It had been my intention to have a BC-TS Halloween writing contest this year but while I was distracted, Sapphire started one and I don't think we need two Halloween writing contests in this community. :)
So...announcing the BigCloset TopShelf Holiday Story Contest. Any story with a holiday related theme posted to BC before December 31, 2006 will be eligible. Yes, that includes all the way back to 1999.
If you wrote such a story or post such a story you've written in the next few months, let me know if you want it included in the contest. If you have a favorite story on a holiday theme written by someone else or posted elsewhere, let me know that too and try to get the author to post here or ask for a nomination.
If you are a Southern California writer who knows how to find my house, you're disqualified from winning anything! Sorry, can't have people thinking Wanda or Lainie could come over here and personally pressure me on who to vote for. :) Oh, that disqualifies me, too. But not Bob Arnold or Little Katie since they know where I live but aren't in Southern California. If you're disqualified, you can still enter but you can't get higher than Honorable Mention.
What's a holiday? An annual recurrent celebration or event tied to a calendar date or calendar calculation. This means birthdays, D-Day and 9/11 qualify (and for you Euro/British types, I don't mean November 9th).
Prizes? We don't need no stinkin' prizes. Oh. Oh, yes, maybe we do. I'm thinking of Barnes and Noble gift cards or donations to charity. No promises.
Voting will be in January and maybe February, here on BC and there may be more than one division, like 2006 vs. pre-2006, depending on how many entries we get. I'm willing to put up $100 in prize money but how that gets divided up, we'll have to see. Winners will be announced here sometime before the end of, oh, March, as a guess.
Am I sure about all this? Yeah, I think so. :) Oh, and suggestions will be taken for a 2007 contest theme.
Good luck and good writing.
- Erin
Contest cancelled
Only six people read the whole post in 5.5 hours on a very active day.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
I Was Going To
read it, but was stopped in my tracks by the title "Big Closet Holiday Contest."
The idea of a big contest got me all excited, but I was totally lost at what you meant by a "Closet Holiday."
Is that a special day set aside for celebrating lots of closet space? Is having lots of closet space a good thing, or does it indicate an inadequate wardrobe?
Is a "Closet Holiday" something that allows non-public "whatevers" to quietly and anonimously celebrate whatever it is we're hiding?
I would like to contest the cancellation of this contest on the grounds of non-titillating titling.
I, for one, would devote equal opportunity to characters, themes, settings, conflict, and plot, if I could only understand what the heck you're talking about.
Did Billie Holiday have a special closet? Was Doc Holliday a cross-dresser?
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Do new topics in the forums
...still show up on the home page? Not that it matters, 'cause I wasn't online during the brief time this "contest" was active; but as a general rule I don't frequent the forums on any of the story sites. The exception to that is the Gabyzone forum, but I actually found the forum first, then started reading the stories.
I asked a question in the forum one time; when I found it on the BC homepage I resolved not to ask any again.
Karen J.
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
New topics in the forums ...
... do show up on the front page. At least currently. I may change that but I wanted people to realize the forums exist. After 8 hours to 3 days, I usually move forum posts off the front page. Bolgs, too.
It wasn't so much that no one said they would submit a story but that in six hours of a very active day only six people read the whole post. That says not enough interest to me.
- Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
This one didn't show ...
... at least to me. I was here often all day, and I never once saw the contest in the center section of the front page. I also tried scrolling down and going back a few pages looking for it -- once I knew it was cancelled. Couldn't find it.
If you do decide to bring it back, I'd be interested in submitting something.
*hugs*
Randalynn
I would have tried ...
... but I too missed the window for the contest. I don't know if the post appeared on the front page either - it was not there when I logged in. Maybe if it were announced in a way that kept it on top for a bit it might get more attention. I would really be interested in submitting something if you should change your mind.
Sincerely,
Scott
Bree
The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.
-- Tom Clancy
http://genomorph.tglibrary.com/ (Currently broken)
http://bree-ramsey314.livejournal.com/
Twitter: @genomorph
Missed it by that Much
Would you believe 2 girl scouts selling cookies held us hostage?
But in reality we where on standby for evacuation. Wild (forest)fire
go to i/4 mile of my apartment. Not Fun!!!
And now everything is covered in that orange fire-retardent, and the place stinks like smoke.
Yuck!
"We" are not amused!
