WRITING CONTEST

[rallem]

On another site I belong to we used to have a contest which everyone loved where an opening paragraph would be written and the contestants would have to finish the story in five hundred words or fewer plus add five random words to the story in CAPITAL LETTERS. An example might be:

Hagrid sat up all night worrying about the inevitable danger the children faced. The gentle giant was so upset at the recent turn of events that he was not sulking behind a few butterbeers at the pub like usual, but was instead crocheting in his hut while fang laid by the fire nervously watching the door. A sudden boom…

CHAIN SAW
SPROCKET
LASER
COMPUTER
SHOT GUN

Would people be interested in a contest like this? If so what would be the prize for winning? At the other site the winner's house received points and the house would get its colors to fly on the site for the week.

[Duddahs]

I have never done anything like this but I am intrigued. Now why do we have to use the capitalized words and are they just supposed to be random or used correctly for the sentence and the thought structure?

[grandpalovegood]

Well... I we have a little problem here... If there is to be a prize, then we'd need something else. First, I'm not certain that everyone here has actually chosen a house.. That is why my Rom didn't deliver the Christmas gifts for Christmas to the proper house, but instead left them at the Head Table thread.

Then as for the house colors... Each of us has the option, on our profile options page, to choose whichever skin we like. For instance, I keep mine on "Ahh mee" skin, because I love the blues, the black, the white feathers and the font. Then Fangsfan likes the "Hagrid's hut" with the green and browns. I think it's JB who said she keeps the "slytherin" snake skin.. Then others like the regular yellow and blue Luna colors. So, these boards are seen differently for each of us according to how we like. Sometimes I change mine to "the map."

You guys could brainstorm a bit, then I might be able to see if it's something within my power to help with... I'll let you know once you all come up with something.

[rallem]

I am not saying we should use the same prizes they used at the other site, and those were just examples. I think we should use entirely different prizes here, but what I don't know. Duddahs, the words need to be used in proper form and are CAPITALIZED to make them stand out for the contestant grader to read more easilly and the random words are meant to throw some elements into the story so it doesn't come out exactly as anyone would want. The authors will have to tailor their storys to include those words being used in proper context, and still keep it below 500 words.

[grandpalovegood]

Yeah... I knew they were examples but still thought I'd put that out there anyway.

[rallem]

Perhaps a medal could be designed for various contests and the name of the winners would be placed on the appropriate medal for that week and flown on the banner.

[Duddahs]

Personally, I think we are all friends here and just the act of writing the story itself would be rewards enough!

I am easy...... sometimes too easy.

[rallem]

That's true enough, but there will need to be a winner and someone will have to decide who that is, so they might not be able to write a story. Maybe the winner gets to decide who the next win. ;D

[Duddahs]

Jan 3, 2011 12:48:02 GMT -6 rallem said:

That's true enough, but there will need to be a winner and someone will have to decide who that is, so they might not be able to write a story. Maybe the winner gets to decide who the next win. ;D

Sounds good to me.

Rallem, since it is your baby so to say, why do you not start out and we can follow your guidance. It is possible it may take a little while until we all understand exactly how this is going to run.. I am sure you are finding as we all have that all sites have their own ways of doing things and what works in one place may not work as well in another. So, just be patient with us, well I mean me actually. I sure can be a dummy sometimes.

[rin68nyr]

This sounds interesting...I'd give it a shot!

Erin

[rallem]

Okay why don't we start with the sample paragraph I wrote above and everyone who will enter has to complete the story in 500 words or less, (not counting the opening paragraph) and the stories must include the random words I listed in capital letters. The five words must be in capital letters in the stories to draw attention to themselves. The five words must be used in proper context unless someone finds a clever way around that. (This is a magical world and we must avount for cleverness)

Perhaps we should post the entries in another thread and people who read them can comment on the stories here. I will in addition to commenting on the thread post who I think the winner is and why. Since I am the judge of this week's contest I cannot write a story. The winner of the contest wil have to write an opening paragraph with five random words added, and they cannot write a story since they have to judge who the winner is.

