About The Quarry
Every entry gets feedback. Winners get published. A monthly flash fiction contest: one prompt, 1,000 words. The winner takes half of all entry fees or $200, whichever is greater; winners and runners-up are published in The Quarry; and every entry gets a paragraph on the one change that would most improve it.
We believe writers get better by writing.
Not by reading craft books (though those help). Not by waiting for inspiration (it never comes). By sitting down, facing the blank page, and finishing something—over and over again, month after month.
The Quarry is a forcing function.
Every month, we give you a theme, a deadline, and a reason to ship. You write a short story. We give you real, rigorous feedback rooted in our published rubric. You revise, or you move on to next month's prompt. Either way, you've practiced the most important skill: finishing.
This isn't a vanity contest. We're not here to tell you you're brilliant. We're here to help you get better—one rough cut at a time.
Who This Is For:
Writers who want accountability. Writers who need deadlines. Writers tired of starting projects they never finish. Writers who'd rather get honest feedback than polite encouragement.
If you're serious about improving your craft, we'll meet you here every month.
How It Works:
- Read the month's theme
- Write a story (1,000 words max)
- Submit by the deadline ($15 for an entry credit)
- Receive written feedback with the results, about ten days after the deadline
- Revise, learn, repeat
Each month's winner and runners-up are published in The Quarry.
Welcome to The Quarry.
About the editor
Jonathan Fox has written stories since third grade and has spent years studying how they work. Story Development is his running account of what he's learned.
I'm not a famous author. Here's what I can offer: a close read and one honest note.
Why I Built This:
I'm a writer who kept starting stories I never finished. I'd get an idea, write a few pages, then lose momentum when the initial excitement faded.
I knew I needed external structure—a prompt, a deadline, accountability. The options were out there: writing coaches (200+/month), MFA programs (years and $ $), or writing groups.
I tried the writing group route. It worked for a while. Having a monthly deadline and real feedback helped me finish more than I had in years. But the time commitment was brutal—not just writing my own story, but reading and critiquing 4-5 other submissions every month. Eventually, the load became unsustainable.
What I wanted was simple: a monthly forcing function that gave me a reason to write, a deadline I couldn't ignore, and real feedback on my work—without the overhead of managing a group or paying hundreds of dollars a month.
When I couldn't find that system, I built it.
The Quarry is the writing practice I wish I'd had years ago. It's designed for writers who need structure but don't have endless time or money. I write to every prompt alongside you, facing the same deadline, the same blank page. My stories don't compete; I publish them on my own site.
If you're tired of unfinished drafts and want to actually ship, I'll see you here on the 1st.
—Jonathan