My first experience with Mash Stories involved corruption, pizza and a selfie.My submission, Naked Men and a Pigeon did not make it to the shortlist. However, I did get a bit of feedback.
"This piece has great energy; I love the idea of naked marauders taking people captive while preaching freedom. However our hero, Brad, remains passive and unknown to us. This feels like the introduction to a story that begins after Brad meets the woman with the tattoo."
I thought this was fantastic feedback, especially since it is free to enter the contest. Here's a blog post from their website on why they believe in it.
I am currently working on my submission for the next writing contest that will involve a chicken, a bathrobe, and a potato. Did I mention the contests are free?
Now, Mash is not just a competition site. They are also a club. I have not joined yet, but will likely try it out next year. Benefits include: multiple story submissions, extended evaluation, and personal coaching. It's $7.99 a month, as of this blog post.
Lastly, they are an exposure engine. Between newsletters and E-books, shortlisted writers get the benefit of Mash's circulation. They just killed their Podcast, but maybe something similar will pop up.
All in all, I think they show every sign of a website that should be on each competitive writer's favorite menu. The only caution I have is that they are a new site and I anticipate many changes as they grow.
Let me know if you decide to join or what your experience with Mash is like.
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