The Miscellaneous Iwaku Storytelling Contest: November 2017

Astaroth

[*screaming into the void intensifies*]
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STAFF MEMBER
DONATING MEMBER
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
  1. Not accepting invites at this time
Posting Speed
  1. Speed of Light
  2. Slow As Molasses
Online Availability
It varies a lot depending on my schedule, unfortunately.
Writing Levels
  1. Advanced
  2. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Primarily Prefer Male
Genres
Psychological horror
Body horror
Supernatural
Giallo
Splatterpunk
Dark fantasy
Historical
Low fantasy
Magipunk
Weird West
Noir
Thriller
Gothic horror
Southern Gothic
Gaslamp fantasy
Cyberpunk
Space saga
Clockpunk
Space Western
Space opera
Paranormal
Modern fantasy
Dieselpunk
Post-Apocalyptic
Crime drama
Medieval fantasy
I know it's NaNoWriMo and all and many of you are already panicking, but yes, we're still having MISC!

MISC, or the Miscellaneous Iwaku Storytelling Contest, is a recurring event on Iwaku. Every other month, we accept submissions from Iwaku users in an effort to promote writing practice and encourage development of technical skills. There are two winners: the one selected by a panel of judges, and the one whose submission is voted on by the community. We also encourage PEER REVIEW by other participants and the community at large. The prizes? Shiny ribbons, the satisfaction of having written a thing, and your story being immortalized in a Hall of Fame thread.

Every MISC contest offers a different prompt. Last MISC, we asked for a pretty broad-reach fanfiction submission, with the only caveat being we had to be able to follow your story without being fans. This time we're shaking it up a bit!

A MATTER OF TRADITION

Write a story involving a tradition practiced for a holiday of your choice. There are just one or two rules, however.

1. The tradition must be the focus or a key element of your story. It can't just be mentioned in passing or incidental to the plot. If your story wouldn't really change if you removed all mentions of the tradition, it's not passing muster!

2. You cannot focus on any of the traditions normally associated with that holiday or any real holiday. That means any of the following:

Fireworks.
Unwrapping presents.
Going to a church, temple, or other traditional place of worship.
Wearing costumes.
Family dinners. Period.
Anything that is probably listed on a real holiday's Wikipedia page.
Other things we haven't thought of yet. I may add more as you guys think of them for me. XD

Your holiday can be from any time of the year, from anywhere in the world, or even an original holiday devised for a fantasy or sci-fi setting!


Before submitting your entry, please read over all of the rules and guidelines below.

  • You have three weeks to write your short story based on one or more of the above list of themes and elements. The submission deadline is the end of the day on November 21; as soon as the date rolls over into November 22, entries are closed and late entries will not be accepted. Date rollover is based on the site's local time (North American Central/GMT-6). Send your entry via a single Inbox Conversation to all three MISC managers: @Jorick, @Astaroth, and @Kitti.

    There will be two winners: a Manager's Pick and a Community Pick. The Manager's Pick, determined (obviously) by the contest managers, will receive a spot in our special Hall of Fame thread, a temporary ribbon under their avatar proclaiming their winning status, and a month of Donator status (complete with perks) for free! The Community Pick winner will be selected by public vote and will win a spot in the Hall of Fame and a different temporary ribbon under their avatar for the same duration.

    • Send completed entries in a single private message to all three contest managers (Jorick, Kitti, Astaroth) with some sort of title that lets us know it's a contest entry.

    • Only one entry is allowed per person. You can submit a replacement entry if the submission period is still open, but we'll only count and post the most recent entry that we have from you. If your entry is denied for any reason then you can fix the problem and submit it again as long as the submission period is still open.

    • Collaborative entries are not allowed. Getting feedback or advice from people who are not Iwaku members, however, is fine.

    • Entries have to fulfill any criteria required by the prompt. Some will tell you to use a specific theme or phrase, others might be more open and have you write something inspired by an image, but make sure to use any of the specific requirements or your entry will be denied.

    • Entries need to be original works created for this contest specifically, not something you wrote in the past. They also must be your own work because plagiarism is against site rules and defeats the entire purpose of the contest.

    • Entries should not contain characters, settings, or identifiable elements from your previous stories or roleplays. If we recognize it, chances are your friends and partners will too.

    • Entries may be homages, twists, or inspired by other works but simple retellings with little to no originality added will be rejected.

    • Entries can't be posted elsewhere on Iwaku or off-site until after the voting period ends to avoid unintentional vote manipulation, but after it's done feel free to post them anywhere you like.

