contest

[Andres]

Offers of free pie and beer would work better...

...actually, that would probably work for nearly everyone...

Beer? Did someone mention Beer?

What beer are we talking about? The quality of my story will be in proportion with the quality of the beer. So you better make that Westmalle Trippel or Ciney Blond

You guys already have a theme in mind? What about the Spinach-conspiracy? Or is it forbidden to talk about that dramatic and still ongoing episode of humanity?

Don't tell me you are all spinach-pies in disguise

[Tamur]

Sign me up, I need to be distracted from my life failures...

Ha sounds familiar...

So, that's definitely 10+, should we scare up a topic?

I'd suggest keep it historical and broadly defined for this group (with a word limit to keep the judges from having seizures). But having dealt with a few writing contests before, make sure to have some constraints in place, much easier for writers to create with them than without... something as simple as "include a sneezing cow and a shattered roof beam" works better than a blank canvas.

(by the way, I will personally throw pineapples at anyone suggesting that we actually include sneezing cows in the contest!)

[Snite]

The sneezing cow is the missing link in deep philosophical revelations disguised as symbology at once both defining and refining the conundrum of our very existance.

Tamur, I want to include a sneezing cow.


Snite

[Marshal Murat]

I think we should have one about a harmless nation of bankers attacking another harmless nation of bankers, both preferably small Alpine nations.



Or a Greek tragedy.

[pevergreen]

I want someone to give me very restrictive guidelines:
You must have this and this etc

Helps me out.

[Franconicus]

I think we are enough to start, now.
What we need now is

a schedule
rules
a jury

I suggest to start on Monday 12th.
Rules could be the same as last time. If we like to we can have limitations regarding the topics. What do you think about some story from the European Medieval? More stringent? Maybe something without fighting.
Very important: not too much sex or violence - keep to the org. rules!
Jury: Maybe we could just make a poll. Then we do not have to have a jury.

Hey, have you already seen those new smilies?

[Kagemusha]

Nah Franc.I think you should accept poor old Kage into the contest before you start.

[matteus the inbred]

Nah Franc.I think you should accept poor old Kage into the contest before you start.

Finally, this contest has everything!

I vote that we write stories exclusively about sex and violence, but entirely in a euphemistic fashion. I have pirates to back me up on this.

[Kagemusha]

Thanks Matteus!
I agree completely.Sex and Violence should be the main focus. I think we should use different eras and cultures to bring some freshnes to the theme,but then Sex and Violence never gets boring.

[matteus the inbred]

To misquote Sheila Broflovski:

"Horrific, deplorable violence (and totally gratuitous sex) is okay, as long as people don't say any naughty words! That's what this contest should be all about!"

[Franconicus]

Nah Franc.I think you should accept poor old Kage into the contest before you start.

Not in my wildest dreams I had the slightest wish to exclude Kage the poet.
Welcome, ole commrade.

What do you think about having a poll instead of a jury?

[matteus the inbred]

I like the idea of a poll.

As to the word limit, I think it was 1,500 last time? and I reckon only one or two people got anywhere near that many, so 1,000 -1,500 would probably be ok again.
A poll means that we will all have to read everyone's stories, so very long essays are obviously rather less desirable, and probably less likely to win votes as well...
Themes? I shall leave that to those with greater wisdom and authoritaaah. Or bigger axes.

[Tamur]

I want to include a sneezing cow

Gah!

I hear your plea though. Anyone for sexy, violent cows? Or for Andres, how about we all reveal our true identities and write stories about large pans of spanakopita?

Sorry, this could go downhill fast. I'll take Franc's format:

Schedule
A couple of people have expressed an interest in doing something a little farther down the road. How about we give people some lead time, start accepting entries 19 March, and let the contest run three weeks, closing on 9 April?

Rules
1000 word limit sounds good to me, that would keep things readable.

Open to anyone, junior members included? I would say it's an obvious yes, but just thought I'd bring the question up.

