By Jeff Norberg

It’s no fiction that the deadline for entering our OC Christian Writers Conference Fiction Writing Contest is March 31—just over two weeks away. So it’s time to get those potential entries polished and on their way.

Open only to paid conference attendees, the contest offers a great opportunity to have your entries read by our expert faculty members. Jeff Gerke of Marcher Lord Press will determine the finalists, and he’ll be looking for stories with a strong narrative element and great characters that arise from a Christian worldview. No manuscript will be rejected for submission and all genres are eligible (except, of course, anything X-rated—our goal, after all, is to honor Christ with our words).

To keep your entry from being disqualified:
• Authors must submit between 20-30 pages, double-spaced, using 12-point type and 1” margins all around.
• On your first page, preferably in the upper left hand corner, include the following information, like this:
o [NAME] Susie C. Writer
o [ADDRESS] 123 Scribe St.
o Story Town, CA 55555
o [PHONE NO.] (555) 555-5555
o [EMAIL ADDRESS] susiewrites@occwriter.com
o [WORD COUNT] 5,895 words

For a complete list of rules, go to the Fiction Writing Contest page of the OCCWF website. Hurry and get in those submissions before it is too late to take part in this contest.

The grand prize of $250.00 also includes special recognition and an opportunity to read the first page of your work to the group. Second and third place winners receive $150 and $75 respectively, as well as special recognition. All winners will have their names and stories published on the OCCWF website.