Dark Days Supernatural Writing Challenge Going on Now!

Winter has rolled in and boy is it dark. So if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. HarperTeen wants you to dive into the dark days of winter with The Dark Days of Supernatural promotion. This week we’re bringing you our first dark and supernatural novel Once in a Full Moon. To read the prompt and enter The Once in a Full Moon Writing Challenge go to the Talk inkpop Shop forum.

Want to win cool prizes like an iPad or more books? Check out the http://apps.facebook.com/pitchdark/ . If you’re interested in seeing our Dark Days author tour, check out our calendar in our Dark Days promotion pack http://www.harperteen.com/feature/darkdays .

WWC: Especially Ordinary

WEEK FIFTEEN CHALLENGE TOPIC

Looking back at past challenge topics, they were all off the wall and a little crazy. (Anyone remember the “Twisted Holiday” challenge?) The goal of those challenges was to get participants away from their usual comfort zone and thinking a little outside of the box. Now that we’ve managed to do that, we want to bring you all back to the basics. Good prose, use of description, character development, good dialogue, metaphors, hyperbole, personification, etcetera.

What this challenge will do is ask you to figure out your style as a writer, find your voice, and then wrap it all up in beautiful prose.

Especially Ordinary

★ Launch Date: Saturday, September 11th, 2010
★ Due Date: Sunday, September 19th, 2010 by 11.59 PM (Pacific Time)

Challenge Details

This week participants are asked to write about an ordinary occurrence in their lives that they found special. Perhaps an outing with friends to get some lunch, or a day at the beach, or getting a new notebook, or eating a piece of cake at midnight in a dark kitchen. Think of that occurrence and then translate in into words.

This week’s entry should give readers an idea of who the participants are as writers; what their individual styles are, as well as what their voice is. Be sure to think about your writing habits. For example, using lots of adjectives, using lots of metaphors, never using purple prose, writing extremely concise, etcetera.

Judges will be looking for individual style, good prose, good grammar, good handle of basic writing mechanics.

YOUR ENTRY MUST ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING

★ Formatting: Short Story or Essay
★ 700 word MIN/1,000 word MAX

Should you have any questions regarding this challenge please e-mail wwcrevolution@gmail.com, or visit the Weekly Writer’s Challenge inkpop Profile.

Good luck inkpoppers!

Erika (aka inkpoperika)

WWC: Awesome Freebies!

(24) Days of Summer!!!

The idea behind this came from a suggestion to have a “Scramble Challenge,” in which participants can mix and match given topics, genres, and formats to create their own challenges. What the (24) Days of Summer will do is essentially just that. Participants get a list of genres, topics, locations, and formats. From those lists they will choose one to use per “mini” challenge. There will be a general set of rules that will be applied to each “mini” challenge.

Participants have 24 days to accomplish a minimum of 9 “mini” challenges (but should strive to complete all 12 as more is better) to be eligible to win the prizes. At the end of the 24 days a panel of judges will read all the entries and decide on a winner.

***there have been some alterations to the “Submission Process” and another format option has been added (Essay).

For more details please visit the (24) Days of Summer challenge thread.

THE TIMELINE:

Participants have 24 days to complete as many of the challenges as they can, the minimum being 9 and the desirable goal being 12.

★ Launch date: August 1st, 2010
★ End date: August 24th, 2010

DAYS LEFT IN THE CHALLENGE: 11 DAYS!!!!!!!

FANTASMIC PRIZES!!!

Interested in what’s in it for the winners? Check out our awesome prizes!

FIRST PLACE
★ FULL, LINE BY LINE EDIT OF ANY OF YOUR WORKS (by someone with editing experience)
★ FREE HARPERCOLLINS BOOK OF YOUR CHOICE
★ FREE PICK OF ANY WORK ON INKPOP

SECOND PLACE
★ FREE HARPERCOLLINS BOOK OF YOUR CHOICE
★ FREE PICK OF ANY WORK ON INKPOP

THIRD PLACE
★ FREE PICK OF ANY WORK ON INKPOP

WANTED: JUDGES FOR THE (24) DAYS OF SUMMER

The WWC is looking for inkpoppers interested in judging! You’ve gotta be dedicated, love reading, and be able to give an honest opinion of someone’s work.

Interested? Check out the WWC Judges thread!

QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CRIES OF WOE? FEEL FREE TO DROP THE WWC PROFILE A LINE AND WE’LL GET BACK TO YOU ASAP!

Good luck inkpoppers!

Erika (aka inkpoperika)

WWC: Summer Isn’t Over!

With the end of summer just around the corner, why not go out with a bang? For your writing pleasure, the WWC presents the (24) Days of Summer challenge extravaganza!

