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 TopShelf's
December 2011
Christmas Spirit Story Contest
The BigCloset TopShelf Christmas Elves have come together to create a prize pool of presents to the top 4 authors who enter and win this month's contest! The prizes ARE:
1st Place $100, 2nd Place $75, 3rd Place $50, 4th Place $25! Revised Note! You have until 7 am PST Sunday Jan 1, 2012 to enter your submissions! |
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The Contest begins today Sunday November 27, 2011 and will run until Saturday December 31, 2011 at the cutoff time of 10:00 pm Pacific Time US. During the Contest, you can read our author's submissions here. Voting occurs between Sunday Jan 1, 2012 until Saturday Jan 7, 2012. The Big Holiday Revelation to find the winning entries, is on Jan 8, 2012! |
| The theme this year will focus on the spirit of what Christmas is really all about - love, acceptance, and the giving of one's self or actions for another. Some examples can include: the helping of a homeless person, giving of ones things to help another make it in life, standing up for the acceptance of a Transgender, the reuniting of a family (because one member was Transgender, Intersexed, Lesbian or Gay), or even popping the question on Christmas eve with a long time loved friend. Stories can be of any size but must include the main character or the focus of the intent onto a character that is any of the LGBIT and must be new writing that does not appear anywhere else on the Internet or published already. The Entries may be multi-part (But only the parts posted before the cutoff date can be considered for entries) and can be a continuation of an existing serial with that universe's characters. You may enter as many entries as you wish but only 1 of any author's entries may be in the top 4 prizes. |  |
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Some past examples of Christmas Stories here on BigCloset TopShelf that capture this idea may be found here, here, and here, or here.
Oops! And before I forget, please remember to label your submission(s) with the December 2011 Christmas Spirit Contest tag located in the contest selector in the +fiction page for your submission! So the earlier its submitted, the more time it has for our readers to read your submissions and form an opinion about it! |
So have at it, have fun...
and I hope that you and your loved ones
have a very Merry Christmas!
Sephrena Lynn Miller
BigCloset TopShelf
TGLibrary.com
Image Credits: Girl at Christmas, Anime Couple kissing at Christmas, Girl opening Christmas Presents, and Santa Reading his List, and Christmas Faerie .
BigCloset TopShelf
TGLibrary.com
Image Credits: Girl at Christmas, Anime Couple kissing at Christmas, Girl opening Christmas Presents, and Santa Reading his List, and Christmas Faerie .
This Contest is dedicated to the Loving Memory of
Robert "Bob" Arnold
1953-2011
Administrator and Owner of the StarDust WebSite and Troubleshooter Extroadinaire for BigCloset TopShelf.
May your soul always remember the love that we, here on Earth, have for you.
Robert "Bob" Arnold
1953-2011
Administrator and Owner of the StarDust WebSite and Troubleshooter Extroadinaire for BigCloset TopShelf.
May your soul always remember the love that we, here on Earth, have for you.
Comments
I think I shall try to come up with something...
Following the good 'ol trope of mixing up "A Christmas Carol".
The last time I did this was for a prequel short story to my Searth stories which occurred prior to the apocalyptic events which led to the Searth stories.
It basically acted as a dream sequence one of the main characters of the later stories experienced which foretells of the later events.
This time... Perhaps I will have Pattengale experience such a dream. I will have this occur in his childhood, and he will then repress it, only to have it surface again later... Oh yes... The ideas are flowing now.
Yes little Pattengale, quiver in fear, for your maker has great designs on you!
*cackles evilly*
Abigail Drew.
PS: Don't worry, it'll fit the contest... in the first and last few paragraphs or so. The rest will be pure, unadulterated angst. Chronologically speaking, I'll be both jumping way ahead of where we are in OYH, and flashing back to way before OYH begins, at the same time. Should prove interesting. It'll give a lot away for what's to come in OYH and even in later Pattengale stories, but that shouldn't really be a problem.
Abigail Drew.
A Christmas Carol
What better story to mix up for the contest - the Ebenezer character being a misogynistic rear passage who either has particular antipathy for Tiny Tina (nee Tim) in Christmas Present, or perhaps he reacted angrily when Belle (his fiancée from Christmas Past) revealed her secret...
...there's two ideas for free for someone sufficiently motivated to put fingers to keyboard (well, pen to paper hardly works for a digital medium!) to scribble down. Given the pace at which I write stories, if I started writing something for this contest it might be finished in time for the 2012 contest (i.e. twelve months' time)!
There are 10 kinds of people in the world - those who understand binary and those who don't...
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
I've actually gotten a completely different idea...
Involving a completely new character, set in Lilith Langtree's "The Center" universe.
I'll still write the Pattengale dream sequence, but for inclusion into the story it's intended to be timed with.
This new character's really grabbed my attention, out of the blue.
Abigail Drew.
Abigail Drew.
Spirit of Christmas
You`ll have to explain to explain what you mean by that, Christmas means different things to different people, to me it`s just another day of being alone, broke and friendless. I know to others it`s it`s a time of joy and giving etc, things i`ve never experienced.
