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The 2023 Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award

March 13, 2023 by in category Contests, From a Cabin in the Woods by Members of Bethlehem Writers Group, Writing Contest tagged as , , ,

The 2023 Short Story Award is now open for submissions!

The theme: Season’s Readings

Bethlehem Writers Group is seeking never-published short stories of 2,000 words or fewer for a chance to win.

Winners will receive:

First Place:
$250 and publication in our upcoming anthology: Season’s Readings: More Sweet, Funny, and Strange Holiday Tales

Second Place:
$100 and publication in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable

Third Place:
$50 and publication in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable

Click here for submission rules

The 2023 Guest Judge is renowned Short Story Writer and Editor Barb Goffman. You can read an interview with her here.

Other Books Published by BWG

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blink of time by diane sismour

February 13, 2023 by in category From a Cabin in the Woods by Members of Bethlehem Writers Group tagged as , , , ,

blink of time


my soul yearns for us.

when time stands still

where you and I escape

within the cocoon of our arms.

days pass by and our vision fades

but our hearts prevail

to pull us together

for a blink of time.

wanting life to calm

to capture the moment

as the taste of you lingers

and the smile reaches your soul.

I know no other

who could take your place

beside me or in my heart

for all our lives together.


©diane sismour


BWG Books


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The 2023 Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award

January 13, 2023 by in category Contests, From a Cabin in the Woods by Members of Bethlehem Writers Group, Writing Contest tagged as , , ,

The 2023 Short Story Award is now open for submissions!

The theme: Season’s Readings

Bethlehem Writers Group is seeking never-published short stories of 2,000 words or fewer for a chance to win:

Winners will receive:

First Place:
$250 and publication in our upcoming anthology: Season’s Readings: More Sweet, Funny, and Strange Holiday Tales

Second Place:
$100 and publication in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable

Third Place:
$50 and publication in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable

Click here for submission rules

The 2023 Guest Judge is renowned Short Story Writer and Editor Barb Goffman. You can read an interview with her here.

Other Books Published by BWG

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Holiday Books by Debra H. Goldstein

December 13, 2022 by in category From a Cabin in the Woods by Members of Bethlehem Writers Group

A prolific number of writers comprise the Bethlehem Writers Group. The upcoming holidays make this the perfect time to become acquainted with a new author or to simply grab copies of your favorite author’s books for stocking stuffers.

Short Stories:

AN ELEMENT OF MYSTERY: SWEET, FUNNY, AND STRANGE TALES OF INTRIQUE (2022)—From classic whodunits to tales of the unexplained, each of the twenty-three stories in this brand-new collection from BWG writers will leave you guessing and wanting to read just one more story.

CHRISTMAS ON NANTUCKET AND OTHER STORIES (2019)—Multiple award-winning author Carol L. Wright is known for capturing the nuances of family dynamics with vivid, relatable characters. This collection brings you her heartfelt stories with a mix of joy and sadness, love and loss, celebrations of all seasons, and a bit of mystery and magic. As it takes you through the year with compassion and humor, it is sure to touch your heart…and perhaps inspire you.

OFF THE RAILS A COLLECTION OF WEIRD, WICKED, AND WACKY STORIES (2019)—In this eclectic collection, Jerome W. McFadden takes a warped view of life in twenty-six fast-paced tales that explore the satirical edges of crime, paranoia, human foibles, and the afterlife. Some of the stories are weird, some wicked, some wacky, but all contain the unexpected twists born of McFadden’s unique sense of humor and dark imagination.

Cozy Mystery:

FIVE BELLS TOO MANY (2022)—As readers of One Taste Too Many found, for culinary challenged Sarah Blair, there is only one thing scarier than murder—and that’s the kitchen. In this fifth addition to the series, Sarah’s mother, Maybelle, who requires higher maintenance than Sarah’s Siamese cat, is a finalist in a competition for the perfect Southern wedding, and Sarah is forced into being her mother’s chaperone. After the show’s producer is found dead, with Sarah’s greatest nemesis kneeling by his body, Sarah must find the true killer before another contestant or crew member is permanently eliminated.

Children’s Books:

TANYA AND THE BABY ELEPHANT (2021) – Wouldn’t it be great to have a baby elephant as a pet? But baby elephants don’t stay babies forever and may miss their mothers. A charming book by Peter J Barbour.