The Concept

The idea behind this is came from a suggestion to have a “Scramble Challenge,” in which participants can mix and match given topics, genres, and formats to create their own challenges. What the (24) Days of Summer will do is essentially just that. Participants get a list of genres, topics, locations, and formats. There will be a general set of rules that will be applied to each “challenge.”

Participants have 24 days to accomplish a minimum of 10 challenges (but should strive to complete all 12) to be eligible to win the prizes. At the end of the 24 days a panel of judges will read all the entries and decide on a winner.

The Timeline:

★ Launch Date: August 1st, 2010
★ End Date: August 24th, 2010

Looking for more details? Check out the (24) Days of Summer Thread for your information needs.

WANTED!!!

The Weekly Writer’s Challenge is looking for judges for the (24) Days of Summer! We need seriously dedicated judges, who love to read and love to crit! If that’s you then drop us a line at the WWC Judges Thread or send the Weekly Writer’s Challenge a message.

Good luck inkpoppers!

Erika (aka inkpoperika)

WWC: (24) Days of Summer

WEEK 14 CHALLENGE CHAMPION

Congratulations to Emma Halmhofer for her outstanding entry Tunnel Ghouls!

Shout out to the Honorable Mentions for a commendable job well done!
★ Silverherring for The (Prehistoric) Adventures of Orf: The Mystery of the Bloodless Body
★ Ceffyldwfr for Of the Mind

Congratulations to all of you!

(24) Days of Summer is an end of summer challenge extravaganza hosted by the Weekly Writer’s Challenge.

The Concept

The idea behind this came from a suggestion to have a “Scramble Challenge,” in which participants can mix and match given topics, genres, and formats to create their own challenges. What the (24) Days of Summer will do is essentially just that. Participants get a list of genres, topics, locations, and formats. There will be a general set of rules that will be applied to each “challenge.”

Participants have 24 days to accomplish a minimum of 10 challenges (but should strive to complete all 12) to be eligible to win the prizes. At the end of the 24 days a panel of judges will read all the entries and decide on a winner.

The Finer Details

Okay technically there aren’t 12 challenges, it’s really just one super huge challenge that consists of 12 mini challenges.

Participants will get a list of 12 genres, 12 Locations, and 12 topics. They must take one from each of those three lists and combine them into an entry. They will also be able to choose from a list of 4 formats that they can use.

Also each mini challenge will come with a set of random items that have to somehow make an appearance in their entries. For example, for “Challenge One” the random items might be ice, the color red, and fried chicken. The participant is to take those three items and mix them in any which way they want.

The Entry Rules

It’s very important that all the entries follow these rules.

★ 300 word MIN/8,000 word MAX
★ All entries must use the assigned random items
★ All entries must use one genre, one location, and one topic.
★ Each entry must have an original title
★ A participant must complete at least 10 Challenges
★ All entries must be submitted as a whole unit in the form of a “book.”

The Submission Process

Because each participant will be submitting a minimum of 10 entries, to make it easier on the judges, everything will be submitted as one large entry.

So rather than submitting everything separately, participants will be combining all of their entries as a “book” with each chapter being a seperate entry.

Each participant should title their book in the following manner: (24) Days of [insert something here] You can choose anything you want to insert. For example if I was participating in this challenge I know that I would probably be drinking lots of coffee. So I would title my book (24) Days of Starbucks.

★ The Lists

★ (Genres)
Romance
Comedy
Tragedy
Adventure
Fantasy
Horror
Mystery
Western
Superhero
Bio/Memoir
General Fiction
Non Fiction

★ (Locations)
Beach
Home
Yacht/Boat
BBQ
Pool
Summer School
Ice Cream Shoppe
Foreign Country
Desert Island
Shopping Mall
Fast Food Eatery
A Cave

★ (Topics)
Summer Job
Zombies
Family Drama
Food
Dieting
Losing a Friend
Moving Away
Getting Lost
Sneaking Out
Over indulgence
Falling out of love
Misusing Magic

★ (Formats)
Short Story
Poem
Screen Play
Letter
Journal Entry

★ Launch Date: Sunday, August 1, 2010
★ Due Date: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 by 11:59 PM (Pacific Time)

Post links to all entries in the (24) Days of Summer Thread.

Should you have any questions regarding this challenge please e-mail wwcrevolution@gmail.com, or visit the Weekly Writer’s Challenge inkpop Profile.

JUDGES, JUDGES, JUDGES!!!

The WWC is looking for judges for the (24) Days of Summer! Interested? Check our judges thread and drop us a line!

Good luck inkpoppers!

Erika (aka inkpoperika)

WWC: Give a Vamp a Chance

WEEK FOURTEEN CHALLENGE TOPIC

It’s no secret that vampires are one of the hottest topics in the book world right now. From Twilight, to Vampire Diaries, to the Sookie Stackhouse series, to the amazing Anne Rice novels, vampires are everywhere!

