Valentine's Day Writing Contest
3
Seeing as we had one for Christmas and New Years, I figured, why not have one for the most romantic day of the year, Valentine's Day!!! Ahh... Such a sweet holiday. Full of love and tragedy... and Hallmark Cards!
Spread the love. Make someone happy this year! Win or lose, just have fun writing a story.
Deadline for all entries is 11:59 PM (0:00 GMT), February 14th, 2011. But hey, it's Valentine's Day, so who knows what can happen to this. Haha.
Rules
1. The theme is Romance. It has to have Romance! If it doesn't, you die.
2. Do not plagiarize. I will kill you if you do. Make it original!
3. Keep comments and posts related. That would be awesome.
4. I would like if those who enter this contest to post links to their entries here as well. Thanks~
5. Put [V-Day] in the beginning of the Topic when you make a thread please~
6. Have fun.
We'll be doing two divisions for this. Poetry and Prose. Awesome right? Enter both if you like!
Here are some individual rules for them...
Rules for Poetry:
1. Write the most touching poem you can in over 1 line but under 300 lines!
2. Capture us with your imagination! You may not use the following words or any derivative:
Love-related banned words: Love, touch, flirt, kiss, hug, embrace, presents, chocolate, heart, beat, throb, yearn, sex, anniversary, together, crush, delight, pleasure, lips, tongue.
3. Don't be using something fancy where the first letter makes something fancy and sends a message with those words mentioned above.
Rules for Prose:
1. Write the most touching story you can in over 1 words but under 20,000!
2. That's.... it... because I can't think of anything else... XD
Judging
Who will do it...? I dunno... Me and possibly others...? We'll see...
Anyway! We need something concrete, so.... We'll use a point system! So.... We'll make the readers rate the stories! Use this point system! Use spoilers for the scores!
1. Rules - (-5) points
---- Obvious. Don't use banned words if Poetry, Line and word limits, etc. Docking 5 points for every rule broken. =o
2. Imagery - 25 points
---- Imagery. Make us imagine! XD
3. Rhythm and Flow - 20 points
---- Read it! If you cringe, it sucks! Minus points! Portray your love! Gotta flow like water... Or something...
4. Overall Feel - 20 points
---- Just how much a person likes it really. It'll vary per judge, but hey... What can you do?
5. Emotion - 20 points
---- Does your story/poem illicit some sort of emotional response? Will I feel good at the end? Will I cry? How will I feel throughout reading this piece? Make it awesome!
6. Coherency - 10 points
---- Does it have a point? Do they sound like they're from the same poem/story? Does the theme tie your story together? Can I say... "That was great! Especially how this part and that part go together so well."
7. Grammar - 5 points
---- Use proper grammar. Spelling, punctuation, all that good stuff.
8. Title - 5 bonus points
---- Is it an awesome title? Does it make me want to read it? Hahaha... I love creative titles...
Total: 105/100 points
The Prize!
To be Determined
FAQ
Q - How do I enter?
A - Make a new thread in the Writing (and Lemons) Section. Then copy the url in this thread.
Q - Can I enter multiple times?
A - Only one entry per division please~
Q - Can I change my entry?
A - Anytime before the deadline!
Q - How do I write a love poem without love words!?
A - Use your imagination! You can do it! We believe in you!
Q - Can I use your scores and critique to change my submission?
A - Yes! You can! No score is final until after the deadline! I want to read your best and most romantic piece!
Q - I want to judge! Can I!? Can I please!!?
A - Yes. Yes you can. All readers are judges. If you like it, rate it as such. Please rate it as how you feel and not because they're your friends. Do spoiler your scores as well.
Q - Does it have to be under/over the line/word limits?
A - Yes... Yes it does.
Q - How will the winner be decided?
A - We will see which was scored the highest in the end. Some stories will have more people read and score more, so we'll probably just take random reader scores, like, 10 of them or whatever and average them out... We'll see how that goes... Haha. I don't want this to be a popularity contest. I want this to be about who wrote the best!
