Posted: Mar 17, 08 6:15am
On behalf of TWG and Tier II, akabukowski is proud to present the Next Big Thing…
THE INAUGURAL FICTIONADDICTION SHORT STORY COMPETITION!
Contest is open to all TeeBeeDee members, whether experienced or novice writers. This is your chance to go toe-to-toe in legitimate competition with fellow fictionistas. Stories limited to 1500 words, fiction only, open theme, entries due by April 7, winners to be announced April 28 at TeeBeeDee.
Have a friend who writes? Invite them to join TeeBeeDee and compete!
Yes, of course there will be prizes. What a silly question.
Here are the Rules & Guidelines:
Any member of TeeBeeDee is welcome to enter. This is an open-themed fiction contest—you can write on any theme under the sun. Five winners will be selected: First, Second and Third place, and two Honorable Mentions.
RULES:
1. Only one entry per writer.
2. Please only submit work that is original and unpublished (this limitation includes writing previously posted at TeeBeeDee’s Write Away or within TWG and/or Tier II.) TeeBeeDee retains the right to publish winning stories on TeeBeeDee.com.
3. Entries must be no longer than 1,500 words; there is no minimum word count (flash fiction welcome!).
4. Stories will be judged in part on grammar, spelling, paragraphing and punctuation—the basics. Other elements include originality, conflict, showing vs. telling, and character development.
5. IMPORTANT: Entries must be submitted via e-mail only to: fictioncontest@tbd.com. Paste the text into the body of the e-mail or include as an attachment (in M/S Word only). Subject line should read: FICTION SUB. Please identify yourself by your TeeBeeDee user name.
6. Entries must be submitted on or before midnight, Monday, April 7.
JUDGING & NOTIFICATION:
1. In order to ensure unbiased review entries will be forwarded to the judges without the author’s user name or other identifying information.
2. Every entry received will be read by the judges. Judges’ decisions are final. The panel of judges is comprised of two members of TWG and a representative from TeeBeeDee.
3. Winners will be announced at TeeBeeDee on Monday, April 28.
AWARDS:
~ Announcement to 1st Place winner’s local newspaper from TeeBeeDee.
~ All winning stories including two Honorable Mentions will be published and promoted on TeeBeeDee.com.
~ All winning stories including two Honorable Mentions will be featured in a special edition of the site’s newsletter.
~ TeeBeeDee T-shirts for all winners.
JUDGING ELEMENTS:
In addition to grammar, spelling, paragraphing and punctuation the following basic elements of fiction will be considered by the judges in evaluating your story.
ORIGINALITY: Your story should be fresh, inventive, demonstrate constructive imagination and avoid clichés. (Consider that although the moon and stars are eternal, writers are forever coming up with new ways to describe and weave them into stories.)
CONFLICT, CRISIS & RESOLUTION: As Janet Burroway points out in Writing Fiction, “Conflict…is the fundamental element of fiction…(in fiction unlike life) only trouble is interesting.” Your reader must be gripped by the conflict in your story, pulled along through events to crisis, and satisfied at the resolution. This does not necessitate violent crime, war or other huge dramatic movements. Conflict can be very powerful when it occurs quietly in a tight setting, e.g., the rage simmering silently between a long-married husband and wife.
SHOWING vs. TELLING: Telling is simply a flat recitation of what happened, emphasis on flat. Your story should succeed at weaving the reader into setting, action and your characters’ minds so that he experiences emotions and sensations. Showing engages your reader, stimulates an emotional response.
(Please also see the Tier II discussion posted by KenWritez for more on showing vs. telling.)
http://www.tbd.com/group/251/discussion/80568/view
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: Development of believable, compelling characters is the key element in your story’s creation. If your reader cannot identify (whether positively or negatively) with your characters she likely will fail to understand the story. The writer achieves characterization with a variety of techniques:
using the narrative voice to describe the character;
showing the actions of the character and of those reacting to her;
revealing the thoughts or dialogue of the character;
showing the thoughts and dialogue of others in relation to the character.
Novice writers are encouraged to use such guides as Strunk’s “Elements of Style” and Janet Burroway’s “Writing Fiction” (both are timeless tools no writer should be without!)
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PLEASE DO NOT POST QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS IN THIS DISCUSSION, BUT ADDRESS THEM INSTEAD TO AKABUKOWSKI IN A PRIVATE MESSAGE.
