So, as a lot of you know I have been contemplating a story contest for Christmas. It is now December 14th, when I am only beginning to write this, so I think my original idea is a little bit unrealistic. Heh.
Therefore, I have decided to save that up for another year. When I can give you all some more time to write to your heart’s content.
However, the idea of not doing anything at all disappointed me, rather. So, what I propose is, this year, to have a Christmas (Short) Short Story Contest. In the hopes that all of you are not like me, and you can actually write something short in a shorter amount of time than something long. (I have a leetle problem with being concise when I write. Amy, I forbid you to make a snarky remark about this. :P)
Well, without more blah-blah-ing, let’s get to the Guidelines/Rules/All That.
- The length of the story can be anywhere from 500-2500 words.
- The story should be inspired by a Christmas song in some way. It could be a Christmas song title, a line or two, or the entire song. It doesn’t have to be super obvious, just clear enough so that you can explain how the song/lyrics tie into your story in only a couple of sentences.
- The song can be a carol or anything of the sort; but I do ask that the song be sufficiently Christmas-centered. For instance, “Winter Wonderland” and “Jingle Bells” would be perfectly acceptable even though they do not specifically mention Christmas, while “Baby It’s Cold Outside” or “My Favorite Things” would not. If you have questions about this, please leave a note in the comments.
- Deadline to get the story sent in is 12 am PST on Saturday, December 26th, 2015. This will allow you to do some last-minute writing the day after Christmas if you need to. :)
- The winner will be announced on December 31st, 2015.
Now, for more details.
- WINNING PRIZE: The winner will receive a blog button of congratulations and a certificate. If I receive 8 entries or more, the prize will include a $5 Amazon gift card. (The certificate will be sent by post if the winner wishes to divulge her address. Even if she lives outside of the U.S.)
- TO SUBMIT YOUR STORY:
- Option 1: Save your document in Google Docs (or another cloud storage place where you can get a shareable link), click “share”, then “get shareable link” on the upper right hand, copy the link provided. Fill out the entry form.
Option 2: Send your story in any form you like to regencydelight{at}live.com . Fill out the entry form--this is absolutely mandatory.
Option 1 will allow you to submit the story anonymously. This is completely up to you, but I encourage you to send an anonymous submission. When you fill out the form, if your email address would give you away (that is, I would know who you are), instead of your email address, put missdashwood95{at}gmail.com . This is Amy’s email, and she has kindly agreed to assist. MAKE SURE you email HER, and give her your writing pseudonym along with your real/blogging name and an email address where I can contact you if you win. I will only ask her for this information after the winning story has been selected.
- JUDGING: The winner will be selected by me. :P If I get into a pickle and simply can’t decide, I may be asking Amy for advice. (She isn’t entering the contest so she’ll be a disinterested party.) Be sure to watch your grammar and spelling if you want to impress me (...it’s just the truth) but don’t stress too much about the writing being perfect. What I am looking for in the winning story is a real Christmassy feel. And feel free to use whatever sort of font you like as long as it isn’t fancy and hard to read. But if you get bored of Times New Roman like I do, feel not restricted.
- Please choose a cover photo for your story. It can be from anywhere on the internet. Just something that you feel would make a good icon for your story. It will be used to illustrate your story if it wins, as well as to link to it later.
HERE IS A BUTTON TO ADVERTISE THE CONTEST PLEASE SHARE THEM OKAY THE END.
If you have any questions, please let me know!! Comment or email me at regencydelight at live dot com.
12 comments:
Sounds lovely! I need to write... quick. :-) I might have some ideas soon.
(One question though - how DO Amazon giftcards work? I've never used them.)
LOVE the 'Song Title' idea, by the way. :-)
~ Naomi
Oh, yay! I'm glad you decided to do it after all. :-) Though the story I'm writing is slightly less perfect now that it has to be about a Christmas carol...but I can think of something else! I hope to still do it.
Sounds fun! I'll start thinking... :D
LET'S DO THIS. I can't wait ;)
Awesome idea! I found your blog through Naomi. If I have time I'll definitely enter. =)
Would I be allowed to submit a story I already wrote and posted on my blog?
Naomi,
Okay, so I've never actually bought one before... but I know that you can send them online, and it probably gives you a number to use just like a gift card.
Emma Jane,
Sorry about that! I may still use the same idea next year though, and if your story is still around by then you could use it. ;)
Emily,
You can certainly use a story you've already put on your blog, as long as it fits with the requirements and hasn't been published anywhere else besides your own blog, like having won some other contest.
Due to time constraints, I won't be entering myself, BUT the button's on my sidebar and I just posted about it here: http://ladyofanorien.blogspot.com/2015/12/short-christmas-story-contest.html
It sounds like great fun and I'm looking forward to hearing about the winners! ;D
I just noticed the story I submitted is 4,529 words and the limit is 2,500 :/ I wrote it before I knew about the contest, someone read it and suggested I enter! If it's invalid because of the length, I'll understand!
Ohh! I am so excited. I hope I win! :D
What a fun idea! I'm really excited for the announcement of the winner and can't wait to read the winning story. Are you planning on publishing more than the winning story? I thought it might be cool if you published all of the stories or at least a couple runners-up since I'd love for everyone to read my story and I'd also enjoy reading everyone else's.
This is such a fun idea!! :) I can't wait to see who the winner is and read their story! Thanks for putting it on!!
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