Theme
We've got a few suggestions: European medieval, day-in-the-life historical (any timeframe), Roman high society... deciding this will probably be the difficult part. So everyone keep suggesting.

Judging
Poll sounds great, jury selection is always a bit of a stinker. However, we might want to limit voting in some way so people don't spam the poll with newly-created junior accounts. (i.e. limit voting to junior members who existed by 28 February or some such)

[Kagemusha]

Tamur,that sounds like a plan. How about, becouse you are the head honcho and organisator of this contest. You could pick the subject? Then we can all blame you afterwards, becouse the subject was so wrrroooong.

[Snite]

I second the nominatin of Scapegoat candidate Tamur.

Not really, though.


Snite

[Franconicus]

Schedule
A couple of people have expressed an interest in doing something a little farther down the road. How about we give people some lead time, start accepting entries 19 March, and let the contest run three weeks, closing on 9 April?

Fine!

Rules
1000 word limit sounds good to me, that would keep things readable.

Open to anyone, junior members included? I would say it's an obvious yes, but just thought I'd bring the question up.

Agreed! Let the juniors write! After all they are king of humans, too.

Theme
We've got a few suggestions: European medieval, day-in-the-life historical (any timeframe), Roman high society... deciding this will probably be the difficult part. So everyone keep suggesting.

It has to be something everybody can write about. So maybe day in life of some acient Egypt society may be too limiting. It should be somehow limiting, but not limiting creativity. There should be a lot of different stories.
Hey, what about this: "Revolution"? Or Church, Priests, Monks, Popes etc.

Judging
Poll sounds great, jury selection is always a bit of a stinker. However, we might want to limit voting in some way so people don't spam the poll with newly-created junior accounts. (i.e. limit voting to junior members who existed by 28 February or some such)

I say, if they are allowed to write, they are allowed to vote, too.

[Andres]

It has to be something everybody can write about. So maybe day in life of some acient Egypt society may be too limiting. It should be somehow limiting, but not limiting creativity. There should be a lot of different stories.
Hey, what about this: "Revolution"? Or Church, Priests, Monks, Popes etc.

Heresy or witchcraft perhaps? Situated in whatever timezone you like, history-related or complete fantasy/science-fiction, doesn't matter, it has to contain the element "heresy"?

[pevergreen]

Heresy or witchcraft perhaps? Situated in whatever timezone you like, history-related or complete fantasy/science-fiction, doesn't matter, it has to contain the element "heresy"?

Im liking it!

[Tamur]

"Heresy" sounds great... combines Religion and Revolution in a nice package

I'd like to have heresy defined loosely though, not just "standing up against the doctine of the medieval Catholic church". I should be able to write about a viking who didn't give up something required for a blot, and it should qualify. Yes?

[Andres]

"Heresy" sounds great... combines Religion and Revolution in a nice package

I'd like to have heresy defined loosely though, not just "standing up against the doctine of the medieval Catholic church". I should be able to write about a viking who didn't give up something required for a blot, and it should qualify. Yes?

'heresy' as in "any opinions or doctrines at variance with the official or orthodox position"?

So, it would be possible to write a story in a sci-fi/fantasy setting with an imaginary official/dominant religion and non-believers/heretics opposed to it as well as an history related story partially based on facts e.g. a story situated in medieval France in the period 1200-1230 during the crusades against the Cathars. The possibilities are infinite me thinks.

[Franconicus]

sounds great

[Kagemusha]

I like the subject also. In matter of fact i feel a tingling sensation that some kind of story has started to develop inside my head.

[Tamur]

i feel a tingling sensation that some kind of story has started to develop inside my head

Well that decides it then!

Since Ludens ran the annual contest, I'm wondering if he wants to officially take this one as well?

edit: just read his post in this thread saying he's too busy to take care of if. I'll be happy to do it if need be. I think the only issue left is the prize(s).

