A Valentine's Day contest brought to you by MythandLegend

Love, one simple four-letter word and yet it holds our imagination captive. It is to be cherished, to be nurtured, to be celebrated. As February is the month of Valentine's Day, love is everywhere. However, we like to bring you something a little bit different and for MythandLegend to make the love a bit more ... extraordinary.

Write in 1,000 to 2,000 words a love story, or a Valentine's day story, that has LGBTQ+ characters or themes, Paranormal beings or settings, or features characters of Myth or Legend. Better yet: combine them all! Write your heart out and treat us to some wonderful tales.

Stories must be published on Wattpad and the submission form filled before February 28th, 2018. The submission form will close the next day.

Winners will be notified via PM and announced on the MythandLegend profiles.

• Tag your story on Wattpad with the following tags: #WPContest #EtherealValentine and add these as far as they apply to your entry: #LGBTQ #MythandLegend #Paranormal

• Fill in the submission form here.

• Optional: Share your entry in the comment section below so other people can check it out.

• Optional: Let the world know about your story. Share a link to your story on Twitter or Facebook using the hashtags: #Wattpad #EtherealValentine. Nominate a friend to read or write their own.

• Story must include a clear love/romance or Valentine's Day theme/setting.

• Story must include at least one of the following:
- LGBTQ+ themes or characters
- Paranormal or supernatural characters or settings
- Characters or settings from mythology or legend

• Entries must be published on Wattpad and follow the submission guidelines outlined.

• Must be a new story (so written for this contest).

• Must be its own work (so not a part in an already existing short story collection).

• Must be original (sorry, we're not accepting fanfiction at this time).

• Must be a completed story and marked as such before the deadline.

• Please keep it between 1,000-2,000 words (author's notes excluded).

• One entry per writer.

• English language only.

• No mature content and no sexual scenes. (You can read the content guidelines here.)

Things to Note:

• When linking your story in the form, please be sure not to link us to your 'My Works' page by accident! We will be unable to read your story unless it is a direct link.

• Your story will be judged based on the following things:

- Proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

- Interpretation of the prompt.

- Originality.

- Engagement. (Meaning: is it enjoyable to read?)

• Winning stories will be added to a reading list on MythandLegend 

• Winning stories will receive a sticker to showcase their achievement.

• Winning stories will receive promotion from MythandLegend.

• Is mature content allowed?

Sorry, but we are looking for Everyone rated stories for this contest. We also want to ask you to refrain from writing any sexual scenes. (We don't mind any reference to characters having had sex, but please use a "fade to black" and skip the actual action.)

• Can I write a FanFic?

No, sorry. We're looking for original stories for this contest. Do note that stories based on existing mythology do not count as FanFiction. However, stories using characters from existing universes (e.g. Marvel's Loki) do count as FanFiction and are thus not accepted.

• What are you looking for in the winners?

Compelling, engaging, original works that bring something extra to Valentine's Day. We also highly appreciate proper spelling and grammar.

• Does it need to be a romance story?

No. If you can write a story that has a Valentine's Day theme or setting, without there being any romance: go for it. We highly encourage you to think outside of the box.

• How many chapters should I write?

You can write a short story in just 1 chapter, or decide to write multiple chapters if it is longer. Just be sure to keep the total story between 1,000 - 2,000 words and have it completed in time.

• I like to add author's notes to my story/chapters. Do they add to the total word count?

No, the total word count is the sum of all the actual story content. So author's notes are excluded from the total 1,000 - 2,000 words. If you add a glossary that too will not be included with the total word count.

• I finished my story but I forgot to mark it as complete, does my entry still count?

We're afraid that if you forget to mark your story as completed before the deadline, it will be disqualified. Marking a story as completed when it is not will also result in your story being disqualified.

• Are you accepting all story categories?

We unfortunately cannot accept fanfiction, poetry, random, or nonfiction at this time. We are accepting all other categories of fiction, however.

• Is cussing allowed in the story?

We allow some cussing, just don't overdo it.

• Am I allowed to collaborate with friends to write a story?

Yes. Please only submit your story once and include the usernames of all participating users on the form.

• I don't identify as LGBTQ+, can I still enter?

Everyone is free to enter, no matter how they identify.

• My story does not contain LGBTQ+ characters or themes, can I still enter it?

Yes, you can! Because this contest is a collab between three profiles, including LGBTQ+, we highly encourage LGBTQ+ characters or themes, but it's not mandatory.

Any other questions, please PM us (as we might miss it if asked in the comments).

You are also free to ask questions in the comments and have other readers help you out ♥