But what also isn’t a secret is how many people are sick of the vampire craze (mainly due to negative Twilight backlash). Hopefully this challenge will turn them in vampire believers, and show that there’s still “life” in the vampire genre.

Give a Vamp a Chance

★ Launch Date: Saturday, July 17th, 2010
★ Due Date: Sunday, July 25th, 2010 by 11.59 PM (Pacific Time)

Challenge Details

This week participants are asked to write a vampire story according to how they see vampires. Maybe yours sparkle and maybe they actually feed on humans. The choice is yours.

Whether your vampires are “new age” or “old school,” be creative! One of the big complaints about vampire novels is that they all fall into a similar pattern. Judges will be reading to see just how creative your story is.

YOUR ENTRY MUST ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING

★ Formatting: Short Story
★ 800 word MIN/8,000 word MAX

Extra Challenge Requirements

★ No Romance (you can use any genre BUT romance)
★ No Modern Day Settings (1900’s-2050 is Off Limits)
★ Must include Garlic somehow
★ Must show Vampire Eating/Hunting

Post links to all entries in the Week FOURTEEN Challenge Thread.

Should you have any questions regarding this challenge please e-mail wwcrevolution@gmail.com, or visit the Weekly Writer’s Challenge inkpop Profile.

WEEK THIRTEEN CHALLENGE CHAMPION

Congratulations to Silverherring!!!!!!! Her entry Mother Knows Best was exceptional and worked well within the constraints of the challenge.

As Challenge Champion Silverherring has won a Free HarperCollins book of her choice, and a Free Pick for any project of her choosing.

For those interested in reading her entry here is the link: Mother Knows Best.

JUDGES, JUDGES, JUDGES!!!

Interested in being a judge for the Weekly Writer’s Challenge? Check out this thread in the forums! Be a WWC Judge.

Good luck inkpoppers!

Erika (aka inkpoperika)

WWC: Caught in the Act Reminder

WEEK THIRTEEN CHALLENGE TOPIC

“Caught in the Act”

★ Launch Date: Sunday, July 5th, 2010
★ Due Date: Monday, July 13th, 2010 by 11:59 PM (Pacific Time)

Challenge Details

For the “Caught in the Act” Challenge, participants will be given a link to a photo, and will have one thousand words to write about it. The saying is that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” What will you write with your thousand? Participants are encouraged to write from creative angles and explore new dimensions of the given photo.

Things to Think About

★ What the subject is doing
★ Who “caught” the subject
★ Where the subject is
★ Why the subject is doing what it’s doing
★ What is happening “outside” of the photo

★ Just to give participants more “choice,” there are two photos to choose from. You may only choose ONE to write about.

Photo A
Title: “Is That A Thief?”
Link: “Is That A Thief?”

Photo B
Title: “Caught In the Act”
Link: “Caught In the Act”

YOUR ENTRY MUST ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING

★ Formatting: ANY FORMAT (poem, essay, short story, article, etc.)
★ 1,000 WORDS MIN/MAX
★ Specify the chosen photo in the Long Pitch

Extra Challenge Requirements

★ Write the piece from YOUR point of view. (YOU are the main character. YOU are the narrator. YOU can be anyone in the story.)
★ Include the title of the photo into the entry.

JUDGES, JUDGES, JUDGES!!!

Interested in being a judge for the Weekly Writer’s Challenge? Send a message to the Weekly Writer’s Challenge inkpop profile!

Post links to all entries in the Week THIRTEEN Challenge Thread.

Should you have any questions regarding this challenge please e-mail wwcrevolution@gmail.com, or visit the Weekly Writer’s Challenge inkpop Profile.

Good luck inkpoppers!

Erika (aka inkpoperika)

WWC: Caught in the Act

WEEK THIRTEEN CHALLENGE TOPIC

“Caught in the Act”

★ Launch Date: Sunday, July 4, 2010
★ Due Date: Saturday, July 11th, 2010 by 11.59 PM (Pacific Time)

Challenge Details

For the “Caught in the Act” Challenge, participants will be given a link to a photo, and will have one thousand words to write about it. The saying is that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” What will you write with your thousand? Participants are encouraged to write from creative angles and explore new dimensions of the given photo.

The photo will not be revealed until Sunday, July 4th.

YOUR ENTRY MUST ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING

★ Formatting: ANY FORMAT (poem, essay, short story, article, ect)
★ 1,000 WORDS MIN/MAX

Extra Challenge Requirements

★ Write the piece from YOUR point of view. (YOU are the main character. YOU are the narrator. YOU are the person in the photo. )
★ Include the title of the photo into the entry.

