Writing Contests, Projects, & Recognition

Tell us why you started writing and you might get published in our upcoming book project.

Do you remember when you first realized you wanted, or even needed to write? When you realized it was an itch that wouldn't go away? We're looking for witers on TheNextBigWriter to tell us about their "gotcha" moment in a story between 1,500-5,000 words. The story must show the moment, or moments when you realized that you were destined to spend your life writing.

We're going to select ten that tell the most insightful, thought provoking, and interesting stories and offer the authors a paid publishing contract to have their work included in our upcoming TheNextBigWriter book My Writing Life.

To enter: Posting your writing story anytime during the Contest period. The submission must include the tags My Writing Life (entered as my_writing_life) in it.

Deadline: 11:59 PM ET on August 13, 2008

Awards:

• $50 publishing contracts to the 10 selected winners. Winning entries will be included in the My Writing Life book.

Submit Your Story

• See all entries
• Questions and Frequently Asked Questions
• Competition, Rules, and Regulations
• Sample publishing contract
• Discuss the My Writing Life Project and Competition

May 15, 2008 - Post Apocalyptic Novel Static Mayhem Wins 2008 Strongest Start Novel Competition.

Congratulations to the 2008 Strongest Start Novel Competition Winners

First Place - Static Mayhem by Edward Aubry (Sherman_Bierce)

Second Place- The Adventures of Kate Darling by Kirk Ort (Kirk)

Third Place- Feed the Meter by William Murrow

Read the official announcement.

What is the Strongest Start Novel Competition?

It is the only live, online novel writing competition for unfinished books and novels. That means you can enter with a draft or unfinished manuscript and that you will receive feedback on your submission as the competition progresses. Feedback that you can use to improve you submission before the competition deaadline. The competition is meant to motivate writers to finish their books and to edit what they have written. And of course, to reward the writers who have done a fantastic job of honing their three starting chapters to page turning perfection

Stay in the Know.

The 2008 competition is over, but leave us your email and receive advanced news on the 2009 Strongest Start Novel Competition.

Strongest Start Novel Competition Updates

Enter a writing competition to see who can craft the most compelling start to a novel. Whether you write Romance, Science Fiction, Literary Fiction or some other genre, the only criteria is that you write a start that will keep us reading.

• Over $2,500 in Prizes and Awards.

• Receive feedback on everything you post to help you prepare your novel for publication.
• Get noticed.
• Meet other writers, share tricks, and join the most advanced writing workshop on the planet.

Submit your entry by April 16, 2007.

Submit Your Manuscript

Learn more |See all entries

TheNextBigWriter Top 10 Novel Program:

Posted novels that reach the Top 10 in TheNextBigWriter rankings will be officially recognized as Top 10 Novels. Once this designation is achieved, authors have official permission to refer to their book as a TheNextBigWriter Top 10 Novel and use the logo to promote the sale or publication of their book.