Wow, I can't believe we've all ready reached the tenth WWYP. Oh how time flies! But I get ahead of myself: Welcome to the next installment of the infamous SWF writing contest:
Write With Your Power X!
Overview
For those that are familiar with the competition, welcome back. For those that are new, a brief explanation will do. WWYP is a contest for aspiring writers where a prompt is selected (a war story, a story within a story, etc.) and all entrants must write a story related to the prompt and then are finally judged against a rubric with the top three placers earning marvelous prizes, the most sought after being the Smash Writer title and it's snazzy orange name and maybe something on the side!
This contest, the prompt is a little different from the ordinary one. Typically, it's a straight shoot with a basic premise and maybe a little excessively droll for first time write. So, with the often present help of a certain some one, I picked a prompt that was some what done before, but has a new spin on it: "Three People. One Gun. One Bullet. Go." That's it. It's up to you. Can end any way you want and have any people you want. I would also like to point out the gun is just a device that is not necessarily set in stone for you. It could be a wizard's staff or mystical tome or anything else with one last fire remaining in it. The "people" could be fairies, robots or pollywogs. You guys have a lot of freedom in this and you best use it well
Now, to the rules.
Rules
1) NO PLAGIARISM- If your entry is found to be plagiarized, you will be banned from the contest and further repercussions will be enforced. Do not do it. Period.
2) Post your story in a thread before the deadline - Currently, the deadline is negotiable. I'm aiming for a month deadline (3/8/09), but that can easily be changed upon several requests. When you post your thread, make the title of the thread "WWYP X -*Your Story Title Here*" and I will sticky it and you will be set. However, the stories will be locked at least by midnight on the deadline and you will no longer be able to edit them, so make sure you have it exactly the way you want it by the deadline. Also, post the word count at the beginning of your story just so we have a ball park estimate of how long it is.
Also in regards to this, CK and I have decided on having a "Set in Stone" date option. For those that have judged before, you know how hectic it is to get all of the entries done once the deadline hits. So, if you finish your story and PM me telling me your story is absolutely finished in every way shape in form, I will lock the thread and CK and I will judge it whenever we have the time and record the comments/scores. So there should be no difference in the final placings and CK and I will have an easier time judging
3) Follow the Word Limit - The word limit for this contest is between 1,000 and 2,000 words. These boundaries have a little leeway (if you have 2,200 words you're perfectly fine) but if you write a 10,000 word story then it will be taken into account in the judges placings. The word limit is there to help you learn how to edit your story and to make sure it doesn't branch out past the short story genre. Also, if you go over by a substantial amount it will hurt you significantly. Scores for each category in the rubric are not individually posted, but they are factored in and losing 1/4th of your score because you wrote an epic will probably knock you out of the top 3.
4) Have Fun - Really, the point of this contest isn't to just win or place, but to write something you enjoy and have a good time doing it. So try to place, but don't be discouraged if you just barely miss the cut.
And on line with the last rule, Crimson King and I decided to have an option available to new entrants that may be a little intimidated in entering a a writing contest for the first time. For them, they can have their story reviewed and critiqued by the judges but not actually have it scored against the other stories. If some one wishes to do this, just make the title of your thread "WWYP X - *Your Story Title Here* (NS)" so we know it is a Non Scoring entry.
Judging
Currently the judges are:
1) Me
2) Crimson King
3) Jam Stunna
Anyone with known writing experience (preferably a past winner) that wants to judge can take the 3rd judges spot. However, I promise on all that I can promise on that He who must not be named will have no part in judging whatsoever.
The Judging Rubric
The judges will grade the stories based on the Scurvy Rubric, listed as follows:
Adherence to Prompt -
Virgilijus - How interwoven is your story to the guidelines? If the prompt were a genre, could some one read it and instantly know the prompt was fantasy or satire? If they can, you followed it well. If not, you avoided it too much. Also, the prompt should be well utilized: a story that requires a mythical object should use it for all its potential worth, not merely mention it and check it off the list.
