The Contests Book (previously Do You Want To Win A Review)

December 2014 Challenge - ENDED

Hey, everyone! I'm planning another challenge for you and this time it is a writing one. Your goal: write a short story on one or a combination of these topics: WINTER, SNOWMAN, CHRISTMAS, NEW YEAR, MIRACLE, SANTA.

~ The story can be based on real events or completely made up;

~ It can be in any genre;

~ It can be in whatever rating you wish (G, PG-13, R, etc.);

~ It can be a one-shot (a one-chapter story) or several chapters long;

~There is no minimum word limit but wattpad considers a story short when it is less than thirty pages so try not to exceed that (I won't disqualify you if it's thirty-one though).

What's in it for you, the participants?

Exposure for everyone. I will leave at least one comment on each story which I won't delete from my timeline; that way everyone who looks at my profile will see that I've commented on your book. Also, me commenting (and maybe voting) on your work will pop up in my followers' newsfeed and they might decide to check out your books.

And what's the prize for the winner?

There are five things which the winner will get, apart from the exposure that all participants receive:

1. I'll announce them as the winner in a message to my fans, thus advertizing their work;

2. I'll add a special chapter in The Contests Book, featuring the winning story (its title, by whom it is, the summary and – if the winner allows it – a brief excerpt from the story);

3. I'll review five chapters from another story by the winner;

4. I'll give the winner a second shout-out on my page, mentioning both the winning story and the other book I've reviewed;

5. I'll add the winning story to my reading lists "Winners"*.

*I might add other people's stories to my other reading lists.

How can you enter?

Write your story and post it on wattpad. After that do two things:

1. Write this as a comment in your own story: "For @CatMint5's December contest" (it doesn't matter in which chapter).

2. Write your story's title and give a link to it in a comment here in The Contests Book.

Why write two comments in two different books?

Because wattpad (as any other site for that matter) can get buggy from time to time and skips to notify its users of a comment or doesn't display it properly (sometimes it would appear as an empty bubble). By tagging me in your story and commenting in my book, there are less chances of something going wrong.

Note: Don't put space between @ and my user name because if you do, I won't get notified I've been tagged.

Please tag me and give the link AFTER you have finished your book. That means that you won't be adding any new chapters to it or change the plot/re-write a chapter. You can still make basic edits though, such as correcting grammar and spelling mistakes, substituting one word for another to avoid repetition, etc.

The contest starts on: December 12, 2014

Due date to submit your work: January 15, 2015

When will I pick the winner? That would depend on how many wattpaders participate and how long their works are. I'll give you a relative announce-the-winner date after I receive your submissions.

How will I pick the winner?

The winner will be chosen based on my overall impression of their work. Things I'll be looking at are the plot, the characters and wording. You don't have to have a fancy vocabulary, but you should try to present your ideas in a way that isn't confusing to the reader.

Can people who have participated in the Halloween Special contest also take part in this one?

Of course! I'd love to see what you can come up with.

Suggestions:

You don't have to follow/apply these, but in case you are stuck or in need of a little push:

~You could combine WINTER, SNOWMAN and MIRACLE and write about a snowman that comes to life;

~You could write a based on real events story about how you celebrate CHRISTMAS and/or NEW YEAR in your country and what traditions you have;

~You could write a fantasy story about a creature from another world who comes to Earth during the WINTER and show us how it would react to seeing snow for the first time or his/hers/its thoughts about people decorating trees, etc.;

~You could write a short fan fiction story for Frozen.

I'm sure you'd be able to come up with plots of your own, but as I said, feel free to use the suggestions.

Good luck and if you have any questions, comment!