# Short Story Contest for Summer 2010



## ScottyDM (Apr 13, 2010)

Greets, Peeps!

The summer anthrofiction contest is here and the theme is Mountain(s). Not much else to say except have fun and good luck.

S~


----------



## Shouden (Apr 13, 2010)

sounds like fun. I'll have to think about this one and give it a go.


----------



## M. LeRenard (Apr 13, 2010)

Anthropomorphizing a mountain, huh?  Reminds me of this guy.


----------



## Shouden (Apr 13, 2010)

Reminds me of the the game Shadow of the Colossus where you basically fought living mountains. LOTS of things you could do with this theme. I'm still trying to come up with a more original idea.Maybe a climb to the top of Mount Everest or Olympus or maybe a kid with a mountain for a pet or something. Maybe I'll toss in a couple stories.


----------



## ScottyDM (Apr 14, 2010)

M. Le Renard said:


> Reminds me of this guy.


Nice. We have a picture book of giants around here somewhere and some of them resemble that fellow (or is it a girl?).


I started working on a sample story last week. Thought I'd pull a couple of scenes from my NaNo-09 mishmash and spin those into a self-contained story. They're appropriate because they take place on a mountain and I can tie the mountaintop experience to my MMC's (male main character) past, and to his relationship with the FMC. Unfortunately, those scenes need a massive amount of work. I'm thrashing about.

Last time I pulled scenes from a longer work to make a self-contained story, then used that as a sample story, it was a storytelling mess. All ending and no beginning or middle. I'll try to do better this time.

Our RL writing group meets Thursday night. I'll see if I can't get a draft ready to go by then and run it by them.

S~


----------



## Murphy Z (Apr 14, 2010)

I have a story of a molehill, so I'll see what I can do...


----------



## panzergulo (Apr 14, 2010)

M. Le Renard said:


> Anthropomorphizing a mountain, huh?  Reminds me of this guy.



Antero Vipunen, from Finnish mythology: http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs50/f/2009/308/d/5/Antero_Vipunen_by_Rautaportti.jpg

Antero Vipunen is a giant and a magician, but he's often pictured as a stone man, who sleeps on the ground, and the forest has grown atop him. In Kalevala, VÃ¤inÃ¤mÃ¶inen ends up into his stomach during his search for incantations and hits the inner walls so hard the giant surrenders and gives him the magic words to complete a ship.

Also, I have an idea for a story and I'm not sharing it with you. ;Ã¾


----------



## Fere (Apr 15, 2010)

If there's one thing the Welsh know, that's mountains!

Gives me the perfect excuse to head home to Wales.... again :-D

Bois.. Rwyn cadno hapus iawn.


----------



## Atrak (Apr 15, 2010)

Reminds me of that Dora the Explorer episode with the talking mountain.

*shudder*

Also reminds of the Never-Ending Story.


----------



## Sovhiel (Apr 20, 2010)

Interesting theme, and I'm glad to see that the deadline isn't for a bit. This should make for a good summer project. Thanks for providing the opportunity, Scotty.


----------



## Murphy Z (May 9, 2010)

There's a little less than a month left.

This one was a bit harder to think of a story for.


----------



## ScottyDM (May 20, 2010)

Whoo hoo! There's a sample story this quarter. Also, the entry deadline is 2010-Jun-07.

S~


----------



## M. LeRenard (May 20, 2010)

That was a nice piece, Scotty.  I do like how you deal with the whole vulpine territory issue in terms of basically just getting a girlfriend.

I've basically finished my entry for this one, though I'll be sure to run through it a few more times to work out more of the kinks.  It took a while to figure out where I wanted it to go, but I think I got something that kind of works.  I did have to chop it up to fit it within the word-limit, though, so some things are still pretty vague.


----------



## ScottyDM (May 20, 2010)

I skimmed through your entry. I have some suggestions, but right now I need to get ready for my RL critique group that meets tonight. I'll see if I can't get to yours late tonight or tomorrow.

And there's a second entry too. I skimmed it quickly and I suspect that author might also need a touch of feedback.

S~


----------



## Shouden (May 20, 2010)

Won't be entering this one. I got caught up in my story series. I'll sit this one out...maybe I'll join in the next one.


