HazMat Contest: Elevator Pitching · 10:42pm Mar 6th, 2016
For the original HazMat thread, click here.
You'll have probably noticed we've been a bit inactive recently. This is because we were working on this here contest for you all, and we didn't want to post it whilst Scribblefest was still going to avoid conflicts. Now that it's over, we feel now's the best time to get started.
This contest is, like many of the others we've tried hosting, a bit different. Usually, completing a story is a great start towards having a strong contest entry. Not so this time around! One of the questions I've seen posed a lot on TWG (which I help admin) is how do I get people interested in a story? Well, today, we're investigating this directly.
Anyone wishing to participate may only provide the first chapter of their story. It'll be your job to make that first chapter as appealing as possible and get people excited for the continuation of the story. You'll have to think of things like 'how do I hook a reader' and 'how do I make this story look promising?'
If this sounds unusual, that's because it is. Nevertheless, having a strong beginning is one of the surest ways to attract attention on FimFiction, and tackling the matter sounds like a good use of our time. Plus, this time around, we'll have actual prizes!
Rules:
-Each participant must provide the first chapter of a story, which can be of any length between 1000 and 6000 words. However, it must only be the first of a longer story. If more than one chapter is provided, only the first will be judged.
-Stories must be written specifically for this contest, so no older stories or stories published before this contest aired.
-Any kind of story is allowed. The things we will be judging is how interested we are in reading the rest of the story, as well as how it presents its premise, and initial appeal. Whilst content like porn or gore is allowed, you may want to consider having more to your story than that.
-Wanting to crush your enemies underfoot is mandatory.
-Deadline will be two weeks from now, on the 20th of March.
As for judging, I was initially going to have this be done by popular vote, but unfortunately, I don't think that would be easy to enforce (although it would certainly be interesting if I could guarantee unbiased readers). As such, your judges will be myself, and Verbose and Mac Edgy. Between the three of us, we've got some pretty diverse tastes, so once we stop arguing, there shouldn't be too much bias.
Prizes! Everyone likes prizes. This time around, we will have some concrete prizes for everyone, although they're a bit steam-reliant. First place will earn any steam game or games up to 30£, that I will send off using the gift system (which I've used before, so I shouldn't need too much technical help). Second place earns a steam game up to 15£ in much the same way, and third place earns dem bragging rights.
Why Steam, you ask? Because I've got it, and I know how it works.
Steam
\_(ツ)_/¯
Deadline: 20th of March. By that, I mean that as soon as the whole world has gone into the 21st, the contest is over, and we begin judging. This includes the strange land of Nukualofa (I think that's how it's spelt).
Any questions, post below. Good luck, fellas.
So, does it hafta be a story you plan on writing more chapters of? I bet you could make a real interesting an' exciting first chapter of a story if you never planned to ever actually finish it...
--Sweetie Belle
3794642 All it has to be is the first chapter of a larger story.
You never have to actually finish said story... It's to kind of explore what kind of first chapter would incite readers to get more of it, especially today when everything is so competitive. Or at least, I am. I have this thing where I really like being the best. I think it's called ego?
3794644 Crimony, apparently I've already written two different stories now that people won't quit bugging me about writing more of.
...So, hey, maybe I can do it intentionally this time!
3794647 That is the goal.
3794648 Yep. Challenge accepted.
3794650 Good luck, bloke-o!