Literary Fiesta - Done, finally! Congrats!

How much time would you like to have to write and submit an entry?

1 week	17.9%	[ 33 ]
2 weeks	54.3%	[ 100 ]
other - suggest in thread	27.7%	[ 51 ]
Total Votes:			[ 184 ]

[MissSnark]

What This Contest Is

A very huge 'thank you' to Mahayr and Vince who both helped me get this contest organized. <3

This is a writing contest for prose only and will be hard work. I am going to be giving away a substantial amount in prizes, but I do warn upfront that it won't be easy. smile

The contest will have eight themes that will be revealed one at a time. You will have a specific timeframe in which to write and post a short story that you feel relates to the theme. There will be a smaller prize for the story with the highest grade every week, and the grand prize will depend on your overall score.

Again, I have to repeat that this won't be easy, but I do promise I'll make it worth your time. biggrin

Still with me? Skip to the next post then to find out more details.

Winners are up! Thank you for all the fun!

navigation | prizes | contest details | admission guidelines | themes | entries | winners | links of interest

[MissSnark]

Prizes

Let's skip right to the good part shall we? whee

Due to a very generous contribution from Mahayr and the WW&CCF that amounts to almost 100k in gold and items, as well as a friend who wishes to remain anonymous (thank you both so much! heart ), the prizes are now as follows:

For the Story With the Highest Overall Grade Each Week: 3.5k + Easter Basket 2K5

First Place: 100k + Sealed Envelope
Second Place: 75k + Sealed Envelope
Third Place: 50k + Sealed Envelope

Three Honorable Mentions: 10k + Dried Grass Skirt

There is NO entry fee. You have absolutely nothing to lose. XD

navigation | prizes | contest details | admission guidelines | themes | entries | winners | links of interest

[MissSnark]

Contest Details

• The contest will run through eight themes.
  
• I wouldn't usually do this, but for the sake of the contest I will not be accepting previously written stories. I know this makes it a little harder, but the themes are new and I would really like newly written pieces.
  
• You can sign up for the contest for 1 week starting now. After that time is over, I will close up admissions and the writing will start. The only exception is if I have too few contestants after one week.
  
• I will not be accepting any new entrants after that one week. I apologize for this, but it is necessary.
  
• You can write about anything you like as long as it relates to the theme. I accept any genre, slash, cursing, etc. However, I do not want to see sex scenes in the story, although you can insinuate them. Keep it as PG-13 as possible.
  
• All stories should be original. No fanfiction.
  
• Also, no poetry or songfics.
  
• All entries will be posted in the thread. You have 2 weeks to write and post.
  
• Your story can be anything between 500-5000 words. The limit is so that I don't go insane trying to judge them all. sweatdrop
  
• Please use a 12pt size font when posting. I wear glasses and would like to not strain my eyes too much. :3
  

NEW: Once you have posted your entry, please do not edit it. Since there are so many people entering I will be judging the pieces as they are posted, so if you edit it there's a big chance I won't see it anyway.

NEW: I have no problem with clarifying something if it was confusing, but please read the entire first page before asking me anything. After I start posting the themes, any mistake you make is on your own head.

NEW: Do not ask me to clarify the theme.

When you submit, please use the following entry form:

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Theme:[/b]
[b]Title:[/b]
[b]Rating:[/b]
[b]Word Count:[/b]
[b]Would you like to hear my thoughts on your piece?[/b] (DISABLED)

The contest will be judged based on plot, style, characterization, grammar and punctuation, overall flow, whether it holds the reader's interest, relation to the prompt. I will be completely unbiased in my judging. I don't have to love the story for it to win.

NEW: Because a lot of people are going on vacation, you are allowed to make ONE late submission. This submission will not qualify for the small prize, but will still count for the total and the big prizes.

navigation | prizes | contest details | admission guidelines | themes | entries | winners | links of interest

[MissSnark]

Admission Guidelines

You will have one week to sign up for this contest. Once I start posting the themes, it will not be possible for anyone new to join.

However, it is your right to withdraw at any time, although I do hope the prizes will compell people to stay. smile

If you wish to join, simply post in the thread saying so and I will put you in the list of entrants. Don't post unless you're absolutely sure you want to join though, so I can keep things clear.

Edited: 11/11/2006 - Entrants with an * next to their name have used their late submission. The striked names are out of the running for the big prizes but may still compete for each theme.

