RHA calls for entries to its fourth annual fiction-writing contest

The following information was released by the Rossmoor Homeowners Association (RHA)

The Rossmoor Homeowners Association is starting its fourth annual fiction writing contest this year, open to any Rossmoor resident of any age with a good story to tell.

Here’s a great opportunity for people to exercise a known talent or find they could write a story without even realizing it in the past, and it’s a great chance to win something without driving to Las Vegas.

The winner of the contest will receive a $200 gift certificate at our co-sponsor, The Original Fish Company, and have their story published on the RHA website and RHA newsletter. The runner-up will receive a $50 gift certificate. See the rules below.

Maybe you haven’t written anything in years, only because you didn’t want to offend anybody, but you’ve been waiting to unload your opinions all your life. Now you can do it in fiction. Or maybe you’re one of those people who like to write an individual note on every Christmas or other holiday card. Here’s a great opportunity to explore your writing talent.

Will this year’s winner be a story about a scheming county official who plots to build a jail inside Rossmoor? Or maybe it will be about a soldier in Afghanistan dreaming back to his days growing up in Rossmoor. Or maybe how the acts of kindness by one person can change a neighborhood. We are still waiting after three years for a story about a sizzling romance on a Rossmoor cul-de-sac, or maybe this year’s story will be about a student at the local high school who is trying to understand why the government is cutting back on education.

You don’t have to be Ernest Hemingway or any kind of professional writer to enter. Storytelling is as old as the human race, even though its future is challenged by “social media” that seem to be reversing the evolutionary process. We hope you give it a try. Even if you don’t win, it’s bound to be challenging and fun.

Rules

Entries can be no longer than 1,000 words. Stories should have some kind of Rossmoor element, such as characters who came from Rossmoor or a story that is located in Rossmoor. The deadline is June 1. Send your stories either by email to the RHA at rha@rossmoor-rha.org or by regular mail at P.O. Box 5058, Rossmoor, CA 90721-5058.