[Ludens]

Since Ludens ran the annual contest, I'm wondering if he wants to officially take this one as well?

edit: just read his post in this thread saying he's too busy to take care of if. I'll be happy to do it if need be. I think the only issue left is the prize(s).

You seem to be doing a fine job sofar, so I'd be happy too if you keep doing it.

As for the prizes, Ser Clegane can give a standard story-writing badge to the winner and the runner-up. Perhaps Dimeolas would be willing to help us out, too.

I think monday the 19th would be an excellent starting date: we should advertize it at least a week in advance. I can put up a message on the front-page, but for a forum-wide announcement you'd have to ask Ser Clegane or TosaInu.

About the judging: during the last story contest it turned out that there was a quite a difference between jury and public preference, so you may want to consider another system. The easiest solution would be a simple poll (TosaInu can make the results invisible if required), but there is a realistic risk of fraud if you don't exclude junior members.

Lastly, after the last contest someone suggested that the authors should only be revealed after the voting was closed, so that people would judge stories and not authors. What do you think?

[Kagemusha]

I would like the anonymous entries. I think then it would be all about the storyes and only revealing who wrote which story after the results

[Tamur]

...there is a realistic risk of fraud if you don't exclude junior members.

*nods* And after the chaos of HoF I'm a bit sensitive about that possibility. JM's need to feel free to write and enter, but we've got to put some limit on the voting to avoid problems.

And yes, great idea on the anonymous entries! I'm all for this.

[Tamur]

All right, going to steal Ludens format from the annual contest. Here's what the contest looks like at this point:
--------------------------------------

HERESY! The Org's Spring Writing Contest

The Challenge Write a story, fiction, max 1.500 words.

The Theme Heresy (definition: any opinions or doctrines at variance with the official or orthodox position)

This can be the usual conception of radicals defying the Muslim or Catholic faiths. But there are a lot of other settings where it fits -- A sci-fi future where a woman without multiple eyebrow rings is shunned as deeply offensive. A Ceilt druid who wants to incorporate the cross into a midwinter rite and nearly pays with his life. An Athenian general who overcomes a move to ostracise him because he ignored the Delphic oracle.

The Prize As the winner, you will receive a highly-sought-after Org literary badge under your avatar to remind everyone of your victory for years to come!

The Rules

1) One submission per person. All submissions must be original work, published or unpublished.

2) The story must be fiction, and must be 1.500 words or less. Use word-counting software or web site if you need help with this.

3) The standard Org rules regarding language (and not the more lenient Mead-Hall ones) apply for the contest.

4) The submission period will run from a minute past midnight GMT on Monday, 19 March to the same time on Monday, 9 April. To submit your entry, PM your story to Tamur. The story will be posted in a separate submission thread.

5) Everyone may write and enter, from Junior Members to Org staff.

The Judging

The winner will be decided by two simultaneous votes:

• a poll open to all but Junior Members of the Org, and
• a PM-only vote from the contestants themselves. Contestants should PM their vote to Tamur by the vote closure date.

Both voting halves will be weighted equally in the final tally. In the case of a tie, both parties will receive the winner's badge.

The voting period will be opened shortly after the submission period has closed, and will run until 23:59 GMT on Friday, 13 April.

Good luck!

[sapi]

Dates + Topic look good.

Someone remind me about it near the start of april and i'll get it in on time

I do strongly advocatet the use of a jury though (or even just have a system where the contestants pm you their choice for a winner, apart from themselves) to get the tide of public opinion out of the contest

[Tamur]

...to get the tide of public opinion out of the contest

Socrates would agree with you.

How about a hybrid? 50% public opinion via poll, 50% contestant opinion via PM.

That is, we have a poll where anyone can vote, but contestants can PM with their favourite (no voting for self here). Then the two halves are put together with an equal weighting to find the overall winner.

??

[Franconicus]

How do you do the equal weigting. Percentage?

What about the language? Could we do it this time in German please?