Roundabout
This will be a two-part contest. It will definitely be more interesting if more people are willing to participate.
You will need to create a story, using 300-500 words (recommended but not required), while being handcuffed by the requirements. Any genre is allowed.
Part 1 (this contest)
1. Pick up a book laying near you (or magazine, or anything with sufficient writing in it) It could be a novel, a book you're reading to the kids, a Bible, seed catalog, your porn stash, your Kindle, anything representing the written word (maybe not a technical manual).
2. Choose a page at random.
3. Skim through the words on *only* that page and choose 5 interesting nouns. Write them down.
4. Skim through the same page again and pick out 5 interesting verbs. Write them down. (By interesting, I mean not "is" or "has")
5. Now look at your list of 5 nouns and 5 verbs and start pairing them any way you choose as you begin to create a story in your mind that can accommodate those pairs.
6. Write a flash story, including those 5 pairs.
7. Your entry will start with the list of 5 nouns and 5 verbs, then list how you paired them. Then your story. It would be helpful if you highlight the words within the story.
8. In the Author Notes list your source (title and author) and the page number. Nobody will be checking up on you but just to help keep you honest.
9. You can alter the tense of the verb and change the noun to singular or plural. The noun and verb must go together but don't have to be physically adjacent.
Ex. Dog/walked. The dog slowly walked. The dog, pausing for the light to change, walked.
Right: The dog walked the man. Wrong: The man walked the dog.
~~~~~
An example for an entry:
5 nouns--dragon, eyes, fist, sausage, plate
5 verbs--scrape, hate, drop, swallow, break
Pairs--dragon/swallow, eyes/hate, sausage/break, fist/scrape, plate/drop
(Then my 300-500 recommended flash piece here incorporating the 5 pairs)
Author Note
Source: The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, p. 198
~~~~~
In the second part of the contest (not this one), others will be invited to use your noun/verb lists to pair them in a different way to form a completely different story.
The contest winner will win half of the prize pool which is based on the number of entries. The second and third place winners will each share the remaining prize pool. The prize pool is currently 25.00 member dollars. There are 13 spots still open. If all open spots are used the prize pool will be 90.00 member dollars. In this contest at least 2 submissions must be made for the vote to begin.
Deadline: Contest is closed. Deadline was Monday, April 15, 2024.
Full Contest Listing
You will need to create a story, using 300-500 words (recommended but not required), while being handcuffed by the requirements. Any genre is allowed.
Part 1 (this contest)
1. Pick up a book laying near you (or magazine, or anything with sufficient writing in it) It could be a novel, a book you're reading to the kids, a Bible, seed catalog, your porn stash, your Kindle, anything representing the written word (maybe not a technical manual).
2. Choose a page at random.
3. Skim through the words on *only* that page and choose 5 interesting nouns. Write them down.
4. Skim through the same page again and pick out 5 interesting verbs. Write them down. (By interesting, I mean not "is" or "has")
5. Now look at your list of 5 nouns and 5 verbs and start pairing them any way you choose as you begin to create a story in your mind that can accommodate those pairs.
6. Write a flash story, including those 5 pairs.
7. Your entry will start with the list of 5 nouns and 5 verbs, then list how you paired them. Then your story. It would be helpful if you highlight the words within the story.
8. In the Author Notes list your source (title and author) and the page number. Nobody will be checking up on you but just to help keep you honest.
9. You can alter the tense of the verb and change the noun to singular or plural. The noun and verb must go together but don't have to be physically adjacent.
Ex. Dog/walked. The dog slowly walked. The dog, pausing for the light to change, walked.
Right: The dog walked the man. Wrong: The man walked the dog.
~~~~~
An example for an entry:
5 nouns--dragon, eyes, fist, sausage, plate
5 verbs--scrape, hate, drop, swallow, break
Pairs--dragon/swallow, eyes/hate, sausage/break, fist/scrape, plate/drop
(Then my 300-500 recommended flash piece here incorporating the 5 pairs)
Author Note
Source: The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, p. 198
~~~~~
In the second part of the contest (not this one), others will be invited to use your noun/verb lists to pair them in a different way to form a completely different story.
The contest winner will win half of the prize pool which is based on the number of entries. The second and third place winners will each share the remaining prize pool. The prize pool is currently 25.00 member dollars. There are 13 spots still open. If all open spots are used the prize pool will be 90.00 member dollars. In this contest at least 2 submissions must be made for the vote to begin.
Deadline: Contest is closed. Deadline was Monday, April 15, 2024.