----------



## TakeWalker (May 20, 2010)

ScottyDM said:


> Whoo hoo! There's a sample story this quarter. Also, the entry deadline is 2010-Jun-07.
> 
> S~



Scotty wins. :V

Since we're apparently at the "my entry is" stage, my entry is languishing at a measly one sentence + concept paragraph. I've been trying to psych myself up by reading stuff on FA, but every time I go to write, I get overwhelmed with a sense that my concept is completely awful.

Still time, though.


----------



## M. LeRenard (May 21, 2010)

TakeWalker said:
			
		

> ...overwhelmed with a sense that my concept is completely awful.


I sat at that stage for about two weeks, myself.  Except it happened right in the middle of it, instead of at the beginning, so I ended up starting over and rewriting the whole damn thing.  And then I got stuck again and sat for another week or two before I finally thought of an ending that made even a lick of sense.  It took a few hours of me just sitting there going, "No, that's stupid.  No, that's even dumber.  No, I can't do that.  No way.  Huh-uh.  Man, that's terrible.  No, that makes no sense."  And then something eventually sparked, and I finished it.  And then I realized it was 4000 words long, and I had to go cut huge swaths of text.
Makes you wonder why we do it.


----------



## ScottyDM (May 21, 2010)

TakeWalker said:


> Since we're apparently at the "my entry is" stage, my entry is languishing at a measly one sentence + concept paragraph. ... Every time I go to write, I get overwhelmed with a sense that my concept is completely awful.


Wow is that familiar.

For my current "quickie" project I have a bang-up concept and an awesome outline, but for some of the scenes getting the details down is like pulling teeth.  




Shouden said:


> Won't be entering this one. I got caught up in my story series. I'll sit this one out...maybe I'll join in the next one.


Cool beans. I've got the themes for fall _and_ for winter. Usually I wait until half-way through the judging period.

S~


----------



## TakeWalker (May 21, 2010)

M. Le Renard said:


> Makes you wonder why we do it.



Writing is masochism.

In my case, I'm stuck between "bad concept" and "no concept", so I'm gonna try and bull my way through this.


----------



## ProjectD (May 23, 2010)

I'll consider it.


----------



## Fere (May 27, 2010)

it's a tough one this quarter


----------



## ScottyDM (May 27, 2010)

One could use mountain figuratively. E.g. an insurmountable or unavoidable problem.

Wales has mountains. Also has tin mines so you could set a story under a mountain. And what about faerie hills? Not a mountain per se, but a faerie hill could be set in a wild place untouched by civilization, which could mean in mountainous terrain.

While my wife has been spoiled, having grown up at the foot of the Colorado Rockies, I feel "mountain" is relative. If you're a flatlander then a few hundred feet is good enough. Don't have to have rocky crags and windswept snow. This is especially true if you keep a child's POV. Heck, to a child a dirt pile at a construction site could be a mountain.

My current project is set on the Blackfeet reservation in Montana USA. Glacier National Park is its western boundary and Canada is its northern boundary. In the climatic chapters my characters flee to a relative's home, which is located a few miles east of Chief Mountain. The mountain is sacred to the Blackfeet people and they sought it out for vision quests (I don't believe an ascent to the summit was necessary). Here, mountain is an isolated spot one goes to, to be alone and seek personal enlightenment. This meshes with the idea I used in the sample story that a mountaintop is a destination, not a means to an end.

I've got this novel. It's probably a bit late to read a novel for inspiration, but if you read the reviews you can get an idea of some of the issues. Long uses the extreme setting to strip away any pretense of civilization. The focus tightens until it's all about personality and survival.

Best of luck to everyone!

S~


----------



## M. LeRenard (Jun 7, 2010)

Just about 7 hours to enter your story as I write this.  Better get cracking if you haven't finished.


----------



## Murphy Z (Jun 8, 2010)

The stories are ready to read now. There's five stories total.


----------



## ScottyDM (Jun 8, 2010)

I'm thrilled to announce that the judging for this quarter is open. there are four qualified entries, plus the sample. While the sample cannot win, or even place, its author does appreciate comments.

