Contests!
Specifically, fantasy fiction writing contests.
No, nothing that this site is sponsoring, but someone with a very similar name: Fantasist Enterprises. They currently have two contests going. One has a deadline of October 15, 2006 and is called Fantastical Visions. This is open to authors submitting any previously unpublished work under 10,000 words with fantasy as a primary or central theme.
The other contest is the Sails and Sorcery contest. This contest has a deadline of January 15, 2007 and, as one might guess from the title, has a theme. That theme is sailing! More specifically, “nothing with a feel that is later than the early 19th century” and with an emphasis on a Pirates of the Carribean feel to it. The site lists several examples, and has more details, but, again, fantasy needs to be an essential part of the story.
The nice thing about both of these contests, however, is that there is no entrance fee for a single manuscript. That’s very unusual, in my experience, and why I’m mentioning it here. So, if you have any inclination to write at all and, like me, needed a goal to help get started working on something, then check out these contests.
They may just get you out of your slump!
