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And The Flood Gates Have Closed

By Robert Swartwood on September 1, 2009

I’m going to keep this short and sweet and to the point.

Over the course of the month of August, the number of stories submitted to the Hint Fiction Anthology came to 2,463. With the 207 stories from the initial contest, it’s safe to say that over 2,500 stories were submitted to the anthology.

The number of stories added to the “maybe” pile came to 276. I could probably have gone through those stories right away and cut it down in half, but I’m going to take a week or two off, come back to that pile with some fresh eyes. (And before anyone asks, out of the “maybe” pile I hope to select about 100 stories.)

I guess it’s because this whole thing started off as a contest, but I’ve seen it around the Internet (not to mention I heard from the person stripping off the author info and forwarding me the stories) that many writers thought this was a contest too. I guess in many respects, just about anything is a contest, but this was simply an open reading period. A certain numbers of stories will be selected for inclusion; a large number will be rejected. There will be no definite winner — no first or second or third place — but I guess with competition so fierce, just the fact that if your story gets picked makes you a winner.

But I don’t want to go that far, because in my book, you’re all winners.

Now come on, people, say it with me:

Posted in | 5 Responses

  • http://www.plottopunctuation.com/blog/ Jason Black

    It was a pleasure to submit a couple of stories, whether they were for a competition or not. I can’t wait to see the results!

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  • http://templelibraryreviews.blogspot.com/ Harry Markov

    First, let me say that it was a pleasure to participate and this is a genre that I will exercise with, when I am in need of a break from longer works or just want to stir the creative juices.

    Second, I am anxiously waiting for results. Patience go to hell. *grin*

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  • A. Grey

    Firstly, I too would like to say that it was a pleasure to take part in this project regardless of whether or not my own submissions make it to the final cut.

    More importantly, I’d like to say that Hint fiction itself has become a guilty indulgence for me in just the month or so I’ve known about the genre itself. Bored? Write a line or two. Standing in line at the grocery? Make up a few stories about the guy two lines over who’s buying beer, a pregnancy test and a set of carving knives…

    It’s a growing obsession for me. I intend to buy the anthology whether or not my own stories make it in. Resistance is futile at this juncture. :)

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  • jonny kelly

    I also think it has been a wonderful pleasure to submit stories to an anthology which has so many great writers in it and a great editor, even if I don’t get in I still care about hint fiction and I will always practice my hints and get better and better at writing them.
    Ohh and I’ll be getting the hint fiction anthology if I don’t get in so I can read the many brilliant hints the beat mine and learn from them.

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  • http://www.jayenolan.blogspot.com Jaye

    I’m also working on more Hints just for the fun of it, which I’m hoping will then inspire me to write the complete story – be it flash fiction, screenplay or an entire novel!

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