420CharactersTinyStoryContest
PlanningGuide:Draft1
Writtenby
SoniaZagwyn
2016
forIslandLinkLibraryFederation
Withthanksto:
LouBeach
EneHaabniit
BobMay
PowellRiverPublicLibrary
JomicheleSeidl
This document may be shared under the Creative Commons License
Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 Canada (CC BY-NC 2.5 CA))
Contents
1.0Introduction:Overview&Objectives(orWhat&Why) 2
2.0SuggestedTimeline 3
3.0TheContest 5
3.1PotentialTargetGroups…………………………………………………………………….5
3.2ContestRules,Procedures,Forms……………………………………………………..5
3.3Promotion&SampleMediaRelease………………………………………………….6
3.4ReceivingEntries………………………………………………………………………………..6
3.5JudgingProcess………………………………………………………………………………….7
3.6ContestPrizes…………………………………………………………………………………….8
3.7ProgrammingideasandAwardsCeremony………………………………………..8
3.8Local/RegionalPartners……………………………………………………………………..9
3.9EvaluationOptions…………………………………………………………………………….9
4.0Resources
11
Appendices
AppendixA:ContestGuidelines………………………………………………………………12
AppendixB:EntryForm………………………………………………………………………….13
AppendixC:CallForEntries…………………………………………………………………….14
AppendixD:PressRelease………………………………………………………………………15
AppendixE:EmailTemplates………………………………………………………………….16
AppendixF:OptionalJudgingCriteria…………………………………………………….17
AppendixG:SampleJudgingSheet…………………………………………………………18
AppendixH:TinyStoriesPowerPointWorkshop…………………………………….19
1
1.0Introduction:Overview&Objectives(orWhat&Why)
WHAT
Variouslycalledflashfiction,postcardfiction,smokelong(inChina),and(thankstothiscontest)tiny
stories,microfictionisaformdefinedbyitsrelativelyshortlength.Inthecaseofa420charactersstory,
theparametersareclearlyset.Thestorymustbe420charactersorfewer—approximatelyone
paragraphlong—withevery,letter,spaceandpunctuationmarkcounted.
WHY
OfferanAccessibleLiteraryChallenge(withrewards).LouBeach,whosebook“420Characters”
inspiredthiscontest,spentmuchofhisworkinglifeasasuccessfulillustratoranddescribeshiswriting
as“amostsurprisingandmiraculoussecondact.”Ahugeappealofthecontestistheaccessibilityofthe
form.JustlikeBeach,youdon’thavetothinkofyourselfas“awriter”togiveitawhirl,butitmightget
youexcitedaboutwriting,raisequestionsaboutwhatmakesagoodstory,andactuallymakeyoua
betterwriterintheprocess.
Challengethestatusquoofthestatusupdate.Thestoriesinthebook“420Characters”wereoriginally
writtenasstatusupdates,beforeFacebookincreasedthemaximumcharactercountforanupdatefrom
420characterstoover60,000.Regardlessofthisnewhigherceiling,thefactremainsthatmanyofthe
peopleweserveusesocialnetworkingsitestoshareandexchangesnippetsofinformation,news,ideas,
andemotionalcontentonadailybasis.Throughthiscontest,we’reencouragingpeopletoinjectsome
imaginationandnarrativeingenuityintoaformthatwascreatedasaresultoftherestrictionsimposed
byvarioustypesofsocialmedia.
Microfictionisfriendlyforworkshops,activities,publicationsandotherkindsofsharing.Besidesbeing
anaccessibleconceptingeneral,fromacoordinator’sperspectivemicrofictionisalsojusttheright
lengthforturningitintoagroupexercise,aclassroomorpublicpresentation,acommunityevent,ora
publication.Iencouragelibrariestogetcreativewithhowthestoriesarecreatedandshared–through
workshops,readings,oryettobedeterminedactivities.Someexamples:PRPL’sSenior’sMemoirWriting
Groupwrotetinystoriesasanexercisein2013,wemadeatinystoriesprojectionforalocalartsfestival
calledAurorain2014,andwegaveworkshopsinfourhighschoolclassroomsin2015.
