The Writer’s “An Ocean of Possibility” short story contest is now accepting submissions of 1,000-word fiction stories. Writers have a choice of three ocean-themed quotes as inspiration for their stories:

• “Because there’s nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it’s sent away.” – Sarah Kay

• “Doesn’t it seem to you,” asked Madame Bovary, “that the mind moves more freely in the presence of that boundless expanse, that the sight of it elevates the soul and gives rise to thoughts of the infinite and the ideal?” – Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary 

• “The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude; to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation. The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace.” – Kate Chopin, The Awakening

The submission deadline is Thursday, April 30, 2015.

The entry fee is $25 for one story and $15 each for up to five additional stories. The grand prize is $1,000 and publication in The Writer; the second prize is $500; and the third prize is $250.