The stories this quarter are:


> *The Fallen Comet*
> 
> Jules assumed that what the people of Bridge would want to know was why the rocks were bleeding.
> 
> The Orb, who usually floated by his head, made a pass at the side of the road, its gray light shining in globs off of the congealing hemoglobin stuck to the stones at the mountainâ€™s base. Julesâ€™ enormous eyes followed the landslideâ€™s red trail up and up and up, trying to locate the source, but the angle was wrong. All he saw was a kind of cleft about two miles from where he stood. ...





> *Dilute to Taste*
> 
> â€œFor the last time, I donâ€™t want to know!â€
> 
> ...





> *Hurmevaara*
> 
> It was early summer in the north edge. The nature was at its greenest, the air at its purest and rain at its softest. Light green needle buds were adorning the spruce thickets, butterflies, bumblebees and bugs of all kinds made the meadows buzz with life, and the lakes were rich with fish once more after the long and cold winter. The prey animals had returned to the forest, and if a woodsman just had enough patience to set some traps, a catch was ensured.
> 
> Yes, it was a good time for us locals, living in the wilderness. ...





> *Moving Mountains*
> 
> I was reviewing a case involving a troll pressing charges against a goat man for trespassing and assault, when there was a soft knock on the wide open door to my office.
> 
> ...


And finally, the sample:


> *Friendship is a Mountaintop Experience*
> 
> Penny steadied herself against a large rock that stood proud upon the spine of the mountain ridge. The late fall rains had washed away the Southern California dust and turned the brittle yellow and gray lichens pliable. At her feet the new grass was already three inches high.
> 
> ...


You must have a free membership on Anthrofiction Network to view the stories. I realize you're busy, so feel free to only read those where the sample is suitable enticement.

The last day to turn in ballots is 2010-Jul-07. Thanks a million!

Scotty

PS: Samples printed here by permission granted by the authors.


----------



## M. LeRenard (Jun 8, 2010)

Heh... pretty obvious who the contestants are this time, isn't it?


----------



## panzergulo (Jun 8, 2010)

Wrote what I had in my mind relating to this quarter's contest here:

http://www.hostingphpbb.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24&mforum=durocpig

That is all.


----------



## Fere (Jun 9, 2010)

Have read through all the stories, and there are some very enjoyable takes on the theme. 

It's going to be very interesting indeed to see how the voting pans out


----------



## Altamont (Jun 9, 2010)

I swear, one of these days I'm actually going to finish a story for one of these contests...


----------



## TakeWalker (Jun 10, 2010)

Yeah, me too. I gave up on mine and then my fiancee showed up, so even if I had been writing, I wouldn't have gotten it done. Guess I'll try and judge these later, four isn't too much.


----------



## Altamont (Jun 10, 2010)

TakeWalker said:


> Yeah, me too. I gave up on mine and then my fiancee showed up, so even if I had been writing, I wouldn't have gotten it done. Guess I'll try and judge these later, four isn't too much.



Can anyone help judge the stories?


----------



## TakeWalker (Jun 11, 2010)

Altamont said:


> Can anyone help judge the stories?


 
...Yeah, you just have to sign up for the site.


----------



## ScottyDM (Jul 9, 2010)

*Results!*

*The Fallen Comet* by Le Renard won with a score of 4.18. This story earned top marks in Writing with a score of 4.42. 

*Hurmevaara* by panzergulo earned a score of 4.14. This story earned top marks in Enjoyability with a score of 4.43.

*Moving Mountains* by Murphy Z earned a score of 4.04. This story earned top marks in Theme with a score of 4.75 and top marks in Creativity with a score of 4.42.

*Dilute to Taste* by Fere earned a score of 3.90. This story earned top marks in Storytelling with a score of 4.07.

Congratulations to Le Renard and the other authors this quarter.

It wasn't easy selecting a winner. Many times in past contests one or two stories are clearly on top. Not so this quarter. In scoring the stories there are five criteria, and each story was stronger than others in at least one of those criteria. All stories earned many 5s on each ballot, and all earned at least one 2.5 in something from someone.

S~


----------



## M. LeRenard (Jul 9, 2010)

I guess this is where I back out and let someone else take home the gold from now on.  Thanks a bunch, everybody, for your support, and congrats to the other contestants as well.  I figured it'd be a close contest, and it sure was.


----------



## TakeWalker (Jul 9, 2010)

Man, that was a good contest. Congrats, MLR, you've earned a rest, I suppose. :3


----------

