Writing Contest (March 20th - April 10th)

Note: This contest has ended.

Hey there!

So, for a while now I've been wanting to host some sort of writing contest or event. I finally figured out the details of it (er, well, the most important of the details, at least) and I'm excited to say that entries are now being accepted for EoN's first writing contest!

I'd been stalling on this because I kept thinking I would be doing it every month or week or whathaveyou, similar to my Featured Website Contest. However, after surfing around the website AllPoetry (aspiring writers, you must check this site out if you've never heard of it) and going through some of the various contests held there by the AP community, it finally dawned on me that this doesn't have to be something that runs over and over again.. Now I'm wondering how on earth I didn't realize that sooner, but oh well.

Below are the guidelines and instructions for this contest. Keep in mind that anyone who is interested can enter, even if you've never been here at Edge of Night before, and even if you don't have a blog yourself. Now, impress me. Show me what you've got!

How It Works

What you'll be doing...

As stated before, this is a writing contest. You will be given a choice of three different prompts, of which you must choose one for your piece. Based on the prompt and the image that will accompany it, you can create a story in the form of either poetry or a short story. Think carefully about the prompt you chose, and which form would best suit it and your writing (this will be one of the things I look at when deciding on winners!).

So, in short, you must

• Choose one of the three given prompts
• Write a story based on the prompt (poem OR short story)

What I'll be looking at when picking winners...

• Grammar!
• Watch your spelling, and be creative with how you use words and sentences!

• How well the work fits the prompt
• This is one of things I'll be more flexible with; however, if it's obvious that your work drifted away from or didn't relate at all to the chosen prompt it'll be much less likely to be picked.
• Make sure to base your story on the words AND image included in the prompt you chose!

• How well your choice of form fits the prompt
• Use your best judgement on whether you think the prompt you chose would be better as a poem or short story. There's no right or wrong answer here, but your unique writing style will have a big impact on this!

• Creativity
• Besides creative wordplay and sentence structures, I will look at your story as a whole. This means plot, ideas, how you describe your characters (if any are involved) and setting, etc.. Considering you won't be creating a novel, keep in mind that good descriptions don't necessarily need to be complicated and lengthy. With a few right words, you can evoke some great imagery!

I will be giving feedback on why I chose the winners that I did. I am going to be honest with my opinions (and they are simply just my opinions; I'm by no means an expert here). This could be a great opportunity for you to receive unbiased feedback on your writing—but if you aren't a fan of constructive criticism, this isn't the best option for you. 

Based on the points above, I will pick one winner for each prompt. Three prompts, three winners. Please make sure to give me some way to contact you when you submit your entry, whether that's a link to your website or your email address. I will be notifying you if you've won!


What the winners will receive...

This contest is mostly just for a bit of fun. Aside from bragging rights, winners will receive a customized award image. Winners can choose from two options: A surprise custom image, where I will create the design and surprise you, or a tailored image, which you will sort of collaborate with me on to create!

General Guidelines

• Out of the three given prompts, you must choose only one.

• Your work must be either a poem or a short story.

• Your work must be based off of the words and image included in your chosen prompt.

• Short stories should be between 100 and 800 words in length. Poems should be between 5 and 10 lines long.
• If you don't know how to check your word length, copy your piece into Microsoft Word or a similar program. They can tell you your word count!

• You must enter by April 10th, 2015. No entries after that will be counted.

*How to Enter*

There are two ways that you can enter this contest. Anyone is eligible, but I know that some of you may not have a website to post to, and not everyone feels comfortable with email. So! You can enter either by

• Creating a post on your blog or website and sending me the link.

• Emailing your submission to eve.edgeofnight@gmail.com.

If you choose to create a blog post...

Please remember to send me the link to the post so that I can add your entry. Your post must contain the prompt (both the words and the image), the form you chose, and your written work.

If you choose to use email...

You must include details such as the prompt that you chose, what form you're writing in, the name you'd like me to use to identify you, and your written work.

I recommend writing your piece in a Word document or something of that nature. You can then send this to me as an attachment. If you prefer, however, you can also just type all of the information into the email itself and send it that way.

Writing Prompts

Prompt #1: 

CC image by Scott Wylie via Flickr

Standing in front of the door that would change her life forever, her mind ran wild with ideas of what lay behind it.

Prompt #2

The building was on fire, and it wasn't my fault.

Prompt #3

CC image by Jyrki Salmi via Flickr

You never know what you'll find in the forest.


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There you have them. Pick one of those prompts, choose a form, decide how you're going to enter, and let the words flow.

This contest runs from March 20th and until April 10th. Winners will be announced any time after 5:00 PM (EDT) on April 12th.

Please let me know if you have any questions! Have fun!