Ladies and gentlemen, the Liars' League themes for 2017 have been announced!
All stories should be unpublished, on-theme, between 800 and 2000 words long and submitted to [email protected] by 11.59pm on the day of the deadline. Happy writing y'all!
LIARS' LEAGUE 2017 THEMES & DEADLINES
January - Traditional LL post-New Year recovery period ... no event.
NEXT EVENT: Tuesday February 14th - MATE & DATE (for Valentine's Day) From suave seductions to rutting beasts, from stud stallions to old-fashioned romance, from friends-with-benefits to first dates, from true love to "You'll do, love", take us to Tindr, Grindr & beyond with your love and sex-themed stories. This will also be a special literary date night: email [email protected] with your name, age, preferred gender of date and favourite book to take part!
NEXT DEADLINE: Sunday February 5th for RACK & RUIN (see below)
Tuesday March 14th - RACK & RUIN: When it's all going to crap, what do you do? Write a story about it of course! Send us your most disastrous tales of failure, loss, catastrophe, tragedy, incompetence, idiocy, bankrupts, profligates, ruined castles, shipwrecks, dissipated fortunes and luckless inheritors.
Deadline Sunday February 5th
Tuesday April 11th - TRUTH & LIES: It's our 10th birthday so we're celebrating a decade of lies with ... er, more lies. Any story which addresses lies, liars, truth, truthseekers, detectives, fibbers and the grey area between reality and fiction is fair game for this theme.
Deadline Sunday March 5th
Tuesday May 9th - CUT & THRUST: Not just dashing swordplay and deadly duels, but the cut of a scissor or knife, the thrust of a stage or pornstar, or the dazzling drama of intellectual debate can be your subject this month. (We would love some actual swordplay though ...)
Deadline Sunday April 2nd
Tuesday June 13th - QUESTIONS & ANSWERS: It's exam season, so knuckle down! Students, teachers, mentors, examinations; interrogators, spies, investigations and stories which play with the idea of question and answer, which ask questions and seek answers, are all welcome in June.
Deadline Sunday May 7th
Tuesday July 11th - HEADS & TAILS: Give us heads of state and animal tales/tails, intellectuals and tail-chasers, coin tosses and literal or metaphorical games of snakes-and-ladders: creative interpretations of this theme are welcome.
Deadline Sunday June 4th
AUGUST - WE ARE ON HOLIDAY!
Tuesday September 12th - WOMEN & GIRLS: This month we're only looking for female authors writing female protagonists. Any genre and subject is welcome. Spread the word to women writers you know!
Deadline Sunday August 6th
Tuesday October 10th - DEATH & TAXES: For Hallowe'en, we want stories on the two most inevitable - and terrifying facts of life ... (Please note that the death and/or the taxes in the story can be literal or metaphorical in nature. Bonus points for including both, however).
Deadline Sunday September 3rd
Tuesday November 14th - BROTHERS & SISTERS: Love them or hate them, you can't choose your family - so this month we want stories of siblings. The brothers (or sisters, or both) can be one-on-one or a multitude; share love, hate or love-hate relationships, be twins and/or deadly rivals: the only limit is your ingenuity.
Deadline Sunday October 1st
Tuesday December 12th - SACRED & PROFANE: Christmas is the holiest time of the year ... but it makes plenty of us want to curse - so this yuletide we want you to explore the sacred and the secular aspects of the festive season in whatever way you can imagine. Both comic and serious takes on the theme are welcome.
Deadline Sunday November 5th