Signal boost: "The Next Generation" original fiction contest · 3:11pm Feb 12th, 2018
If you're one of the fairly large number of people around here with an interest in writing original fiction as well as ponyfic, it could reward you to investigate JaPGaxie's "The Next Generation" contest. Possibly even literally, given the $350 prize fund, though given the likely calibre of the competitors I'm sure the challenge itself will be a major attraction for many. It's for short stories (3k to 12k) and the main restriction is that you can't draw on anything under US copyright. Including, of course, MLP. So no stories about Applejack's great-great-granddaughter rediscovering Flutter Valley. You can write about magical horses, but they'll have to be your magical horses.
There's lots of other information on GaPJaxie's blog post (linked above) including the full rules, the identity of the judges, the existence of a mentor system, and so on and so forth. As it is for original fiction, the contest entries can't be hosted on Fimfiction, so they're using writeoff.me -- indeed, I'd bet on a lot of the entrants being regulars at the original fiction rounds of the Writeoff. I'll certainly be keeping an eye on things and seeing what people come up with, as several of the people to declare interest already are writers whose work I generally enjoy.
I very much doubt I'll be entering, but that's not just because I wouldn't win. What sort of a reason is that? I've entered plenty of contests I was never going to win. The reason here is simply that, for me, the pony aspect really is central. I'd want to write ponyfic even if it were harder than writing original fic. If I write for any contest in the next few weeks, it'll be EFNW Scribblefest again. Actually, I fully expect still to be writing at least some G4 ponyfic when the G4 fandom has shrunk to consist of me, a couple of people from YouTube and some bloke who wandered in accidentally while looking for cricket scorecards.
But if you're into your original fiction and want a challenge, then you know where to go. Well, I hope so -- but just in case you don't, I'll give the link again:
https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/795994/the-next-generation-writing-contest-with-prizes