    • This contest has a strict word limit of 10,000 words, but we suggest not going over 5,000 to be nice to voters and reviewers. Any entries that go over 10k words will be rejected. Entries that end up between 5k and 10k words will be allowed, but keep in mind that there may be a ton of entries and the people who want to read them all and vote and give feedback have lives outside of Iwaku that won't wait for them to read a few novels worth of entries in a week.

    • Entries can be written in whatever format you like: short stories, poems, scripts, whatever feels right so long as it can fulfill the prompt criteria.

    • BBCode post formatting is allowed for use in your entry, but we reserve the right to change things (particularly colors) if they would make it hard for people to read. We have a few different background colors thanks to the different site themes, and some colors are very hard to read on some backgrounds. If you aren't sure which colors are safe then please take a look at this handy guide. Also, we do not allow pictures/music/videos/etc to be embedded in entries, any entries sent in containing these things will be edited or rejected.

    • Your entry may contain sexual content, but it has to follow the normal Iwaku rule of no characters under 13 years old shown engaging in sexual conduct. Anything else is fair game, but it will be clearly marked in the voting thread as a story containing NSFW content and some people may choose to skip your entry because of that.

    • Non-fiction entries aren't allowed. Sorry, but MISC is a creative writing contest, not an autobiography contest. Feel free to write such things and post them in the Showcasing section of the forum if you'd like to try your hand at non-fiction writing.

    • Giving your entry a title isn't required, but it's useful and encouraged. If you title your entry then we'll use it for the title of the spoiler your entry will be contained in in the voting thread.

    • All site members except MISC contest managers are allowed to enter. Anyone from a new member to an admin can join the fun, it's all good.

    • All entries must follow all Iwaku site rules, obviously. Don't air your drama with other members in a story, don't write an entry to mock or harass other members, so on and so forth. Be cool and just have fun writing.

    • All entries will be posted anonymously. Voters will need to make a selection based on the quality of the piece, not the name attached to it.

    • There will be two winners for each month of MISC: the Community Pick that receives the most votes, and a Manager Pick that will be decided in secret by the MISC managers. Each will receive separate but similar prizes for their accomplishment. On the rare occasion that there is a physical or monetary prize for the month, it will be awarded along with the Manager's Pick to avoid any temptation to pull shenanigans with the votes.

    • In the case of a tie in the public vote, each winner will receive the Community Pick prize package.

    • People who have entered the contest can vote, but they can't vote for their own entry or it'll be disqualified. Show some love to your fellow writers or don't vote, whatever feels right to you. Votes will be public knowledge so we can keep track of this.

    • You aren't allowed to tell anyone which entry is yours until AFTER the voting period is over. Doing anything to solicit votes is not allowed and will get you disqualified, and perhaps even banned from MISC altogether. Telling your friends "hey, I entered MISC this month, go read the entries and vote" is fine; telling people "go vote for #4, that's my entry" is not okay.

    • Voters are highly encouraged to read through every entry before voting. We know we can't enforce this, but try to give everyone a chance before picking your favorite.

    • The entry with the most votes at the end of the voting period will be declared the Community Pick for that month. However, if the community makes the same selection as the managers, then the second highest vote recipient will be named Community Pick; we don't intend to make the vote seem like it's playing second fiddle to our pick, it's just how it has to work so prize distribution makes sense when there are gift certificates or similar to be won, sorry! The winning entry will win fabulous prizes (fabulousness not guaranteed) and will win a permanent spot in the MISC Hall of Fame thread for all eternity (or until Iwaku explodes).

    • Voters are highly encouraged to post in the voting thread to explain their choice. Full reviews or critiques of the entries are very welcome, but please keep any criticism constructive and civil. Telling someone that their spelling errors and odd word choice made it hard to read is fine, but telling them that they write like shit is not okay.

    • Number/letter grades are also highly discouraged as they tend to be arbitrary and to vary widely in interpretation. This applies to any form of comparative grading. It is better to list strengths and weaknesses from the rubric for each entry based on its individual merit rather than assigning a grade.

    • If you would like, you may use the same rubric that the managers will be using, provided below. It's entirely optional; don't feel obliged.


    MISC MANAGER'S RUBRIC

    TECHNIQUE

    - Are there spelling/grammar errors or typos? Many, or just a few? How did it affect your ability to read and follow along with the story?
    - Is sentence structure and word choice varied? Does the writer show a good grasp of vocabulary and punctuation usage?
    - Are there any odd word choices or places where you stumble? Is everything clear and easy to understand?

