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JezSharp
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 Posted: Tue Nov 28, 2006 6:14 am Post subject: Linear Story Competition For December |
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Welcome to the December 2006 Linear Story Competition!
You will have two weeks to write a short story, edit it, and post it for consideration. Post entries on or before December 21st. Polling begins December 24th and ends December 31st.
Proof readers will take your story, break it down, make sure it fits the word limit, and confirm that grammar, spelling, plot, character development, etc. are all present and correct.
You can make changes to your story all the way up to the final posting date. After that, the stories that have not passed the critique will be disqualified. Those that are left will be put up for a vote for anyone to vote on.
If you win, you get to brag for a whole month, have your story immortalized in the City Auditorium, and earn a Fable reward in recognition from our Mayor.
This will be run like a professional writing contest. Your story will be edited, picked apart, and thoroughly looked at. If you exceed more than ten spelling or grammar errors, your story will be given back to you to rewrite. So check your work.
If your work goes over the word limit it will be given back to shorten. If it remains the same length it will be disqualified.
If your story does not follow the topic and genre, it will be given back to you to rewrite.
Things that must be right vs. artistic freedom- There are things like plot, and flow that might be your intent. That is totally cool. A proof reader might suggest that you pick up the pace or add more detail here and there. That is your choice to do or not. If you feel the story can stand on its own without change that is fine. Spelling, grammar, genre, word count, etc. are expected to be correct, no exceptions.
If you are proofreading- Look for spelling and grammar mistakes first. Word count comes next. Then answer the following questions for the story.
Did it stay within the genre?
Did it follow the topic?
Did it have a beginning, middle, and an end?
After you have done this feel free to comment on the story as you see fit. Bear in mind that anything beyond what is listed above is pretty much considered opinion. This can be taken or left by the author.
Details for this month are:
Word limit:1500 words or less
Title:Any
Genre: Any
Extra Criteria: Must include the following words/phrases: 'Christmas tree', 'squirrels', 'fairies', 'snowplough' and 'desert' .
What can you make with the above words  ? Let the idearium flow.
Last edited by JezSharp on Fri Dec 22, 2006 4:25 am; edited 1 time in total
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Kalanna Rai
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| Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 1:55 am Post subject: |
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Right...squirrels. Enjoy
Keldredy and the Autumn Fairy
Keldredy lived in a tall tree on the edge of the Autumn wood. A simple squirrel by nature he had no idea that he would become a hero one crisp morning when he walked outside his burrow for a day he planned to spend gathering nuts to enjoy that evening. He scurried down his brance and lept across a short space, grabbing the brance on the other side. In a few moments he was outside the door of his nearest neighbor. Knocking politely on old Nandarin's door he waited for a reply.
What he did not expect was Nandarin's young apprentice, Tursina, to yank the door open, whiskers aquiver. "Oh thank goodness Keldredy I'm so glad your here. Terrible things are happening, just terrible." Without so much as a polite attempt at manners she grabbed Keldredy by the fur of his arm and dragged him into the old Sage's burrow. Once inside Keldredy was led over to where he aged squirrel sage sat with his hands against the small fire, warming them.
 "Oh good, you've found him. I was worried about it." Keldredy looked at them both, wiskers quivering, but was too polite to ask. "Now I bet you're wondering what all the fuss is about? Well I have had a vision, a true seeing. The Autumn Fairy has been kidnapped and you must save her."
"Me?" Keldredy squeaked. He'd never done anything bold in his life, indeed he was positivly boring. Yet Nandarin nodded, eyeing the young elf up and down.
"Yes you. The Frost Witch is holding her captive beyond the frozen desert where no snowplough can clear the ice, and the frosted forest of christmas trees. In the palace of winter. You must rescue her Keldredy. Here take this armor, you'll need it." Keldredy's head was whirling as he put the armor on. Nandarin nodded. "And Tursina shall accompany you bold warrior, on your travels. Now go! You have only three days before the Frost Witch turns Autumn into Winter and extends her icey grip." Keldredy nodded and he and the young sage scurried outside. "Good luck youngsters!"
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 It was a grueling journy from the Autumn wood into the realm of Winter. Winter was spreading forward, frost already touching several trees and ice beginning to coat the branches. Keldredy and Tursina rushed onward, their quest growing more and more urgent by the moment. Soon the forest turned from the red-gold hardwoods of Autumn into the eternally green white capped softwoods of winter...the christmas tree forest.
They did not stop to search for pine nuts or nibble even the slightest green needle. Fighting off a sudden urge to sleep they bolted from the cover of the forest and onto the white frozen desert of snow and ice. A day passed and the brave squirrels did not stop as they felt the weight of their quest pressing even more urgently upon them. A castle loomed up from the heart of this desert...Frostreach, home of the Frost Witch.
Bursting in they found the Frost Witch cackling over the Autumn Fairy who hung in a cage of ice. She whirled to face the squirrels. "This? This is the best the season of Autumn can do?" The Autumn fairy gripped the bars tighter, tears freezing on her face. "Well, humph. No challenge in this at all." With a flick of her hand the Frost witch lashed out at Keldredy who stood there, frozen to the spot.  The spell hit him in the breastplate, felling the noble squirrel where he stood. The bolt, however, reflected back at the Frost witch.
Before she could doge the bolt struck her, shattering her into a thousand pieces. Tursina and the Autumn fairy looked at one another, then at Keldredy. "Heal him." Turning to Keldredy Tursina gathered her power into a shining light As the light bathed the fallen squirrel warrior he seemed to move...