2
2.0SuggestedTimeline
AUG1-28:PRE-LAUNCH
AUG29-SEPT11:LAUNCH&PROMOTECONTEST
SEPT12-OCT30:WORKSHOPS,UPDATES,RECEIVINGENTRIES
OCT31:CONTESTCLOSES
NOV1-13:LOCALJUDGINGANDDELIBERATION+ADVERTISE&PLANREADING/AWARDS
CEREMONYAND/ORRECOGNITIONOFWINNINGSTORIES
NOV14-20:FEDERATION-WIDESHARINGOFSTORIES
NOV20-30CONTESTWRAPUP–ANNOUNCE&HONOURWINNERS
AUG1-31:PRE-LAUNCH
• InviteJudgesfromlocalliteratiandconfirmtimelineforjudgingandlocationandtimefor
deliberation(Judgesmustbeconfirmedinadvanceofthecontestlaunchinordertoputtheir
namesonpromotionalmaterials).PRPLoffersjudgesamodest$50honorarium.
• SelectPrizes(thesewillgoontheposter&inpromotionalmaterials).Seesection3.6Contest
Prizesformoredetails.
• Prepare“ContestGuidelines”documenttopublishonyourwebsitealongwithcontest
announcementandoptionalentryform.Seesection3.2ContestRules,Procedures,Forms
• BuildaLineupofMicrofictionExamplesbytrawlingILLsandlibrarycollectionforbooksofflash
fiction.
• ScheduleStatusUpdatesallatoncesoyoudon’thavetothinkaboutitagain!Theseupdates
shouldincludeacontestannouncementwithalinktotheguidelinesandentrydetailsonyour
websiteandregularremindersuntilthecontestcloses.PRPLalsopostsexamplesoftinystories
togenerateinterestandinspirepotentialwriters,alwayswithalinkattheendtoourcontest
informationandguidelines.
SEPT1-14:LAUNCHCONTEST
• SeeSection3.3PromotionandSampleMediaRelease
SEPT14-OCT31:WORKSHOPS,STATUSUPDATESANDRECEIVINGENTRIES
• Workshopsareoptional,butareonewaytoguaranteethatstoriesgetwrittenandenteredinto
yourcontest.Seesection3.7ProgrammingideasandAwardsCeremonyforaworkshop
summary.
• Ifyouscheduledstatusupdatesaspartofyourpre-launchprep,thisstepshouldtakecareof
itself.Monitorthepostsforanycommentsorconversationsthatarise.
• Seesection3.4ReceivingEntries
OCT31:CONTESTCLOSES
NOV1-13:LOCALJUDGINGANDDELIBERATION+ADVERTISE&PLANREADING/AWARDSCEREMONY
AND/ORRECOGNITIONOFWINNINGSTORIES
• Seesections3.5JudgingProcess
NOV14-20:FEDERATION-WIDESTORYSHARING
3
•
Thetop3storiesselectedbyjudgesinalllocalcontestswillbeforwardedtotheRegional
ContestCoordinatortobecompiledinaweb-basedpublication.Alinktothispublicationwillbe
senttoallparticipatinglibrariesinorderthatitcanbesharedonlibrarywebsitesandonsocial
mediathroughoutthefederationinconjunctionwiththeannouncementoflocalwinners.
NOV20-30CONTESTWRAPUP–ANNOUNCE&HONOURWINNERS
• Seesection3.6ProgrammingIdeasandAwardsCeremonies.
4
3.0TheContest
Thefollowingsectionsaddressthevariousaspectsofrunningthecontest,mostlyintheorderthatyou
willencounterthem.I’veincludedsomeanecdotalinformationbasedonmyexperiencesrunningthe
contestatthePowellRiverPublicLibraryforthreeyears.Idon’texpectthatwhatworksinPowellRiver
willworkineverylibrarybutIdohopethesebasicblockswillformasolidfoundationforbuildingthe
contestinyourownlibraryandcommunity.
3.1PotentialTargetGroups
Thechallengeofwritingatinystoryisarguablyonethatcanbetackledbywritersasyoungas
elementaryschool.Aparagraph,afterall,isnotverylong.In2014,PRPLreceivedseveralentriesfroma
grade6classandthejudgeswerefacedwiththeconundrumofhowtojudgekidsinthesamecategory
asadults.Theycouldn’t.Thequalityofthewritingandthegraspoftheconceptof“story”werevery
differentinthekids’stories.Theyweresweetandfunnyanddramaticandbasicallyawesome,but
ultimatelytheyneededtobejudgedintheirowncategory.WhenIcreatedaTeencategoryin2015,I
hadthisexperienceinmindandIwasalsothinkingabouthowIwouldjudgethesuccessofthecontest.
