Below are two example stories that match the format described in the original submissions call here. When a submission looks like it's ready for the book, we find it more appealing. Write whatever you'd like and have fun.
Note: As long as you follow the five guidelines listed in the original call here, we'll happily read your story.
Example One:
42_sub_tpd_JMM
Howdy Bam and staff, please consider my Trapped piece for your anthology. It might also fit into the Culture or Siblings category. Email: friends@jazz.edu
A PUG STOOD INNOCENTLY POSING FOR A PICTURE
by Jim JazzMullin
…with worrying speedy licks matching the beats of Take Five. Remaining relaxed, yet . . . longing for the out side.
Daddy aims at him, bros, sis.
"Still, Stevie," Daddy said.
Yet he yearned for slide doors to open.
Click.
Finally, freedom.
Bio
Jim was a sax player, pet lover, and chef. He really loved various foods, especially steak. No one on the planet could marinate one at his level of yummy. The recipe is a family secret that only his sons know. Ha ha.
Example Two:
42Subs_Fight_JMM
Dear Bam and team, below you'll find my submission for your anthology. Please consider it in the Fight category or Satire. My email is jmmullin@foreverjazz.com
Thanks.
UNEASY SURVIVORS OF LIFE’S TRAIN WRECK
by Jimmy M JazzMullin
When forgotten souls were recalling trumpet tunes, anticipation before the two touched hands.
Fondled and kissed under an umbrella.
Energies phrased.
Gone were the days and nights of one thousand eyes of doubt and despair.
Kisses in the Rain became their song.
Bio
Jimmy M JazzMullin had many passions. What he loved to talk about aside from his kids tied between cars and jazz. He knew everything about jazz musicians and parts on cars you've never heard of probably. He often wrote many non-fiction stories.
Details of each submission:
Title around 42 characters (40 to 44-character limit checked) including spaces using wordcounter.net
“by,” lowercased
Enter is hit once between the name and story
The story is exactly 42 words
Enter clicked twice after the story, then type Bio.
In the 3rd person 42-word bio, only B is uppercased.
42 prompts below. They don't guarantee publication, but hopefully you'll get inspiration:
Alternate Reality
1. Some famous battle or instance in time that went down differently. How would the world be without phones? What if electricity was never discovered? What if the Chinese lost when they tried to overrun Tibet? Where would the Dalai Lama be now?
2. A world of prisoners.
Apocalyptic
3. Your death race story.
Clown
4. Your personal experience with a clown.
5. Clown saves a life.
Dystopia & Utopia
7. A world after technology fails. Is this a Dystopian or Utopian society? Was it one way at first and then another?
8. A world with one language and your dark twist.
Fairy Tale
9. Fairy tale with a fairy that has a tail.
Fantasy
10. Take your character into a video game (without plagiarizing that movie).
Fight
11. Your protagonist is a firefighter or a police officer or a doctor/nurse/teacher and so on.
12. Your protagonist is fighting to pass a test.
Hitchhiker's Guide to History "HGH" (Formally Historic Fiction category)
13. WWI or other non-WWII story (we get a lot of the latter) retold in 42 words.
Impairment
14. Fictionalize your first encounter/interaction with someone who had an impairment. Were you scared? Was it a beautiful moment? What was the outcome?
Indigenous
15. Write a story about a tribal hero, real or fictitious.
Monster
16. Your monster-in-law story.
Mystery
17. An animal detective solves a crime without words.
Myth
18. Rewrite Clash of the Titans originally and in 42 words.
Noir
19. Your detective dies.
Outer Space
20. Your main character is floating in space and chooses their favorite song while freezing to death.
Paranormal
21. A clairvoyant who gets messages from dead pets knocks on your main character's door.
22. Your main character is a clairvoyant who can only communicate with ghostly animals.
(credit)
Satire
23. Rewrite Don Quixote in 42 words and keep it original.
(credit)
Siblings
24. A twin kills their twin and takes over their life, the spouse knows from the kiss and is cool with the change.
25. A story about inheritance drama that ends with a happy or sad ending.
Sports
26. A small town sports player who was a kid's hero, maybe yours.
27. A football story related to current issues. (The readers don't tend to favor political stories, but perhaps you can write it well?)
28. An epic basketball story.
Steampunk
29. Your main character is rebuilt with metal and seeks revenge on their childhood bullies now that they are strong.
30. Your main character builds a best friend to play catch with (does anything tragic happen? Or is there a tragic reason the protagonist made the friend in the first place?).
Sword & Sorcery
31. A knight fights a sorcerer. Who wins?
32. A princess saves her knight on the verge of death. Is there a twist aspect that you can reveal?
Thriller & Suspense
33. Your main character is a serial killer (motivations make a good hook, so what is it?) and the next victim is . ..
Travel
34. Where in time does your main character travel to, and why?
35. Write about your favorite trip and create a murder story in 42 words out of it.
Vampire
36. Two vampire lovers. Do they die? Are their deaths natural or sinister or does one of them kill the other? Why?
War
37. A story about divorce from a child's or a pet's POV.
Werewolves
38. Your werewolf is a superhero who fights other monsters.
Western
39. Poker game gone wrong. Your main character just had to call so and so a cheater.
40. A brothel brawl story in the old west.
Zombie
41. Zombies get cured and the aftermath. How does your main character cope with once eating humans? Did you main character eat their best friend, spouse, child and remember?
42. A zombie story where only animals are zombies and how humans deal with the problem, or maybe a "Me and my zombie dog" tale.
Here is a blog listing all categories. They're not all listed above. For example, the Crime chapter needs four more stories to fill.
Click the picture to submit a story through Submittable or the email icon for a direct link:
As a reminder, please do not ask when the book will come out. The answer is always after we reach our goal.
Here is a great place to get answers about the anthology:
Good luck with your submission.
Nice! I'll bookmark this for future references.
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