God I really hate Christmas with it`s constant barrage of Carols and xmas songs.
Jacqui
She did...
So, essentially, she's basically talking about those things you claim you never experienced.
It's such a shame, really, that anyone would feel that way...
Abigail Drew.
Abigail Drew.
that's why we write
That's why we write fiction, isn't it... to experience something we never had. I've never been a k=9 cop, but i live vicariously through chase. i never was punished by not being able to wear a dress... but. Tons of examples
K.T. Leone
My fiction feels more real than reality
Katie Leone (Katie-Leone.com)
Writing is what you do when you put pen to paper, being an author is what you do when you bring words to life
Put your own spin on it
You could just go ahead and make your story about someone who's alone, broke and friendless at this time of year. But you'd probably get more votes if you gave the character a happy ending, perhaps by meeting someone in a similar state and they both end up no longer friendless. A couple of my past Christmas stories (which were generally well-received) were about people who started the story alone and miserable.
That's unfortunate.
That's unfortunate. Christmas is what you make of it. Don't have family or friends? That doesn't matter. I like the festive lights and I love the happy music and I feel all warm and cozy reading and watching Christmas related things.
You've decided that Christmas sucks and no matter what you're going to be unhappy. That's fine, it's you're right in a free society to "humbug" things as much as you'd like. However, I don't feel it's appropriate to post negatively on Christmas related things. You should be able to figure out it's going to be something you won't like just by reading the title. You do not have to try and make others feel miserable just because you do.
If you feel this time of year is so unbearable you should really look in to getting some sort of professional help to talk it out with. I have no idea where you live so I cannot say what's available. There are many places that offer free counselling in almost every western country.
Good luck.
OK, so there you are on Christmas Eve...
...doing your "Bah! Humbug!" bit when you get dragged into someone else's problem -
Whatever, you need to live the life of a woman over Christmas.
Guess what? You have fun. You enjoy yourself.
There, you have the makings of a story. Write it up over Christmas and you'll enjoy putting yourself into a whole new world.
Escapism? Bring it on!
LOL
maybe your car breaks down in a remote spot and the only building nearby is a convent/girls' school/woman's hostel
go ahead write one I wanna see that one.
So ...
... what's happening in Seacombe this Christmas? I know from bitter experience from many childhood Christmases spent with relatives in Skegness that seaside resorts in December are not exactly buzzing ... at least on the surface but what's happening out of sight?
Charlotte, we need to be told because I hate Christmas too :) Bustlets with added holly, perhaps.
Robi
Alternatively...
Your car breaks down right outside a certain recently extended farmhouse on the outskirts of Portsmouth while being chased by The Mob...
...inevitably, Hilarity Ensues :D
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
Hi Sephrena and BC friends...
I had wondered if there would be a Christmas Themed contest, and I'm happy to see you didnt let us down. I will try to write a story I have been wanting to write for sometime but emotionally couldnt bring myself to write it, the tears make it hard to write. But talking on line with another TG friend over the last few months maybe it's time and maybe I've found the right way to do it and give it the happy ending that in real life the story didnt have. (Blinking the tears away now damn) OK I will try and do this story justice and hope maybe it will cleanse my heart and soul and maybe help someone else. One can only hope...
Happy Holidays, and Merry Christmas...to all kind spirits!
Nikki Thong
"Be loving, forgiving, open, happy, sharing, thoughtful, musical, cry a little everyday, but for goodness sakes be honest with yourself!"
"Satin makes me sooooo happy! Giggles!"
Nikki Thong
"Be loving, forgiving, open, happy, sharing, thoughtful, musical, cry a little everyday, but for goodness sakes be honest with yourself!"
"Satin makes me sooooo happy! Giggles!"
i wrote mine
I wrote mine its short but brought tears to my eyes. Probably the hardest thing I have ever written.
Contest
It's up and posted, in three linked bits. How does voting work on a multi-part story?
Multi-Part Entries
will be considered as just one story for purposes of voting. All the story entries will have the same chance. Kudos and reads do not count as voting. Voting will be on its own thing and all registered BCTS members can vote.
Sephrena
how many accounts
How many accounts can I create so I can stuff the ballot... LOL
MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (evil laugh with the twisty mustache thing going)
K.T. Leone
My fiction feels more real than reality
Katie Leone (Katie-Leone.com)
Writing is what you do when you put pen to paper, being an author is what you do when you bring words to life
Ta Sephrena
Thanks for that.
The accounts that can vote
are the ones that were here prior to the contest and if someone is attempting to create extra accounts, we know who is creating what accounts from our tools. We already perma-banned several people a few years ago for trying to create extra accounts to "stuff the voting" on a previous contest. Needless to say all the votes they cast with those accounts were subtracted on a rollback and nullified and the offenders are no longer with us. I don't tolerate cheating. Being fair with fair competition is what I believe in. My suggestion is to not even try.
Sephrena