Raven's Lair Presents:

The Fifth "1000 Words" Contest!

It's that time once again, folks -- your chance to prove that "a picture is worth a thousand words". This time, though, we're showcasing not just one image, but the collected works of a single artist. You choose the image you will write your story about!

Contest Description:

Here's how the contest works:

1.) Visit Metal & Magic, the official website of artist Ursula Vernon.

2.) Look through the Galleries, accessible on the left-hand side of the page. Ursula has done a large number of pieces in a wide variety of genres, so take your time. :)

3.) Choose an image that you want to write a story about. Who are the characters depicted there? What are their motivations, their goals, their objectives? Are they heroes, villains, or something in between? What happens before this moment, and what happens after? It's your job to take your chosen picture and figure out the who, what, where, when, why and how, and put it all together in a story for the rest of us to enjoy. (Note: Some of Ursula's pictures have captions where she has added brief background stories of her own. You don't need to use these as a guide for your story; if the picture says something else to you, by all means, go with it!)

4.) Submit your story to me by email at ravenb at transform.to, along with a link to the image that you used as the inspiration for your story, before the deadline listed below.

The Prize:

Assuming I receive a certain minimum number of valid entries (three or more), the winner will receive a $20 gift certificate from Amazon.com. The winner's story will be enshrined forever at Raven's Lair, with a custom "Grand Prize" logo that the winner can then copy to his/her own site for gloating purposes. :)

If I receive more entries (at least five), I will also designate second place and third place winners. These stories will likewise receive permanent enshrinement within Raven's Lair and their own custom logos, also suitable for self-promotion on other sites.

All other stories submitted for the contest will remain posted at Raven's Lair for at least six months. Those I am particularly fond of will remain permanently.

The Rules:

1.) Any writer who wishes to enter the contest must send me notice by email of their intent to submit an entry. This notice must be received no later than October 7, 2006. You don't need to actually have any of the story written by this time -- you just need to let me know that you're planning on writing one.

2.) All stories must be received by 12:01 AM, November 5, 2006. Any story submitted after this time will not be reviewed.

3.) All entries must be new stories -- i.e., stories that have not been posted to TSA-Talk, MK-List, Furry-lit, or any website prior to their submission for the contest. You may certainly post your story elsewhere after it has been submitted to the contest, but the point of the contest is to generate stories that nobody has seen before.

4.) All stories must be at least 1000 words long (hence the name of the contest), or about 2-3 pages of 12-point text. I'm actively encouraging stories that are longer than this, but this is the minimum. Beyond that minimum requirement, stories will not be penalized for being shorter or longer than other entries; however, whatever length the story is, it should comprise a complete story as submitted. (Deciding on the definition of a "complete" story is left as an exercise for the writer.) Make it as long as it needs to be to tell your story well -- whether that's five pages or fifty.

5.) Keep it clean. My general rule for stories in the 1000 Words contests is that their content should be appropriate for a typical 15-year-old American. What this means, in practical terms, is this:

• Language: Profanity is permitted, but should not be used excessively. Language that is crudely and offensively sexual or degrading, or highly disrespectful toward faith or religion, will be shown much less tolerance than generic profanities uttered in exasperation or for emphasis.
• Sex/Nudity: Think in terms of modern network television: sex can be "on screen", but it should be tasteful and not graphic. I won't disqualify a story on the basis of nudity per se.
• Violence: This is an area where you can get away with more in the written medium than in visual media. Generally speaking, anything you might see in an Arnold Schwartzeneggar film will probably pass muster here, as long as it isn't described in too much gory detail. Phil's story Death is Real probably represents the uppermost limit of what I will allow on Raven's Lair.

More extreme content may be ruled acceptable if it is important to the story and placed in a context that gives it artistic or social significance (e.g., Schindler's List). This will be weighed on a case-by-case basis, using my discretion as the standard of measurement. In all cases my ruling is final, unless a revised version is submitted before the contest deadline.

6.) Stories will be judged on their overall merits, both creative (how interesting and original the story is) and technical (how well-written the story is). Some tips:

• Consider the whole picture, including the characters' expressions, their manner of dress (or lack thereof), and their surroundings. The more you take into account the overall "feel" of the picture, the more "points" you're going to earn. For example, a story that takes place entirely inside a roller-skating rink, and features the characters dressed solely in pink jumpsuits, is not going to win any points for matching background & atmosphere if the picture does not include pink jumpsuits and roller skates.
• Spelling and grammar matter. The effort you put into making sure that they're right will reflect on how much you care about the contest in general and your story in particular. If your story is too poorly written for me to read through it easily, I won't bother.
• Feel free to include a detailed transformation scene in your story, but it's not strictly necessary.. Stories that deal with the aftermath of a TF can be as interesting as those that deal with the TF itself, if not more so. Remember, you're being judged on the overall quality of the story, not the amount of detail you can pack into the TF scene. If the TF is important to the story, and including it will make the story better, please include it. If it won't add anything to the tale, don't bother; your efforts are better spent on other things, like strong characterization. Raven's Lair is a site for sci-fi, fantasy, and speculative fiction of all stripes, not just TF or furry fiction. Even stories that completely lack a TF element will not be penalized on that basis.
• Stories containing gender transformations (TG) are welcome, so long as they fit with the picture and the rest of the story guidelines. Making your story TG will not cost you or gain you any points in the judging, so feel free to follow your Muse's guidance. As a matter of fact, I would actively encourage "traditionally TG" authors to take a stab at this contest -- many of my readers will not have seen your work before, and may enjoy it!
• Make sure that the story is accessible to the readers. If it's written in a shared story universe, it should be understandable without reading other stories in that universe. I won't penalize a story for being written in an established universe, as long as it is self-contained enough that it can be enjoyed by someone who has never read a story in that universe before.

7.) Most importantly of all: Have fun! :)

If you have any questions, email me at ravenb at transform.to.

Remember, the deadline to enter the contest is October 7, 2006. Deadline to submit your story is November 5, 2006.

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