Matt - These points should be easy to earn. How well did you engage the guidelines? Did you engage them creatively? Did you engage them with your power? If I ask you to use a gun in your story, will you give me knife? Take risks, but don't disregard our basic expectations.
Tone -
Virgilijus - The overall mood of the story; the feeling that you get when you read it. This is made up by the setting, characters, dialogue, and the imagery. Unless it is directed by the prompt, the tone for each story should be different, but they should all impact the reader. A good tone should get the reader immersed in the story, whether or not it is from blissful country sides or horrifying mad men. How real is your story in the readers mind?
S*** - Tone is made up of character (do your characters seem real? do they talk real? are they interesting), setting (Does your story have a sense of place? Of time? Are we always oriented?) and imagery (can we see what's going on?)
Style -
Virgilijus - This is what separates your story from others of the same plot. How do you describe people, actions, and places? What rhythm do your words have? How quickly do you move the plot? Style is your paintbrush to show why your painting of little girl is different and more powerful than some one else’s.
S*** - The most technical of the categories. Did you use proper spelling and grammar? Did you try to push the envelope with your sentence structure? Did you construct the plot in a significant manner? This category relies heavily on phrasing and specifics.
Enjoyment -
Virgilijus - Enjoyment is the immediate and long lasting appeal of your story. While we were reading it, was it a page turner? After we finished, did we sit and think about the theme or the final scene? Is your story an accomplishment, or just words with a beginning, middle and end?
Matt- An enjoyable story brings plot elements and theme and, frankly, everything listed above together in a way that is both memorable and engaging. We're talking about the WOW factor here, and these types of points aren't easy to earn.
The judges will only present the final placings of the contestants once the contest is over.
Awards
Due to the new "Free Avatars for Everybody" policy here at SWF, the awards have changed slightly.
1st Place - Smash Writer Status, Custom Title, and direct input into the next Contest
2nd Place - Smash Writer Status and a Custom Title
3rd Place - Smash Writer Status
Any questions? Concerns? Comments? Insults directed at S***? Ask away!
And remember to...
Write With Your Power!
Write With Your Power X!
Overview
For those that are familiar with the competition, welcome back. For those that are new, a brief explanation will do. WWYP is a contest for aspiring writers where a prompt is selected (a war story, a story within a story, etc.) and all entrants must write a story related to the prompt and then are finally judged against a rubric with the top three placers earning marvelous prizes, the most sought after being the Smash Writer title and it's snazzy orange name and maybe something on the side!
This contest, the prompt is a little different from the ordinary one. Typically, it's a straight shoot with a basic premise and maybe a little excessively droll for first time write. So, with the often present help of a certain some one, I picked a prompt that was some what done before, but has a new spin on it: "Three People. One Gun. One Bullet. Go." That's it. It's up to you. Can end any way you want and have any people you want. I would also like to point out the gun is just a device that is not necessarily set in stone for you. It could be a wizard's staff or mystical tome or anything else with one last fire remaining in it. The "people" could be fairies, robots or pollywogs. You guys have a lot of freedom in this and you best use it well
Now, to the rules.
Rules
1) NO PLAGIARISM- If your entry is found to be plagiarized, you will be banned from the contest and further repercussions will be enforced. Do not do it. Period.
Deadly Turnip Corollary- No posting any stories that have been previously posted on another forum or website, even if you were the original author. All stories must be first seen here to be eligible for competition.
2) Post your story in a thread before the deadline - Currently, the deadline is negotiable. I'm aiming for a month deadline (3/8/09), but that can easily be changed upon several requests. When you post your thread, make the title of the thread "WWYP X -*Your Story Title Here*" and I will sticky it and you will be set. However, the stories will be locked at least by midnight on the deadline and you will no longer be able to edit them, so make sure you have it exactly the way you want it by the deadline. Also, post the word count at the beginning of your story just so we have a ball park estimate of how long it is.