    STYLE

    - Do you get a sense of the narrative voice when reading along? Is it consistent throughout the narrative?
    - Do the punctuation and sentence structure show a sophistication of style? Does it seem like deliberate choices were made to create a certain flow?
    - Is there use of vivid, engrossing description? Can you easily picture scenes in your head?
    - Does the story captivate your interest? Do you find yourself skimming?

    CHARACTERIZATION

    - Do characters have distinct, believable voices of their own? Is the dialogue natural or does it feel forced?
    - Do characters show complexity and depth of emotion? Do you get a sense of who they are and what motivates them?
    - Do the characters seem appropriate for the setting?
    - Do the decisions made or conclusions reached by characters within the scope of the story make sense? Do we learn more about them through their actions?
    - Are the characters likable or interesting? Do you have any strong emotion toward them?

    CREATIVITY

    - Are the plot and/or setting fresh and original? Do they show imagination?
    - Are there any new twists on old ideas or common elements? Has the writer surprised you?
    - Are there any subplots or underlying themes that you can identify?
    - Has the writer used symbolism, metaphor, allegory, or subtext?

    COHESIVENESS

    - Does the story adhere to the prompt? How closely? Is there any way you feel it deviates from the spirit?
    - Do the ideas involved seem fully developed?
    - Is there a plot? Do you get a sense of advancement in the story? Do characters learn or accomplish anything?
    - Does the story make sense as a whole and flow seamlessly from beginning to end? Is there anything that feels like it doesn't fit or is unnecessary?
    - Is the ending satisfying? Does it feel like a complete story?
 
Oh wow, this is super duper challenging!
 
Soa tradition thats not traditional but can be a real holiday or made up holiday?
 
Soa tradition thats not traditional but can be a real holiday or made up holiday?
Yup. Just can't have your tradition be Trick-or-Treating on Halloween, or something like that. Would have to be something people don't usually do on Halloween.
 
I like this...no clue what to write, but love it all the same!!
 
GODDAMNIT THIS IS MAKING ME WANNA JOIN
 
Soa tradition thats not traditional but can be a real holiday or made up holiday?
Yes, so it has to be a "different" tradition. Painting eggs on Easter, for example, is a no. Digging perfectly circular holes into the surface of Mars and filling them with perfectly spherical pebbles for Easter? That's certainly different.
 
  • Nice Execution!
Reactions: Greenie
Digging perfectly circular holes into the surface of Mars and filling them with perfectly spherical pebbles for Easter? That's certainly different.
Aw man, there goes my idea!

:bsmile:
 
  • Bucket of Rainbows
Reactions: Kitti
I shall have to think
 
  • Bucket of Rainbows
Reactions: Greenie
Interesting...I have a few ideas but I'm not sure if I'll be able to enter, unfortunately.
 
Hrmm. This aligns with some concepts I've been meaning to put to paper, might as well submit one of them here.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cwispy and Astaroth
I might make it this time. We'll see o.o
 
Wait, so just to clarify. Are we able to make up an entire holiday? If based on a real holiday, can we make up the tradition?
 
Wait, so just to clarify. Are we able to make up an entire holiday? If based on a real holiday, can we make up the tradition?
You are able to make up an entire holiday. If you use a real holiday, you must make up the tradition or use something obscure enough that we don't know the difference.
 
  • Thank You
Reactions: Rae
Would it be alright to mention one of the popular traditions in the story, as long as it isn't the main focus?
 
  • Useful
Reactions: Holmishire
Would it be alright to mention one of the popular traditions in the story, as long as it isn't the main focus?
Yep, absolutely. Just not in the foreground.
 
  • Useful
Reactions: Joan
"Family Dinners. Period."

Glad to see we're on the same wavelength.
 
  • Nice Execution!
Reactions: Jorick
Question: How is the voting done exactly to keep it anonymous? Do we DM you privately when the stories are posted or will there be a clear and obvious way to do that once the stories are posted?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Greenie
Question: How is the voting done exactly to keep it anonymous? Do we DM you privately when the stories are posted or will there be a clear and obvious way to do that once the stories are posted?
Edit: My bad, I didn't read correctly.

Basically a public poll is put up.
So the authors are anon, but the voters aren't.

Here's the previous thread as an example- SPECIAL EVENT - MISC #7 Voting Thread: Fanfic