MCL Contest Ideas | your help needed

[jst5150]

Greetings MCL kids:

I've got prizes (good ones) and I've got initiative. What I do not have is a concrete idea for a contest in our little enclave of the forum. And this is where you come in.

I'd like to get yout thoughts on a contest MCL can create and knock the socks off the other contests AW runs. if you have a few minutes, jot down a few thoughts for me this week, and I'll assess them Friday evening.

Goal is to launch the contest for the month of November, make some judgments after Thanksgiving and hand out some Christmas/Chanukkah cheer.

Who's in to help?

PM me or reply here.

Thanks!

Jason

[JoNightshade]

Um, how about a contest that I could win? :)

Seriously, though, could you give us some examples? I haven't really paid attention to the contests in other areas because I mainly write mainstream. Liiiike potentially what could we do?

[jst5150]

Well, we could have a writing contest. Pretty straight foward.

We could have an editing contest. Might be a little tougher to pull off, but, there it is.

Maybe an essay contest on a good literary piece.

Again, I;m stoking you folks to get the embers glowing orange. I want the post count up in this hizzy to grow. :-)

[qdsb]

Do you mean perhaps a themed contest? Like "Best Winter Holiday Short Story"?

Or, perhaps like WOW's web site, a prompt-inspired story contest?

Or, like Miss Snark once did, a writing contest that requires the use of a set list of words?

Or, a "book review" contest? Contestants each submit a review of an MCL book (contestants' choice), and best review wins?

I'm wondering what an editing contest would be like.

[jst5150]

Again, mostly, I'm trolling for ideas. :-) So, please, keep 'em coming!

[jst5150]

Bumped. It's your contest, folks. So, more involvement = better payoff, educationally and prize wise. :-)

[KTC]

Literary short. 800 words. open theme.

[nerds]

I was thinking the same. Ditto.

[Bubastes]

A theme like "Thema" magazine uses (something vague like "red umbrellas" or "when things get back to normal")?

[KTC]

Ooh. I like Red Umbrellas. I like the idea of a theme that can go six ways to Sunday and still have a common thread.

[jst5150]

I think I've got what i want to do. Now I'm just going to sanity check it with my co-mod and friends. If effective, it will debut tomorrow.

Thanks!

Jason

[KTC]

Awesome, Jason. Thanks in advance for your work in orchestrating it. Awesome you!

[qdsb]

Contest whore that I am, I'm waiting not-so-patiently. :e2coffee:

[jst5150]

Good news all -- I think I've got it ironed out thanks to some oversight by your friendly moderators. The contest rules will make their debut here today at around 6 p.m. EDT.

It's a new twist on the usual "write 500 words," but we think for the better.

Oh. And great prizes, too.

v/r, Jason

[qdsb]

Thanks, Jason, for arranging this!

:hooray:

I look forward to the contest announcement.

[nerds]

Definitely looking forward to this.

:hat:

[Maryn]

Is it too late to toss out an idea for a future contest?

A writing class I took had enormous fun with assignments which had to incorporate certain elements. My favorite assigned a setting (a local park), a character (a law enforcement official), and a prop (a cigarette butt). Two of the writers sold the result. (Mine was good, but I guess not good enough.)

Since this group is more diverse, you could assign elements to be chosen by the individual (a nature setting near where you live), be more vague about any assigned character (a drunken woman, or a crying baby), and about the prop (a household item made of metal).

Maryn, thinking out loud, in a way