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Short story writing contest gets under way
STORY TOOLS 
More from LifestyleSharpen your pencils, Ventura County. It's short story contest time.
As usual, deep in the heart of summer, the Ventura County Writers Club is gearing up for its ninth annual short story contest.
The contest has officially commenced, planners announced.
Amateur writers of all ages have until Oct. 1 to make their submissions.
Although most entrants are local folks, writers everywhere are welcome to submit entries.
Short stories can be in any genre; the only limitation is that they must be no longer than 10 pages, double-spaced.
The winning short story writer gets $500 plus publication in The Star; the scheduled date of publication is Nov. 16.
Second prize is $250; third prize is $125.
All of the top three stories will be published online, at VenturaCountyStar.com.
Entries will be judged on the basis of plot, character development, intent/focus, reader interest, style/voice, grammar/punctuation and title.
You may enter as many stories as you like, as long as each story is accompanied by a separate entry fee.
For members of the Writers Club, the entry fee is $15. For nonmembers, the entry fee is $25.
All entries should be mailed to VCWC, P.O. Box 3373, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359.
The three winning stories from both 2006 and 2007 appear in the just-released Ventura County Writers Club anthology "Quintessence."
If writers would like to read previous winning stories, the anthology is available for purchase at the club's Web site — http://www.VenturaCountyWriters.com — or at its monthly meetings.
The club meets at 7 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month (except in December) at Borders Books, 125 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks.
For additional information on the club, its meetings and the contest, including where to submit entries, call Greg Elliot at 818-991-0783, e-mail president@venturacountywriters.com, or visit http://www.VenturaCountyWriters.com.
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