posted 01-01-16 08:46 AM CT (US)
Congratulations to MawBTS, Winner of the AoKH Writing Competition 2016!
Popeychops:
CarolKarine:
Leif Ericson:
sly_guy:
Scud:
Now that the mistletoe has made its way into the bin, the Christmas tree has gone back into the attic, and all the New Year's Champagne has been consumed, what is left to fill the empty hours?
Of course, we all have terribly busy lives of work, friendship, and study, yet sometimes we wish for a way to procrastinate from it, as I am now. And so, as the snow that clads our locales melts away, my thoughts wander to a faraway land, of wizards and elves, where I can tell a story of companionship, adventure, and peril.
I imagine many of you have stories of your own. This Competition is an opportunity to share them with the community.
Whether you prefer prose or poetry, realism or fantasy, modern or historical, dramatic or humorous, we accept them all. So, this is the perfect opportunity for all of you budding storytellers to flex your writing muscles and exercise your creative side!
What's a competition without rules? Despite your groaning, feast your eyes over these rules below, because you don't want to write a 175 page novel and realise it won't be accepted.
Your entry must be sent in before April 15
Once you have sent your entry, you will have no chance to edit it further –
Alternatively, you may send it as the body of an email to
The competition has three judges who will award a maximum of 50 points to each story; up to 25 for Technical Proficiency, and up to 25 for Literary Content. The entries will be judged by myself, Major Helper and Lief Ericson. The winning entry will be the one with the highest combined score from all judges. In the event of a tie, the award will be shared between the winning entries. The judges will be receiving entries without the name of the author, so that they can judge them blind. Please don't say anything in the thread which will identify an entry. Obviously, as the organiser, I will be unable to judge the entries blindly.
"Technical Proficiency" is the assessment of your ability to write in the English language. The main areas that will be judged will be how well your entry is structured, the literary technique displayed, the use of language for effect, characterisation, thematic development and others. You will be marked down for spelling and grammatical errors (unless of course it is used as colloquialism during dialogue), so be sure to check your entries thoroughly for any errors.
"Literary Content" will be the content of the entry itself, and to be blunt - did the judges like it? Was your entry satisfying, was the plot developed, or was the dialogue wooden with the characters lifeless? It may be good writing a well thought out and technical piece of prose, but if it isn't interesting to the judges you are shooting yourself in the foot.
If you ask the judges nicely, they may write an extended critique of your work! Now that you know what to do and what to expect, it's time to let the creative juices flow! Good luck and have fun writing!
Entrants: (entrants in bold have submitted)
Dropped out:
Mash
Mithril Knight
RedHandedJill
CarolKarine
Gunkanchud
Canada Dry Ginger Ale
PresterJohn
Lord Basse
Co-creator of Silent Evil (4.6) Voted Best Multiplayer Scenario of 2009 (Most Fave'd Multiplayer Scenario)
and The Seas of Egressa (4.8) Voted Best Multiplayer Scenario of 2010
"Popey just hates everywhere." - Chocolate Jesus, on my fear of Romanian organ-traffickers
"Hooray for Dear Leader-Comrade-Generalissimo-Presidente-Lord Protector Popey!" - Lord Sipia, on my benevolent, iron-fisted rule
"You're not Popeychops; you don't get to physics." - Moff, in response to a clumsy muon simile
[This message has been edited by Major Helper (edited 04-26-2016 @ 11:17 PM).]