So, let it be written
So, let it Be Done!!
(Yul Bryner)
Sorry about that, Chief.
Enough with the smart comments, just when I was feldon better -- and loving it!
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Re: Sorry about that, Cheif
Erin I'm just glad your back to take "Control" of the site its been total Koas when you where gone!
"We" are amused!
So, let it be written
So, let it Be Done!!
(Yul Bryner)
Per Regulation 1137
Erin, ChrisW,
I invoke the Cone of Silence.
Gees, a guy take an afternoon nap and Bam!, he misses a contest. Nice thought but a contest in a closet, however big, would get crowded, stuffy and the air really stale in no time at all. Plus who would want to let everyone see those awful clothes you wore in the disco era or ghods, the late 1960s.
Sorry for the lack luster responce.
John in Wauwatosa
John in Wauwatosa
Hasty retreat.
I was one of the six, and I'd already recruited JulieO to write an entry by the time you posted the cancellation. Considering the above responses, I'd suggest giving the contest another try.
Amelia
"Reading rots the mind." - Uncle Analdas
"Reading rots the mind." - Uncle Analdas
Take a look
My silly famous quotes post had five times as many reads in a similar period -- in the middle of the night. A contest would require a deal of committment from me and I don't mean the $100 in prizes I intended to offer.
Truth telling -- the contest was an attempt to pull myself out of depression. The incredibly tepid response depressed me further. I expected the post to get at least the number of reads almost anything on the top front page gets. As a test, I did the famous quotes post using my depression to fuel some humor. Yup, it got a normal number of hits for stuff on the top of the front page -- more than when Bob announces a technical glitch. The contest announcement got 20-25% of that in a better timeslot.
I'm sorry there isn't the interest in a contest that I would like for there to be. Perhaps I will feel better about it in a day or so. Thank you for your interest and the interest of authors on this thread, anyway.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Difference in topics
Sorry you're disappointed in the response, Erin. However, let me point out that reading a humorous bunch of "non-quotes" is different from writing for a contest. Although it may seem that everybody who comes to BC is a writer, I'm sure that a far larger number are simply people who enjoy reading TG fiction. So something obviously aimed at writers is going to be of less general interest.
Here's an idea for you: I noticed the other day that donations had slacked off and was trying to figure out what I could do to boost them. I am afraid my stories wouldn't draw enough interest to get people to donate money to read them, so I dropped the idea of giving you one for fund-raising purposes. But if you had the above mentioned contest, and made the top three stories pay-per-view, that might get you some donations and relieve you of some monetary problems.
Just a thought.
Hugs,
Karen J.
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
Fund-raising
I kind of like your idea about the top stories but then how would people vote on them?
Actually, I left off fund-raising for the summer, I've several stories in the hopper to be put up as premiums and some artwork.
Maybe you're right about the readers not opening a post aimed at authors. I'm going to thing about it.
Hugs,
erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Idea person
Sorry, I just come up with the ideas, I leave the implementation up to the detail people!
Hugs!
Karen J.
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
Avid readers?
As a side contest for readers, although authors too could join in and indeed might be interested in the result, why not give a selection of short anonymous exerpts from works by different authors and see if the readers can identify the authors from the style alone? Obviously major character names would have to appear as **** in case too obvious memories were triggered. Say 100 - 200 words of typical prose.
If you think style alone would be too difficult a criteria the exerpts could include typical plot twists or situations from already posted works.
On further thought you could expand it into a sort of Christmas Readers' Quiz. Questions such as "In which story did Little Miss Muffet have an unfortunate experience?" or "Was Caroline Pretty helped towards her true self by her Mother, Boyfriend, or Wife?" etc.
It might even encourage a little re-reading. :)
And as for prizes? Well perhaps a walk on part in a story by an author of the winner's choice?
Hugs,
Fleurie
Where's Sapphire's Contest?
I just went to Sapphire's site, and can't find any contest listed. I went to the Main page, the Welcome page, and the What's New page, no contest listed.
Still hope you have a Holiday Contest, Erin. A Halloween Contest seems kinda old hat, but all holidays? That's much better! And yes, I'm working on one myself now. And there's another one I'd like to see entered, if I can just remember who wrote it and what the name is.
Love & hugs!
Karen J.
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
Watch this Space
There will be a new announcement about a BC contest. Eventually. :)
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.