|
Post by Soap on Feb 19, 2013 18:08:31 GMT -5
For listeners of Radio 2 in the UK, you maybe aware of the 500 word story competition for 13 year olds and younger. So, I thought why don't we have one for the IGMB?
So some basic ground rules.
Between 900 and 1000 wordsonly, title doesn't count.
Word count will be on MS Word.
Entries submitted to me by March 31st. Any submitted after will not be counted.
If they are 'too many' submissions, i will ask for judges to narrow down entries for a public vote.
All must be themed on the Warhammer 40000 universe.
No restrictions on which race, battle, etc, as long as it measures up to ready written 'official' fluff. It can be a battle report, story of a squad, a single man, inquisitor etc...
Your writing must be your own work, and not copied from any sources, and not be pre written.
All entries to be submitted to me by PM.
Prize to be confirmed!
|
|
|
Post by ElegaicRequiem on Feb 19, 2013 19:12:33 GMT -5
Something I never would have dreamed I'd say when I was in school, but, 500 words is too short. I just knocked out a 734-word chapter this morning while at work, and it looks short. For 13 and under, 500 is plenty, but most of us are late teens and adults. And I know many of the writers on the IGMB, myself included, wax loquacious time to time.
I'd say make it 1000 or less for word count. That's enough for a comfortable chunk of writing with actual story and purpose while still keeping it short.
Also, if this is a competition, what do the winners get? Fine women? It should be that.
|
|
|
Post by Paradill on Feb 19, 2013 19:20:52 GMT -5
Fine women, booze and a signature trophy should be the prize. I second the 1000 word motion. 500 words is a bit small for anything to work properly
|
|
|
Post by RedsandRoyals on Feb 19, 2013 19:21:37 GMT -5
Going to agree with Req here. I'm not a huge fan of word limits or goals in general for creative writing, but 500 really isn't enough if you want to bang out something solid, even as a short story or stand alone scene.
Reds
|
|
|
Post by Kaikelx on Feb 19, 2013 19:54:21 GMT -5
So I saw this, flashbacked to when I actually wrote stuff instead of lazing around the underhive, found one of the shorts I wrote way back when, revised it to reflect the fact I'm not 13 years old anymore, and got it to 484 words. So it's doable. (Grr no pre-writtens >.>) I would say to go for less plot and more conveying emotion. 520 words is too short for any good plot I can think of. Still, Soap, a 500 word limit is really darn tight, and the challenge becomes less about writing a good, creative short story, and more about writing something that'll pass muster in under 500 words.
|
|
|
Post by KRIEGEIRK on Feb 19, 2013 22:15:58 GMT -5
completely agree with Req, make it 1000 word count. I'm interested to see how this progresses!
|
|
|
Post by macknight on Feb 19, 2013 22:50:58 GMT -5
You also should add this to the restriction:Ward related fluff does not count as official.
|
|
|
Post by RedsandRoyals on Feb 19, 2013 23:17:50 GMT -5
You also should add this to the restriction:Ward related fluff does not count as official. That rule applies to the whole forum, and is enforced with violence*. *The exception being the Necron fluff, which isn't too bad, all things consideredReds
|
|
|
Post by Kaikelx on Feb 19, 2013 23:19:24 GMT -5
Actually, now that I've thought about it, do you want the entries to be like the fluff blurbs depicting battles you'd find in 40k codices? Those are plenty doable in 500 words, but they're not exactly all that exciting to write or read...
EDIT: I've actually thought of an original idea I think I can do in under 500....I'll give it a try tomorrow and see how it goes
|
|
|
Post by Soap on Feb 20, 2013 1:36:15 GMT -5
Fluff can be anything you want as long as its 40k themed (and suitable for my innocent eyes). So it can be based on a guardsman, a necron lord, an Ork, or even a battle report. As long as its original, your own work, and not pre written.
Due to popular demand, ill raise the word count to 1000 at a maximum, with 900 being the minimum.
Prize to be confirmed at a later date!
|
|
|
Post by commisarblur on Feb 20, 2013 19:10:40 GMT -5
Questions: First where do we submit these stories?
Second, Will there be a runner up prize?
Third, Can the story end on a cliffhanger?
|
|
|
Post by Soap on Feb 21, 2013 1:50:06 GMT -5
To me
Depending on numbers entered
Yes
|
|
|
Post by Empirespy on Feb 21, 2013 7:11:22 GMT -5
I am going to give it a bash, I've got an Idea for a story for a character I've already developed, is it Ok to use it, as there will be back story that I won't include, but has been written previously (by myself)?
|
|
|
Post by BG. Foster on Feb 21, 2013 8:00:22 GMT -5
I might have a go, I was never any good at writing though.
|
|
|
Post by Soap on Feb 21, 2013 8:45:55 GMT -5
Empirespy: yeah that's cool.
Foster: Don't put yourself down!
|
|
|
Post by BG. Foster on Feb 21, 2013 8:48:56 GMT -5
No Soap I'm that bad I struggle to write a shopping list, lol
|
|
|
Post by Soap on Feb 21, 2013 12:50:42 GMT -5
Well you manage to string a sentence together on the forum lol
|
|
|
Post by BG. Foster on Feb 21, 2013 12:55:46 GMT -5
Pure luck!
|
|
|
Post by Soap on Feb 21, 2013 13:15:50 GMT -5
* Foster randomly bashes keyboard and by luck, makes words.
|
|
|
Post by ElegaicRequiem on Feb 27, 2013 23:26:48 GMT -5
I'm not sure I'll have something for this comp. Every time I try to plan out a short that's this short, it always ends up looking like it will be around three thousand words or so. In a stroke of supreme irony, I did manage to find some notes from something I was going to co-author with someone a couple of years ago and turn it into the prelude it was meant to be. Number of words: 498.
Oh well, I'll either think of something or I won't. I do have a vague idea.
|
|
|
Post by Soap on Feb 28, 2013 1:32:50 GMT -5
Don't give up! Never surrender!
|
|
|
Post by RedsandRoyals on Mar 1, 2013 10:35:12 GMT -5
I'm not sure I'll have something for this comp. Every time I try to plan out a short that's this short, it always ends up looking like it will be around three thousand words or so. I could have told you that was going to happen. Reds
|
|
|
Post by ElegaicRequiem on Mar 9, 2013 9:45:10 GMT -5
Story submittified!
|
|
|
Post by The Hawk! on Mar 9, 2013 9:49:32 GMT -5
Sod it! I'll have a go Dave
|
|
|
Post by Soap on Mar 10, 2013 4:44:50 GMT -5
Woohoo! Come on people, we might actually have a compairtition here! :-)
|
|