List of Entrants:

• alianorastar * (#6 - not submitted)
  
• [ .days. ] * (#1 - submitted)
  
• Eruden Ki
  
• MaNgAoBsEsSiVe
  
• [Alphabravo] * (#4 - submitted)
  
• Ace of Shadows
  
• V. Wolfe
  
• aliisara

navigation | prizes | contest details | admission guidelines | themes | entries | winners | links of interest

[MissSnark]

Themes

Theme #1: 'high tension'.
Theme #2: 'lie, it's alright'.
Theme #3: 'the same MO' - your story should NOT be about crime or anything related to crime (police, lawyers, etc).
Theme #4: 'running short on air'.
Theme #5: 'slings and arrows'.
Theme #6: 'I am clearly a man'.
Theme #7: 'every inch a king'.
Theme #8: 'and we can share the orc, they said'.

navigation | prizes | contest details | admission guidelines | themes | entries | winners | links of interest

[MissSnark]

Entries

Theme #8

• alianorastar - Pg58 - For some reason the story felt dreamy. Not a bad thing at all. biggrin Fun to read.
  
• [Alphabravo] - Pg58 - I liked Rin. I liked Grandon. I liked the glimpses you showed of their team. Makes me glad I went with this prompt after all.
  
• [ .days. ] - Pg58 - You had me interested right from the start and even when I thought the prompt would be limited to the first sentence you slipped it in again in the middle. Great read. biggrin
  

Theme #7

• alianorastar - Pg56 - The parts in italics were a little confusing at the beginning since I noticed the POV switches in the middle. Overall though I loved this story. Must be the dysfunctional relationship. xD
  
• [ .days. ] - Pg56 - The beginning reminded me (just a little) of Pretty Woman so maybe that's why I wasn't expecting the dark theme. It's an interesting interpretation of the prompt and was very realistic. smile
  
• Eruden Ki - Pg56 - It started off a bit slow but by the time you were describing Taylan I was already curious. Who doesn't like fire-wielding kings. biggrin
  
• alliisara - Pg56 - The story felt familiar but I don't remember if I've read something similar before. That said, I love the style you used throughout the story. It was fun and comfortable and overall cute, and I loved the ending. ^^
  
• [Alphabravo] - Pg56 - I loved the reference to henna (at least I assume it was xD) and the description of the ritual as a whole. The end was a little confusing but doesn't take away from the overall enjoyment.
  

Theme #6

• V. Wolfe - Pg54
  
• [ .days. ] - Pg54
  
• MaNgAoBsEsSiVe - Pg54
  
• [Alphabravo] - Pg54
  
  Late Submissions:
  
  
• Eruden Ki - Pg56
  
• alianorastar - Pg59
  

Theme #5

• V. Wolfe - Pg51
  
• Ace of Shadows - Pg51
  
• Eruden Ki - Pg51
  
• alianorastar - Pg52
  
• [ .days. ] - Pg52
  
• MaNgAoBsEsSiVe - Pg52
  
• [Alphabravo] - Pg52
  

Theme #4

• Ellyrianna - Pg47 - A few grammar mistakes here and there, but I stayed interested throughout the piece. Not too wordy but not too sketchy on details either. smile
  
• Eruden Ki - Pg47 - There were a few parts where specific words were repeated almost every sentence, and the POV switched back and forth a lot, but it was still a good read. biggrin
  
• alianorastar - Pg47 - It is disjointed like you said, but you make it work. Was a little confused over whether this was one person or several. Also, the last segment about the daughter, if this was written/thought while she was still a child, some of the words might be a bit too difficult for a small kid to know. smile
  
• Fader - Pg47 - This was good, you managed to make it work without names and not be confusing. biggrin Nice flow to it too.
  
• sango-chan17 - Pg47 - I didn't realize this was a continuation until about halfway through, and then I had trouble remembering what happened in the first part. xD I remembered enough to enjoy this though. The last paragraph was especially good.
  
• V. Wolfe - Pg47 - I was kind of expecting some of this but it made it no less fun. xD The idea reminds me a bit of Terry Pratchett, and is really just a fun, entertaining read. biggrin
  
• Ace of Shadows - Pg47 - This was overall better and more interesting than the first story with Terry (which I had to look up again xD). The end seems a bit lackluster, but it was well-written. ^^
  
• [ .days. ] - Pg47 - Nice premise, well-written, good plot. A good read. biggrin Glimpsed a few grammar errors here and there, but the rest is great.
  
