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Authors work magic. We've all read stories that grab us by the throat. We can't put them down. They draw us into strange worlds, populated by unforgettable characters, dreaming impossible dreams. These are the stories we all want to write.
When a magician performs, we know it's a trick. When authors work their magic, the trick is less obvious, but it's still a trick. They've transformed mere words on a page into a compelling story that features real people, in real worlds, striving to overcome real obstacles
At last, it all feels real when we read it.
The secret to the author's trick is called craft. By craft, we mean a set of practices which, when carried out with art, deliberation and skill, produces compelling fiction.
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You're not going to learn craft here. You're going to practice it. So, how do you go about learning these magic tools and where do they come from?
A set of common practices underpins most professions. You can't be a physician, architect, or engineer without first mastering a body of knowledge. But to actually engage in these professions, you also need to practice applying that knowledge, usually under the supervision by a licensed professional. This is why physicians must complete residencies and why engineers must work under a professional engineer. Apprenticeships of this kind have long history because they work.
For artists, there are no state-mandated licenses. Certainly, there are formal programs such as the academic MFA or conservatories like the Juilliard, but other, less formal, routes are possible. The Beatles spent a year in Germany as the lead-in act for Little Richard. When they returned to Liverpool from that experience, they sounded like no other band in the world. They learned by practice, by observing, and through mentoring from world-class performers.
Fiction authors often learn in similar informal ways. First, they practice, i.e., they write. They also read, i.e., observe the craft of successful authors. There are also countless resources on how to write effective fiction, in print and here on WDC. For one of many examples, you can find bite-sized advice columns here: " Thoughts on Writing"  .
But reading about craft, practicing it, and passively observing others usually aren't enough. What's also needed is feedback from other authors, especially established authors, on the craft of fiction. This includes feedback on the knowledge embodied in craft and the effective application of that knowledge. Workshops, where authors share works and critique each other, are one way to receive feedback. Another is to submit fiction for publication. In between are activities like contests, where authors can get feedback specifically about craft.
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The purpose of this contest is to give authors feedback on craft. Every three months we will focus on some element of craft and challenge authors to produce a story that highlights--or at least includes--that element.
To help you along, we'll give you a short prompt such as, "Ruby visits a park." You could take that anywhere. Maybe she sees space aliens, or a long-lost love, or she's a detective trailing a suspect. The prompt is just to start you asking questions. Why is Ruby in the park in the first place? What is she seeking? What happens if she doesn't find it? What keeps her from finding it? In other words, you'll need to think about Ruby's goals, the stakes (why the goals matter), and the obstacles.
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Each contest will focus on some particular element of craft. This element will constitute 25% of the evaluation. Each of the seven elements below will constitute an additional 10%. An final 5% will be devoted technical accuracy, such as grammar, punctuation, repeated words, etc. If one of the seven elements below is the focus of the contest, then it receives a consolidated 35% of the evaluation score.
Opening paragraph. This should name the point-of-view character and put the reader inside that character's head. It should answer at least some of the other basic who-what-when-where-why-how questions. It should at least hint at the basic conflict of the story. It should start in the middle of action, in the here-and-now of the story.
Characters. Every character should want something, i.e., have a goal. Something bad should happen if the protagonist fails to achieve their goal--these are the stakes. Finally, something or someone has to stand in the way of the goal--the obstacles.
Tension. Conflict arises through the opposition of goals of obstacles. The outcome of the conflict matters because of the stakes. This gives rise to tension. Refining the goals, raising the stakes, or increasing the obstacles increases the tension.
Plot. At a minimum, a story should have a beginning that establishes the status quo. It should have a middle where most of the action occurs and that shows the characters in conflict. It should have an ending that establishes the status quo after the action. The status quo at the end will likely be different in some way from the beginning, but not necessarily. The ending will also likely show how the protagonist has changed.
Show don't tell. Reveal the information in the story through the words and deeds of the characters not through author narration. You may use the emotions and thoughts of the point-of-view character as well, but only after the reader is embedded in that character's head. Do not have the characters sitting around telling each other things they should already know--that's still narration, not showing.
Setting. This includes staging--show where the characters are in relation to each other and the physical world. Setting should also establish the central elements of the fictional world. Be sure to keep these descriptions in the head of your point-of-view character. However, once you've established the point-of-view, arguably everything on the page is something that character has sensed, thought, or knows.
Point of View. The best advice here is keep it simple. For a short story, pick one and only one character to provide the point of view. The narrative can be third person, limited to this character's point of view, or first person in this character's head. Don't try something exotic like a second person narrative unless you think you're Faulkner (hint: you're not). Avoid omniscient narratives--this isn't 1890 or even 1980.
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 First Place
Author receives 50,000 GPS and a merit badge
Story receives a blue awardicon
 Second Place
Author receives 25,000 GPS and a merit badge
Story receives a red awardicon
 Third Place
Author receives 12,500 GPS and a merit badge
Story receives a Green awardicon
The judges will select the merit badge, with most winners earning the short story badge. The best stories will earn the exclusive Max Excellence badge
![Merit Badge in Max Excellence
[Click For More Info]
Congratulations on your new merit badge! Thank you for supporting the Writing.Com community with your inspirations, participation and activities. We sincerely appreciate it! -SMs](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Max_Excellence-1795672_10.gif)
Judges may elect to award Honorable Mentions, which may include up to 5000 GPS, a merit badge, and an awardicon for the story.
