We are excited about our newest contest opportunities. This time, as you will see below, we are taking a chance on a couple of limited contests, in addition to our basic one. We think the new challenges—especially Number 3--will provide for unexplored paths in creativity, and we are anxious to see in what ways we are right (or wrong?). So now we offer three contests. NOTE: All three contests require the 100 words limitation.
1) The original 100 words or fewer contest, with requirements as set forth in Guidelines.
2) We call this one "The Walk." You must write about a happening on a walk that is either loosely or vaguely connected to the story's opening. Something will surely occur that triggers an emotional impact.
3) The other is a story without declared gender--Use only the pronouns: I, me, we, they, us, them, you, and it, and the possessive pronouns mine, yours, theirs, ours and its. You can not use he, her, him, his, or hers. This is an opportunity for you to focus on a situation and the impact of that situation on the character(s).
All contests are open for multiple entries by anyone. All must meet requirements set forth in Guidelines.
The seven winners and the ten honorary mention designates for Contest Four will be determined by our Final Judge by February 28, 2010, and will be notified by mail on March 1st. Prizes will be issued by March 2nd, 2010. Winners and winning stories will be posted on the website by March 18th, 2010, along with information regarding the next contest.
The person who will be Final Judge is to be determined by January, 2010.
Erica Bauermeister is the author of The School of Essential Ingredients, a national best selling novel which is being published in 19 countries. She received a PhD in Literature from the University of Washington, where she taught literature and writing.
Our new Final Judge provided this addition: "Perhaps more fun and importantly, I recently participated in the University Bookstore's 110 words project, which collected 110 words from 110 authors to commemorate the Bookstore’s 110 years of existence, so I have a renewed appreciation of writing in such an abbreviated form."
Seven people will receive prizes:
First Prize in the Original Contest--Contest One: $300.00;
Second and Third Prizes in the Original Contest: $50.00 and $50.00
First Prize, Contest Two--"The Walk": $150.00
Second Prize: $50.00
First Prize, Contest Three--"Non-Genders":$150.00
Second Prize: $50.00
Entry Fee: $15.00; Entry and checkmark evaluation: $18.00; Critique $14.00;
Entry, checkmark evaluation, and critique: $31.00
A fictional 100 word story has scarce room for elaboration, plot development, or character development. Yet such stories have dazzled us, tickled us, moved us to tears, given us wisdom, and taken our breaths away. We challenge you to create short fiction that will make us shiver.
We welcome whimsy, allegory, mystery, romance, fable, humor, love, fantasy, even horror. And it doesn’t matter whether the story is in past or present tense, in first person, third person, or even second person.
What will make or break your story is the energy and originality of its focus, and our ease at being there, with its character(s), in the story’s turn.
Not acceptable are non-fiction pieces, anecdotes, letters, poems, or any writing that is not a complete, fictional narrative. Any story that lacks proper English punctuation and grammar will be sent back to the author. Also unacceptable is a rewrite of any story entered into any previous 100 Words or Fewer Writing Contest.
Some writers have sent in stories containing more than one point of view. In general, and particularly in a short, short story, this presents a complexity in a form which requires the simplest approach. Here is a masterwork written from an invisible third person point of view. It is attributed to Ernest Hemingway. The six words are:
“For Sale: Baby Shoes. Never used.”
You may note that Hemingway’s story contains a hallmark of story tradition: a structured beginning, middle and end.
In the following Aesop fable, (adapted by Idore Anschell for the 100 word form), a writer is again not present. (Well, he’s subtly present in the moral at the end where he slips out from behind the curtain to deliver his personal point of view on the story. This is still third person narration.)
The Olive-Tree and the Fig-Tree
An Aesop Fable
Olive-Tree was green all the year round. She ridiculed Fig-Tree because he could not do as she could--he could not keep a green color and even had to drop his leaves from time to time.
One day, a shower of snow fell on both of them. Finding Olive-Tree full of foliage, the snow settled on her branches. The branches broke from the snow’s weight. At once, Olive-Tree lost all her beauty and died there on the spot. Then, after asking herself “why not?” the snow fell through to the ground through Fig-Tree’s empty branches and did not injure Fig-Tree at all.
Moral: a good result may follow from a bad result.
First person point of view is also common for our kind of story. It involves an imagined character who is telling his/her story. An example is the First Place winning story from Contest One (The author, J. Dana Stuster, is a young man. You will see that the narrating character is a young woman.)
The story is reproduced here with permission of the author.
His Promises to Her
by J. Dana Stuster
Still half-asleep, he turns to me and makes Promethean promises, of the world and the stars and a new life in a big city, and murmurs a name that isn't mine. I am Suzanne and I am second, second choice and still second place, but I lie very still and imagine he's whispering my name.
Both third person stories and first person stories are well suited to our 100 words story genre.
We have decided to show you the innovative, point by point evaluation grid which we offer each contestant. The primary purpose of these evaluations is to give you, in literary values, a detailed, point by point analysis of your story. Contestants have shown much appreciation for insights regarding their writing they have obtained via the evaluations. Evaluators are experienced literary editors.
The grid that we use follows.
| 100 WORDS OR FEWER FICTION CONTEST | ||
|---|---|---|
| “5” is highest mark | ||
Red X is one evaluation; |
Blue X is another evaluation | |
| Writer: | Story Title: | Date: |
| ELEMENTS | MARKS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) Initial power of the story’s imaginative world | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| (2) Originality of story idea | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| (3) Convincing character(s) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| (4) Voice, including personal flavor | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| (5) Suspense | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| (6) Power of images | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| (7) Plot twist or coherence of ending | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| (8) Intensity, drive of focus | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| (9) Cadence, lilt of sentences | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| (10) Beauty of language | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| (11) Mechanics | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| (12) Power of ending | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| (13) Overall Structural Integrity | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| (14) Overall emotional impact | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
RED Evaluator’s Marks: |
||
BLUE Evaluator’s Marks: |
||
AVERAGE OF EVALUATORS’ MARKS: |
The contest is open to any individual in the world not associated with employees or staff of this company.
Make sure you read our “Guidelines” page.