Science Fiction and Fantasy:

THE DEATH OF MAGIC (2022)—For thousands of years, merciless dragons ruled the land, magical people their only food. But as magic itself began to die, the birthrate of magical people dwindled. Facing starvation, the heinous beasts ate the only magical beings they could find—each other. Now Saoirse, the last magical person, is hunted by the last surviving dragon. Kidd Wadsworth’s novel is being serialized one chapter a week for free on Scribble Hub.

MY FRIEND JACKSON (2020) by Christopher D. Ochs. Jasmine Price’s days are filled with emotional, physical, and cyber abuse at the hands of her new school’s queen bees. Rivalries, jealousies, and hatred escalate toward Jasmine, until a monstrous force intervenes with deadly consequences.

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Tips for Writing for a Contest by Carol L. Wright

November 13, 2022 by in category From a Cabin in the Woods by Members of Bethlehem Writers Group tagged as , , , , ,

It’s always exciting to enter a writing contest—at least until it comes to the actual writing.

Since I both write for submission and run the annual Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story award competition, I’ve developed a few tips for writing to a theme, keeping within the word count limits, and what to avoid. I hope these might be of help.

And we’re making a special announcement at the end!

When writing to a theme:

  • Write a new story instead of trying to wedge thematic elements into an existing story. It shows.
  • Don’t write the first thing that comes into your head. It popped into a hundred other heads, too. You don’t want to be competing with a hundred other stories similar to yours.
  • Brainstorm to find a fresh slant on the theme. Writing something from a slightly different angle will help your story stand out.
  • Be creative with your title. Too many entries will use the theme in the title. You want your title to be unique.

Staying within word limits:

  • Start with your protagonist in the middle of action. Hook readers immediately.
  • Refer to, but don’t overly explain backstory. You can imply an unhealed wound or past conflict between characters, but in a short story, the reader does not need to know the details unless they have a direct relationship to the current plot.
  • Keep descriptions pithy. A few words can paint a picture.
  • Use contractions, compound words, or hyphenated words. These count as only one word each
  • Do not use ellipses to show pauses or gaps. They are correctly typed as: space-dot-space-dot-space-dot-space. Unfortunately, each dot counts as a word! Use dashes instead. Some word counters count words connected by a dash as one word!
  • Simplify verbs. For example: she left, instead of she was gone or she had departed. You could even have a one-word sentence: Gone!
  • Use vivid verbs. It eliminates the need for adverbs or adjectives. For example: the storm raged instead of the storm was blowing strongly.
  • Use the words you need, but not one word more. Remember, the word limit is a maximum, not a minimum or a target word count. No contest judge wants to read a story that appears to be padded with extra words.
  • On the other hand, if the contest calls for stories of up to 5000 words, a very short story, e.g. 500 words, will not be competitive. You cannot do the world building or character development in a few words that you could accomplish with more words.

Contest Don’ts:

  • Don’t flatter judges in a cover letter. They know it’s just designed to butter them up and can seem annoying.
  • Don’t email the contest runner with questions that are answered in the call for submissions. Really annoying.
  • Don’t argue with the rules, break the rules, or ask for exceptions to the rules. The rules are there for a reason and have to be applied consistently to be a fair contest.
  • Don’t complain that winning stories aren’t as good as yours. All judging is subjective—and you cannot be objective about your own work.
  • And definitely don’t ask for names and email addresses of judges so you can complain to them!

Now for the announcement:

The Bethlehem Writers Roundtable announces its 2023 Short Story Award competition will be open from January 1 through March 31, 2023.

The theme is Season’s Readings. We are seeking stories of 2000 words or fewer that relate to the holiday season from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day.

Cost to enter: $15

Winners receive:

  • First Place: $250 and publication in the upcoming anthology, Seasons Readings: More Sweet, Funny, and Strange Holiday Tales. Anticipated publication: Fall 2024
  • Second Place: $100 and publication in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable online literary journal
  • Third Place: $50 and publication in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable online literary journal.

Our guest judge for 2023 is multi award-winning short story writer and professional editor Barb Goffman. Be sure to read her interview in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Winter 2023 issue, coming out on January 1.

You can get all your questions answered on our website: http://bwgwritersroundtable.com/short-story-award-2/. I hope to be reading your story soon!

Good luck—and happy writing!

~ Carol L. Wright

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