- This is a free contest open to all.
- Poetry and prose entries are accepted, as are plays and monologues.
- There are no minimum or maximum number of entrants.
- Length of the pieces is at the authors choosing, however, bare in mind that flash fiction pieces need to make a dramatic impact if shorter than 100 words. The same applies for pieces over 3000 words.
- If pieces are littered with errors, I will not be impressed.
When you enter a Top Hat's and Martini's contest, you agree to receive a critique of your work. These critiques are indication of areas that you can improve; they are not a personal attack. I put a lot of time and effort into these critiques (some take me as long as an hour to write) so even if you don't want to utilise the advice, or you disagree, don't start a fight about it.
I am a human being and any judgement I make of a piece is subjective.
Rules:
1. Follow the TOS
2. No plagiarism. I have access to software designed to catch out offenders and contact the original author. It is illegal, and it is immoral. Don't do it.
3. Be literate and respectful. No discrimination will be tolerated.
4. Submit your piece, in the thread, with a bolded title.
5. Alternatively, link to google documents. I don't want to lose entries that are PM'ed
6. No fan-fics unless otherwise stated
7. The 'twi' word is forbidden here
Prompt:
Horrific Fantasies and Fantastic Horrors
I want you to write a piece that combines elements of fantasy and horror.
Marking Criteria: Total of 20 points
Following the prompt: 0 to 2 points
Characterisation + Engaging Properties (how much I care about your characters and story): 0 to 5 points
Creativity/Originality: 0 to 5 points
Structural Features (Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation): 0 to 3 points
Entertainment Value: 0 to 5 points
FAQs:
1. Just to clarify, any style of writing is accepted? - Yes, any form, length, or genre is accepted unless the prompt says otherwise.
2. Is the fantasy prompt for February only, or the whole length of the contest?- Each prompt lasts until the deadline, then another is posted for the next month.
3. How do you feel about already-written stories? - You may submit anything that you have written previously in other contests provided that you take time to proof-read your work. NO entry may be reused that has been featured in a previous Top Hats and Martini contest.
4: Can I enter? I am new to the writing forums - Yes, and I highly encourage it! I promise I won't bite. You don't have anything to lose.
5: Solar, would the use of angels/Religion offend you?- No, any religious references do not offend me as long as they don't encourage hatred or discrimination. NOTE: There can be characters that show close-minded views such as sexism, homophobia, and racism only if that view does not become the key feature of the piece. I will not accept pieces that are hate rants. I'm all for apocalypic backgrounds and angels as long as it is less preachy and more action and grit
6. does vaguely supernatural qualify as fantasy? (By vaguely supernatural I mean ghosts, 'angels,' so on) - Yes, ghosts and angels qualify. I will also accept boarderline science-fiction provided they elements are less realistic and more ideas. If the science fiction becomes too plausible, it will be hard to judge it as a fantasy piece. Eg. Robots = plausible, teleportation and time travel = less plausible. Does that make sense?
7. What should happen should a person enter something that resembles a work that had previously been published... without the author of the new piece being aware of the existence of the older piece? - If, by the unlikely event, a piece is submitted that is far too similar to another, I might choose to contact the original author or simply ask the entrant to withdraw and submit another piece.
8. Um, I was also wondering if you could extend the deadline until tomorrow's midnight? - No, I will not extend any contest for anyone.
Other important information
What Solar loves:
- Grit and gore
- Intense characterisation
- action and fight scenes
- an anti-hero
- the supernatural
- overt third person narrators
- first person narrators and emotional impact
- Narrators that are non-human
- satire
- correct spelling and grammar
- complete story-lines
- philosophical poems
- poems that are mini-stories
What Solar hates:
- Fragmented sentences
- excessive psycho-narration
- plot leaps (changing time/setting with no explanation)
- cliche romance
- clumsy second person language (making the reader into a character that is difficult to relate to)
- kindergarten grade sentence structure
- excessive detail over things that are useless to the plot (eg spending 50 words to describe a table)
- lack of characterisation or stock characters
- It-was-just-a-dream endings
- inconsistencies in time or space (mentions the sun rising; 2 sentences later, its moonlight)
All entries will be read on the date of the deadline. You will receive feedback on your entry after the judging is complete. Your overall score will not be posted, however you should have a good understanding on where you can improve and what I enjoyed through my critique.
My word is final; there will be no changes to the winners once they are announced.
Upon winning the prize, you will have ten days to complete the trade. After that time has expired, your prize will be forfeit.
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