• MaNgAoBsEsSiVe - Pg48 - A few grammar mistakes here and there, but a nice setting, and I really liked how you ended it. biggrin
  
  Late Submissions:
  
  
• thewoodsrwaiting - Pg49
  
• [Alphabravo] - Pg49
  

Theme #3

• Sinith - Pg41 - The beginning didn't flow very smoothly, so it was a bit difficult to get into. The idea is interesting though, just make sure to reread what you wrote b/c there were quite a few sentences that made no sense (think they were missing a few words xD).
  
• [Alphabravo] - Pg41 - Nice flow to it, enough detail without making it too tedious, and good work on the dialect. biggrin
  
• Ellyrianna - Pg41 - XD I wouldn't know when they'd stop either, but you can sort of avoid that by not mentioning time much. That way, people can either assume you are describing day by day or assume you are describing time in blocks of several days. This was pretty good, maybe add a bit more variation to your speech tags? smile
  
• Eruden Ki - Pg42 - Amusing premise. XD Mark being blind was a nice touch too, and the end made me grin. Just one thing I noticed is that you tell what happens a lot, rather than letting the characters live it. Explaining why a character is angry isn't always necessary; trust your readers to deduce some things on their own. ^^
  
• thewoodsrwaiting - Pg42 - Very creative use of the prompt, good job. smile The ending sort of implies they both died though, so a little confused there.
  
• alianorastar - Pg43 - Very nice the way you formatted this. Really liked the setting and Pio sounds like a very fun character. xD
  
• [ .days. ] - Pg43 - It starts off a bit slow (like a normal day xD) but about halfway through I was much more interested in seeing how this would end. Was actually sad it ended so soon. biggrin
  
• MaNgAoBsEsSiVe - Pg43
  
  Late Submissions:
  
  
• V. Wolfe - Pg49
  

Theme #2

• [ .days. ] - Pg34
  
• Ellyrianna - Pg34
  
• V. Wolfe - Pg34
  
• sango-chan17 - Pg35
  
• midnight_falcon - Pg35
  
• Sinith - Pg36
  
• Fader - Pg36
  
• alliisara - Pg36
  
• Eruden Ki - Pg36
  
• alianorastar - Pg37
  
• MaNgAoBsEsSiVe - Pg37
  
• Ace of Shadows - Pg37
  
• [Alphabravo] - Pg37
  
• NinjaKittiMeowMeow - Pg38
  
  Late Submissions:
  
  
• Iamanna - Pg38
  
• CerasiCederwin - Pg40
  
• thewoodsrwaiting - Pg42
  

Theme #1

• meloncollie - Pg22 - I really liked the situation you painted here. xD You managed to give a fairly good background in few words, but it would've been nice if it had been a bit longer and your grammar definitely needs some work. ^^
  
• V. Wolfe - Pg23 - This was a fun read. The characters and the world you painted were interesting, and you managed to convey enough information to make it understandable without making it seem boring.
  
• Ellyrianna - Pg23 - Ooh this one was interesting. biggrin I don't quite understand why the name was always repeated twice or why she switched from fake to real name at those specific instances. Your writing style is really comfortable to read and the part where Kenneth actually answered her phone had me snickering. xD
  
• thewoodsrwaiting - Pg24 - First off, I really want to say that the way you left it hanging at the end was great. There seem to be a few inconsistencies in your story, like how the clown can be autistic and yet sane enough to think about lawsuits or how two fold chairs can bear her weight with nothing to hold them apart, but it's an interesting idea.
  
• Keith Perry - Pg24
  
• Eruden Ki - Pg24 - I thought the transition between point of views was a bit awkward, except at the end where it smoothes out. That their father was so accepting was surprising but a nice twist. ^^ More detail about how they got to be so close would've been nice though.
  
• Sinith - Pg24 - Very realistic, especially the part where she keeps tossing and turning and having the same dream. Your grammar is a little off in places and it's certainly not a new idea, but you wrote it very realistically and that's important. biggrin
  
• silver_moon_beam - Pg24 - Not too dramatic, not too angsty, really good grammar. And evil clowns. XD For a short scene on its own, this was good. It makes me curious as to why the clown would want to kill him though.
  
• EwMonkeys22 - Pg25 - I thought this was going to be one of those cliche horror type stories but you really surprised me at the end. XD Didn't see that coming at all. The beginning has a few too many metaphors for my taste and the sentences are a bit short when you could've tied some of them together.
  
• A n g e l` - Pg25 - The story and plot were pretty clear. It leaves the reader interested enough in what happened and then disappointed when that doesn't get explained much. xD Your punctuation especially as well as grammar needs some work though.
  