I have found that contest like these which force writers to write very small stories helps the writers develop strong writing skills.

Good luck everybody.

Your friend the Druid Rallem

[Duddahs]

Rallem,

Let us keep the stories and everything on this thread. Less confusion and harder to loose ones way.

OK.

I will get something up on Tueseday after I get out of the Ice Box.

[Duddahs]

Hagrid sat up all night worrying about the inevitable danger the children faced. The gentle giant was so upset at the recent turn of events that he was not sulking behind a few butterbeers at the pub like usual but was instead crocheting in his hut while fang laid by the fire nervously watching the door. A sudden boom shook the stone foundation of the hut and particles of dust and dirt fell from the ceiling like tree's being felled by a magical CHAINSAW.

"Wah tha?" Hagrid's voice came very nervously.

Hagrid had known for some time now that something like this was going to come out of nowhere like a SHOT GUN going off in the silence of the darkened Forbidden Forest.

With the speed of a Muggle LASER, Hagrid was out of his massive chair. He grabbed the knob of the door and turned it as hard as an overly tightened SPROCKET. With a mighty pull he wrenched the door from its hinges.. Now realizing his error, he places the dismembered door against its frame once more as he steps outside and looks up toward the castle.

There upon the hill stood Hogwarts. Shrouded in the darkness of near midnight and a moonless night, the windows of the castle glowed ghostly lights and had the appearance of hundreds of COMPUTER screens scattered randomly upon the dark stonework.

With a look of complete bewilderment upon his face, Hagrid's hardened features began to turn, bit by bit. Little curls began to develop at the very corners of his mouth. His filthy and tangled beard began to tremble with excitement and his eyes opened as wide as black saucers and a tiny tear appeared in the corner of each..

There in the sky, high above the castle were the words "HAPPY NEW YEAR" imprinted upon the darkness and a huge letter "W" behind the greeting.

With great relief washing over him in waves as big as the sky itself, Hagrid was taken back to the days when the Weasley twins would be running around the grounds of Hogwarts, creating chaos at every turn.

He felt a soft warm and wet feeling upon the underside of his dangling hand. Instinctively he began to pet the overly large and wrinkled head of Fang.

These are the times that Hagrid feels the loneliness creep into his life. Though he has been blessed by so many young Witches and Wizards to have come by and spent part of their schooling years with him, he still found himself to be missing that something that most people crave.

Hagrid turned back to his hut and walked a little bit slower this time inside. He once again hung the dislodged door upon its hinges.

The fires glow from within Hagrid's hut slowly dimmed as the morning approached. Far off in the distance, daylight was barely making its way over the very tops of the mountains on the horizon.

[rallem]

Good Story Duddahs. Hopefully others will write a story too. I will be away during the weekend to visit my brother in New York.

[Duddahs]

Hi Rallem,

Thank you so much for the kind words. I really do hope others enjoy it too. I REALLY hope that others will also post a story to compete with this little ditty.

[rallem]

It would be nice to see where others take this tale. Your story went in a very different direction that I would have gone, but it was very imaginative and enjoyable to read. Oh and well below 500 ords. I usuallt have trouble staying below 500.

[grandpalovegood]

One question.... What constitutes 500 words? I used to know... but that was way back over 25 years ago when I took typing classes at school.

[Duddahs]

Miss Charlotte,

What I did was cut and pasted what Rallem had set forth as the beginning of the story onto a blank WORD page.

I wrote my story from there until I had come to the word count of about 495 and then cut and pasted the story to this page.

I am not sure if that is what Rallem was originally looking for because he commented that my story had stayed well below the 500 count and I thought I had it only 5 below.

It may be possible that he is not counting the entry to the story that he put forth and only what we write ourselves should count in the total..

Which ever way, if you do it this way, you will be able to figure out how much you need to write or how much you will need to prune.

[rallem]

It's 500 words not counting the introduction paragraph.

[rallem]

Oh and my relief cowroker for tonight called in so I might not be able to read any of the entries until monday when I get back from New York.