Also in regards to this, CK and I have decided on having a "Set in Stone" date option. For those that have judged before, you know how hectic it is to get all of the entries done once the deadline hits. So, if you finish your story and PM me telling me your story is absolutely finished in every way shape in form, I will lock the thread and CK and I will judge it whenever we have the time and record the comments/scores. So there should be no difference in the final placings and CK and I will have an easier time judging
3) Follow the Word Limit - The word limit for this contest is between 1,000 and 2,000 words. These boundaries have a little leeway (if you have 2,200 words you're perfectly fine) but if you write a 10,000 word story then it will be taken into account in the judges placings. The word limit is there to help you learn how to edit your story and to make sure it doesn't branch out past the short story genre. Also, if you go over by a substantial amount it will hurt you significantly. Scores for each category in the rubric are not individually posted, but they are factored in and losing 1/4th of your score because you wrote an epic will probably knock you out of the top 3.
4) Have Fun - Really, the point of this contest isn't to just win or place, but to write something you enjoy and have a good time doing it. So try to place, but don't be discouraged if you just barely miss the cut.
And on line with the last rule, Crimson King and I decided to have an option available to new entrants that may be a little intimidated in entering a a writing contest for the first time. For them, they can have their story reviewed and critiqued by the judges but not actually have it scored against the other stories. If some one wishes to do this, just make the title of your thread "WWYP X - *Your Story Title Here* (NS)" so we know it is a Non Scoring entry.
Judging
Currently the judges are:
1) Me
2) Crimson King
3) Jam Stunna
Anyone with known writing experience (preferably a past winner) that wants to judge can take the 3rd judges spot. However, I promise on all that I can promise on that He who must not be named will have no part in judging whatsoever.
The Judging Rubric
The judges will grade the stories based on the Scurvy Rubric, listed as follows:
Adherence to Prompt -
Virgilijus - How interwoven is your story to the guidelines? If the prompt were a genre, could some one read it and instantly know the prompt was fantasy or satire? If they can, you followed it well. If not, you avoided it too much. Also, the prompt should be well utilized: a story that requires a mythical object should use it for all its potential worth, not merely mention it and check it off the list.
Matt - These points should be easy to earn. How well did you engage the guidelines? Did you engage them creatively? Did you engage them with your power? If I ask you to use a gun in your story, will you give me knife? Take risks, but don't disregard our basic expectations.
Tone -
Virgilijus - The overall mood of the story; the feeling that you get when you read it. This is made up by the setting, characters, dialogue, and the imagery. Unless it is directed by the prompt, the tone for each story should be different, but they should all impact the reader. A good tone should get the reader immersed in the story, whether or not it is from blissful country sides or horrifying mad men. How real is your story in the readers mind?
S*** - Tone is made up of character (do your characters seem real? do they talk real? are they interesting), setting (Does your story have a sense of place? Of time? Are we always oriented?) and imagery (can we see what's going on?)
Style -
Virgilijus - This is what separates your story from others of the same plot. How do you describe people, actions, and places? What rhythm do your words have? How quickly do you move the plot? Style is your paintbrush to show why your painting of little girl is different and more powerful than some one else’s.
S*** - The most technical of the categories. Did you use proper spelling and grammar? Did you try to push the envelope with your sentence structure? Did you construct the plot in a significant manner? This category relies heavily on phrasing and specifics.
Enjoyment -
Virgilijus - Enjoyment is the immediate and long lasting appeal of your story. While we were reading it, was it a page turner? After we finished, did we sit and think about the theme or the final scene? Is your story an accomplishment, or just words with a beginning, middle and end?
Matt- An enjoyable story brings plot elements and theme and, frankly, everything listed above together in a way that is both memorable and engaging. We're talking about the WOW factor here, and these types of points aren't easy to earn.
The judges will only present the final placings of the contestants once the contest is over.
Awards
Due to the new "Free Avatars for Everybody" policy here at SWF, the awards have changed slightly.
1st Place - Smash Writer Status, Custom Title, and direct input into the next Contest
2nd Place - Smash Writer Status and a Custom Title
3rd Place - Smash Writer Status
Any questions? Concerns? Comments? Insults directed at S***? Ask away!
And remember to...
Write With Your Power!
). Is anything like that bad to have in?
