlist, along with comments from the judges.
WTF is an “anti-prompt”?
Like many other writing competitions, the Not Quite Write Prize uses creative writing prompts to inspire and challenge entrants (and to ensure your entries are written for this comp and not some other purpose).
Unlike other writing competitions, the Not Quite Write Prize also includes something called an “anti-prompt”.
The Not Quite Write Prize anti-prompt challenges entrants to break a traditionally accepted “rule” of writing.
How to Win the Not Quite Write Prize
The judges of the Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction share their tips for writing prize-winning flash.
Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction 2023 – Winner & Shortlist
The 2023 Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction challenged writers to create an original piece of fiction of no more than 600 words, which:
1. included the word RITE.
2. included the action “crossing a line.”
3. broke the writing rule “avoid all adverbs.”
Read all the stories that made the shortlist, along with comments from the judges.
Writing Rules: Avoid head-hopping
As writers, we know everything there is to know about our story world and its characters, so it can be very easy to slip into the habit of narrating the story exactly as it appears in our imagination. To be effective storytellers however, we need to maintain a close handle on our narrative voice.
A key component of narrative voice is the perspective or Point of View (POV) from which we choose to tell our story. We need to maintain consistency in our chosen POV to avoid head-hopping.
Enter Now
Level Up! Understanding POV
This article highlights the strengths and weaknesses of different narrative Points of View (POV) to help you choose the optimum POV for your story.
Level Up! Opening With Dialogue
Ed and Amanda share their top tips for taking your flash fiction game to the next level.
Enter Now
Level Up! Flash Fiction Tropes
How original is my idea? In this article, we dish the dirt on the most common stories submitted to 5 major flash fiction competitions: The Not Quite Write Prize, Furious Fiction, Twist in the Tale, Writing Battle, and Globe Soup. We call these story ideas the Flash Fiction Tropes.
Writing rules: Avoid Purple Prose
Ahh, purple prose: a trap laid with delicious words to capture unsuspecting writers!
Writers are often cautioned against falling into this trap, but it can be hard to tell the difference between beautiful words and purple ones in the wild. In this article we hope to explain what purple prose looks like, as well as the dangers of its use.
Enter Now
Level Up! Naming Your Character
Ed and Amanda share their top tips for taking your flash fiction game to the next level.
Enter Now
Writing rules: Always use said
A writing rule you’ll often hear is that you should always use the dialogue tag “said” rather than a more descriptive verb. This can be confusing because it contradicts other writing advice which tells us to opt for descriptive verbs wherever possible.
Enter Now
Level Up! Choosing a Killer Title
Ed and Amanda share their top tips for taking your flash fiction game to the next level.
Enter Now
How the Judging Process Works
At Not Quite Write, we value transparency in the judging process, so we’ve put together this handy overview so you can see what happens after you hit “Submit”.
How to format your Not Quite Write Prize Entry
We know what it’s like to enter a competition and wonder how the story will look on the other end, particularly when submitting via an online form.
In the interests of transparency, we thought we’d share a little more detail about how the entry process works. We hope it helps to soothe some of those competition nerves so you can focus on the most important part – telling a good story!
Enter Now
Writing Rules: Avoid head-hopping
As writers, we know everything there is to know about our story world and its characters, so it can be very easy to slip into the habit of narrating the story exactly as it appears in our imagination. To be effective storytellers however, we need to maintain a close handle on our narrative voice.
A key component of narrative voice is the perspective or Point of View (POV) from which we choose to tell our story. We need to maintain consistency in our chosen POV to avoid head-hopping.
Enter Now
Level Up! Understanding POV
This article highlights the strengths and weaknesses of different narrative Points of View (POV) to help you choose the optimum POV for your story.
Writing rules: Avoid Purple Prose
Ahh, purple prose: a trap laid with delicious words to capture unsuspecting writers!
Writers are often cautioned against falling into this trap, but it can be hard to tell the difference between beautiful words and purple ones in the wild. In this article we hope to explain what purple prose looks like, as well as the dangers of its use.
