Welcome to The Lounge’s Official 2013 Short Story Contest!

Anyone can enter, provided you have a registration date of six months or more from today’s date, and 100 posts in any forum.

Though the spirit of the competition is that submissions are welcome from any poster, I reserve the right to contact a poster and/or reject an entry if a story or the author’s intentions seem questionable. We hope that no one would submit anything but a serious entry into the contest, but there are plenty of pranksters, and we reserve the right to call ya’ll out!

***Please send all submissions to JOHN COLE.***

IF YOU POST YOUR OWN STORY, YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.

The identity of each writer will be kept anonymous until the end of the competition.

Maximum word count for any entry is 7k words. There is no minimum word count. Stories will be judged on quality, not length. A great 100 word story will kill a mediocre 7k word story, and vice versa. Please do not feel compelled to make your story long or short unless that is the length appropriate for your story.

All entries will be whittled down to the top five stories by a panel of anonymous judges, after which public voting will determine the winner.

The judging panel will consider several factors for quality, including but not limited to grammar, story, characterization, and pacing. I’m including grammar at the front of that list to let you know that poor grammar could spell doom for an otherwise great story. You’ve got a month before the deadline, so please proof your story before you submit it.

There are no revisions allowed. Once you submit your story, that is the version the judges will consider.

Please note the schedule for the competition.

March 1-March 31: Submit your story via PM to JOHN COLE.

April 1-April 30: Discussion/Review/Private judging. We will post all entries on a staggered schedule with the authors’ names removed. A discussion thread will be opened for everyone to pontificate on why they like/dislike certain stories. The judges aren't from 2+2, so you can say whatever you want. They won't know and won't care. This period might be shortened but will depend on how many entries we receive.

May 1-May 14: Top five stories are announced. Public voting determines the winner.

First place prize: Custom undertitle
Second place prize: LOL you don’t get a prize
Third place prize: LOL not you either

The Merry Prankster's Bus:




You should know the reference.............


If I use the word Uxorious in a short story, I should get bonus points.

Great idea!

If I'm auto-disqualified because of my post count that would be pretty ridiculous. (I have another acc).

Yes, but only you, Zeno. Although I think you'd be more likely to use uxoricide.

Barely saw this. Mind putting up in a sticky?

(No, this is not my story submission)

I nearly have 100 posts can I enter? If not can I get my post count up then enter?

I wrote one paragraph yesterday. Just a fair warning: it sucked.

1. Spend the rest of the month revising that one paragraph
2. ???
3. Profit

Step Two: Start a long thread in a writer's forum dissecting those 3 sentences, get belligerent, troll other posters' stupidity, then keep it exactly as it was?

It's like you're already a professional.

Something for those who are brain-dead stuck:

http://aerogrammestudio.com/2013/03/...-storytelling/

I wrote the first sentence of my second paragraph. I didn't finish it, and frankly it sucks. Just a fair warning.

My dream last night seemed like a good story. However when I started jotting down notes, I found lots of plot holes. (Logical consistency and dreams don't go hand in hand, who knew?) Still, I'll see if I can turn it into something.

I've written the first sentence. I may keep it.

"It was a dark and stormy night."

Anyone want to offer some feedback on this opening sentence?

It's too convoluted.

I hope Lotgrinder submits an entry

Possibly could have vaulted you to the top. Unfortunately, posting anything from your submission DQs you. We will make an exception and only disqualify this sentence

Great. Now my story is ruined.

I did complete a nice block of text today. I have not written fiction for a long time.* Honestly, I think I can be the next Stephenie Meyer.

* While people will point out writing glowing product descriptions is fiction, well, you know...

Good writer. I hope so, too.

Creative nonfiction would of course be accepted if he so chose, tho to even say that makes me want to add an automatic addendum rule that if your story starts out with whores, alcohol, or drugs, you'll start at the bottom of the rankings

Very happy with my first paragraph. Have now deleted and re-written the second ~20 times though :|

I noticed the word count is at 732. Only 6,268 words to go!

You don't have to meet the maximum. Maybe I should revise the word count to 700?

The strategy is to meet the word count and delete the bad stuff. At that point I should have about 64 words which I can proudly submit.

If all else fails, you can turn it into a film script. You'll create a cult following and many people will call it the most intelligent film they ever seen.