Fiction Challenge – Song Story Version 2

First of all, happy new year!

To kick off the year, and considering there have been no submissions for the Writing Challenge, I’m extending the time limit and making some changes. I realised as the weeks went by that the challenge was too restrictive and there wasn’t enough time and I didn’t explain a few things that I should, so here’s what’s going on:

The theme is still “A story based on a Song.” As I mentioned in the original post:

“I take a song I like and then I create a story around its title, the lyrics or both. For example, a sci-fi story about travelling to the world of the dead based on “Break on Through” by The Doors, a spy/assassination story based on “Wake me up, before you Go-Go,” and finally a sultry romance story based on “Light My Fire” by The Doors. I even tried to come up with a ghost story based on “Hotel California” by The Eagles, until I realised that song in itself is already a pretty chilling horror story!”

But instead of limiting you to just “While your lips are still red,” use any song you like. If there’s a song that inspires fantasies, wild dreams or just visions of awesomeness, then pick that one, no matter the origin, band or even language. It can be a song from a video game, the opening jingle for your favourite TV series or an obscure song from your favourite 80s glam metal band. Pick your poison and write your story.

The rules are pretty simple:

• Pick any song you like (read above).
• You’re free to write in any genre you wish.
  • Fanficitions are of course allowed, so if you wish to write your story as a Tomb Raider or even Star Wars piece, then feel free.
• You must include the song name in your story. It can be the McGuffin, a concept in your world, even the name of an organisation or a person. Whatever the case, it should be of some importance to the plot.
• Include at least 2 sentences/lines from the song in your story.
  • For example: If my history is based on “Hotel California” by The Eagles, then when writing my story I would include “We are all prisoners here, of our own device” and “You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave,” as my sentences, because I think they’re cool.
• Speaking of “Hotel California”, if the song already tells a story in its lyrics, yours has to be different.
• Include the song name and lyrics with your story submission.
  • If the song is not in English (Japanese for example), then please include the translated lyrics with your submission.
• Length: Maximum of 7000 words.
• If you wish to receive feedback on your story, state so in the body of the email, or writing “FEEDBACK” in your submission email’s subject.
• Feel free to add art to your story, or even submit it in comic form. Be aware, though, that it’ll be judged on story alone.
• In your submission email, tell me the format you’d like the prize in (PDF, Kindle, Kobo, Paperback).

The new deadline is the 29^th of February. Let’s make that leap day special by bringing in a lot of cool stories.

I’ve also changed the prize: Instead of 5 Neil Gaiman novels, it’ll be FIVE (5) Novels of your choice.

The Winner and the top 2 runners-up will have their stories featured on The Mental Attic.

I hope to read your submissions soon.

Enjoy 2016 and May the Force be with you!