Friday 16 December 2011

$200 Flash Fiction Challenge



Another message from Pablo D'Stair:

It seems the Lit Flash world has pussied out, big time. Must’ve know I’d mop the floor with them

But, now I am keen on putting myself to the test against Genre (Crime/Noir in specific) folks (who’ve been nothing but enthusiastic about this), so I put together the following (not mean spirited) contest for Crime/Noir flash and was hoping you could help me out with getting “The Challenger Collection” put together.

The Contest:

 I will, inside of the previously explained 8 hr time limit, write a collection to conform (approximately) to the length of the Challenger Collection (my stories will not be inter-related, as the Challenger Collection won’t be).

The Challenger collection is to be comprised of 12-20 pieces of Flash Crime/Noir by 12-20 different Crime/Noir authors. These authors can choose whichever piece they want, previously written, or can write new pieces, it’s all the same.

I will write (in 8hrs) a collection of as many pieces of flash Crime/Noir (if the challenger collection has 12 pieces, mine will have 12, if it has 17 or 20, mine will have 17 or 20 etc.)

Both collections will be made available to anyone who wants to read and vote for the length of the contest (electronic formats, either a straight PDF or through Smashwords for any platform—after the contest, the collections will be made unavailable from these places).

The collections will contain No Author Names—also, it will not be explained which collection is a 1 author collection and which is the multi-author collection—they are both presented as Crime/Noir Flash Fiction Collections and read blind by the readers.

The readers will choose (1) Which collection they consider the winner (2) from that collection they will choose their 3 favorite stories.

The Prizes:

Now, if my collection wins, no prizes are awarded—I win.

If the other collection wins, I lose and there are 3 prizes to particular authors of the other collection based on the total number of votes for the top 3 stories

1st Prize: $100 (US)

2nd Prize: $75 (US)

3rd Prized: $50 (US)

Sea Minor's note:

If you're interested, post a comment here or contact me via my email address (in my profile) and we'll see how this shapes up.

My opinion?  Pablo's a great writer, he really is.  Is he able to top the work I see out there regularly from those of you who are gifted at your craft?  I don't think he can.  There, said it.  Take him on.  Shake the tree.  See what falls on your head.  It could be $200.  What have you got to lose?









17 comments:

  1. Hmmm... sounds like fun... I am definitely interested.

    Veronica Marie

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  2. From Pablo (to add to Sea Minor's note)

    First, cheers Nigel for posting and for adding that note--I know it, mate, no worries.

    Now, I imagine I could (and likely will) have my ass well and truly handed to me here, make no mistake. I have no beef or belittlement of Crime/Noir flash, none at all: to the contrary I think it is a vibrant thing and the sort of place the Flash distinction isn't just rubbish.

    Here, I am in it to challenge myself, have a good time, and, very very likely, take a good beating. If I go down, it'll be to people I think are champions, visionaries, and actual felt artists: awarding the prize money would be a pleasure, like telling Bob Dylan my music zine named him Artist of Year, you know?

    But, I will bring it. Make no mistake. I will bring it.

    Cheers all.

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  3. I'm in. And I'll donate your money to charity. I can ante up 8 tales. I have 10 but 2 are under contract to be published at a later date and can't use them. Pity, because they'd kick your ass/arse/culo!
    A great challenge, Pablo. This should be a lot of fun. I hope we get a lot of writers in on this one. I'll spread the word.

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  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  5. I'm in, too. Unlike Thomas Pluck, my winnings will not go to charity, as I will be spending them on liquor and Slim Jims.

    Just kidding -- I'm not going to win!

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  6. I was planning on spending my winnings on loose women, but Tina (wow, put a ring on a girl's finger and she thinks she owns you! *wink*) has nixed that idea, so... I shall give my winnings to charity as well! :)

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  7. Hi all,

    Well, things are shaping up poorly for me, haha. But I'm glad the money will be well spent if I go down.

    Gonna be doing some promotion of the contest in general here and there in the coming days while the final details, author list etc. gets ironed out--my set up in Sri Lanka is going to get readers and attention to the contest there, gonna do some podcasts, gonna get word out in some indie music and movie circles i very peripherally move in, see if we can get a lot of folks reading and voting and from eclectic circles, this with the open-to-the-public voting should make this interesting.

    Pluck--you are awesome, mate, that's the spirit. Don;t know, with the interest from folks, if we'll be able to take on all 8 from you, so have your favorite in mind, but i'm being liquid with this, want it to be as cool as possible.

    I'm starting to get a little nervous, but my natural arrogant swagger just refuses to diminish.

    Cheers.

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  8. Hopefully you guys will all see this. Send what you've got (like your best punches - hard as you like) to me a nigel.bird7@btinternet.com . I'll work at collating them from the Sea Minor end. There'll be others, too, and the collection will be amazing. Pablo, I'm afraid I smell dead meat.

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  9. Woo Hoo!

    I will get mine sent off today or tomorrow.... might be more than one, but I have a particular one in mind...

    :)

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  10. Nigel--Yeah...I think I might be smelling that, too...it's starting to feel like that scene in the movies where the John Hero goes into the bar or nightclub, sees some skeevy looking creep at a table. He walks up and says, "You're Rydell? They told me I'd find you here. Pamela sent me with a message" then grabs the skeevy guy by the collar only to hear him say "Sure...only problem is...I'm not Rydell." Then just the enormous, looming shadow of some hard-guy, six foot seven monster standing up behind, John Hero turns and sees this hulking fucker cracking his knuckles, hears him say "I'm Rydell. What's the message?"

    Haha, but, you know, gotta go down swinging.

    Yeah, just the few names on this list already are...intimidating. But, I'm sticking to the rules. I will not conceive, write notes for, even think about my stories until my allotted 8hrs begins.

    And thanks to everyone for being so in to this. Just awesome.

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  11. Me again....

    I've emailed a couple of mine that I rather like.

    Now... the waiting begins... :)

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  12. McDroll, you're in. VMLS, thanks.

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  13. McDroll, you're in. VMLS, thanks.

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  14. Pussied out huh? We have to "Go to the mattresses" on this Pablo guy. I'll set Ernest Winthorpe on him.

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