The Pyrenees---Southern France

The Pyrenees---Southern France

Monday, September 20, 2010

A Contest (a la Becky Povich)

      Okay, I didn't win Becky's writing contest, but I should have.  Really. I had truckloads of all sorts of goodies shipped to The Ronald to bribe him.  (Apparently he is not a fan of Zamfir and His Magic Flute CD's, nor was he tempted by a membership in the "Bratwurst-of-the-Month" club.) I let everyone know that only contestants whose name began with "S" and ended with "X" were eligible. (I just was being thoughtful; I didn't want them to waste their time.) I even slipped in some subliminal suggestions in what they watched on TV all week ("Sioux should win...Sioux should win..."). None of it worked.  Drats!
  
          What I loved about it was it got me writing. It got me revising, carving away the words until I got it under 100.  So, I thought I would keep the momentum going with a contest that will take us to the end of the month.

              It's a tad bit different than Becky's.  Here are the guidelines:

  • 200 word limit (which does not include the title)
  • use the photo below as inspiration
  • must include a bit of poetry--a couplet, a sonnet (that would eat up the word count, but doesn't it sound like fun?), a limerick, a bit of free verse, a song lyric...whatever poetry means to you
  • can be any genre--fiction, newspaper "story," journal entry, etc.
  • The contest opens as soon as this is posted, and ends on October 1 at midnight.
  • My writing/teaching partner will be the main judge (she will get two "votes" to my one), since she won't know any of the entrants.
  • Please email pieces to siouxsprompts@yahoo.com

photo by Rhodentette

         Here are the list of prizes. (I will take pictures and post them when I find where I put my USB cord--or whatever it's called.)

  • a writing journal
  • a book called Writers, a 218-page coffee-table style book complete with lovely black and white photographs of many famous writers, along with their musings on writing
  • a hand-knit scarf (the decorative kind, the type you wear with a sweater) in olive green, turquoise, and purple---knit by a persnickety menopausal Missouri artist
  • a button--bright yellow---with the word "Writer" emblazoned in black across it
  • a small (12" or a little more, square) hand-quilted autumn wall hanging
  • a box of staples and a few dry-erase markers (a humorous prize offering, for a teaching acquaintance of mine)
  • some sort of chocolate/edible treat
       If I forgot anything, let me know.  I like how Becky did it---she printed off the entries, cut off the names, and let them sit until the judging, so she was clueless which one belonged to who.

        Let the writing begin...




5 comments:

  1. WOW!! This is an awesome contest!! AND, even though you did lengthen the word count, I think it's going to be quite a challenge....for me, at least! Sounds like great fun! Can't wait to come up with something....and yeah, love the photo!

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  2. I already have a little "something" working in the back of my mind for this one. :)

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  3. last night I thought I posted a comment... obviously it didn't save! long story short: 1) thanks for your comment, for following and for directing me to your contest 2) I saved the pic and will start dreaming about something to say 3) the prizes are cool! 4) I'm following back!!!

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  4. Hi Sioux - I'm on it! An idea flashed as soon as I saw the picture, and you've lured me with the promise of a writer's journal and chocolate if I win. Now I just have to be sure to get it in on time.

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  5. Goody! More words! I liked Becky's so much, I'll try to try, too!

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