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Contest January-February 2021 Short Story Contest Entry Thread, (Entries close on February 2nd))

Scalenex
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Scalenex

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The theme for our 25th seasonal short story contest is upon us. I am announcing the contest quite early. The theme this season provided by @Killer Angel is "And now for something completely different"

The Rules
-We would like you to try to keep your story between 500 and 2000 words. I am requiring that entries do not exceed 2400 words. This is counting title, poems, quotes, any add-ons. If I get a submission that exceeds 2400 words, I will trim it till it meets the limit, and you may not like what words I choose to cut. Even prepositions are not safe...
-Your name must appear nowhere with the story. There is no point in having an anonymous competition based on skill if we know whose entry is whose.
-You must send your story via private message to Scalenex before noon (US Central time) on February 2nd, 2021
-The story must be new. No dragging up a story you wrote months or years ago.
-No plagiarism. This means no stealing a story verbatim. You are free to use characters or settings from other works including other writer's fluff pieces and past short story contest entries.
-The story must involve Lizardmen (or Seraphon or Salamanders or Saurian Ancients), at least a little.
-The story must stick roughly within the theme, at least a little.
-No comics or illustrations. This is a short story contest. Visuals are limited to fonts and text colors.
-Only one entry allowed per person.

I will do my best to providing proofreading and general advise to writers who ask for it though real life is full of many challenges for me right now. If you wish me to provide a detailed edit, please try to get your draft to me as much before the deadline as possible. You are welcome, nay encouraged, to ask anyone else you wish for help or advice.

Once again, the winner of this contest has the honor of choosing the next contest theme if they so choose. This time because I do not want to be saddled with coming up with a last minute topic. If the winner does not give me a topic, I will pass this burden honor on to the runner-up.

If you want to talk about the theme or your eagerness to write or read something. Please do so below!
 
Last edited:
Scalenex said:
The theme for our 24th seasonal short story contest is upon us. I am announcing the contest quite early. The theme this season provided by @Killer Angel is "And now for something completely different"

The Rules
-We would like you to try to keep your story between 500 and 2000 words. I am requiring that entries do not exceed 2400 words. This is counting title, poems, quotes, any add-ons. If I get a submission that exceeds 2400 words, I will trim it till it meets the limit, and you may not like what words I choose to cut. Even prepositions are not safe...
-Your name must appear nowhere with the story. There is no point in having an anonymous competition based on skill if we know whose entry is whose.
-You must send your story via private message to Scalenex before noon (US Central time) on January 31st 2021, I'll probably be home all night but if the CCP virus is somehow cured by then I'm going to costume up and hit the bars...but I'm probably staying home.
-The story must be new. No dragging up a story you wrote months or years ago.
-No plagiarism. This means no stealing a story verbatim. You are free to use characters or settings from other works including other writer's fluff pieces and past short story contest entries.
-The story must involve Lizardmen (or Seraphon or Salamanders or Saurian Ancients), at least a little.
-The story must stick roughly within the theme, at least a little.
-No comics or illustrations. This is a short story contest. Visuals are limited to fonts and text colors.
-Only one entry allowed per person.

I will do my best to providing proofreading and general advise to writers who ask for it though real life is full of many challenges for me right now. If you wish me to provide a detailed edit, please try to get your draft to me as much before the deadline as possible. You are welcome, nay encouraged, to ask anyone else you wish for help or advice.

Once again, the winner of this contest has the honor of choosing the next contest theme if they so choose. This time because I do not want to be saddled with coming up with a last minute topic. If the winner does not give me a topic, I will pass this burden honor on to the runner-up.

If you want to talk about the theme or your eagerness to write or read something. Please do so below!
Click to expand...

Okay, so TWO thinking caps on now as I've got the poetry contest at the same time.

Not complaining! It's good to have some stimuli for the creative impulses.
 
Killer Angel said:
Guys, I expect something really wild and unconventional for this one. :D
Click to expand...

While this is certainly one way to go, I will accept non-wild entries as well if they represent a genuine attempt to write outside the writer's normal style which I guess means a first-time entrant can write almost anything.
 
completely_different_monty_python.gif


Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!

With such an awesome theme, you can be assured that I will make a triumphant return to the Short Story Contest!
 
One question though, does the theme concern the story itself or could it concern the methode used to come to the story?

I'd like to try something new, but I am not yet sure it will result in a story that is 'completely diferent'

Grrr, Imrahil
 
Imrahil said:
Not to nitpick, but below you see the opening of last contest:
Click to expand...

Hmmm, I have never ever made a mistake by copying and pasting the basic template for contest before. I never ever will again. ;)

This was just a ploy to bring attention to the fact that our 25th contest is very special indeed. This will represent our sixth year of unbroken seasonal contests!
 
Scalenex said:
Hmmm, I have never ever made a mistake by copying and pasting the basic template for contest before. I never ever will again. ;)

This was just a ploy to bring attention to the fact that our 25th contest is very special indeed. This will represent our sixth year of unbroken seasonal contests!
Click to expand...

And hopefully the biggest contest to date.

I like that @Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl has already accepted the challenge.

I'm obviously in (but for the first time, I have no bubbling ideas, so I'll need to have a think about that :eek: )

Anyone else?
 
Killer Angel said:
IMO you can tell a traditional story as if it was a shakespearian piece. :D

wait... i shouldn't give away ideas.
Click to expand...

My thought was more on the following:

Last birthday we gave our son the game storycubes:
IMG_20201128_212145.jpg

I don't know if any of you is familiair with this. It is 9 dices with icons on it. You throw the dices and tell a story including the icons showing.

IMG_20201128_212206.jpg

Normaly I would just think of a story fitting the theme by my self, but if I were to use these dices to come up with a story-line, would that hit the brief of the theme?

Or does the story itself need to be different as well?

Grrr, Imrahil
 
Imrahil said:
My thought was more on the following:

Last birthday we gave our son the game storycubes:
View attachment 84140

I don't know if any of you is familiair with this. It is 9 dices with icons on it. You throw the dices and tell a story including the icons showing.

View attachment 84141

Normaly I would just think of a story fitting the theme by my self, but if I were to use these dices to come up with a story-line, would that hit the brief of the theme?

Or does the story itself need to be different as well?

Grrr, Imrahil
Click to expand...

Those dice are great for designing a story if you can’t think of one yourself, and by all means use them to decide the base of your plot, but story can be anything you like really. I interpreted the theme as being oriented around any story that is different from the normal Warhammer stories we have in the contest - anything with a bit of quirkiness or uniqueness to the plot, the characters or the setting.
 
Killer Angel said:
All i know is that I've put myself in trouble with this theme... :p
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat.

I totally thought that when I first saw the theme that HUNDREDS of ideas would come to me.... Literally nothing has happened.

I guess I should write my poem for the other contest and then have another think about it. At least I have an idea for that.
 
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