Parody Jane Austen for a new anthology contest

Want to write some tragically bad Austen?

Phil Sexton, the publisher of WD, gave us a heads up about something fun going on over at his old Adams Media stomping grounds: The Bad Austen Contest. The goal? To round up the very best Jane Austen parodies, and to publish them in a book compilation in Fall 2011.

To get involved, channel some early 19th century wit and pen a piece of fewer than 800 words (the plot, setting, characters, etc., are up to you) parodying Austen’s style. Then, visit badausten.com, where you can register, submit your piece (all free) and gather votes for your entry.

A panel (featuring authors/members of the Jane Austen Society of North America and even the author of the WTF? humor series) will then peruse the entries and select the scenes to feature in the compilation.

For more, check out the Bad Austen website, or follow @BadAusten on Twitter. A regular, but somewhat related, Promptly prompt follows. (Also, quick note that Adams is owned by F+W Media, parent of WD. But I would have blogged about it anyway.)

***

WRITING PROMPT: Revenge of the Literary Legends
Feel
free to take the following prompt home or post a
response (500 words or fewer, funny, sad or stirring) in the Comments
section below. By posting, you’ll be automatically entered in our
occasional around-the-office swag drawings. If you’re having trouble
with the captcha code sticking, e-mail your piece and the prompt to me
at writersdigest@fwmedia.com, with “Promptly” in the subject line, and
I’ll make sure it gets up.

Write a parody or pastiche in the voice of one of your favorite deceased authors observing a facet of modern life that drives you absolutely mad.