The winning stories in our 2022 “Dead of Winter” short fiction contest are:
The first, second, and third place stories will appear in TCLJ 23.1, our Spring issue.
Our next contest is “The Savage Mystery Writing Contest,” which is a 48-hour contest for mystery stories.
Dead of Winter 2023 opens October 1; Toasted Cheese’s contest info is here.
Stories submitted to the the 22nd Annual Dead of Winter contest (December 2022) will use the theme OMINOUS WHISPERS.
When you think “ominous whispers,” what are they? How would they manifest? What would they do to the target? Where do they come from and what do they want? Think: the heating system kicking on under the bed, a mechanical sound that your protagonist is sure comes from the back seat, or susurrations among the gravestones on a bleak winter’s night… sure. That’s what that sound is. Feel free to play with the theme, like making “Ominous Whispers” a private club, an underground organization, or the captioning on a TV show. The “ominous whispers” can be as defined or undefined as you like and in just about any type of world you can imagine*.
EVERY YEAR:
Stories MUST be based on the theme provided.
Stories MUST be set in winter.
Stories MUST fall in the horror genre.
HOW TO ENTER:
The contest opens October 1, 2022 and the deadline for submission is 11:59 PM ET December 21, 2022.
Email entries to dow2022[at]toasted-cheese.com with the subject line:
Dead of Winter Contest Entry.
Include at the beginning of your entry: Title (word count)
The word count range for DOW 2022 is 1000–5000 words. You may round your word count however you like (example: a 4853-word-story could be “4853,” “4850,” or “~4900”). Stories that do not fall within word count parameters will be disqualified.
Follow general contest guidelines and general Dead of Winter guidelines.
See DOW guidelines for prize information.
* note: while we did take our inspiration from the Thaumaturgy cantrip in DnD, this is not a SFF or spec fic contest. Please no high fantasy; just horror! Roll initiative and write us a spooky story, bards!
Your challenge for the 2022 Savage Science Fiction / Fantasy Writing Contest:
Write a science fiction or fantasy story of 4,500 words or less involving secret information that has been leaked. It can be large or small, for example the name of the father, state secrets, a formula or spell.
Be sure to read both the Savage Writing Contest rules and the general contest guidelines before submitting your entry.
Your 48 hours start now. Good luck!
The winning stories for our 21st annual Dead of Winter horror fiction contest are:
The first, second, and both third place stories will appear in TCLJ 22.1, our Spring issue.
Our next contest is The Savage Mystery Writing Contest, which opens Friday, March 18 and ends Sunday, March 20. Please remember to follow theme, genre, and word count parameters on all contests. There is no registration, entry fee, or geographic restriction for this or any TC contest. Toasted Cheese’s contest info is here.
Stories submitted to the the 21st Annual Dead of Winter contest (December 2021) will use the theme STAY OUT OF THE ___ .
Since childhood, we’ve been warned to stay away from certain places like the forest or an abandoned house. We’re also told to stay out of arguments or not to shake the family tree. After all, it’s for our own good. What could possibly go wrong if we disregard this fundamental advice? Your characters will get to find out in the horror story you’ll write by completing and using that theme.
Your entry will not only use the theme but will also use it in a central way, not as a peripheral or “dropped in” detail. Give your story a unique title.
EVERY YEAR:
Stories MUST be based on the theme provided.
Stories MUST be set in winter.
Stories MUST fall in the horror genre.
HOW TO ENTER:
The contest opens October 1, 2021 and the deadline for submission is 11:59 PM ET December 21, 2021.
Email entries to dow2021[at]toasted-cheese.com with the subject line:
Dead of Winter Contest Entry.
Include at the beginning of your entry: Title (word count)
The word count range for DOW 2021 is 1000–5000 words. You may round your word count however you like (example: a 4853-word-story could be “4853,” “4850,” or “~4900”). Stories that do not fall within word count parameters will be disqualified.
Follow general contest guidelines and general Dead of Winter guidelines.
See DOW guidelines for prize information.
Your challenge for the 2021 Savage Science Fiction / Fantasy Writing Contest:
Write a fantasy or science fiction story under 4,000 words about trying to regain a power, sense, or technology lost to an act of nature or a widespread disease.
Be sure to read both the Savage Writing Contest rules and the general contest guidelines before submitting your entry.
Your 48 hours start now. Good luck!
Thank you for your patience as we determined our final Dead of Winter results, which are:
The most popular themes submitted to our 20th annual horror fiction contest were “Nevertheless She Persisted” and “The Hand of Fate.” The first, second, and third place stories will appear in Toasted Cheese 21.1, our Spring issue.
Our next contest is the renamed The Savage Mystery Writing Contest (formerly Three Cheers and a Tiger), which opens Friday, March 19 and ends Sunday, March 21. Please remember to follow theme, genre, and word count parameters on all contests. There is no registration, entry fee, or geographic restriction for this or any TC contest.
The Sunday Brunch Prompted Writing Chat is an opportunity each week to test your skills at writing under pressure — or to have some fun without the need to be brilliant — or both!
The prompts are intended as both as a challenge and a starting point, open to creative interpretation. You can use these as an excuse to write anything that comes to mind, whether it’s fiction or creative non-fiction or a mixture of both. You can write a separate piece for each prompt, or try to link them all together in a single story.
If you join in the chat, you can add “an excuse to complain about unfair prompts” to the entertainment, too. But even if you can’t attend the chat session, feel free to give the prompts a try anyway (and leave your responses, comments, or complaints in this thread if you like).
This week’s prompts are posted below.
1. Use the following five words: worry, hero, range, infect, corner. (10 min)
2. Use the phrase, “What can we do?” (10 min)
3. Write about not understanding. (10 min)
The challenge was to write a speculative fiction story within 48 hours using the prompt “Write a fantasy or science fiction story of up to 3,000 words on the topic of returning to a childhood neighborhood to find only one house still inhabited.”
First place: “Back Home” by Meg Hilt
Second place: “Rushville” by Briana Suazo
Third place: “WPP1G Product Review” by David Lukes
The winning entries will be published in the December/Winter issue of Toasted Cheese (Issue 20.4).
Judges for Three Cheers (Fall) are Boots & Broker.
Congratulations to the winners!
The Sunday Brunch Prompted Writing Chat is an opportunity each week to test your skills at writing under pressure — or to have some fun without the need to be brilliant — or both!
The prompts are intended as both as a challenge and a starting point, open to creative interpretation. You can use these as an excuse to write anything that comes to mind, whether it’s fiction or creative non-fiction or a mixture of both. You can write a separate piece for each prompt, or try to link them all together in a single story.
If you join in the chat, you can add “an excuse to complain about unfair prompts” to the entertainment, too. But even if you can’t attend the chat session, feel free to give the prompts a try anyway (and leave your responses, comments, or complaints in this thread if you like).
This week’s prompts are posted below.
1. Use the following five words: prosper, disk, satisfaction, biology, able. (10 min)
2. Use the phrase, “the best ever.” (10 min)
3. Write about a stack of mail or lots of incoming messages. (10 min)