welian
#BlackLivesMatter
HELLO ROLEPLAYERS!
Think of all your favorite scary stories - ghost stories told at camp, creepypastas spread around on the Internet, all the urban legends and creepy rumors we heard at school. Do you think you can write your own scary story? Time to find out!
To celebrate all things spooky and scary, we will be hosting a short story competition during all of October. It’s set up the same way as the Prose Competition back in June, so those of you who participated then should be familiar with the rules.
Are you ready to get spoopy?
HOW TO ENTER:
During the Prose Competition we found that there were many users who preferred to submit their work privately and have it only read by the judges.
In order to accommodate them, save the judges’ poor inboxes from annihilation, and keep the entries organized, we will be using an entry form in order to collect submissions in the form (heh) of text files.
When you click the submission link, you will be asked to enter your username and upload a file. A copy of this file will be sent to a private folder in Google Drive that only I and the judges will be able to access. A spreadsheet within this folder will be automatically updated with your username and a link to the file you submitted. Pretty awesome, huh?
Do you want everyone else to read your story too? Not a problem! We’ve also made a public entry thread, called the Campfire, where anyone who has finished their story and submitted it is welcome to post it for the rest of the site to enjoy.
A side note - we'd like for your files to stay on the plain side in terms of font and color, but should you choose to publicly post your entry, you're welcome to get happy with the BBCode.
RULES:
Any entries that don't comply with the following rules may be disqualified from the competition - so don't let that happen to you! All entries must:
Additionally, each user may only submit one entry - so make it your best!
JUDGING:
Creativity
: Even the most tired clichés and tropes can be given new life with a few thoughtful details and good narrative voice.
Spookiness
: Does your story send chills down our spines? Does it make us want to lock our doors at night and sleep with a crowbar next to our bed – or not sleep at all?
Descriptive flair
: To say there is a scary monster is one thing. To describe the fire spitting from his foaming mouth is another.
Judges will rank each of their selections from first to third. Each rank is worth a certain number of points. At the end of the submission period, all the points will be tallied and the stories with the most points will be declared the winning stories! Exactly which story got how many points is a total secret, though – I will be collecting the votes individually from each judge, so not even they will know what story is in the lead.
PRIZES:
I hope you guys like cute little skulls and county fair ribbons! The authors of the top three stories will receive a unique skull ribbon badge to be proudly displayed under their username. These three badges are totally unique to this competition and will never be issued again – next Halloween, we’ll have a different set of badges.
QUESTIONS:
Does the submission link work on mobile?
Yes, it does! You can upload your submission via your smartphone.
I'm a mobile user and I don't have a word processing app on my phone!
There are many apps for writing and saving documents on your phone. However, if you're unable create and upload a file, please message me and we will work on a solution together.
This is too complicated.
Basically we're asking everyone to submit their scary story as a text document. It's much better for organization this way.
Do I need to format my story a certain way?
Not really. This isn't school, where we're asking for Times New Roman, 12pt, double spaced, or else. We just would like you to keep to keep the document on the plainer side of things so that the judges can read them easily.
Is this strictly prose, or is poetry allowed?
For this particular contest,
we're looking for only prose
. That way, everyone's work can be compared fairly during judging.
Think of all your favorite scary stories - ghost stories told at camp, creepypastas spread around on the Internet, all the urban legends and creepy rumors we heard at school. Do you think you can write your own scary story? Time to find out!
To celebrate all things spooky and scary, we will be hosting a short story competition during all of October. It’s set up the same way as the Prose Competition back in June, so those of you who participated then should be familiar with the rules.
Are you ready to get spoopy?
HOW TO ENTER:
During the Prose Competition we found that there were many users who preferred to submit their work privately and have it only read by the judges.
In order to accommodate them, save the judges’ poor inboxes from annihilation, and keep the entries organized, we will be using an entry form in order to collect submissions in the form (heh) of text files.
When you click the submission link, you will be asked to enter your username and upload a file. A copy of this file will be sent to a private folder in Google Drive that only I and the judges will be able to access. A spreadsheet within this folder will be automatically updated with your username and a link to the file you submitted. Pretty awesome, huh?
Do you want everyone else to read your story too? Not a problem! We’ve also made a public entry thread, called the Campfire, where anyone who has finished their story and submitted it is welcome to post it for the rest of the site to enjoy.
| The submission form has been replaced, and works slightly differently from the previous one. Although it is not required, users who have already submitted their entries are encouraged to resubmit using the new form. Please be cautious when entering data into the new form, as you will not receive an error message if you have left a field empty. |
A side note - we'd like for your files to stay on the plain side in terms of font and color, but should you choose to publicly post your entry, you're welcome to get happy with the BBCode.
RULES:
Any entries that don't comply with the following rules may be disqualified from the competition - so don't let that happen to you! All entries must:
- Comply with RP Nation's site rules, especially regarding erotic and non-English content.
- Be original material. No plagiarized or fandom-based stories will be accepted.
- Include your username and the title of your story (if there is one) at the beginning of your document.
- Be no longer than one thousand (1,000) words, not including title and username.
- Be uploaded via the submission link. Entries that are posted in the public thread but not uploaded via the submission link will not be considered for judging.
- Entries are due at the end of October 31st.
Additionally, each user may only submit one entry - so make it your best!
JUDGING:
Victims Judges
Three is a very good number, isn’t it? There will be three judges for this contest, each choosing three stories for each of the three parameters, that they feel best exemplifies what that parameter is about.- CJ Mason
- Aldur Forgehammer
- Mordecai
Creativity
: Even the most tired clichés and tropes can be given new life with a few thoughtful details and good narrative voice.
Spookiness
: Does your story send chills down our spines? Does it make us want to lock our doors at night and sleep with a crowbar next to our bed – or not sleep at all?
Descriptive flair
: To say there is a scary monster is one thing. To describe the fire spitting from his foaming mouth is another.
Judges will rank each of their selections from first to third. Each rank is worth a certain number of points. At the end of the submission period, all the points will be tallied and the stories with the most points will be declared the winning stories! Exactly which story got how many points is a total secret, though – I will be collecting the votes individually from each judge, so not even they will know what story is in the lead.
PRIZES:
I hope you guys like cute little skulls and county fair ribbons! The authors of the top three stories will receive a unique skull ribbon badge to be proudly displayed under their username. These three badges are totally unique to this competition and will never be issued again – next Halloween, we’ll have a different set of badges.
QUESTIONS:
Does the submission link work on mobile?
Yes, it does! You can upload your submission via your smartphone.
I'm a mobile user and I don't have a word processing app on my phone!
There are many apps for writing and saving documents on your phone. However, if you're unable create and upload a file, please message me and we will work on a solution together.
This is too complicated.
Basically we're asking everyone to submit their scary story as a text document. It's much better for organization this way.
Do I need to format my story a certain way?
Not really. This isn't school, where we're asking for Times New Roman, 12pt, double spaced, or else. We just would like you to keep to keep the document on the plainer side of things so that the judges can read them easily.
Is this strictly prose, or is poetry allowed?
For this particular contest,
we're looking for only prose
. That way, everyone's work can be compared fairly during judging.
| Feel free to use this thread to ask questions about the competition, discuss the event, and so on! But make sure that your official entries are uploaded/post to the proper place. |
Image and banner © welian 2015
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