Enter Now
Writing rules: Always use said
A writing rule you’ll often hear is that you should always use the dialogue tag “said” rather than a more descriptive verb. This can be confusing because it contradicts other writing advice which tells us to opt for descriptive verbs wherever possible.
Enter Now
WTF is an “anti-prompt”?
Like many other writing competitions, the Not Quite Write Prize uses creative writing prompts to inspire and challenge entrants (and to ensure your entries are written for this comp and not some other purpose).
Unlike other writing competitions, the Not Quite Write Prize also includes something called an “anti-prompt”.
The Not Quite Write Prize anti-prompt challenges entrants to break a traditionally accepted “rule” of writing.
How to Win the Not Quite Write Prize
The judges of the Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction share their tips for writing prize-winning flash.
Results of the October 2024 Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction
The October 2024 Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction challenged writers to create an original piece of fiction of no more than 500 words, which:
1. included the word PALM.
2. included the action ‘telling a lie.’
3. broke the writing rule ‘avoid head-hopping.’
Read all the stories that made the shortlist, along with comments from the judges.
Results of the July 2024 Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction
The July 2024 Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction challenged writers to create an original piece of fiction of no more than 500 words, which:
1. included the word TABLE.
2. included the action “stealing something.”
3. broke the writing rule “avoid purple prose.”
Read all the stories that made the shortlist, along with comments from the judges.
Results of the April 2024 Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction
The April 2024 Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction challenged writers to create an original piece of fiction of no more than 500 words, which:
1. included the word DATE.
2. included the action “picking a winner.”
3. broke the writing rule “always use said.”
Read all the stories that made the shortlist, along with comments from the judges.
Results of the January 2024 Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction
The January 2024 Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction challenged writers to create an original piece of fiction of no more than 500 words, which:
1. included the word PUNCH.
2. included the action “spilling something.”
3. broke the writing rule “avoid clichés.”
Read all the stories that made the shortlist, along with comments from the judges.
Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction 2023 – Winner & Shortlist
The 2023 Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction challenged writers to create an original piece of fiction of no more than 600 words, which:
1. included the word RITE.
2. included the action “crossing a line.”
3. broke the writing rule “avoid all adverbs.”
Read all the stories that made the shortlist, along with comments from the judges.
Meet the Not-Quite-Writer: Tess Allen
In this article, we interview Tess Allen, Not Quite Write Prize regular since January 2024, winning third place on her first attempt!
Meet the Not-Quite-Writer: Jo Skinner
In this article, we interview Jo Skinner. Jo makes regular appearances on the Not Quite Write Prize longlist and has just announced the release of her novel, The Truth About My Daughter with Hawkeye Publishing.
Meet the Not-Quite-Writer: Chad Frame
In this article, we interview Chad Frame, WINNER of the April 2024 Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction. Chad has been with the Not Quite Write Prize from the start and prepared for his win by also placing 2nd in the January 2024 round of the competition.
Meet the Not-Quite-Writer: Athena Law
In this article, we interview Athena, WINNER of the January 2024 Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction.
Meet the Not-Quite-Writer: Dean Koorey
In this article, we interview Dean Koorey, renowned Furious Fiction judge, 4th place holder in the January 2024 Not Quite Write Prize, and WINNER of the 2024 NYC Midnight 250 Word Flash Fiction Challenge.
Calling all Visual Artists!
Not Quite Write supports the arts by providing opportunities for writers to hone their craft and earn cash prizes for their skills.
With the aim of extending this support to the broader arts community, we are now accepting submissions for the role of 2025 Not Quite Write Artist in Residence.
Participant Forum Now Open
The Not Quite Write Prize is more than a competition: it’s a community. That’s why we’ve created the Not Quite Write Participant Forum.
Not Quite Write Prize returns January 2024
The Not Quite Write Prize is back and bigger than ever in January 2024!