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Apr-2-2012 22:31

April Showers Writing Contest

When: April 16-20
Prizes: For 1st and 2nd places.

Who: Everyone is invited. The more the merrier. The Unsubscribed may join and even win, but prizes will be withheld until you subscribe (before May 1, 2012). The Subscribed may join AND you may enlist to be a judge by April 7.

Categories:
1) Detective Biography writing.
2) Creative writing. This category will NOT be graded on spelling or grammar.
3) (Optional) Case Intro writing â€" only if I can get 2 more judges by April 7.

Needed: 2 Judges. Please note that you may be judge and still enter the contest. Just not within the category you enter.
Contestants may enter more than one category.

Judges so far include:
Night Queen
Cordelia Falco
Lady Jas
DaRu
Summer Daze

Stay tuned for the rules for each category. Everyone please sign up!

Apr-5-2012 05:22

I was just kidding. I guess it was too much. You are a vampire queen and a judge, so listen to your food while it's still talking and alive(still kidding now):

I think you came up with a great idea, what I don't agree with the bit about North Carolina because on principle, I don't believe creative writing has any standards. Not to mention that that non-native speakers like me can learn a lot about grammar and the like from sites like this, so thank you :)

Apr-5-2012 08:05

A question about case intros. Do contestants need to submit those in this thread or to Writer's Workshop? Also, is there a way to browse Sleuth intros (beside one's own)?

Apr-5-2012 08:27

Dedektif,
You are sort of correct. "Creativity" has no bounds. "Creative Writing" does. If you want to be strictly creative in this contest, then just submit to the 2nd category called "Creative Writing". I have already explained that in this contest, grammar and spelling errors will not affect you in that category. An entry there is judged solely on their creativity. The only limitations are keeping it family friendly and the length. I couldn't change those things even if I wanted to.

Case Intros and Bios will be judged on grammar and spelling--but creativity will still carry more weight.

Ivy,
All entries in any category will be submitted on this thread. Nowhere else.

BUT!
Nothing will stop you from also submitting a case intro to the Writer's Workshop. I highly encourage that. I would only ask that you wait until the winners are announced. It would be nice to add a header saying something like, "Winning Entry - April 2012 Writing Contest" or something else appropriate.

Apr-5-2012 08:51

ANNOUNCEMENT!!

We now have enough judges for all three categories. The Case Intro category is officially on.

Apr-5-2012 19:09

I'd love to do a detective bio NQ.

Apr-6-2012 08:31

@ NQ: Wonderfully well organized. An excellent variety of entry categories too. Looking forward to reading Noir's creative flow later this month :)

@ Ivy: Attagirl -glad to see you're going to be a judge! As a highly creative person yourself you are an ideal choice to judge in the creative section.

@ Everyone: get your pens and paper ready!

Apr-10-2012 09:05

Contest Update

Here is a recap of this contest....

Start Date: April 16
Last Date to turn in entries: April 20

There are 3 categories. You may enter 1, 2, or all 3 categories. Only judges are ineligible for certain categories.

Category 1: Detective Biography.
You will choose from 1 of 4 specifically named detectives. These four will be announced the first hour of April 16. Go and seek these four, then decide which one is for you. Write in first person as if you were that person. In your bio, do not contradict the given description of that detective. Spelling, grammar, and most of all ingenuity count.

Category 2: Creative Writing
The subject matter of this category will be announced the first hour of April 16. Only creativity counts.

Category 3: Case Introductions
You have all seen them. They give the flavor of your latest case. Now it is your turn to write one. There will be one restriction of what NOT to include in your intro. That restriction will be posted the first hour of April 16. Spelling, grammar, and most of all ingenuity will all count. Submissions must also be in proper format for an intro. See Noir's section on how to compose an intro.

NOTE: You must copy your entry into this contest thread. Do not submit anywhere else.

Judging will commence April 21 and hopefully be completed in a few days.

Good luck to all contestants and judges!!!

Apr-15-2012 23:55

Bio Writing may now commence!

Write a bio for only one of the four. Use the information on your chosen sleuth's page.

The following postings are the sleuths to write about.

Apr-16-2012 00:10

If you decide to write for the Creative Writing category, here is what to write about:

The more advanced sleuths know that the Tea Steepers and Tigers of Shangri La are rival factions. Both factions demand exclusive allegiance. For instance, if you choose to please the Tigers, the Tea Steepers will shun you foreverâ€"and vice versa. The next thing a sleuth learns is that their chosen faction demands an exchange of items for political standing points. Five points per requested item.
The stuff they request always comes from doing the rewards of Incredibly Hard Favors. Things like Fancy Fedora’s, Fine Leather Briefcases, Sparkly Vests, etc. Special mention that sometimes they even demand the dreaded Rasputin’s Egg! For a more complete list, go to the Eye Spy webpage.
This policy demands an explanation! What in God’s green earth do the Tigers and Steepers do with all this stuff!?
• Are they planning a massive garage sale?
• Are they planning on cornering the market on these items?
• Are they actually using these items for themselves?
• Are they donating to Santa Clause and his elves?
• Are they planning a massive avalanche of stuff off the Himalayas?

What is the grand plan?
Your job is to write a theme about either the Tigers or Tea Steepers explaining why they want this stuff.


Rules
• One entry per person.
• Spelling and grammar do NOT count. Just make sure we can understand your meaning.
• The most creative will win.
• Most post your entries on the contest message thread.
• Must avoid objective language. Remember that the message board police are always patrolling. If your entry gets deleted by an admin., your entry will be disqualified.
• You are limited to the length of a single posting.

Special thanks to Vampiric Smile for the inspiration of this topic.