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The rules of this game are simple enough, I hope. Anyone joining will choose a City for themselves. They will list in in the City Choice section. It must be a place that they know something about because they are going to write a short story centred on it according to an outline that I will publish. There can only be one entry per city. If someone chooses your favourite city before you, then sorry. You have to pick another. That's the only restriction. Otherwise anywhere in the world.
The story brief will be published a week after the city grab opens. It will be stuff I make up. It will incorporate a key plot point, a few events that must take place, something generic that all cities should have an example of (I used museums in the blog – so it won’t be a museum) and something mandatory about one or two of the characters.
Anticipating a couple of questions. Your story does not have to be set in the present time. It can be in the past, the future or the present. And provided it ticks the boxes it can be funny, serious, romantic, sci fi, whatever you make of it within the brief.
City Grab will open before the brief is published but anyone can join at any time and can choose their city at any time after the opening date. So, do you wait until you see the brief, or do you choose your favourite place before someone else grabs it?
The length of the story is to be 2,000 to 2,500 words.
Judging will be by popular vote. Anyone entering can vote for three other entries, in order of their preference. This will be by private message to me and will be a secret ballot. I will take this as a transferable vote system and work out first second and third places. I’ll explain how this works later.
Timing: The city grab will start in about a week. See the appropriate section. Selections should only be after the due time and the cloud timestamp will record it. I’ll publish the story brief shortly before the end of the month and then you will have until the end of January to write it. Entries can be published from 24 Jan up to 31 jan. They shouldn’t be put up before then. This is like most competitions. You don’t get to see the other entries. If you can't get online that week send it to me in a PM and I'll put it up for you.
Anyway, that’s it. If there are questions or debates I’ve put a section for that. The wall for general chit cat as ever.
The story brief will be published a week after the city grab opens. It will be stuff I make up. It will incorporate a key plot point, a few events that must take place, something generic that all cities should have an example of (I used museums in the blog – so it won’t be a museum) and something mandatory about one or two of the characters.
Anticipating a couple of questions. Your story does not have to be set in the present time. It can be in the past, the future or the present. And provided it ticks the boxes it can be funny, serious, romantic, sci fi, whatever you make of it within the brief.
City Grab will open before the brief is published but anyone can join at any time and can choose their city at any time after the opening date. So, do you wait until you see the brief, or do you choose your favourite place before someone else grabs it?
The length of the story is to be 2,000 to 2,500 words.
Judging will be by popular vote. Anyone entering can vote for three other entries, in order of their preference. This will be by private message to me and will be a secret ballot. I will take this as a transferable vote system and work out first second and third places. I’ll explain how this works later.
Timing: The city grab will start in about a week. See the appropriate section. Selections should only be after the due time and the cloud timestamp will record it. I’ll publish the story brief shortly before the end of the month and then you will have until the end of January to write it. Entries can be published from 24 Jan up to 31 jan. They shouldn’t be put up before then. This is like most competitions. You don’t get to see the other entries. If you can't get online that week send it to me in a PM and I'll put it up for you.
Anyway, that’s it. If there are questions or debates I’ve put a section for that. The wall for general chit cat as ever.
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by SecretSpi 1 year agoNow, here's a thought...
http://www.springwise.com/telecom_mobile/storytude/
Maybe we could start this up for the UK??? -
by John Taylor 1 year agoIf you enjoyed the challenge, you may like to join both THE TOPAZ EGG and EVOLUTION. They have different time scales! -
by Mcallan 1 year agoIntrigued about John's idea too...hope it doesn't involve plaiting hair cos I am handicapped. I liked your story too Alan by the way. I have been reading many of them again, also in the forum here. Once you read them without having to vote they seem even stronger. It was a brilliant wheeze Alan, and I don't know what part Minxie played...made the tea?...(she's not here is she!!!!) but she is a well deserved honourary member!
Thanks again Alan..you are a star..and as Whisks says a gent...and probably a scholar too! -
by Skylark 1 year agoCome a bit late to this - can I do some echoing too ;-)
I'm same as John - the competition got my creative juices flowing again and gave me the impetus I needed to get back into my other writing and I've done some really good work on it since the competition ended.
Looking forward to finding out more about John's idea.... -
by John Taylor 1 year agoI wholeheartedly agree, Whisks. Entering the competition got me back to original writing after all the frustrations of 'final polish' editing on my novel. I loved writing my entry, and I loved reading all the others. I do have a project in mind for anyone who is interested. It isn't exactly a competition, and I will enlighten you all when I get my head round the idea.
Thank you again, Alan, and I hope the job goes well. And you don't need to be conceited to like your entry. I liked it too!
J -
by MarkR 1 year agoI'll echo Whisks in thanking Alan - there was no InterCity circus without a Ringmaster.
I'll echo Alan too in commending the craft in ALL the stories.
Group hug all round. -
by MinxieAD 1 year agoThank you for mentioning my polishing, Alan hehe... Lets not forget whose idea it was, and who put all the time and effort into making it such a success :] Big congratulations to you and the Clouders that took part and supported. Everyone used the criteria in such an inventive way. I'm pretty chuffed for the mention though. You've made me blush ;] x -
by Caducean Whisks 1 year agoThanks Alan, for your words - you're a gent and no mistake. We wouldn't have seen it through had you not chivied and chided and supported and nagged, and now we all have another story in our repertoire. So thank you very muchly. -
by AlanP 1 year agoOK guys. here's the thing. My breath was taken away by how excellent the entries were. You need to see this from my point of view. I had a bit of an idea, polished it a bit (Minxie gets a credit here) and launched it. And you guys excelled beyond anything I thought would happen. As I said earlier I am proud to have been associated with you. I think if we had another go we may well have inspired a wider group to enter next time.
Incidentally, I am conceited enough to rather like my own entry.
It was never my intention that anyone should give up their rights to their work. It is their own to do with as they will. I will NEVER challenge this. Some of these entries could win competitions that are more serious than mine, or contend at least. So let's shelve the anthology idea for now.
Right now I have taken on a job I regret. But it will cover off 2011 for me financially and so I will do it. I have had to postpone my Billy Butterfly project for it. So I am sort of committed for a while.
I want to do another of these and I also would like to do a sequel to the chain gang. This site is about writing and writers should write - always. I have hopes that someone else might pop in with a new idea (you know who you are).
So Guys, good luck, let's keep the options open. I love you all.