OneofthemeasuresIfeelisimportantishowmuchparticipantslearnfromtheprocessofwriting
microfiction.Iwantcoordinatorstobeabletodiscusstheelementsofproseandintroduceediting
conceptsaspartofpotentialworkshops.Ialsowantjudgestobeabletousethesamecriteriaacross
contestcategories.Forthesereasons,andalsobecauseitbecomeslogisticallymorecomplicatedthe
morecategoriesyouadd,Irecommendtargetingteensinhighschool,grades10andup.Thisresultsin
twotargetgroups:
• Teens(grades10+)
• Adults
ThesecategoriesworkedwellforPRPLandalsoseemedfair.Agrade10studentwonfirstprizeinthe
Teencategory2015.
3.2ContestRules,Procedures,Forms
CONTESTRULES&PROCEDURES
AppendixA:ContestGuidelinescontainsthecontestrulesusedbyPRPL,includingadditionalguidelines
foraYouthcategory.Feelfreetoadjustthemtoreflecthowmanycategoriesyouwillrun,your
preferredsubmissionmethodandhowthestorieswillbesharedorhonouredafterthecontestcloses.If
youplantopublishtheminalocalnewspaperormagazine,forinstance,makesurethatthisisstatedin
therulessothatyoudon’tneedtoseektheauthor’spermissionasecondtime.
CONTESTFORMS
Thecontestguidelinesaskentrantstosubmitspecificinformationwiththeiremailentriesincluding:
o Fullname
o Title(s)ofentry(ies)
o Charactercountforentry(ies)
Ifyou’renotsurethatentrantswillreadtheguidelinesthoroughlyandremembertoincludethis
informationintheiremails,youmightalsorequirethattheyfilloutandattachAppendixB:EntryForm
totheiremail.
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3.3Promotion&SampleMediaRelease
PROMOTION
• Launchapproximately1.5monthsbeforethesubmissiondeadline.Thisleadtimeisimportant
foracontestthatrequiresparticipantstodo/makesomething.
• Blitz!Advertiseonyourwebsite,onsocialmedia,inlocalmedia(printandradio),andyour
community’slocaleventscalendar.Ensurethatadscontainalinktoyourwebsitestoryabout
thecontestwherepotentialentrantswillfindmoredetailedinformationaboutcontest
guidelines,thepreviousyear’sentries,andaninvitationtofollowupdatesonFacebook.
• OntheposterandintheCallforEntriesonyourwebsiteinclude:
1. Contestdescription
2. Thenutshellrules
3. NamesofGuestJudges
4. Deadline
5. Prizes
6. URLforfullguidelines
7. Wheretoemailentries
AppendixC:CallForEntriescontainsatemplateforalloftheabovepoints.Feelfreetocopy
andreviseitasneededforthepurposesofyourcontest.
• Don’tletthemforget!Inkeepingwiththesocialmediaoriginsofthecontest,Irecommendthat
librariescontinuetoputoutmicro-fictioninspiration,teasers&updatesonFacebook.This
servesdoubleduty.Theseupdatesareinformationalandinspirationalbuttheyalsokeepthe
contestonpeople’sminds.
SAMPLEMEDIARELEASE
AppendixD:PressReleasewaspublishedinthePowellRiverPeaktoannouncePRPL’scontestin2013.
Feelfreetouseormodifyitforyourowncontest.
3.4ReceivingEntries
•
•
•
Beforeyoureceiveentries,youwillreceivequestionsfrompotentialentrants,mostlyabout
rules;9timesoutof10thequestionwillhaveitsanswerinthecontestguidelines.ie)“Doesthe
charactercounthavetoincludethetitle?”Bepatient.Sendalinktotheguidelines.
ContestGuidelines(aremadetobebroken)Bepreparedtobeforgivingaboutpartially
followedguidelines.Noteveryonewillincludethecharactercountontheirentry.Somewillput
theirnamesontheentryandyou’llhavetoremoveittomaintainanonymity.Irecommendyou
doa“justchecking”reviewofallstoriestomakesuretheygotitright.Storiesthatcomeinover
thecharactercountorcomefromsomeoneoutsidePRPL’sservicedistrictaredisqualified.You
canbeasforgivingorstrictaboutguidelinesasyouwanttobe,justbeconsistent.
