About the Daredevil Experience

As part of the Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction, we offer the unique opportunity of an on-air critique. We call this the Daredevil Experience.

Daredevils are those brave souls who sign up to have their Not Quite Write Prize entries read aloud on the Not Quite Write Podcast and dissected by judges, Ed and Amanda, for the listening pleasure of writers around the world.

Only the strongest soldiers need apply! Receiving critique can be tough at the best of times, and Daredevils soon discover this is not the best of times…

Each Daredevil receives their own personal episode, ranging from roughly 20 to 45 minutes in duration, and featuring a dramatic reading of the story followed by a detailed discussion of the story’s strengths and weaknesses.

While Ed and Amanda aim to offer a balanced critique, they also don’t hold back. Receiving this kind of unfiltered critique can be tough… but receiving it in public?

Yikes.

If all that hasn’t scared you off, read on to find out how it all works and what you can expect…

HOW IT WORKS

You’ve opted in to the Daredevil Experience… Now what?

HOW TO SUBMIT

When the competition rolls around, you write and submit your story as normal!

If you’re new to the Not Quite Write Prize, you’ll find stacks of information in the website FAQ, articles and podcast about how to craft a winning entry and how to submit.

We’d urge you to ignore that voice in your head telling you this needs to be your magnum opus. It’s natural to want to put your best foot forward, but remember many Daredevils don’t longlist or shortlist, and there’s no pressure on you to do so either. Just have fun and give us what you’ve got on the day.

For best results, we highly recommend sharing your story for feedback in our online Community to help catch any issues before you submit.

AFTER SUBMISSION

Now you play the waiting game…

While you wait for the results, feel free to join us for some lively banter on social media. (Just make sure you don’t reveal the title or contents of your story to us, or it could result in a disqualification.)

If you’d like to, you can record and attach your own audio reading of your story to your Community post for use in your episode. We can add music and sound effects, or you can supply your own (provided they’re not protected by copyright). For all other stories, we’ll record a dramatic reading complete with music and sound effects. Remember that the ultimate decision of whether to use your audio or ours rests with our EDitor-in-Chief.

After the blind judging process is complete, we’ll invite you to send in a brief voicemail for us to include in your Daredevil episode. You might use this opportunity to explain what you were going for or ask us for specific feedback.

ABOUT YOUR EPISODE

This is the fun part!

Following the official shortlist and winner announcement, you will receive your very own Daredevil episode on the Not Quite Write Podcast! Check out past Daredevil episodes to get an idea of what to expect.

We maintain a flexible release schedule however we usually release one Daredevil episode each week following the shortlist announcement. These are released in a random order so yours could be at any time.

We’ll tag you on social media when the episode drops (if we know your handles). You’ll hear your episode for the first time at the same time everyone else hears it! We recommend following us on social media to stay in the loop.

ABOUT YOUR CRITIQUE

Everybody differs in the way they receive critique, but we suspect those who sign up for a Daredevil are at least somewhat comfortable reflecting on the strengths and weaknesses in their work.

We joke about roasting our Daredevils because we know that’s how it feels on the receiving end, but the truth is that we aim to offer a balanced critique. We want our Daredevils to succeed in their writing endeavours, and sometimes that necessitates a little tough love. You may not agree with everything we say, and that’s perfectly okay too. It is, after all, only our subjective opinion and not a referendum on your ability to write.

Past Daredevils tell us it can be quite stressful in the lead-up, and the episode itself can be hard to hear the first time, but afterwards there is a real sense of pride and growth in doing a hard thing. Many of our Daredevils come back for more!

AFTER ALL IS SAID AND DONE…

We want the best for our writers, and we hope you find the experience to be rewarding.

After the competition ends, you’ll receive a special badge in our online Community highlighting your status as one of our elite Daredevils.

We encourage you to share the episode with friends and family, and to bask in the pride that comes with putting yourself out there. It’s a bloody hard thing to do, and we praise you for it!

THE FINE PRINT

Check the Competition Rules and Refund Policy for more information.

HOW TO BECOME A DAREDEVIL

If we still haven’t managed to scare you off, you can purchase the Daredevil Experience package while stocks last at notquitewriteprize.com.

We only offer a very limited number each round, so you’ll need to be quick. (Hot tip: tickets for each new round go on sale immediately following the previous round, so keep your eye on the website right after that deadline.)

The Daredevil Experience comes with an entry ticket included in the cost, however if you already have your ticket for the current round (or hold an annual pass), simply log in, and your existing ticket price will be deducted from the package price.

ANY QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions or concerns, we encourage you to reach out to us via email.