Submissions:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ArNiF3Jj5fIAdFY0UXZLNHVlWFNNTnFuVi0yR0R2OHc&hl=en&authkey=CNijjtQO
Spread the love. Make someone happy this year! Win or lose, just have fun writing a story.
Deadline for all entries is 11:59 PM (0:00 GMT), February 14th, 2011. But hey, it's Valentine's Day, so who knows what can happen to this. Haha.
Rules
1. The theme is Romance. It has to have Romance! If it doesn't, you die.
2. Do not plagiarize. I will kill you if you do. Make it original!
3. Keep comments and posts related. That would be awesome.
4. I would like if those who enter this contest to post links to their entries here as well. Thanks~
5. Put [V-Day] in the beginning of the Topic when you make a thread please~
6. Have fun.
We'll be doing two divisions for this. Poetry and Prose. Awesome right? Enter both if you like!
Here are some individual rules for them...
Rules for Poetry:
1. Write the most touching poem you can in over 1 line but under 300 lines!
2. Capture us with your imagination! You may not use the following words or any derivative:
Love-related banned words: Love, touch, flirt, kiss, hug, embrace, presents, chocolate, heart, beat, throb, yearn, sex, anniversary, together, crush, delight, pleasure, lips, tongue.
3. Don't be using something fancy where the first letter makes something fancy and sends a message with those words mentioned above.
Rules for Prose:
1. Write the most touching story you can in over 1 words but under 20,000!
2. That's.... it... because I can't think of anything else... XD
Judging
Who will do it...? I dunno... Me and possibly others...? We'll see...
Anyway! We need something concrete, so.... We'll use a point system! So.... We'll make the readers rate the stories! Use this point system! Use spoilers for the scores!
1. Rules - (-5) points
---- Obvious. Don't use banned words if Poetry, Line and word limits, etc. Docking 5 points for every rule broken. =o
2. Imagery - 25 points
---- Imagery. Make us imagine! XD
3. Rhythm and Flow - 20 points
---- Read it! If you cringe, it sucks! Minus points! Portray your love! Gotta flow like water... Or something...
4. Overall Feel - 20 points
---- Just how much a person likes it really. It'll vary per judge, but hey... What can you do?
5. Emotion - 20 points
---- Does your story/poem illicit some sort of emotional response? Will I feel good at the end? Will I cry? How will I feel throughout reading this piece? Make it awesome!
6. Coherency - 10 points
---- Does it have a point? Do they sound like they're from the same poem/story? Does the theme tie your story together? Can I say... "That was great! Especially how this part and that part go together so well."
7. Grammar - 5 points
---- Use proper grammar. Spelling, punctuation, all that good stuff.
8. Title - 5 bonus points
---- Is it an awesome title? Does it make me want to read it? Hahaha... I love creative titles...
Total: 105/100 points
The Prize!
To be Determined
FAQ
Q - How do I enter?
A - Make a new thread in the Writing (and Lemons) Section. Then copy the url in this thread.
Q - Can I enter multiple times?
A - Only one entry per division please~
Q - Can I change my entry?
A - Anytime before the deadline!
Q - How do I write a love poem without love words!?
A - Use your imagination! You can do it! We believe in you!
Q - Can I use your scores and critique to change my submission?
A - Yes! You can! No score is final until after the deadline! I want to read your best and most romantic piece!
Q - I want to judge! Can I!? Can I please!!?
A - Yes. Yes you can. All readers are judges. If you like it, rate it as such. Please rate it as how you feel and not because they're your friends. Do spoiler your scores as well.
Q - Does it have to be under/over the line/word limits?
A - Yes... Yes it does.
Q - How will the winner be decided?
A - We will see which was scored the highest in the end. Some stories will have more people read and score more, so we'll probably just take random reader scores, like, 10 of them or whatever and average them out... We'll see how that goes... Haha. I don't want this to be a popularity contest. I want this to be about who wrote the best!
Submissions:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ArNiF3Jj5fIAdFY0UXZLNHVlWFNNTnFuVi0yR0R2OHc&hl=en&authkey=CNijjtQO
0
I heartily approve of this proposition. I can see romance being pretty popular though, so I would advise against the 10,000 word limit. :P I would be impressed if we had a Homer in our midst that could make something of consistent quality at that length, anyway. I will rule myself out of judging etc. arbitrarily, but if you want to ask us anything, feel free to PM me, and I'm sure neko-chan wouldn't mind either.
