May 2023 Newsletter

Hi

Wow, what a month it’s been so far. Hysteria is now off and running and the first entries are already in and with the reading teams. I’ve had a few questions about the competition over the last few weeks and thought it might be worth using the newsletter to answer some of the most common.

Remember, if you have a question you’d like me to answer just let me know.

When does the Hysteria Writing Competition finish?

11:59pm on 31st August. I don’t think I’ve ever received an entry right at that very last minute, but I suppose there is always a first time.

If my entry were published who has copyright?

You always retain copyright of your work, if you are published you are giving a non-exclusive licence for it to be published in the anthology and on the website if it is a category winner.

Can I enter what I’ve written in another competition?

Of course, but if it has been published elsewhere it will not be eligible for this competition. All finalist entries are checked to make sure they haven’t previously been published.

Why do you charge people to enter?

Sadly, I’m not a millionaire and the entry fees are used to pay the winners their prize money.

On average how many people enter the competition each year?

Roughly 300 over the 3 categories, so there is (on average) a 1:100 chance of being the category winner, much better odds that winning the lottery don’t you think?

How many entries make it into the anthology each year?

There are ten finalists for each category with one overall category winner. Each of those ten are published in the anthology.

When is the anthology published?

Hysteria 10 will be published at the beginning of December 2023, just in time for Christmas.

How do you decide on the cover for the anthology?

I use one of the finalists entries as inspiration. Each year, I hold a mini competition to see if you can guess which of the finalists is the source of the cover, it’s all guess work really, but I’m often surprised by how many people get it right.

How do you manage the entries?

Ah, now that’s a secret between me and the readers, but it’s a simple system that works well.

How can I find out who’s reading the entries this year?

You can find all the readers on the website here: https://hysteriawc.co.uk/hysteria-readers-2023/

Last year, you sent out weekly writing prompts but I can’t find them on the website, have you stopped doing them?

I haven’t stopped doing the weekly writing prompts, in fact they are a highlight of my week. I just moved them from the Hysteria Writing Competition to my Substack site because that’s where I host my writing community these days. You can find them all here: https://lindaph.substack.com/s/writing-prompts

Remember, this year’s theme for the competition is MAGIC and I hope 2023 is a magical year for you and your writing life.

With love, light and laughter
Linda
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(Image by meineresterampe from Pixabay)