SHORT STORY WRITERS CONTEST December 2022 -- PASSION and DEVOTION -- PAD2022

This is an Official ATS Short Story Writers Contest!

It is open to ALL members of ATS.

This area is a safe place for our 'mighty fine creative minds' to gather. If you'd like to participate, know that the Terms and Conditions of your membership are strongly enforced. You are not in the Mud-Pit. Profanity, Political baiting, Personal attacks, are not allowed or welcomed at all. Want to talk about something else? Then go to the other forums here at ATS. We only discuss the stories in here written by YOU, the membership.

Your Entry Has to be Original Fiction & posted in it's own thread HERE in the Short Stories forum,. Then in this contest thread, create a post with a link to your story. If you need any help with Spelling or Grammar-checking, Word-Counting, and more please visit; Writer Tools; Spell Check and More

Your Story Should be written and edited with proper paragraphs. We have noticed that stories copy & pasted from 'mobile devices' might lose their formatting. Please review how it looks on the ATS Thread and add the proper editing (as you have only about 20 minutes to make edits/corrections). This is a contest, no one wants to read a solid block of words.

You may enter more than once, but you can only win one prize.

"The END" needs to be at the bottom of your story, it wont add to the wordcount.

You will be awarded "Writer" Status if you win 1st or 2nd in the non-writer category, please add in your title 'non-writer'.

The contest will run from NOW to Sunday, January 1, 2023. Any submissions after that date will be disqualified. A period of ONE WEEK after the closing of the contest will be provided for reading & voting.

Contest Winners get to choose the next Contest Theme. This contest theme is courtesy of our last winner TDDAgain, and is entitled: PASSION and DEVOTION --PAD2022
"Write a fictional short story about passion and devotion."
It's the writers choice if it's about good or evil.

RULES OF ENTRY (are simple)

* Entries must be original fiction. ATS members cannot be characters.
* Entries MUST include -PAD2022- in your Stories title. ( e.g. Wedded Bliss -PAD2022- non-writer )
* This is a 'SHORT STORY' Contest. Stories that run past the OP are accepted but no points given for additional posts.
* You need to post a link to your story here in this contest thread so others know that you made up an entry.
* You must stay within the Terms and Conditions (please read)

WINNERS and SCORING

ATS "Writer" status, prizes as follows:
1st -- 5 Applause, and gets to choose the next contest theme (Repeat winners can choose to pass to another for the theme of a future contest).
2nd -- 3 Applause
3rd -- 1 Applause

non-writer will receive the following:
1st Place -- 3 Applause & Writer Status
2nd Place -- 2 Applause & Writer Status
3rd Place -- 1 Applause

How the Contestants get points to win all depends on you! You can give FLAGS to your favorite story and add STARS to your favorite stories opening post.

We then tally up the scores of 'Flags' (worth 2 points each). And 'Stars' in the opening post (worth 1 point each)

And that's it! Got a question? We're happy to try and answer anything about the
contests/rules etc. But ENJOY this new contest, GOOD LUCK, HAPPY READING and HAVE FUN!

Note: New OP contest format, image selection and artwork thanks to JohnnyAnonymous.

Looking forward to reading what the Creative Minds of ATS submit.

My entry: PAD 2022 - The Yin and the Yang.

Written in a stream of consciousness.

Thank you.

Sometimes it flows sometimes it doesn't...

[seed of change

Prepared a poem to introduce this test,
was a little late so now it rests.

Two members already posted theirs,
with joy I noticed, also, ruffled hairs.

Instead in sweat I pull out of my fingers,
this little rhyme while some others linger.

Passion and devotion can be many things,
from relationships to crafting, someone that sings,
to shaping the world, good or bad,
that was the best idea I had.

A tribute to those that devote their life,
to any cause, working day and night.

Let us honor those that strive so hard,
with this contest, so let's start!


Add:
And I wanted to add that you don't need, to rhyme like I often do although it's worth a try, indeed, so don't be shy!

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe
a reply to: JohnnyAnonymous

And thank you both for your devotion,
your passion is visible,
and vast like the ocean.

So we can have these repeated chances,
to express our creativity as time advances.

