Most writing contests give you a writing prompt or at least a couple of words to work your idea around, which is why I decided to host a slightly different contest.
A constrained writing contest
Instead of being given an idea or a writing prompt, you are allowed to choose the topic completely by yourself. But, varying from week to week, you will face different challenges that limit your writing.
You will be required to omit certain words, use a specific word in every second sentence, use a given sentence unchanged, write a story with a certain amount of words... or a combination of all.
Winners of constrained writing contest #28
We had a grand total of 4 entries this week, and I liked all of them very much as they all presented a rather different take on this week's constraint.
The winners of this week’s Constrained Writing Contest are:
- 1st Place - @byn with the entry Voices - The party
Judge’s notes: Out of all the stories, yours resonated with me most. Might be because you included another person. It added another dimension to the story as the boyfriend had to both understand and be supportive of his girlfriend, even when "she" called him names and was very, very rude. A very real situation, perhaps too real, even. Spooky.
- 2nd Place - @kaelci with the entry Unfortunate identities
Judge’s notes: Speaking of spooky, this story downright sent chills down my spine. Very much liked the fact one personality liked coffee, and the other didn't. It's a somewhat subtle detail, but a very very powerful one. The change from one personality to another was also very distinct, which I liked, and I believe you spun the story perfectly. It was hard to decide between you and @byn, but for some reason I could imagine myself in both the role of the boyfriend and the role of the girlfriend. It was a bit more relatable, maybe. On the other hand, that's also why I so much loved your story, because you pushed it to the extreme. Amazing story.
- 3rd Place - @tristancarax with the entry Rambling fool
Judge’s notes: This story introduced yet something new. A personality that is stuck in the past. And is cruel. The story was also pretty creepy because of the open question you left in there (about what happened to his family). Very well done!
Honorable Mentions In Alphabetical Order:
- @tiempoyesp with the entry Too I
If I, by any chance, missed your entry, please do not hesitate to let me know, and I will do my best to redeem myself. I have missed an entry in the past, so I now pay extra attention, but ... It can happen still.
Sorry and thanks!
With that out of the way, onto constrained writing contest #29!
Rules:
This week I am the sole judge of the contest again. I would like to reintroduce a constraint we had a long time ago (I think it was contest #5 or #6?), because there weren't many entries then and I believe it is a very good constraint.
Here it is:
- Start and finish your story with the same sentence/word.
- The story must be at least 250 words in length.
And as for the usual mumbo jumbo, here's the rest of the rules just about every contest has:
- Upvote this post
- Post a link to your entry in the comments below
- Include tag #constrainedwriting among your other tags
- Should you wish to help raise awareness of the contest, please consider resteeming this post (it is by no means compulsory)
Prizes
- 1st place: 45% of post's payout
- 2nd place: 27% of post's payout
- 3rd place 18 % of post's payout
- Judge takes 5 % for his/her efforts
- I will take 5 % for hosting, writing and editing the contest
*Note: In case I receive any donations for the contest, the payout percentages apply to the donation itself as well.
Judges
This week I am the sole judge of the Constrained Writing Contest, and am responsible for picking the winners on my own discretion. I promise to try my best and be as objective as possible.
What's that I hear? You wish to be a judge too? Well look no further!
To apply for a judge and make up your own rules, simply send @svashta a hearty hello on Discord (Svashta#5207).
*Disclaimer: I will only allow fellow writers as judges to keep the competition high quality.
Deadline
- Entries are accepted until this post's payout
- Your entry post must be newer than this post
Good luck!