Judges, Judges, Judges!!!

Interested in being a judge for the Weekly Writer’s Challenge? Send a message to the Weekly Writer’s Challenge inkpop profile!

Post links to all entries in the Week THIRTEEN Challenge Thread.

Should you have any questions regarding this challenge please e-mail wwcrevolution@gmail.com, or visit the Weekly Writer’s Challenge inkpop Profile.

Good luck inkpoppers!

WWC: Summer Lovin’!

Oh, summer romance! From random summer camp hook ups to summer flings people never forget, the heat doesn’t just radiate off the sun during this season.

Get ready to show the WWC some Loooooove!

WEEK TWELVE CHALLENGE TOPIC

“Summer Lovin’!”

★ Launch Date: Sunday, June 17th, 2010
★ Due Date: Saturday, June 26th, 2010 by 11:59 PM (Pacific Time)

Challenge Details

For the “Summer Lovin’!” Challenge, participants will be asked to write a short story dealing with summer romance. Whether it’s a comedy, tragedy, or mystery, the main component of any entry will have to be how the participants incorporate their idea of a summer romance.

Since romance is a part of almost every person’s life, participants are encouraged to draw their inspiration from their own experiences! If you’ve ever had a summer fling, write about it! Remember that crush you had in summer school? Use that!

YOUR ENTRY MUST ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING

★ Formatting: Short Story
★ 700 WORD MIN/8,000 WORD MAX
★ Use First Person POV
★ In the Long Pitch name the genres you used

Extra Challenge Requirements

★ Use a Secondary Genre (Your main genre is Romance, your secondary can be: Comedy, Horror, Supernatural, Historical, Fantasy, Mystery, Steampunk, Science Fiction, etc.)
★ Alternate Perspectives between any two characters (ex. Two side characters, the two main characters, etc.)
★ Include a “Complication” in the relationship (ex. someone is moving away, a love triangle, unrequited love, etc.)
★ One of the main characters must have an “Unattractive Attribute” (ex. bad scar, crooked nose, etc.)
★ End the entry in a Cliffhanger

Post links to all entries in the Week TWELVE Challenge Thread.

Should you have any questions regarding this challenge please e-mail wwcrevolution@gmail.com, or visit the Weekly Writer’s Challenge inkpop Profile.

Good luck inkpoppers!

Erika (aka inkpoperika)

WWC: Totally PUNK’D! Reminder

WEEK ELEVEN CHALLENGE TOPIC

“Totally PUNK’D!”

★ Launch Date: Sunday, June 6th, 2010
★ Due Date: Saturday, June 12th, 2010 by 11.59 PM (Pacific Time)

Challenge Details

Participants will be asked to use any of the “Punk” genres (Cyberpunk, Clockpunk, Steampunk, Elfpunk, etc.) and write a short story.

As a genre challenge, the idea here is to really immerse the reader in the genre. The key to winning this challenge will be the details of a story and how far the genre is taken! Be sure to think about clothing style, era, culture, architecture, etc. As a writer, you are building a world based on the genre you choose!

Have fun, be creative and get PUNK’d!

YOUR ENTRY MUST ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING

★ Formatting: Short Story
★ 800 word MIN/8,000 WORD MAX
★ Specify your chosen Genre in the long pitch
★ Use ONLY ONE genre in your entry (no genre mixing)

Extra Challenge Requirements

★ Have one main character be MALE
★ Include at least one ACTION Scene (fighting, dueling, chasing, fleeing, exploding, etc.)
★ Write from the perspective of someone who is NOT the main character. (This means it will be a First Person Narrative)
★ Create an INVENTION (it can be anything; weapon, gadget, machine, whatever) that correlates to the particular “Punk” genre you chose.

Fabulous Prizes!!

1) The Challenge Champion shall receive:

★ ONE free HarperCollins book of your choice
★ ONE free Pick for any of their works or the work of another writer
★ A feature on the Weekly Writer’s Challenge Profile

2. Honorable Mentions (there are always TWO) shall receive:

★ A short feature on the corresponding challenge thread

3. The first (1st) FIVE (5) participants to submit their entries will receive:

★ ONE free Pick for any of their works or the work of another writer

Post links to all entries in the Week ELEVEN Challenge Thread.

Should you have any questions regarding this challenge please e-mail wwcrevolution@gmail.com, or visit the Weekly Writer’s Challenge inkpop Profile.

Need More Time???

No problem! If you need an extension, one will be granted to you as long as you ask within an hour of the challenge’s due date. Just leave a comment requesting the extension on the challenge thread or send a message directly to inkpopper Sila.

Good luck inkpoppers!

Erika (aka inkpoperika)