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Writing Competition!

TheButlerDidIT 07 May 10 at 2:16 p.m. GMT

Budding crime authors look here! I thought a writing comepetition would be a good way for people to share their stories with crime fiction fans. How this works is people post their stories and people can post their comments (encouraging, nice ones!) and also mark them out of ten. You should only post one or two stories but two is the maximum. You can score get marks for originality, good plot, interesting characters ect... and then we count up the totals of the scores and the one with the most points is the winner. Simples!

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27 replies

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MissQuin 09 Jul 10 at 3:07 p.m. GMT

Good luck Goleafs. I bet your stories a winner.

go_leafs_nation 09 Jul 10 at 12:48 a.m. GMT

Six days later, my struggles are over. I've finished writing my story. Well, I'll still go over it with a fine comb to make sure it's good and I haven't left any gaping plot holes. I was heavily encouraged as I struggled with the post-corpse investigations by someone who kindly looked over what I wrote. Their recommendation was that I try sending the story to Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, which I think I will after all do. Here's hoping for the best!

go_leafs_nation 02 Jul 10 at 4:57 p.m. GMT

My story goes excellently, up until the point the corpse is discovered. After that point, the police must arrive, a few clues must be thrown in, and no matter what way I've written it, I always feel something's wrong.

TheButlerDidIT 31 May 10 at 2:48 p.m. GMT

I like to but subtle hidden references in my stories but most go unnoticed.

go_leafs_nation 30 May 10 at 8:01 p.m. GMT

I hope so. Because after that, I got a flash of brilliance, and am basically going back over every single thing I spent all that time writing and rewriting it again to suit this flash of inspiration.

I can give away so far that this is going to be far from the psychological mysteries moden authors have inflicted on us poor readers for so long. (All those who mention psychology in the story will be put to death immediately.) It will be in the fine and noble tradition of the Golden Age of Detection, and hopefully I'll be able to work in references to works/authors from that time.

TheButlerDidIT 30 May 10 at 2:39 p.m. GMT

Well we can expect great things from you Go Leafs.

go_leafs_nation 24 May 10 at 11 p.m. GMT

Ten days later, and I manage to write myself to the discovery of the corpse. The scenario has me somewhat excited, but I am rather critical of my own writing- I find myself writing a bit at a time, stopping altogether, and coming back a few days later to shake my head at how badly I wrote, rewrite and revise as much as needed.

TheButlerDidIT 14 May 10 at 8:09 p.m. GMT

I'm glad and I can't wait to read it!

go_leafs_nation 14 May 10 at 7:16 p.m. GMT

I found a way to solve my problem, but I'm keeping that a secret.

I've written a bit more (I'm taking this slowly-- and then taking a pause to go back and edit), and the whole thing is shaping up half decently so far...

MissQuin 12 May 10 at 2:46 p.m. GMT

I had my detective (hat seller) then shaped it around him too. How can hats be part of the murder and so on. I had the idea whilst doing the washing up!

TheButlerDidIT 11 May 10 at 7:50 p.m. GMT

I had my detective ages before I started writing. I chose the mystery to suit him.

go_leafs_nation 11 May 10 at 2:29 a.m. GMT

Well, I started my attempt to write my story, and it's gone decently so far. I haven't gotten too much done, but the opening is rather decent, as a man on a wheelchair approaches a cinema... (Little does he know of the impossible murder he is wheeling towards...)

Of course, I'm still not quite certain who will be my detective, but we'll cross that bridge once we reach it-- although crossing it before that point is quite impossible.

TheButlerDidIT 09 May 10 at 4:26 p.m. GMT

 We should judge them one at a time to avoid confusion. And there should be no closing date just keep on going until nobody has any stories left in them!

MissQuin 08 May 10 at 3:37 p.m. GMT

Well, I don't think there should be any closing date on this competion. Maybe we could judge the stories submitted that month. Anyway look forward to yours when it comes Go Leafs.

go_leafs_nation 08 May 10 at 3:33 p.m. GMT

Sorry if I gave the wrong impression, MissQuin, but I haven't even started writing the actual thing yet. I've just been hacking away at the plot- it went from impossible to implausible to improbable to "Hey! That might work!"

MissQuin 08 May 10 at 2:55 p.m. GMT

You have to use your own I think. No one else can better AC's character's you see.

If you don't mind my suggestions Butler: I don't think someone should have more points, for say, using a knife, than if they used poison. You had it right first time with originality, good plot, interesting characters, solution.

ilovewalruses2 08 May 10 at 1:38 p.m. GMT

Do we have to use AC's characters, or can we use our own?

TheButlerDidIT 08 May 10 at 12:45 p.m. GMT

Simply what I meant was there would be more you could give points for eg. murder weapon, alibis and so on. And I prefer murders but....

MissQuin 07 May 10 at 9:29 p.m. GMT

If people get more point for murder stories, people are very unlikely to write ones without murders! I personally think it's fairer the same points fo murder or theft or other crimes.

TheButlerDidIT 07 May 10 at 7:15 p.m. GMT

Yes theft as well as murder but as long as they are are crime stories. But you would maybe get more points for a murder story.