I might even enter myself...
I might even enter myself...
0
People are going to write more than 10,000 words...? That'll take a while to read...
I'll make it 20,000!
I'll make it 20,000!
0
Awesome idea. I'm going to try for the poem. Getting around the word restrictions will be a challenge, but I'm up for it!
Also, cute Reimu pic for the opening image. :)
Also, cute Reimu pic for the opening image. :)
0
Time to bust out the inner writer in me. Yet again. :]
Hopefully, I can come up with something unique enough...
Hopefully, I can come up with something unique enough...
0
Xenon
FAKKU Writer
How can one write a poem about all those things without being able to use any of those? Haha, I don't mind because I won't be writing a poem, but that's a really difficult request.
I may not be able to work on it for a while, and even then it'll be slow. I'll just try to write here and there and see where that takes me. Quite the intriguing challenge, looking forward to it.
I may not be able to work on it for a while, and even then it'll be slow. I'll just try to write here and there and see where that takes me. Quite the intriguing challenge, looking forward to it.
2
Here's mine so far:
My blood-pumping organ expands and contracts violenty.
Some part of my brain is firing signals that make me feel warm for her
I long to make skin to skin contact with that girl,
to fornicate in the missionary position with the lights off.
But I sit alone, eating my cocoa derived candies.
Kidding of course, I'll certainly try to get something good out.
My blood-pumping organ expands and contracts violenty.
Some part of my brain is firing signals that make me feel warm for her
I long to make skin to skin contact with that girl,
to fornicate in the missionary position with the lights off.
But I sit alone, eating my cocoa derived candies.
Kidding of course, I'll certainly try to get something good out.
0
over 2,500 words? That is more than twice as much the limit was for the current contest. Limit for the seasonal writing was 1,000 words.
0
neko-chan wrote...
over 2,500 words? That is more than twice as much the limit was for the current contest. Limit for the seasonal writing was 1,000 words.It's fine right? Substance! But short and sweet is nice too... I will change it then!
0
[font=Verdana][color=green]I support this proposition. However, 10,000 words is very extreme. I had enough trouble doing three 3000 word essays in a week; and I knew what I was talking about then. I recommend keeping it at 1000; even lowering it to 750 might be better.
However, I'm not going to enter. I didn't even enter the last one; I much prefer reading and critiquing than writing. I'm more than open to being a judge, but I don't think I've had the necessary experience/activity on the forums to be one.
However, I'm not going to enter. I didn't even enter the last one; I much prefer reading and critiquing than writing. I'm more than open to being a judge, but I don't think I've had the necessary experience/activity on the forums to be one.
0
Jericho Antares
FAKKU Writer
SamRavster wrote...
[font=Verdana][color=green]I support this proposition. However, 10,000 words is very extreme. I had enough trouble doing three 3000 word essays in a week; and I knew what I was talking about then. I recommend keeping it at 1000; even lowering it to 750 might be better. I feel that the limit should actually be more in the neighborhood of 1500 words, as the subject is romance, and I think that any relationship that can blossom in a space as short as 750 words would seem lacking.
The best works when every single one is romance-based will be the ones that have the best characterization and realism.
0
Jericho Antares wrote...
SamRavster wrote...
[font=Verdana][color=green]I support this proposition. However, 10,000 words is very extreme. I had enough trouble doing three 3000 word essays in a week; and I knew what I was talking about then. I recommend keeping it at 1000; even lowering it to 750 might be better. I feel that the limit should actually be more in the neighborhood of 1500 words, as the subject is romance, and I think that any relationship that can blossom in a space as short as 750 words would seem lacking.
[font=Verdana][color=green]Maybe, but there is a term called a "whirlwind romance". That would surely apply in the 750 word limit.
0
Jericho Antares
FAKKU Writer
True enough, but I don't think that making it whirlwind romance should be a criteria. Romance itself is one of the hardest things to write well, moreso when it has to be condensed.