posted
Coming soon!!! This years WotF trigger challenge.
Thanks to our good friend, award winning, hatrack colleague Ben Mann, not only do we have a copy of the fresh off the presses Writers of the Future Vol 27, we have one that is signed by every author in the book and Kathy Wentworth herself. I would like some help before I announce the trigger and start this years contest.
I am guessing we will get a record number of participants, which means the chore of reading and criting could get quite daunting. With that in mind...
1) How many triggers?
I am thinking one will do. Last year we had two. For sure, I want to use Ben's title...
Unfamiliar Territory
...which I think is just beautiful for a trigger challenge. Pat Sullivan's (the other writer with hatrack connections) story isn't as friendly for a challenge.
Maddy Dune's First and Only Spelling Bee
See what I mean? So what's the consensus? One trigger or more?
2) Story length
The rules are writers will need to judge to play. If the contest gets large, I will break the entries up into groups. Still, make the word counts too large and you could be reading a novels worth of writing. I am thinking 2500 words should be the limit. Not too long to make you groan to read, not too short to create a compelling story. Sound about right?
3) The final round
Last year 3 WotF winners graciously volunteered to judge the last round. I tried to convince Ben to be the lone judge but he wasn't going for that, but said he would if he got a little help from other hatrack winning authors (hint,hint). But if we can't get more judges, would you be all willing to read the finalist and help pick the lucky slob?
4) 13 line openings
We always included them in the judging. Would you like to continue to do so? I have awarded points to early entries so I could post them to entice more to enter. Nothing like seeing competition to spur writers to create. Should I keep this practice in place?
5) Time frame
We'll need to set deadlines for entries and judging. The important question is how long do you need to get something written? I am toying with June 19th. It is a sunday and won't conflict with the Q3 deadline. Sound good?
Need answers. The sooner I get them, the sooner Shimiqua can curl up to her autographed book.
[This message has been edited by snapper (edited May 18, 2011).]
Sounds good, even though I think 3,000 words would be okay. But is that the Max or does it have to be that long?
And if we had more than one trigger do we get a choice of which one?
The spelling bee one could be mophed into something like a contest in general or a similar type of contest.
And how about one week later for the deadline? My vacation would be starting then and it would give me a day to work on it if I need the extra time
Also just to be clear...no one answered this question last time...but is a trigger the same thing as a premise? That's second word that is used here I'm not used to.
posted
Yes, I am asking for a maximum word count, so a 635 word submission would be fine, for example.
A trigger would be more of a starting point for an idea. Your entry would have to reflect what the trigger is about. So trying to insert Maddy Dune's First and Only Spelling Bee into an idea would be so difficult you would be in danger of plagerism. After all a 'spelling bee' wouldn't be enough. The spelling bee would have to include 'Maddy Dune' and it would have to her/his/it's first and only one.
There is far more to work with in Ben's title, and yes, you would be able to chose the trigger you want.
[This message has been edited by snapper (edited May 18, 2011).]
posted
I'll judge again. And I promise not to be a slacker about it this year, like I was last year. (wink)
Posts: 386 | Registered: Sep 2008
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posted
Hmmm, how many WotF winners still hang around here?
Not that is bad but I'm trying to recall the various names here and how many could be a winner. I think a couple are before I joined or started hanging around myself, so I don't think I know that many to start with.
posted
Have you gotten in contact with posulliv yet? It would be great to have him as judge as well.
Word length, I'm finding it harder to keep it below 4000 these days, so that would be my vote. At least 3000. You could always split it into three groups if we got more than 12 entries.
As some of these entries end up as WOTF entries too, you could well not do the openings. But it does help keep the game going to see other starts, so up to you about that.
As for Shimiqua settling with the book, I'm sure that Ethereon may have something to say about that.
posted
nice! Im for 2500, or even a 1000 word flash, one entry per person, whatever trigger you want, and I dont mind doing a first thirteen, but am fine without one.
Posts: 710 | Registered: Oct 2009
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posted
I like the Ben Mann trigger, I think 2500 or 3000 would be good, I really like the first 13, of course one entry per person , and groups are a great idea if there are a large number of participants
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posted
The Ben Mann Trigger was patented in 2160 and was first used in the Colt Mark V ray-gun. It allowed the operator the ability to thought-control the Colt's output power at the moment of discharge and so avoided the common mistake of 'over-cooking' small alien enemies, the result of which was often rather messy.
[This message has been edited by skadder (edited May 18, 2011).]
posted
Hi guys, nice to see lots of interest in another story challenge. Remember, if you get some constructive comments here then give your story a little spit and polish, there's no reason you can't submit it as a WotF entry. Then you can go get us a signed book for next year :)
snapper, last year's first prize winning title was "Living Rooms" by Laurie Tom.
And now I have another 5 hours in Sydney airport before my transfer to Perth, maybe I should go and do a little writing too.
quote: WotF winners I know of who have poked their noses in here this year. Brad Torgersen Ben Mann Adam Colston Kathleen Dalton Woodbury Eric James Stone
I may have seen most of of those names at one time or another.
Of course I know Kathleen's name, after all she's a very good moderator, charming and a good conversationalist when she does join in.
posted
skadder - not to my knowledge, though the precise definitions make it unclear. Looking at sales some people had before winning WOTF, I don't think I'm excluded yet.
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posted
I'm pretty stoked. I received my idea for this challenge via the ether today while sitting in court regarding my "parking ticket" as it is now called.
Louis, I believe posulliv (Patrick) needs to be on your list.
I'll post something and link it in Writing Challenges as soon as I get wifi service for my laptop. I'll post all the rules then. In the meantime, go to it!
"5. The Contest is open only to those who have not professionally published a novel or short novel, or more than one novelette, or more than three short stories, in any medium. Professional publication is deemed to be payment, and at least 5,000 copies, or 5,000 hits."
Note there's nothing about the value of the payment in there, so I guess even a token market would count here (as oppposed to SFWA payment rules - I've been paid at 5c/word or more for several stories, but enough of them have been flash that I am still not SFWA-eligible to my knowledge). But "at least 5,000 copies/hits - it's very difficult to know whether I have or have not reached that or not. As far as I know, the biggest circulation magazine I've published in is Black Gate which has around 4000 subscribers (I believe). So despite having sold three dozen or so stories, I am still an amateur in both SFWA and WOTF terms.
posted
Reminding everyone about this contest. So if you spending the last day of your long weekend and wondering how you should spend your last few hours, consider pluncking a few words down of that idea that is forming in your head.
Posts: 3072 | Registered: Dec 2007
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posted
We'll see. I had full intention of participating and a story sketched out and researched with Aztecs, Spanish conquistadors, young love, and...well, I won't give it away ...but then another story has possessed me and I need write it first.
If by chance you extend the deadline, then possibly I'll have a story to submit. If not, likely not. Either way, I thank you for the inspiration.
And number four has those strange characters, don't know if you can do anything about that in future postings, snapper, esp. since not every one will have them, so if need be I can cope... they're not that bad.
posted
Got a great one going for this...unfortunately no way it will be done in two days. Oh well, will be a good WOTF entry.
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