Hey readers! I just wanted to give you a heads-up on a new writing site I learned about through the circles I’m in: Penclash!

Okay, so it’s not a site yet. And, legal disclaimer: I am not in any way affiliated with Penclash outside of having heard about it through the writing circles I hang out on. I’m not affiliated with the site’s owners or developers or anything like that. I just heard about it, and immediately realized this was something that could use some more publicity.

So, what is it? Well, Penclash is a writing competition site. That’s right: A whole website dedicated to short story competitions. If you’ve ever hung around online writing sites you may be familiar with these: Folks (sometimes even site hosts) will put up a challenge or a prompt, give a submission date, and on on occasion even offer a prize of some kind to the top stories, and away people go. There are judges, submissions … it’s a pretty common feature of online writing sites to have these contests.

So then what’s Penclash? It’s a site built for these. With integrated features for other fictions sites, easy-to-create contests, monthly site-wide contests … and more!

Why build a site just for that? Well, there isn’t one yet. These contests you see on other sites? They’re usually organized via forums or message services, since there aren’t parts of sites dedicated to creating, judging, and running these contests.

Ergo, a site dedicated to that. With openings to integrate those fics right into places people already use.

And don’t worry. The FAQ is very clear on who owns the rights to each story: The creator and author. Not Penclash.

Personally, I think it’s a great idea. Writing competitions like that can be great ways for fledgling writers and veterans alike to stretch their muscles. A site like Penclash is a great idea!

Well, save for one tiny issue. It’s not a fully functional site yet. The developers have built about 30% of it, but they’re asking for support via IndieGoGo to get the graphic design up to par, pay for initial hosting, and finish off some of the coding, among other things.

But honestly, I think it’s a really good idea. A dedicate site built for story contests, where anyone can make an account, host contests, submit stories for contests, and then even take those stories to other sites? That’s something that doesn’t exist only because no one has realized it’s a great idea yet save these guys.

So, if this sounds like something you’d be interested in seeing or even supporting, then take a look at their IndieGoGo campaign and see what you think! I’m giving them a shout-out!