If there are fewer than six entries in the contest, only first and second place awards will be granted.
If there are fewer than four entries in the contest, that round of the contest will be cancelled. Judges may opt to award Honorable Mention awards, including GPS and a merit badge.
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Hard Rules
violating one of these could result in disqualification
Only one entry per contestant per contest.
Contest is open for submissions the first Monday of the month and for about three weeks thereafter, or until the tenth story is submitted. Prior to closing, contest deadline will appear on the contest page.
Entries must show the action listed in the prompt.
Entries should be set to " accept reviews." The setting "Reviews only/No ratings" is both acceptable and preferred.
Entries may not exceed 3000 words. Place word count at the top of the story. Title, author byline, and word count do not count against the 3000 word limit.
Entries should be at least 1000 words.
Short stories only. No essays. Prose only. No poetry.
Once judging starts, announced by a post to the forum, do not edit your stories. Editing before and after judging is fine.
 No non-consensual sex.
No sex involving minors.
No bestiality ( vampires, werewolves, and sentient aliens excepted)
Follow the directions on how to enter.
All decisions by the judges are final and not subject to appeal.
Guidelines
Not following these guidelines won't disqualify your entry, but is not likely to impress the judges.
No info-dumps.
Use third person limited or first person point-of-view. Avoid omniscient narrators. Avoid second person point of view.
We are serious about our judging criteria. Take that into account as you prepare your story.
We believe that readers care about the characters, and the plot is there to give the characters something to care about.
We like creative plots with memorable, quirky characters.
Don't fool the readers. We like surprise, but of the kind where we slap our foreheads and mutter, "We should have that coming." That means there should be foreshadowing, however subtle, of the surprise. Do not end with, "and then the little boy woke up" or anything similar.
Be sure your story is free of typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors.
Be sure your story is properly rated per WDC norms.
Feel free to use the contest signature by putting the code {image:2249761} in emails or other files.
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We'll have a different prompt and focus every contest. See above for the current prompt.
The craft focus of the current contest is
Ruby's goals, obstacles, and stakes (the consequences of achieving or not achieving her goals)..
A good start for any story is to figure why out why Ruby is doing the action in the prompt, i.e., her goal. Now you're set to think about why the goal matters--what bad things happen if she fails? Those are the stakes. Finally, what might prevent her from achieving her goal? That's the obstacle. Now you're on your way to writing a story with tension, which is the engine that drives plot.
If you prefer a male protagonist, replace Ruby with Rudy. If you prefer a non-gendered protagonist, consider Robbin or Ronnie. If you're particularly eager to use a different name ( Ragnvadr, anyone?), feel free to do so, but please mention the substitution in the post when you submit your story. If appropriate, mention the character's pronouns as well. We need to know if you're not using one of the "stock" names so we can verify you are, in fact, responding to the prompt.
What are you waiting for? Start writing!
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Write a story that's inspired by the prompt. But not just any story. Each contest will also focus on a different element craft, announced with the prompt, so pay special attention to that. We'll also expect to see some basic elements of craft in all stories. See above on judging.
Otherwise, it's simple! Just post a message to the board below, with the subject, "MY ENTRY" followed by the title of your story. In the body of the message, include a link to your item in "bitem" format like so: {bitem:1894810}
Please do NOT include the story itself. Include a link as described above.
When you post your message, we'll see a link to the item that looks like this:
If you're still not quite sure what to do, check out " Newbie Hyperlinking 101 - Bitem Format" for a step-by-step tutorial.
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I shall not easily forget the mortal toil, and the vexations of flesh and spirit, that we underwent occasionally, in our wanderings through the Cross Timber. It was like struggling through forests of cast iron.
β A Tour on the Prairies, Washington Irving.
The Cross Timbers are metaphor for our community, for our fiction, and for ourselves.
In 1832, Washington Irving joined a party of mounted rangers on an expedition to Indian Territory. They found arid prairie bounded by dense, forbidding forests. This dark mosaic of gnarled, blackjack and post oaks hunkered close to the rocky ground. Prickly underbrush snagged all who entered and blocked progress. These forests, these Cross Timbers, stood as a barrier and a boundary between the civilized East and the wild West.
Today, these forests endure, stretching from southeastern Kansas, coiling around Tulsa, and snaking along I-44 to Oklahoma City and beyond. These trees are small in stature, usually less than thirty feet tall, but they are survivors. They can live for centuries. Many of the ones Irving wrote about are still around. They survived droughts and blizzards, fires and storms. They even survived human intrusion. The forests are mostly oak, but they are diverse. They include hickory, pine, redbud, and hackberry trees. Vines, briers, and sumac tangle about their rough bark.
So, like our namesake, we are survivors. We're diverse. The path to good craft can be prickly, but we'll push through. We're in this for the long term. We're not flashy, but we've got all the basic elements down. We won't let a few crowd out everyone else--every member contributes to the ecology of our group.
We are affiliated with the the " Cross Timbers Novel Workshop On Hiatis" .
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If you like our contest, collect our trinket:
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or Carol St.Ann 
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