How To Be Straight

One Shot Contest

Hello, my lovelies! Now that How to Be Straight is finished, I've decided to hold a one shot competition in honor of its completion.

What's a one shot, you might ask?

A one shot is a very, very, short story that is usually only one chapter long. It's called a one shot because you only have one chance to tell the complete story.

It can literally be about anything. You can create an additional chapter that continues from the last chapter, or you can create an alternative ending altogether. It can be a revision of a previous chapter, or it could be totally made up from the top of your head. I'm not kidding when I say you have free reign over what to do.

Feel free to use some of the other characters from the book. You can write it through either Derek or Calvin's POV, through any of the other characters' POVS, or you can write it in third person. If your favorite character of the whole book was Gina and you want to write a story about her finding love, then be my guest. If you're in love with Nicolas and want to write about him, then go for it! I'm not kidding when I say you have full control over what you want the one shot to be about. Be creative with it!

Here are a few guidelines to follow.

1. It must be only one chapter. The word count and number of pages is up to you, but it must be only one chapter.  If it helps, my chapters range from about 3000 to 4000 words, which translates to about 6 - 8 pages. You can write less than that, or more than that. That's entirely up to you.

If your story gets too long or you feel like you should split it, then you'll have to label your chapters PART 1 and PART 2.

It is very important that it is only one chapter. I own the rights to How to Be Straight, so I won't be very happy if someone makes their own story out of my characters and their backgrounds.

2. If your one shot contains mature content, please state so in the beginning of the chapter.

3. The one shot must be posted on Wattpad. While I'm okay with reading email entries, I would really like my readers to read your work as well and it's easier for me to manage all the entries if they're in one place.

4. To "submit" your one shot, leave a comment below with the link or inbox me the link. I'll be sure to check it out as soon as possible.

5. Do not be rude or discouraging to those who enter. This is aimed to the readers, rather than the writers. This little contest is all in good fun and I don't want to see anyone being put down for their writing.

6. Only ONE entry will be considered. You can enter as many times as you want, but that will not increase your chances of winning. I will only consider one of your entries, which will be the best entry out of them all, for the competition.

7. Have fun! If you're suffering from writer's block, hopefully this contest will get your creative juices flowing. Or maybe, this will be the first time you've ever written a story. I don't want any of you to stress out over this. Just sit back, write, and have fun with it.

8. The deadline is December 31st. If, for some reason, that you are unable to meet that date, then you'll have to let me know ahead of time so I can extend the deadline on a case by case basis.

9. Winners and results will be announced at least by January 30th, depending on how many entries there are.

Now that I got the rules out of the way, here are the prizes.

1st place: You will get a follow and a shout out. Your story will be posted in this book and I will read one of your books (of your choice) in its entirety. If this particular book isn't finished yet, then I will follow its updates and finish it that way. You will also get the satisfaction of knowing you won first place, lol.

2nd place: You will get a follow and a shout out. Your story will be posted in this book. You will also get the satisfaction of knowing you won second place.

3rd place: You will get a follow. Your story will be posted in this book. You will also get the satisfaction of knowing you won third place.

I've tried my best to think of good prizes that were realistic, but if you have any ideas for what other prizes I can give for first, second, and third place, then lemme know.

I will be posting all the entries in a reading list on my profile titled "HTBS One shots". If you aren't entering the contest (or even if you are entering), I'd encourage you guys to read the other entries throughout the month of December. If you guys like a particular one shot, then make sure you let the author know that. Reader participation will also contribute to me picking the winner.

The more entries I get, the better! I don't want to have a small pool to choose from. Even if you think you aren't going to win, I want you to enter anyway! I'd love you read you guys' stuff!

Remember the deadline is December 31st.

So, without further ado, write!