July 26th - August 26th: CFT Writing Contest & Post Break

Note: This contest has ended. Check the results out here!

Greetings and salutations!

Can you believe that it's already reaching the end of July?? Shnikies. But with the planned (I do want to note that this date is only a goal, not a guarantee) early October release of my poetry collection right around the corner, I need to start putting my time and energy towards updating old poems and getting everything together.

So, from July 26th and until August 26th, I will be taking a post break and won't have anything new to put out aside from any poem rewrites I manage to get done, which I will let you know via my social media. I'll still be around to respond to messages, comments, etc., so feel free to get in touch at anytime!

However, I'm not leaving you with nothing for the next month; I'm also hosting, beginning and ending within the same time period, a new writing contest titled Campfire Tales, and you can find all the details below!

Campfire Tales

Writing Contest

Overview

Campfire Tales runs from July 26th, 2016 to August 26th, 2016. Storytellers of any kind are welcome to enter, and you have the option to write either poetry or prose. Submissions must be sent to me by August 26th. No entries will accepted after this date.

Writers in the poetry category must create an original piece of themed acrostic poetry, and writers in the short story category must create an original tale based on the given theme and prompt. Each category has a unique set of rules; you will need to follow the guidelines provided for your chosen category.

Category Guidelines

- Poetry -

• Your piece must be an acrostic poem.

• Unfamiliar with the acrostic form? Not an issue! You can find definitions and resources to help you at the end of this post.

• Your poem should be centered around the theme "Urban Legend."

• Beyond theme and form, there are no other requirements!

Focus Areas

Keep in mind that I'm no professional contest judge, and judgment will mostly be made based on my opinions, but the main elements that I'll be looking at include the following:

- Originality & creativity

• You have a lot of freedom here - I want to see what you can come up with! Be creative with how you form your acrostic, with the words you use, with your style, and with how you choose to work with the Urban Legend theme.

- Number of spelling & grammatical errors

• Poetry plays with spelling and grammar quite a bit. You're not going to be penalized because you didn't include a period at the end of that line, but obvious mistakes are obvious. Proofread before you submit!

- How well your piece fits the given theme

• Use your own judgment here. This will be a major factor in deciding the winner, and your only limitations are what you feel do and don't fit with the theme. You're bound only by two simple words.

- How well your piece captures my attention

• Make your piece stand out. Make sure it flows well, and that it has strong, accurate imagery. Most of all, bring it to life!

- Short Story -

• Create an original tale based on the following prompt:

Trust can take years to build, and only seconds to shatter.

• Using the above prompt as your basis, craft your own urban legend.

• The prompt can play a small or a large part in your story, but it must be incorporated into your work in some way, shape, or form.

• Your story should be between 500 and 1300 words in length.

• If you don't know how to check your word count, copy/paste your work into Microsoft Word, or a similar program, and it will tell you!

Focus Areas

Keep in mind that I'm no professional contest judge, and judgment will mostly be made based on my opinions, but the main elements that I'll be looking at include the following:

- Originality & creativity

• Your story has to be a minimum of 500 words, and a maximum of 1300. You need to work the prompt in somehow, and forge your own urban legend. There's a lot you can do with that. Be creative with your story elements, with your sentences and descriptions. Show me what you've got! 

- Number of spelling & grammatical errors

• Even the best of authors make mistakes, and I'm far from perfect myself. But show me, and everyone who reads it, that you've put work into making your story the best that it can be. Proofread before you submit!

- Incorporation of the given prompt

• Use your own judgment here. The prompt won't be the most important factor; your urban legend as a whole will be. However, how you decide to incorporate the prompt into your story will be something I compare with the other entries.

- How well your piece captures my attention

• Make your piece stand out. Make sure it flows well, and that it has strong, accurate imagery. Most of all, bring it to life!

How to Enter

There are two ways that you can enter into this contest:

• Create a post on your blog or website and send me the link

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

If you choose to create a post...

Please be sure to include which category you picked, your written work, and any other relevant information you feel I should know (a name to identify you by, another way to contact you if I can't from your blog/website, etc.). Don't forget to send me the link! Super important!

If you choose to email it...

Please include details such as your name (pen name or an alias is perfectly fine), the category you wish to enter into, a way to contact you, and your written work (either as an attachment or written directly in the email itself).

* Note: For the email method, avoid using my sidebar gadget under "Say hello!" to write your piece. It will likely mess with your text.

Other Details

- Rewards -

This is just something fun to do, and there are no major prizes to be won. Winners will receive bragging rights and an award image to show off on their blog or wherever they wish!

- Acrostic Poem Resources -

Need help learning how to write an acrostic? Try these:

- Example of an acrostic poem written by Edgar Allan Poe

- My two acrostic pieces, "Phrase of the Day" (uses initial letter of each line) and "Visionary" (uses initial word of each line)

- Further examples/tips: link 1, link 2, link 3 (definition)

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There you have it! I realize there's a lot of information here, but I tried to make things as clear as possible! You have a month to submit your entry. Please don't hesitate to ask if you have questions or need something clarified!

Good luck, and I'll see you all around the 26th of August!