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The Autumn Fairy glanced out from the hole in her tree, watching the lesser fairies play in the red-gold leaves. In the distance two squirrels could be seen sitting on a branch, enjoying their nuts. The fairy smiled. Soon enough those two would move on to Spring and then...well the fairy was looking forward to seeing the children of Tursina and Keldredy...
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Tried to do this like a children's book type thing, simple story with illustrations. Hope you liked.
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JezSharp
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| Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 3:32 am Post subject: |
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| Come on everyone else, are we going to have some more entries this month?? I wasn't going to enter as I picked the subject matter...but I may have to if everyone else cannot be bothered...
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Masterweaver
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| Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 5:51 am Post subject: |
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You'll get one from me...
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Chinaren
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| Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 7:22 am Post subject: |
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| JezSharp wrote: | | Come on everyone else, are we going to have some more entries this month?? I wasn't going to enter as I picked the subject matter...but I may have to if everyone else cannot be bothered... |
I may manage an attempt this time...
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Kalanna Rai
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| Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 1:12 pm Post subject: |
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| chinaren wrote: |
I may manage an attempt this time... |
Yay! Competition at last!
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| Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2006 11:13 pm Post subject: |
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Not exactly light hearted, but it meets the requirements, or so I believe...
~~
Jeff Booger took another swig of whiskey as the snowplough weaved through the night. He coughed alcoholic fumes around the cab as he squinted with one eye, trying to figure out which road was the real one.
The lights along Desert lane were out, making it hard to see even for someone who wasn’t mostly pickled. And Jeff was certainly mostly pickled. It had probably been a mistake stealing the ‘plough, but he had to get home. He had promised his daughter that he would be there for Christmas day. He wouldn’t let her down again, and with the snow as deep as it was, there was no other way to get back from the bar.
He swore under his breath. Who could have anticipated such a storm? It was unprecedented. Six inches of snow in a few hours.
There was the street! He swung a right, veering off the road and through someone’s garden, taking a Christmas tree out as he did so, scattering lights and plastic fairies all over the snow.
The streetlights blurred as he desperately tried to find the right house, everything was buried under a blanket of white, and the cab windows were misted up pretty bad. He thought he saw it, and yanked the wheel to one side.
A bump, and a small sound penetrated his booze laden head. ‘Oh my god, I hit something!’ The thought filtered slowly through his booze soaked mind. Then he shook his head. ‘Nah, who would be out in this weather? Probably only a squirrel or something.’
Dismissing the incident from memory he slammed the brakes on, just about stopping before he hit the house.
With one more quick drink from the bottle, Jeff lurched out of the cab, into the biting wind and snow. He slipped, and fell off the machine, bumping and rolling onto the ground, landing like some kind of fallen angel.
‘Ha! Fallen angel, good one.’
Booger staggered upright as the door opened. His little girl! He wouldn’t be late again. He would finally keep a promise.
But it wasn’t her. A large figure, two in fact, loomed over him.
“What the fuck are you doing here again?” Grunted the first one. “How many times do I have to tell you? You are not welcome here.”
“Bu.. but my little girl. I have to see her. I have a present…”
“Oh Jeff,” the second person stepped forward. A woman. “Why are you here like this? Did you break out again?”
“I just want to see her.”
The man shook his head at the pathetic figure. “You don’t get it do you? She isn’t here. You took her away.” He was interrupted by sirens, and the sound of car engines. “Over here officer! He is here!”
Jeff looked up as the uniforms picked him up and leaned him against the snowplough. “I just want to see my girl!” The cries were muffled as several burly men pushed him into a van and slammed the door.
“Sorry about this folks,” the sheriff pulled his coat around him to ward off the wind. “He escaped last night, spent most of the time in a bar. We had the call when he stole the plough. At least he was easy to follow.” The officer gestured at the large tractor.
“Will he ever recover?” Asked the woman.
The sheriff shook his head. “The Docs say his mind has blanked it out. He doesn’t remember running over your daughter at all. Still thinks it is that night, even though it happened two years ago.”
The woman looked at the van as it turned around carefully and shook her head. “I feel sorry for him in a way.”
“Way I see it, it’s a life for a life. He was so drunk…”
The man cut the officer off. “We don’t need to rehash this again, especially tonight.”
The policeman nodded. “I understand.” He tipped his hat. “Someone will be around in a few days to take the truck away. Good night to you folks. Happy Christmas.” He turned and trudged away through the snow.
“Good night officer. Happy Christmas.” The couple returned to their house. Mrs Booger wrapped her arm around her new man. It was time to start again. She only wished her ex-husband could do the same.
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JezSharp
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| Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2006 4:54 am Post subject: |
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| Poll is up and running for Linear Comp.
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JezSharp
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| Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 3:29 pm Post subject: |
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Could really do with some more votes here... 
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JezSharp
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| Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 8:56 am Post subject: |
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Voting over,
Congrats Rai!   
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Kalanna Rai
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| Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:58 pm Post subject: |
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Wow, I never thought childrens stories were my thing...
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"It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..."
"Music makes you braver."
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| Who is to be champion of this months Linear Story Comp? |
| Keldredy and the Autumn Fairy by Kalanna Rai |
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80% |
[ 4 ] |
| Untitled by Chinaren |
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20% |
[ 1 ] |
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| Total Votes : 5 |
| Who Voted: Kalanna Rai, LordoftheNight, Smudger |
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