Attention contestants: The stories involved in this contest are A Perfect Shave, Into the Darkness, Tournament, Tagged, and Jorge. Please judge those. Do not judge Dexter Morgan's Immortality Never Meant Dying, it was plagiarized.
In Remembrance- Write a story in which a character does something to achieve immortality.
Hello everyone, and welcome to the next Write With Your Power contest. This contest is going to be a break from what we've had going so far, in that we are going to use Jam Stunna's idea of the Round Table system. Basically, we all write a piece and we all read and critique everyone else's' finished work, no exceptions. This system was recommended when we opted to use Scav and Virgilijus' "Scurvy" system, though their system didn't work very well (because judges have to judge...). So we're going to try our hand at this system.
We want everyone to benefit as much as possible from the contest experience, and with that in mind, we are going to take a step away from contest and towards collaboration. The greater goal is to become a better writer, and we believe that should be kept in mind.
Step one, obviously, will be for you to write and submit your piece. Just make a topic in this WWYP forum called "[WWYP RT] Title" and include your story. Thats it! No signing up necessary. You can receive comments and critiques on your story, and you can edit your story as much as you want.
Step two starts after the deadline hits. Every topic will be closed by our favorite Virgilijus, and everyone will receive a PM reminding them of their obligation to read and critique everyone else's stories. You should be thorough in your critique; give the kind of feedback that you would like to receive in turn.
Jam Stunna and I will be judges, though our job will be to provide the most thorough critique we can. I will then compile all of the critiqued scores and announce the winners. It is important to know that if you do not critique the other stories, then your piece will receive last place and you may possibly be banned from further Round Table contests. The weakest link sensibility truly applies here, gentlemen, so please try to further the contest by putting some work into your critiques.
I want to assure you that your pieces will be judged on time. Jam's great reputation in the Creative Minds board and my track record on judging should attest to this. Below is the prompt, rules, deadlines, and the judging rubric that you should follow.
In Remembrance- A character in the story does something to achieve immortality. It can either be literal (finds a genie, collects the seven magic kittens, etc.), or it can be figurative (they achieve some great or terrible feat). Either approach is perfectly acceptable, so just get thinking.
Due Date: The midnight morning of Monday, June 2nd, 2008, Central time.
Word Limit: 6000
Judges: Jam Stunna, Tom, everyone!
Prizes:
1st - Writers group access, custom title, custom avatar
2nd - Writers group access, custom title
3rd - Writers group access
Judging:
A possible five (5) points into each category, creating a perfect score of 20. Please remember that you may use half points.
Adherence to Prompt -5 points
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 - 5 pts
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?
Scav - 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 - 5 pts
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.
Scav - 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 - 5 pts
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.
To everyone: using half points is encouraged!
RULES:
* Story must not exceed 6000 words (penalty for going over or under will be whatever each judge deems fit, taken from Adherence to Prompt)
* Contest begins now and ends on June 2nd at midnight central time.
* No need to sign up! Simply create a new topic with the tagline [WWYP RT] in front of it. For example: [WWYP RT] - The Story of why Scav Sucks
* You have until the deadline to edit the story as you see fit, but your topic will be locked at midnight on June 2nd to prevent last minute changes.
* Profanity is allowed! If you don't know how to censor dodge, pm one of the judges and he'll explain it to you.
* Everyone has two weeks to judge everyone else's work. Please be advised that judging may take longer than you expect. When you have compiled your results, PM them to Tom. You may want to do your judging in Word and then copy and paste it into one or two PMs.
* No plagiarizing, of course. If you do, you may be banned as well as disqualified.
* You can only submit stories that have not already been published and even those that are unpublished. The idea is to write something new!
* One entry allowed per person.
* Judges cannot enter the contest.
* ABSOLUTELY NO FAN FICS unless you are Eor.
* Write with your power.
Feel free to post any questions or concerns that you may have.
In Remembrance- Write a story in which a character does something to achieve immortality.
---
Hello everyone, and welcome to the next Write With Your Power contest. This contest is going to be a break from what we've had going so far, in that we are going to use Jam Stunna's idea of the Round Table system. Basically, we all write a piece and we all read and critique everyone else's' finished work, no exceptions. This system was recommended when we opted to use Scav and Virgilijus' "Scurvy" system, though their system didn't work very well (because judges have to judge...). So we're going to try our hand at this system.
We want everyone to benefit as much as possible from the contest experience, and with that in mind, we are going to take a step away from contest and towards collaboration. The greater goal is to become a better writer, and we believe that should be kept in mind.
Step one, obviously, will be for you to write and submit your piece. Just make a topic in this WWYP forum called "[WWYP RT] Title" and include your story. Thats it! No signing up necessary. You can receive comments and critiques on your story, and you can edit your story as much as you want.
Step two starts after the deadline hits. Every topic will be closed by our favorite Virgilijus, and everyone will receive a PM reminding them of their obligation to read and critique everyone else's stories. You should be thorough in your critique; give the kind of feedback that you would like to receive in turn.
Jam Stunna and I will be judges, though our job will be to provide the most thorough critique we can. I will then compile all of the critiqued scores and announce the winners. It is important to know that if you do not critique the other stories, then your piece will receive last place and you may possibly be banned from further Round Table contests. The weakest link sensibility truly applies here, gentlemen, so please try to further the contest by putting some work into your critiques.
I want to assure you that your pieces will be judged on time. Jam's great reputation in the Creative Minds board and my track record on judging should attest to this. Below is the prompt, rules, deadlines, and the judging rubric that you should follow.
In Remembrance- A character in the story does something to achieve immortality. It can either be literal (finds a genie, collects the seven magic kittens, etc.), or it can be figurative (they achieve some great or terrible feat). Either approach is perfectly acceptable, so just get thinking.
Due Date: The midnight morning of Monday, June 2nd, 2008, Central time.
Word Limit: 6000
Judges: Jam Stunna, Tom, everyone!
Prizes:
1st - Writers group access, custom title, custom avatar
2nd - Writers group access, custom title
3rd - Writers group access
Judging:
A possible five (5) points into each category, creating a perfect score of 20. Please remember that you may use half points.
Adherence to Prompt -5 points
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 - 5 pts
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?
Scav - 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 - 5 pts
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.
Scav - 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 - 5 pts
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.
To everyone: using half points is encouraged!
RULES:
* Story must not exceed 6000 words (penalty for going over or under will be whatever each judge deems fit, taken from Adherence to Prompt)
* Contest begins now and ends on June 2nd at midnight central time.
* No need to sign up! Simply create a new topic with the tagline [WWYP RT] in front of it. For example: [WWYP RT] - The Story of why Scav Sucks
* You have until the deadline to edit the story as you see fit, but your topic will be locked at midnight on June 2nd to prevent last minute changes.
* Profanity is allowed! If you don't know how to censor dodge, pm one of the judges and he'll explain it to you.
* Everyone has two weeks to judge everyone else's work. Please be advised that judging may take longer than you expect. When you have compiled your results, PM them to Tom. You may want to do your judging in Word and then copy and paste it into one or two PMs.
* No plagiarizing, of course. If you do, you may be banned as well as disqualified.
* You can only submit stories that have not already been published and even those that are unpublished. The idea is to write something new!
* One entry allowed per person.
* Judges cannot enter the contest.
* ABSOLUTELY NO FAN FICS unless you are Eor.
* Write with your power.
---
Feel free to post any questions or concerns that you may have.
- To clear up any confusion, the deadline is set for the Monday so that the writers can have that weekend to work as well.
