Ready, Set, Write

It's daunting, we know, so we're going to break it down for you in three easy steps:

1) Pluck inspiration from ___ (real life, thin air, and so on).

2) Transpose to page.

3) Cram it in an envelope and send it our way.

That's pretty much the gist, although we fully acknowledge there's some unknowable alchemy at work between the first and second steps – in taking that fragment of an idea, that tiny sliver that got you thinking and dreaming, and turning it into a polished work of fiction. But believe us when we say: We're pulling for you.

The fine print: The postmark deadline is Dec. 15, 2011; work must be unpublished, typewritten, and no longer than 2,500 words; author's name must not appear on the story itself, but the title should; story must be accompanied by a cover letter containing the name, address, email, and phone number of the author, as well as the story's word count and title; one entry per person; Chronicle staff, freelancers who have contributed more than one article since October 2010, and first- through fifth-place winners from the 2010 contest are ineligible; no electronic submissions; no submission fees.

Want more info? Visit austinchronicle.com/shortstory. Got questions? Contact [email protected]. Now start typing.