WWYP XIV- Size Doesn't Matter

[Jam Stunna]

Write With Your Power XIV
Size Doesn't Matter

Summer is here, so that means it's time for everyone's favorite SWF contest, WWYP! Let's get right to it.

Write a story no longer than 1,000 words.
Very short stories are often referred to as flash fiction. If you are unfamiliar with the format, do a bit of research before writing. You can write about any topic or subject, but be warned: this is not as easy as it may sound. It's far more difficult to write concisely than many people realize.

Also, keep in mind that this is supposed to be a story, not a scene or a vignette. That means a protagonist, conflict and all the other elements of a story in one thousand words or less. Don't wait for the night before to write this. You may find that it takes you longer to write less!

Now for the stuff our lawyers make us post!

NOTE: THE RULES FOR THIS CONTEST ARE DIFFERENT THAN PAST CONTESTS! PLEASE READ THEM THOROUGHLY AND BE SURE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THEM!

Rules
1) All stories MUST be ORIGINAL WORKS written during the time frame of the contest. NO stories written before today's date will be knowingly judged (therein lies the rub: we don't actually know when you wrote your story; we're going to rely on everyone's sense of honor. Remember, this is "Write With Your Power," not "Submit Past Works With Your Power").

Also, NO PLAGIARISM. You will be banned from this contest, and possibly banned from the site. We are dead serious about this.

2) The word limit for this contest is 1,000 words. This is different from past contests, in keeping with the prompt.

3) NEW RULE!!You MUST provide constructive criticism to at least one other writer's submission. This criticism must be offered in the author's thread for all to see (no "But I talked to him/her on AIM!" nonsense). YOUR SUBMISSION WILL NOT BE JUDGED IF WE CANNOT VERIFY THAT YOU COMMENTED ON SOMEONE ELSE'S WORK. You can comment on every piece if you like, but you MUST comment on AT LEAST ONE.

The goal here is to help us all improve. Any writer will tell you what a valuable tool a writer's group is, where writers read each other's work and offer suggestions for improvement. Yes, there will be winners for this contest, but the goal is for participants to come out of this contest as stronger writers, no matter if they come in first or last.

Also, if possible, please try to comment on a story that has not been commented on yet. This exercise is intended to help everyone; if one story gets all the attention and others are neglected, then the purpose has not been served.

Submission Process NEW! PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!!!
As a result of the new commenting requirement, we're going to alter the submission guidelines to allow for participants to make use of the suggestions they receive. The schedule will go as follows:

July 1st- WWYP XIII officially begins
July 31st- Rough drafts due
August 15th- Final Drafts due
August 31st- Scores and comments from judges due

We're requiring that ALL ENTRANTS submit a rough draft. You will have one month to work on it, and then there will be a two week window for commenting and editing. You are not required to edit your work, but it is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that you do. Label your entries [WWYP XIII]: Story Name Here.

As this contest is already scheduled to last for two months, ALL DEADLINES ARE FINAL AND NON-NEGOTIABLE. We've been pretty loose about extensions and giving results in the past, but there will be no extensions this time, and I give you my word that results will be posted on time.

Judges
1) Jam Stunna
2) Virgilijus
3) TBD

Judging Rubric
The judges will grade the stories based on the Scurvy Rubric, listed as follows. Entrants will be graded on a scale of 1-10 in four separate areas, for a possible total score of 40 points:

Adherence to Prompt -
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 -
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?

S*** - 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 -
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.

S*** - 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 -
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.

Awards
1st Place - Smash Writer Status, Custom Title, and input on the prompt of WWYP XIV
2nd Place - Smash Writer Status and a Custom Title
3rd Place - Smash Writer Status

So start thinking, have fun, and WRITE WITH YOUR POWER!

 

[Jim Morrison]

Thank you, based Jam. 1000 words is actually something I can look forward to!

 

[Vinylic.]

I'm not good at writing stories. This might be the first time I'll make one, so I guess I'll go for it.

 

[Pachinkosam]

ill try to win but changes are gonna do bad.

 

[GoldShadow]

Flash is always difficult for me to write. I've tried my hand at it a bunch, and they almost always end up in the short story wordcount range Which will make this challenge all the more fun!

 

[Tom]

i hope to use this contest to see marked progress in my writing from making it a regular habit

but if i dont, i hope you are all honest about it

 

[2001]

I am going to win this, and i'm not even going to celebrate afterwards.

 

[Jaedrik]

I-I would love to b-but it doesn't seem like I'd make a compelling story with such a, uhm, format, . . . in any case, I look forward to seeing other's stories, and further contests, good luck!

 

[Jim Morrison]

Hahaha, I've been trying to come up with a story since the beginning, but it is so incredibly hard to come up with something and fit it in 1000 words.

 

[GoldShadow]

Submission Process NEW! PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!!!
As a result of the new commenting requirement, we're going to alter the submission guidelines to allow for participants to make use of the suggestions they receive. The schedule will go as follows:

July 1st- WWYP XIII officiall y begins
July 31st- Rough drafts due
August 15th- Final Drafts due
August 31st- Scores and comments from judges due

Well, drat, and here I was hoping to enter WWYP XIV...

Anyway, just posted mine. Hope to see everyone else's entries soon.

 

[Lore]

I have written 4 so far, but I can't decide which to submit.

 

[Zinnamon]

Is the prompt "must have less than 1000 words"?

Adherence to Prompt -
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.

