Open for ALL Categories (6 options)

I spend my time sifting through a bunch of poems and stories until I find something that strikes my interest. It takes forever, so I've decided to try and get the stories to come to me. Romance, satire, dark, depressing, comedy, lyrics, fantasy, science fiction...I love it all.

But this is a contest. I am obligated to challenge you a little. So, here's the deal. In your story/poem/screenplay/whatever, I want you to have one of the following things set as an important part of what you're writing:

1)Vampires (It can be any style of vampire from Bram Stoker to Stephanie Meyers, but do your best not to get too generic. Brownie points if I see you've done some research on the subject)

2)A couple of friends who are in love, but don't want the other person to know. (Again, try not to be too generic. I want them to have a real life style relationship even if you write it as a fantasy)

3)Someone who is all alone in the world, but then finds something that could change their life forever (Open ended on what they can find. It could be some religious artifact, something symbolic, or a friend or lover)

4)Something tragic (Brownie points if you can make me tear up, but I warn you, I don't cry easy. If you try to overdo it on the sad, then you won't get far. This option needs pure emotion, so if you've got it, I want to read about it)

5)Stream of consciousness (For this one, the less you use dialogue, the better. You ~can~ use dialogue, if it is done in an artistic way)

6)Mix and Match (what this means, is that I want you to pick two or more of the previous options and put them all in a story. The more you manage to put in without making your story bad, the better.)

So that's it. You can write in any category, I don't care. But, as in any contest, there are rules. (Insert corny horror music here)

RULES!

1)Sticky caps are fine. I know it sounds stupid, but I think they're fun. However, if I can't read your story because of it, then I won't read your story and you won't win. So use them at your own risk.

2)Try to limit any erotic content. I know there are many people who like to write and read that sort of stuff, but I don't like to blush. You can enter erotic stuff, just make sure it doesn't overrun your story.

3)Cussing is allowed, but if you drop the F-bomb every other line, then I'm DQing you out of principle.

4)I reserve the right to DQ people. If it happens, I'm sorry. You can ask me about it and argue your case, but that does not mean I will respond. Don't leave me any nasty messages or comments, though.

5)This is the most important rule. If you enter my contest, you must comment on someone else's work. If no one has entered yet (as would be the case for the first person to enter)or if you don't want to comment on any of the other works, then you can read through my stuff and comment on something. Be honest, though. I don't want any of that "I don't want to hurt your feelings" crap. I'm a big girl. I can take it. If you don't comment on at least one person, you're DQed, no matter what.

7)No prewrites. Period.

8)You can enter up to three stories, but no more.

That's all. Sorry about the lengthy explanations, but I just want to make sure everyone is clear about these things. Have fun!