CURRENT CONTESTS
PRE-WORKSHOP CONTEST: "Mix Up"
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Something strange has happened. It is as though the world has turned upside down and everything is mixed up. Your characters have wound up in a brand new setting. It's wild, crazy and totally unlike anything they're used to. What are they going to do now that they're... Where are they, anyway?
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In Sharp Pens’ newest contest, “Mix Up”, you must place at least one of your already developed characters into a new scenario. Choose one of the four settings picture in our Contest Guidelines. Let us get to know who your characters really are as they struggle through this strange new setting, discover new things, or face frightening new dangers. This is our contest. This is your challenge.
Mix Up
The Official Contest Guidelines will be sent to students after they have registered for Sharp Pens' next workshop. If you would like to get started before you register, please send us an email requesting the Official Contest Guidelines. However, you will not be able to submit your entry until after you have registered for the workshop.
GUIDELINES:
(Don't forget...learning to follow specific guidelines is very important.)
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Deadline for Pre-Worshop Contest Submissions - April 14, 2017 at 11:59pm Pacific Time (no late submissions will be accepted)
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The entry can be no more than FOUR pages long.
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Header must contain Title and page number ONLY (no identifiable information, ie. name)
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Times New Roman 12 point
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Double spaced
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One inch margins
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Ragged right (no justified margins)
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No profanity or graphic content will be accepted
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Only 1 entry per workshop participant
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Winners will receive a certificate and a prize
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Author retains full ownership of document submitted
JUDGING CRITERIA:
GRAMMAR- Does the author follow traditional, English grammar rules closely? Points will be deducted for grammar mistakes. This does not include the grammar in a character’s dialogue; we understand that some characters “do na speak so good as they ought ta”.
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STYLE- Does the writing have a nice style that flows well and is easy to follow? Is it written in an active, strong and interesting voice? (passive vs. active words)
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HOOK- Does the writer capture a reader’s attention right away? Has he/she crafted a strong, interesting beginning that pulls a reader straight into the story?
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CHARACTERIZATION & EMOTION- Does the writer demonstrate a mature understanding of human behavior, thought patterns and emotions? Do characters portray dynamic personalities and experience realistic emotions?
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BELIEVABILITY- Do the scenes and scenarios progress in a realistic way that complies with the writer’s genre and story world? Do the characters act, interact and react in believable ways?
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CONFLICT/VALUE CHANGE –Does the author’s scene revolve around a compelling conflict that produced a value change? A “value” is simply the state of something in the story. In the scene, a value must change between the beginning and the end. It can either change for the better or the worst, but something must change… That’s what makes a story, a story.
LESSON- Do the events of the story portray a moral lesson? We understand this is difficult to do in short scenes and the absence of a lesson will not affect a writer’s score negatively. However, it is something we love to see in a writer’s work.
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