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Neerja. A real life story of extraordinary bravery. Use our cue from it to write your story for Muse of the Month September 2017.
In 2016, we had a very successful Muse of the Month series that culminated in a published book (titled Kunti’s Confessions & Other Short Stories) with the top 15 stories of the year. Every month, a cue was given from a contemporary Indian woman writer, and 5 winning stories were published. From these winners, the 15 final stories were chosen for publication in the book, and they are all examples of superlative fiction, of the raw, untapped talent that we have among us. The book is currently available in both print and in e-book format.
In 2017, we come back with a new Muse of the Month series, one with a contemporary twist. Instead of giving you a cue from a book, your cue will be from a feminist movie – either Bollywood or Hollywood.
That sounds very refreshing, doesn’t it? So let us look at the rules and the other stuff first, before getting on to our cue.
Step 1. Watch the GIF/video clip embedded, and get inspired.
Step 2. Write your own story/poem/narrative/essay/piece based on the cue. This might not have anything to do with the actual movie clip used, or the actors in it. (And the ‘story’ can be fictional – or not – as you wish).
Step 3. Send your work to us. Please email it to [email protected] with ‘Muse of the month – September 2017’ in the subject line, and your story as a word/txt attachment. Do include the name we should use if we publish it, and a brief introduction of yourself (2-3 lines) in the mail.
Please note: Given the number of entries received, we won’t be able to respond to each one, but every single entry is being read through very carefully and is much appreciated.
Please send in your stories by Monday, 11th September, 3 p.m. IST. The 5 best stories will be published on Women’s Web between the 18th to 22nd September 2017, one on each day.
The material should be previously unpublished elsewhere. (Copyright stays with you and you’re free to subsequently publish it elsewhere).
Keep it between 250 and 2000 words. (Please keep this in mind; in past editions, we have had to disqualify some good entries purely due to word count issues).
Please avoid typing the story as inline text. Send it as an attachment only.
The 5 best entries will each win an Amazon voucher worth Rs 250. Plus, the winner automatically qualifies to compete to be one of the top few winners at the end of 2017!
When Neerja is a married woman facing domestic violence, she calls up her father, who tells her to believe in herself and never lose hope. That tolerating injustice is as bad as committing it, and that one has to know where to draw a line, when to say, “No more!”
via GIPHY
Do not forget to send in your entries by Monday, 11th September, 3 p.m. IST.
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Image source: youtube
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