Because if it is, then this doesn't apply much.

 

[Jam Stunna]

It applies. If you go over 1,000 words, you get a zero for Adherence to Prompt, at least from me.

 

[Zinnamon]

It applies. If you go over 1,000 words, you get a zero for Adherence to Prompt, at least from me.

What I wonder is, if I want to adhere to the prompt, I would write a story that has little to say or be said about.
Perhaps writing a compact story with a lot of material told in a rush and as loosely as possible would be not adhering to prompt, although it would probably make an interesting read. It feels like just mentioning that Mystical object to get it off your back. Would that matter to you? Or are we free to tell whatever we want as long as it has 1000 words?
EDIT: I only oppened this thread because I thought it would be Issue 14 of a small penis essay or something, this captivated me.

 

[Jim Morrison]

EDIT: I only oppened this thread because I thought it would be Issue 14 of a small penis essay or something, this captivated me.

 

[Jam Stunna]

You can write whatever you want, as long as it's 1,000 words or less. Also, it's very possible to write something in 1,000 words that has something to say:

http://www.flashfictiononline.com/fpublic0007-one-of-these-days-gabriel-garcia-marquez.html

It's just difficult.

 

[GoldShadow]

EDIT: I only oppened this thread because I thought it would be Issue 14 of a small penis essay or something, this captivated me.

You know, this would make for an interesting prompt in the future...

 

[Deleted member]

is there any specific time for the deadline?

 

[Jam Stunna]

Tomorrow night, 11:59 PM Pacific time.

 

[#HBC | J]

Missed the deadline. Oh well, there is always the next WWYP.

 

[Jam Stunna]

All right, the submission phase is closed!

The next two weeks are for commenting and editing. Remember, you MUST comment on another entry in order for your submission to be judged.

 

[Jam Stunna]

Today is the 15th! You have until midnight Pacific time to finish your revisions. After that, all threads will be locked and the judging phase will begin.

 

[GoldShadow]

I love how all the entries involve love or relationships, except Werekill's--I guess you could say his story breaks the mold (see, that's a pun, because... ah, forget it). Insincere love that ruined a family in TPK's, a potential relationship springing from a new outlook on life in Gova's, crippling shyness that prevents love and embitters the protag toward it in JM's, and the role of money in love in mine. I'm a little disappointed at the lack of female protagonists/points of view, but I'm also guilty of that so I can't be too disappointed.

Anyway, looking forward to the judging.

 

[Jim Morrison]

Pak's story doesn't either ;D.

And yeah, female protag is lacking here, but then again, it's a saucage-fest with the writers here, I personally think it's easier for us to write from a male perspective, because... Well, you know why.

 

[Lore]

Hahaha, I find that hilarious for some reason. Maybe I need sleep.

I didn't do a female protagonist because I didn't particularly want to write about either a female being mugged or a female doing the mugging. Males fit those roles more comfortably.

 

[DerpDaBerp]

Bummed I didn't get around to this. The past couple of months have been... -__-

I think I'll post some short stories in the CM anyway sometime soon though

 

[Jim Morrison]

So did the deadline pass yet?

Or did Jam die?

 

[Jam Stunna]

Scores will be posted August 31st.

 

[Virgilijus]

Aight, Virg is on it.

Also, does any one remember that entry by Sand Tiger where he literally googled several stories online and randomly pasted them together? Oh man, those were the days.

That and Fiona_Fairhaime's story...

 

[GoldShadow]

Also, does any one remember that entry by Sand Tiger where he literally googled several stories online and randomly pasted them together? Oh man, those were the days.

Er, hey, yeah, that's crazy. I mean, who would do something like Google other peoples' stories and then post them on this site for a contest? Definitely not me. Please don't Google my story... you know, because it's totally not necessary, and I'd hate for you to waste your time with a pointless investigation.

 

[Virgilijus]

Er, hey, yeah, that's crazy. I mean, who would do something like Google other peoples' stories and then post them on this site for a contest? Definitely not me. Please don't Google my story... you know, because it's totally not necessary, and I'd hate for you to waste your time with a pointless investigation.

 

[Jim Morrison]

Go Virgil, put in work!

 

[tmw_redcell]

Aight, Virg is on it.

Also, does any one remember that entry by Sand Tiger where he literally googled several stories online and randomly pasted them together? Oh man, those were the days.

That and Fiona_Fairhaime's story...

Sand Tiger's plagiarism gave me something interesting to talk about when I gave my presentation of the book I made out of the entires to my creative writing class, so in a way I forgive him. Also the fact that CK hated him so much that he googled his story because it was vaguely coherent, and that Sand Tiger edited the story trying to make it better was hilarious.

 

[Jim Morrison]

Pre-emptive.

 

[GoldShadow]

At this rate...

 

[Jam Stunna]

Don't look at me, my scores are done.

 

[Virgilijus]

My scores and comments were sent in. Sorry for the delay; I went to Pakman's house and lost my pants there and have been an emotional wreck ever since

But seriously, I left my pants in Pakman's basement and I need them back...

 

[GoldShadow]

I'm actually kind of glad to hear this.

A pants-less judge is an honest judge.

 

[Jim Morrison]

The real question is, how did your pants end up off your legs in Pakman's basement

 

[Jam Stunna]

So I can post the scores today and the comments tomorrow when I have access to a PC, or I can wait and post the scores and comments together tomorrow. What do you guys want?