Do you love reading? Ever fancied a go at writing? This is your chance. The Living Army 500 words *Write A Chapter* writing competition is back!
To take part, join The Living Army Facebook Group…click here
Last year’s winner, Mary Doyle and I have teamed up to present a brand-new contest.
In the theme of EXTRACTED – the genre for this competition is Time Travel.
The winning prize bundle includes… *A framed print of the contest naming you as the winner *A signed copy of EXTRACTED by RR Haywood (that’s me) *A signed copy of THE BONDING SPELL by ML Doyle (that’s Mary) *A £50 Amazon e-voucher
To enter…. Read the prologue and write a maximum 500 word “first” chapter from that set-up and post your chapter in the comments below. (don’t add it on this website, entries must be in The Living Army Facebook group) You have until midnight Friday 21st April.
PROLOGUE…
‘Mum?’ she calls out and waits for the response. ‘Mum?’ she struggles through the door with the heavy shopping bags that get dumped on the kitchen floor. ‘MUM?’ she yells louder with irritation. This is beyond a joke. It’s hot, sticky, the supermarket was full of angry mothers and even angrier children, the roads were blocked with tourists and the AC in the car packed up months ago. ‘MOTHER?’ the formal address that normally garners a response has no effect this time and the house around her remains stubbornly silent. ‘THIS ISN’T FUNNY,’ she glares at the fridge while feeling her mood work through the gears of annoyance, anger and finally, with a grind of the cogs, to righteous bloody fuming. ‘She’s getting worse,’ she tells the fridge. The fridge listens intently, waiting for more but the rest remains an internal thought process that happens in the blink of an eye. Her mother is getting worse, more absorbed, erratic and just…just… ‘she’s just so annoying,’ she adds angrily. She marches from the kitchen to the hallway and yanks the door open to the basement. ‘MOTHER…’ Nothing. ‘I’M DOING EVERYTHING…EVERYTHING…COOKING, WASHING, SHOPPING, CLEANING…I’VE HAD ENOUGH!’ Still no response. ‘DON’T IGNORE ME,’ she yells. ‘I SHALL COME DOWN,’ she warns. ‘I AM COMING DOWN,’ she clumps down the stairs, slamming each foot in turn to make a satisfyingly deep banging noise. ‘WHERE ARE YOU?’ she scans the room, seeing the desks and tables piled with books, journals and papers. Seeing the computer screens glowing and the multi-coloured wires stretching everywhere. She sees the doorway too. A simple wooden frame enclosing a standard internal plain dark wooden door with a brass handle. The door that has caused most of the arguments over the last few years. She strides over, knowing the only place to hide is behind the door but the handle turns, the door opens and the space beyond is devoid of her mother. The righteous fuming disappears instantly as she goes back down through the gears and into a whole new set of moods, the main one being worry and only then does she spot the note pinned to the door. Sweetie, I’ve done it. Time travel is real. You have worked so hard supporting me but my god you moan and nag so much. I’ve gone to Ancient Greece to be with Hermacles (we’re opening a poetry school). The doorway will take you anywhere you want to go. Set the date, time and location into the computer and enjoy your life. Go anywhere you desire. See anything you want. Be free! Love, Mother x ‘Oh my god,’ she says, slowly looking up to the door then across to the glowing computer screen. The concept was one thing but the actuality of the reality is really rather numbing. She thought her mother was a crackpot. A nut job. A weird professor tinkering about with wires and old doorways. ‘Oh my god,’ she says again. ‘What now?’
**Read the Terms and Conditions** The 500 word limit is strict and any words over will mean your entry being discounted.
Rules: 1. Using the prologue provided, write the first chapter of a story. 2. It must be a complete chapter with max 500 words 3. The genre is time-travel, this must be reflected in the chapter 4. You must name the lead female character. 5. One entry per person 6. Entries to be posted on a designated thread in The Living Army as individual comments. Attachments will NOT be accepted as a valid entry 7. Any posts containing material judged to be offensive may not be approved 8. Entries must NOT be related to The Undead or Extracted or any other works by RR Haywood or any works by ML Doyle. 9. Entries must be submitted by Midnight Friday 21st April. 10. Pending the number of entries, a chosen amount will go through based on voting by TLA members in the way of “likes”. Those entries will then be judged by RR Haywood and ML Doyle and a winner chosen. In the event RR Haywood and ML Doyle cannot agree on a winner, a further stage may be implemented to help choose a winner. 11. By submitting an entry you agree to allow your chapter to be shared on blogs, websites, social media, future competitions and any other medium as deemed fit for purpose by RR Haywood, ML Doyle and The Living Army FB groups. 12. The prologue provided is to be used for the purposes of the competition. It must not be shared, replicated or used in any way not related to this competition without prior consent of RR Haywood. 13. Submission of entries is deemed acceptance of these terms and conditions 14. By submitting an entry to this competition you are hereby admitted temporary membership to The Second Watch Biscuit Club. 15. You can’t talk about The Second Watch Biscuit Club