User blog:Zaffie/About Time

Hullo bananas.

So, today I spontaneously tried to layer the front of my hair. It didn't work very well, big surprise, and now it's too short and looks a bit silly, so I'm waiting for it to grow out. xD Lucky I'm now doing distance ed, so no one at school can laugh at my silly haircut for ages. I would like to get it properly layered, but since I'm missing a huge chunk of hair at the back if I layered it it would become WAY too thin. So I might have to wait for that. If anyone knows how to make the front of your hair look cool (like bangs) please let me know. :D

Anyway, onto the real note of this blog. I thought 'wow, it's been ages since I've held a story writing competition' and so I have decided it is time to hold another one! This time I will limit people even more, to really test their abilities. So here are the terms of the competition.

1. You will be judged on spelling and grammar. If there is a single mistake in your story I will find it and weed it out, so it might be a good idea to proof-read this one to make sure you have no typos. If I mark anyone down for American/Canadian spelling of things, please remind me that you live in a different country and it's spelt differently there, since I know there are a few words like that (recognize, gray, color, etc).

2. Your story must have five chapters. They must be at least two paragraphs each. You can add a prologue and epilogue if you want to.

3. Your story must be in third person, because first person annoys me. Sorry.

4. I will need two more judges, as well as myself. Be aware that if you are a judge you cannot have an entry. If you would LIKE to be a judge, please mention that in a comment. I will pick the first two comments.

5. In every chapter of your story, a certain phrase must appear. It can be spoken, thought, or simply narrated, but it has to be there. Here are the phrases for each chapter.

Chapter One: He ate the cactus.

Chapter Two: I am not a porridge.

Chapter Three: Goodness gracious!

Chapter Four: Purple spotted rhinocerous.

Chapter Five: ''There was was a mouse named Daisy, who liked to eat oats and gravy. She was a very cannibalistic mouse, you see.''

You can add beginnings or ends onto the phrases, but the phrases themselves must be complete. I'll watch for them in every chapter. :D You can decide how you incorporate them into your story. There will be bonus points awarded if I feel that the phrases actually fit into the plot.

6. You will be given three characters who must be main characters of your story. A fourth character must be made up by yourself. You are limited to those four characters. The three characters you must use are;

Olive - A ginger tabby she-cat with bright green eyes, Olive is fiesty and sarcastic. She loves to joke around and is extremely outgoing and confident. Nothing anyone says can faze her, and she is capable of coming up with a retort to any remark.

Saskia - A pale grey she-cat with blue eyes, Saskia was raised by her father. She was the only she-cat in her litter, and her three brothers were all much bigger than she was. But that didn't stop Saskia trying her hardest and learning all her father's lessons... and becoming the best cat assassin in all the world. She believes herself to be completely and utterly cold-hearted and without mercy, but is she really as cruel as she thinks she is? Being the runt of the litter, she is only just full-grown but still smaller than most other cats. She made her first kill at the tender age of four moons, and by now has killed close to thirty different cat targets.

Rosepaw - A black tom with amber eyes. Rosepaw has been an apprentice for far too long, and his warrior ceremony is overdue. The biggest cat in the apprentice den, Rosepaw feels a certain amount of resentment towards his Clan leader, and wonders if his girly name has anything to do with his delayed ceremony. Rosepaw is a powerful tom with strong, broad shoulders and an aptitude for fighting, hunting, and anything physical. You can choose whether Rosepaw comes from one of the four canon Clans or another one of your own making.

7. These four characters must all meet each other and remain together throughout the story. You can develop and change them through the five chapters however you want. BUT, they must end up somewhere completely different from where they started. Their journey needs to be mental as well as physical, so character development is a must. And I want some action involved - something exciting and dramatic where you hold your breath and go 'ZOMG WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN???'

So, start writing, people! Please post the title of your story in a comment if you would like to join, and make sure that you mention at the beginning of your story that it is for Zaffie's Story Competition. Good luck! I look forward to seeing what you make of this!

You can start writing as soon as you have told me that you will enter. You must STOP writing on the 13th of June. Judging will take place on the 16th of June (so that I have time for my birthday celebrations before I have to judge. :D).

Better get cracking, my potassium-filled friends!