Guidelines

Read the guidelines carefully before submitting any story.

Stories that are accepted may be edited prior to publication.


The Type of Story

Your story should fall into one or more of the following categories:

• Strange requests in wills (e.g. strange burial requests, gifts to celebrities)
• Odd things the executor did with the estate (e.g. didn't sell the house and then burned it down)
• Things that went wrong 
• Wills that were found in strange hiding places (e.g. rolled up in a shaving cream can)
• Cases of mistaken identity (e.g. the "deceased" wasn't the person who died)
• Funny or weird things someone left you in their will
• Oddball conditions placed on someone (e.g. beneficiary must get divorced)
• Stupid things the lawyer did
• Odd things people said when they found out someone had passed away

Most importantly, your story must be true to the best of your knowledge.

The following types of stories will not be accepted:

• It contains a great deal of profanity
• It is significantly longer than the maximum word count
• There are other stories that are very similar
• It does not seem to be a good fit for the book
• The story is so confusing the editor cannot figure it out
• It advocates racism or hate
• It is actually an angry rant and not a quirky story

Writing the Story

All stories should be a maximum of 300 words. Stories that are exceptionally well-written but exceed this word count may be considered. There is no minimum word count.

• Review your story for spelling and grammar.
• All stories must be written in English.
• Avoid including unnecessary information.
• Tell the story in a logical sequence.

Who Can Write the Story

We are looking for entries from a number of sources, including but not limited to:

• Executors
• Beneficiaries
• Creditors
• Lawyers
• Accountants
• Judges
• Court clerks
• Trust officers
• Bankers
• Family members

Formatting

All stories should be typed and submitted as a Word document or email. PDFs and JPGs of handwritten stories will not be accepted.