• Cristos_Da_Morte - Pg25 - I didn't really understand what the last line had to do with the rest of the story. The grammar and spelling was somewhat off and made it hard to read, and it's not explained why he killed his mother, but the idea is definitely interesting. smile
  
• midnight_falcon - Pg25 - The flashbacks were a little too vague/rushed for me, I had a hard time filling in the blanks at some point. The relationship between daughter and father and how they are misunderstanding each other without really meaning to was portrayed really well though.
  
• Oh Estrogen! - Pg25 - The transition from the coliseum to the battlefield in the beginning was a little jerky and unclear, but the writing is smooth after that and you can easily slip back into the story. Nice scene too. smile
  
• Cillian`s Chainsaw - Pg26 - Great premise, interesting characters, actually left me wanting more even though it was so long already. xD The way you write is a bit repetitive sometimes and jerky in spots, but overall a good read.
  
• alianorastar - Pg26 - The change in Neville's character really appealed to me, although it might have been better if it had been shown gradually. Their relationship is twisted and gorgeously complicated, and the last word kind of makes me wonder if they continued fighting or if things changed.
  
• triplenegative - Pg26 - Great twist at the end, although it confuses me a little b/c from the beginning of the fics he was hoping to lure her into bed the next morning. That seems kind of inconsistent with wanting to kick her out.
  
• CerasiCederwin - Pg26 - XD The names kept me a little unfocused, I kept thinking Alex was the brother for some reason. Cute scene though.
  
• [Alphabravo] - Pg27 - Kept my interest all the way through. It's maybe not the most original plot in the world, but watching his state deteriorate was morbidly fascinating.
  
• Jasmine Snape - Pg28 - The idea is a good one but the story needs more background, especially with regards to the murderer, who he is, how he relates to them, etc.
  
• [ pipoTASTIC! ] - Pg29 - I adore Julian. XD I like how you wrote Adrian too, stuck in the middle, and then the reactions of Beatrix and Julian that make the difference between them so clear.
  
• G2G_professa1 - Pg29 - The story was a bit disjointed and hard to follow in spots. The whole thing looks kind of rushed; those who died did so really quickly, and Cameron's changes weren't really elaborate. The premise is interesting though.
  
• alliisara - Pg29 - Fun to imagine what other problems popped up at the end. xD The cave seemed a little lackluster for all the rumors surrounding it though. smile
  
• Ak!tsu - Pg29 - XD You killed the Mad Hatter. This was really amusing to read, good job.
  
• sango-chan17 - Pg29 - This was very well-written. Nothing exceptional about the story itself that would make me remember it for months to come, but a realistic situation and you portrayed it well. ^^
  
• Cassandra022 - Pg30 - I loved this scene. It was interesting, easy to imagine, not overly described. Just keep an eye on run-on sentences. ^^
  
• Fader - Pg30 - Kind of felt sorry for the guy there. :X The scene could've been a little longer but it was easy to read and your grammar and spelling are great. smile
  
• Synne Ran - Pg30 - Nice idea, but you're right it is a bit rough in patches. smile Not so bad that it takes away from the enjoyment though; this was fun to read. ^^
  
• Panthino the Moth - Pg30
  
• Ace of Shadows - Pg31
  
  Late Submissions:
  
  
• [ .days. ] - Pg33
  
• bozey - Pg34
  
• MaNgAoBsEsSiVe - Pg37
  

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[MissSnark]

Winners

Theme #1: [Alphabravo]
Theme #2: alianorastar
Theme #3: [Alphabravo]
Theme #4: V. Wolfe
Theme #5: Ace of Shadows
Theme #6: V. Wolfe
Theme #7: alliisara
Theme #8: [ .days. ]

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[MissSnark]

Links of Interest

If you have a contest, shop, auction, etc and would like some publicity, feel free to drop me a note. smile

A Wolven Poetry Tournament

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[MissSnark]

Now Open!

[himlayan]

YAY CONTEST!!! (SUBSCRIBES) 4laugh cheese_whine cheese_whine cheese_whine 4laugh

[alianorastar]

I would like to join.

I'm completely intrigued.

[MissSnark]

alianorastar

I would like to join.

I'm completely intrigued.

Will add you to the list. ^^

[sidereal]

can i give this a shot? biggrin

i haven't written for prompts in a while, this ought to be fun 3nodding

[MissSnark]

sidereal

can i give this a shot? biggrin

i haven't written for prompts in a while, this ought to be fun 3nodding

Of course. XD heart heart

*adds you!*

[Cassandra022]

mmm, things that force my lazy a** to write on a regular basis are good. So I'll join^^

Awesome idea 3nodding