Monthly Writing Contest - April - Spring Forth!

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this and I have to admit, this contest came about mostly because I wanted to make a bad joke about April having a baby, and this being the April contest, it worked out. I chose not to put it in the entry thread though. Oh well...

Other:

I just finished and turned in my senior thesis. That was a last minute scramble. The final length was about 165 pages, though I probably could have written more. I'm more or less beat, but I'll be celebrating tonight!

Friday:
1) Turn in My Thesis!
2) Post the new writing contest!
3) Go to a bar and drink away the pain.

Saturday:
1) Feel the pain of drinking? Maybe?
2) Have it slowly dawn on me that I have to make an hour long presentation for the following friday.
3) Maybe go drink again...

<--- note AIM has changed

Its the end of the site as we know it, and I feel fine.

FULL SIZE, Editable: Link Where you can save the base image or download a usable jpg

Also note, you can upload your own signature into the program linked above. If you choose to launch aviary, you will open a photoshop-like web application that will let you import and change anything you like.

Slightly shrunk version: (Click the link above for full size, and then right click and save as)

This Months Writing Contest. $30 Store Credit Available!
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Flash Explanation
Visit the website!
Listen to it on Radiogrounds!

Trigger Ethics is a 7-Part mini series for the radio. Set in a post-apocalyptic world in which city-states are run by big business and the pollution is so thick you need a gas mask just to walk the earth, Trigger Ethics follows the path of Pinnacle executive Leon Westcott as he is betrayed, sent to jail, and eventually joins up with an underground movement bent on topping Pinnacle Arms.

Listen to it! Download it! Tell your friends about it!

http://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/10 17547

Go! Go! Go!

I'm not a very good artist, but I like messing around now and then, so give me some ideas of what to draw and every time I make a new news post I'll attempt to post my attempt or failure at drawing what it was you asked me to draw.

Simple rules:

1) Keep it work safe
2) Keep it somewhat practical, remember I have next to no talent here.
3) Make it interesting so I'm not bored with the attempt

Will make you feel better if I've banned you.

Want more? Jake Shimabukuro is all over youtube.

Next Contest Starts January 15th
Becoming a Judge
Official Contest Blog

Going Monthly in 8 days.

Results for the writing contest of december will be up before the end of the day come hell or high water. writersblock gave me his results, but I've reformatted my computer and need to relocate all of my results and opinions and such.

I'll hopefully have them up tonight. I know, I promised to have them up last week, oh well.

On to new business. I plan on trying to get a group of people together to run MWCs (Monthly Writing Contests). If there's enough response from the moderation team, I may just stick to moderators as judges, but moderators already have tons of other responsibilities on the site and tend to get busy. So, if you have a formal understanding of what makes "good" writing "good" and you've proven yourself in a previous contest or just around the bbs, feel free to let me know if you'd be interested in a monthly judging slot.

I'll be attempting to set up a rotating judge schedule that way you aren't on deck EVERY month to read 20 stories in a week's time.

Post here or pm if you are interested and we'll move from there, I may set up a forum off site for discussions of the contests, we'll see. I'm just looking for interest right now.

** Please note I will be colaborating with writersblock as soon as possible. I am having a harder time typing up reviews in the mean time. So, the contest results will be finished before this endevor which may take me a long time to complete. Anyhow, results will be out soon, I promise.

Are on their way to you via left hand.

I am currently recovering from surgery.

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I have not finished judging the contest, but you should know that I am in the middle of it. I will be updating this blog as I go. You submitted your entry publicly, I will give you comments publicly. If you have a problem with the transparency, I suppose I can remove all but the rating.

WARNING: I'm a Creative Writing minor in my senior year of undergraduate college. I expect a lot out of writers even if you don't expect a lot out of yourselves yet. My critiques are meant to be taken as constructive criticism, not as an insult. If I say something wasn't working, it doesn't mean you've totally failed as a writer (even I've claimed you have). I'm just one writer with an opinion. Please consider my comments and then judge for yourself whether they have any weight on your writing.

Entries (1-6)

-Testimonial of the One Who Was Never There- THEJamoke
# Marks 9/10

# ah, you got mellodramatic at the end of it. This was well written, but elusive. I reread it several times to give it justice and I've come to a couple conclusions.

# First, espy is not a noun, and appears to be an arcaic verb.

# Second, this piece is screaming for more space

# third you are intentionally leaving things out, but not including some things that might make your piece stronger?

# 4: the ending weakens your story. If you are pulling the trigger slowly and looking him in the eye shouldn't he see you and be able to stop you?

# You ultimately have great control over your voice and your craft, but this piece is missing some things. Who are they? Where is he really? What is his actual form? Why is he in the position that he is in? Who is he? Why does this matter? Why is it a gun? What powers do guns hold on a supreme being?

# But what this story is really missing is movement. There is no clear development in the story, no change, nothing that says this matters that isn't part of another story. Don't get me wrong its a good piece, but perhaps the real story has already happened or happens after the bullet is out of the chamber. Killing the devil never happens, so this has to mean more and can't with out more specific detail about the narrator, "they" or why this devil is in the position he is in.

# It took me a long time to come up with precisely what I said, and it was a challenge to type what i didwith one hand. please fully consider my comments. Good story.