We all know what time of year it is. It's that time when you wear embarrassing novelty jumpers and don't care how stupid you look, sing cheery songs with strangers on the train, drink until you can't remember how to spell 'I', take in more food than oxygen and, of course, get presents you'll maybe never look at again.
Or maybe it's not. Maybe it's the time of year when hundreds of kids run away, when people die in the snow, when parents remember the children they can't give presents to anymore.
For 80% of us, myself included, this'll be an awesome time of year. But for some on the streets, some who've lost loved ones, and some who just can't seem to find that Christmas feeling anymore it's just a colder, lonelier time that can't pass fast enough.
I don't want to make everyone glum, but I know there are some good tragedy writers on here, and that's what I want. I want stories about the gloomier side of Christmas. Anything from young kids lying out in the snow, no home to go to, to someone spending the big night on their own while their friends/family are all out partying.
You can make the ending as sad, happy, cliché etc. as you want. I'm looking for good, heart-wrenching, thought-provoking writing that I can curl up with.
As it's the giving season, there's a lovely 500 points to whoever comes first as an early Christmas present =)
Okay, I very nearly forgot about rules. Sorry!
1. Length-wise, novels won't be kindly looked on. Snippets are fine so long as they're no longer than, say, 5000 words, and no shorter than 500 or so (just because I'm not sure how much plot you'll get in anything much shorter)
2. Swearing - fine. Gay/lesbian stuff - fine. Gore - fine. Being quite lenient, you guys know what's reasonable reading material and what really, really isn't.
3. I'll comment on everything, but I really seriously don't know how to rate poetry so you're welcome to enter it but I can only say if I liked it or not.
4. Obviously, keep your typing, spelling and grammar reasonable. I'm not a grammar Nazi, but please make it legible and NoNe Of ThIs RuBbIsH.
5. I can't stress it enough - SAD Christmas stories! You'll get a big, fat "don't care" if it's a "I loved my Christmas, I got a pony and a spare mansion in case I broke mine and Zac Efron proposed to me. The end." sort of story.
6. Paragraphs please, they're tidy =)
I know it may be difficult given the genre, but have fun with it guys!
Looking forward to hearing from you all x
Or maybe it's not. Maybe it's the time of year when hundreds of kids run away, when people die in the snow, when parents remember the children they can't give presents to anymore.
For 80% of us, myself included, this'll be an awesome time of year. But for some on the streets, some who've lost loved ones, and some who just can't seem to find that Christmas feeling anymore it's just a colder, lonelier time that can't pass fast enough.
I don't want to make everyone glum, but I know there are some good tragedy writers on here, and that's what I want. I want stories about the gloomier side of Christmas. Anything from young kids lying out in the snow, no home to go to, to someone spending the big night on their own while their friends/family are all out partying.
You can make the ending as sad, happy, cliché etc. as you want. I'm looking for good, heart-wrenching, thought-provoking writing that I can curl up with.
As it's the giving season, there's a lovely 500 points to whoever comes first as an early Christmas present =)
Okay, I very nearly forgot about rules. Sorry!
1. Length-wise, novels won't be kindly looked on. Snippets are fine so long as they're no longer than, say, 5000 words, and no shorter than 500 or so (just because I'm not sure how much plot you'll get in anything much shorter)
2. Swearing - fine. Gay/lesbian stuff - fine. Gore - fine. Being quite lenient, you guys know what's reasonable reading material and what really, really isn't.
3. I'll comment on everything, but I really seriously don't know how to rate poetry so you're welcome to enter it but I can only say if I liked it or not.
4. Obviously, keep your typing, spelling and grammar reasonable. I'm not a grammar Nazi, but please make it legible and NoNe Of ThIs RuBbIsH.
5. I can't stress it enough - SAD Christmas stories! You'll get a big, fat "don't care" if it's a "I loved my Christmas, I got a pony and a spare mansion in case I broke mine and Zac Efron proposed to me. The end." sort of story.
6. Paragraphs please, they're tidy =)
I know it may be difficult given the genre, but have fun with it guys!
Looking forward to hearing from you all x
Contest is Over
- Contest was judged on January 28
- Rewards: Gold: 500, Silver: 250, Bronze: 150, Honorable mention: 3 people
- Final notes: This took a lot longer to judge than I expected, and I'm really sorry that I didn't get round to commenting everyone but I misjudged just how busy I'd be over the Christmas hols, and the month afterwards. I enjoyed reading all of your stories, you all gave me exactly what I'd wanted from this contest and some great stories to read.
Contest Winners
- Error: Unable to find finalist item 225754, it seems to have been deleted :( [remove]
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by doubleyoutee-eff 500 words, 2 comments, on Dec 19 7:39 PM 2008. In Dark, Fiction, First person, Short story
Silver trophy winner
• Viewed by judge. Prewrite [remove] -
One man tells of a family heirloom and how it haunts him.by WritersEffigy 800 words, 11 comments, on Dec 18 2:18 PM 2008. In Dark, Fiction
Bronze trophy winner
• Viewed by judge. Prewrite [remove] -
In a thick forest, found deep by the mountains of a little village were a dozen tall pine trees, and right next to them, were the baby ones• Viewed by judge. Prewrite [remove]
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Have you ever been surrounded by people, and felt completely alone?
It's the most horrible feeling in the world. The loneliness and self-hatred is almost enough to destroy you from the inside out.• Commented on by judge. [remove] -
1 / "It's the thought that counts!" That's what they say, "It's the thought that counts." How many times I have heard it. "It's the thouby Andy Stephenson 800 words, 86 comments, on Nov 18 4:10 AM 2007. In Crime, Dark, First person, Horror, Humor, Love, Romance
Honorable mention
• Commented on by judge. Prewrite [remove]
Entries [11]
1 - 11 of 11
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A/N Before I start, the beginning is really happy, you'll have to read the whole story to get to the sad parts okay?1• Viewed by judge.
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by Jinxgirl 4200 words, 4 comments, on Dec 14 8:30 AM 2007. In Adult, Christmas, Dark, Depressing, Disturbing• Viewed by judge. Prewrite
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Elizabeth Rose Carver. That’s me. Black hair, violet eyes, five-foot-nine, one-twenty pounds, Latin-American, eighteen, and single. I’m the leader of a gang that goes by the name of El Loco Diablo Bromea, The Crazy Devil Kidsby alb9137 3300 words, 1 comment, on Dec 14 7:16 PM 2008• Viewed by judge.
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Comments
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Hi!
Thanks for the honorable mention and points. I appreciate them. I'm glad you like my story.
Thanks for hosting.
Andy
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