I love writing too much not to participate.
To Art
That's not the title
lol

My entry for this month, a love story of sorts...
hope you all like

For the both of us

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe


Rubber ducking the tsunami


The paradox of love and sacrifice, working abroad.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Thanks for the work you guys do ! www.abovetopsecret.com... PAD 2022 The Deloy Meeting

PAD 2022...My Epiphany

www.abovetopsecret.com...

If you've not had the chance to read some of our entries, please do so as they are a wonderful collective of thoughts and ideas put on to 'digital paper' (so to speak). And remember, they're Short Stories just waiting to be read!

I hope I did everything right, because this is only the second story I've posted here. Here's the link to where it can be found:

Hopelessly Devoted To You


Edited to add:
I just finished writing it, so it's not an older story of mine like the last time.

I have a question that I just couldn't find the answer to. The rules say there has to be proper paragraphs in our stories, but I couldn't figure out how to indent the first line like proper paragraphs should be. How do you indent paragraphs here on ATS?

originally posted by: TrulyColorBlind
I have a question that I just couldn't find the answer to. The rules say there has to be proper paragraphs in our stories, but I couldn't figure out how to indent the first line like proper paragraphs should be. How do you indent paragraphs here on ATS?

I'm relatively new to the forums, but it's my understanding paragraphs don't need to be indented, just properly separated. To use the introduction of one of my favorite novels as an example, here's a sample of how you might write out the opening lines to Jonathan Maberry's Patient Zero:

When you have to kill the same terrorist twice in one week, then there's either something wrong with your skills or something wrong with your world.

And there's nothing wrong with my skills.

originally posted by: TrulyColorBlind
I have a question that I just couldn't find the answer to. The rules say there has to be proper paragraphs in our stories, but I couldn't figure out how to indent the first line like proper paragraphs should be. How do you indent paragraphs here on ATS?

Spacing in between paragraph's is our biggest problem (mostly due to using mobile devices). Which btw.. all we ask is that there not be a large block of words without any spacing. One can easily open up the ATS editor (good for about 15 minutes after the post is made) and simply add a few spaces between paragraph's.

One can even use the 'preview feature'' to see if the spacing is there.

Indentation, I don't believe works in our current formatting. Hope that helps!
Johnny

**ETA**

I looked over your story again and it looks wonderfully spaced and I wish you success in the Contest!
Johnny

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

www.abovetopsecret.com...
PAD 2022 Support Cruisers destroyed

originally posted by: JohnnyAnonymous

Spacing in between paragraph's is our biggest problem (mostly due to using mobile devices). Which btw.. all we ask is that there not be a large block of words without any spacing.

One can even use the 'preview feature'' to see if the spacing is there.

Indentation, I don't believe works in our current formatting. Hope that helps!
Johnny

"....All we ask...."
Actually, it asked for proper paragraphs in the OP. And since I didn't want to break any rules and you've now confirmed what I suspected, (thank you, by the way), in that a person can't indent anything on ATS, perhaps the rules need to be amended to just say "paragraphs" instead of "proper paragraphs?" It might help future participants from being confused? If you know what I'm trying to convey?

And that "preview" feature certainly gets a lot of use out of me! It's a great checker tool before you actually post anything.

Thanks for answering my question. Now, I know not to spend an extra half hour again trying to get anything to indent. I just use indentations because that's the way it's always been done in traditional book printing. And it's the official way, according to Turabian. (Fourth Edition, 13:20.)

a reply to: JohnnyAnonymous

Hear Hear!

DTOM and JonnyA
It’s been bothering me that I have a “writers” status!
In the Short Story Contest where I won and got writers status I was the only entry.
Therefore, may I please request my writers status be removed?
I’d rather win on merit rather than by default.
It just ain’t right……

da pirate 😎

originally posted by: TrulyColorBlind

Now, I know not to spend an extra half hour again trying to get anything to indent. I just use indentations because that's the way it's always been done in traditional book printing. And it's the official way, according to Turabian. (Fourth Edition, 13:20.)

You are correct in all accounts and I will pass them along to staff (we vote on everything).

BTW.. on indentations. If I recall correctly many years ago prior to 2005-ish, I believe we had that capacity to do 'indentations' (whole different ballgame back then). But if I recall again correctly one of the owner's who was always working on ATS had us all going sideways for a time while he tried to implement a mobile version of ATS (way back when).

So the short story... yeau.. no indentation
Johnny