On the Basis of Six

Can you condense a crime-fiction plot down to only half a dozen words? That’s the challenge presented in the third annual Six-Word Mystery Contest, sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. An RMMWA press release explains that

The contest is now open, with instructions posted at www.rmmwa.org. Entries must be received by midnight, October 31, 2019. Six-word novels can be entered in one or all five of the following categories: Hard-boiled or Noir; Cozy Mystery; Thriller Mystery; Police Procedural Mystery; and/or a mystery with Romance or Lust. The Six-Word Mystery Contest is open to all adults 18 and over. No residency requirements. …

Cost to enter the contest is $6 for one entry (just $1 per word); or $10 to enter six-word mysteries in all five categories. The grand prize winner will receive $100 in cash. Winners in all other categories will receive valuable gift cards to the Tattered Cover Book Store and will have their stories featured on the RMMWA website and published in both Deadlines, RMMWA’s newsletter, and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. …

Finalists will be invited to the chapter’s annual Mystery & Mistletoe Holiday Party, December 12, 2019, in Denver, Colorado. Winners will be voted on by those attending the party and announced that evening.

Click here to see all of last year’s Six-Word Mystery Contest winners, including the Overall Contest Winner, Matthew Porter, whose submission read: “She took his name. For starters.”