Keepitorderly.Soundsself-explanatory,butIcan’tover-emphasizehowimportantorganization
istorunningasmoothcontest.Ifyouareabletoshuttlestoriesintotherightfilesandfoldersas
theyarriveinyourinbox,you’llhavewaylessworkintheend.Irecommendkeepinga“Tiny
Stories”Subfolderinyourinboxsothatalltheemailsrelatedtothecontestarekeptinone
place.It’susefultobeabletoreferback.
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•
•
•
•
•
Createanemailcontactlistasentriescomein.If,afterthecontestcloses,youwanttoinviteall
theentrantstoareadingordirecttheirattentiontothewayinwhichwinningstorieswillbe
recognized,thiswillmakeitasnap!
Letentrantsknowyougottheirentrieswithaformresponsethatalsoletsthemknowin
advanceaboutthedateofthereadingandthatyou’llbeintouchwithfurtherdetails.Appendix
E:EmailTemplatescontainstwoformresponses:oneforreceiptofanentryandonetoinvite
participantstoareading.
Createonefolderandthreedocuments:
1) TheFolderpartisobvious.Callit“TinyStories”.Thisiswhereyouputalltheentriesyou
receive.Saverelatedcontestmaterials,guidelines,etc.toasubfolder.Ifanentryhasa
genericnamelike“420Contest,”re-nameittoreflectitsactualtitleorcontent.
2) Document1:EntrantandStoryListisamasterdocumentoftitlesandthewriterswho
submittedthem,alphabetizedbytitle.You’llhavetotypethisyourself.Whereanentrant
failedtoprovideatitle,Iusethefirst3-4wordsoftheirstoryastheworkingtitlewhichis
moreusefulthancallingit“untitled”whenitcomesdowntojudging.Notethatthejudges
don’tgettoseethisdocument,butyou’llneeditwhenthecontestendsandyouwantto
connectastorytoitsauthor!
3) Document2:AllEntriesisadocumentinwhichtocopyandpasteincomingstorieswithout
authornames.Eachstoryshouldundergoacharactercount,regardlessofwhetherornot
theentrantsuppliesone,sincetheyareoftenwrong.Dothissothejudgesdon’thaveto!
4) Document3:AllEntrieswithNamesisanicelyformatteddocumentwithallstoriesand
authorsnames.Thisdocumentgetspublishedtothelibrary’swebsitetoprovide
recognitiontothewriterswhosubmittedandanexampleforfuturecontestants.Youmight
alsowanttotransferthecontentsofthisdocumenttoPowerpointtomakeaslideshowof
tinystoriestorunduringtheTinyStoryReading.Thismakestheeveningalotmore
interactiveandgiveseveryoneachancetospendmoretimewiththestorieswhichcango
byquicklyinthecontextofareading.Howeveryoudecidetoshareyourlibrary’stiny
stories,havingthisdocumentwillmakeiteasierthanifyouhaveahundredormore
individualentryfiles.
Order=sanity.Createasystemthatworksforyouandsticktoit.
Expectamid-contestlullandanend-of-contestrush.Youmayneedadayorsoafterthe
contestclosestofinishupyourdocuments.
3.5JudgingProcess
JUDGINGANDDELIBERATION
• Headsuptojudges.Beincontactslightlybeforethecontestendsandre-confirmthatthe
judgingdateandtimestillworksforall.
• Providebut(don’tpush)judgingcriteria.SeeAppendixF:OptionalJudgingCriteria.Ultimately,
judgesshouldbeabletouseorignoretheprovidedcriteriaastheyseefit.Criteriamostlycome
intoplaywhenthejudgeshavenarroweddowntheirchoicestoatop15or20andneedto
differentiatethesolidfromthegoodbutflawedstoriesintheirpiles.Criteriaalsohelponthe
dayofjudgingbecausetheirpre-existencemeansthatthejudgesdon’thavetostartbycreating
andagreeinguponcriteria.AppendixG:SampleJudgingSheetmayalsocomeinhandy.
• Oncethecontestisclosed,sendthejudgeswhattheyneed:
1. Document2:AllEntries–Theallentries,nonamesdocument.
2. OptionalJudgingCriteriadocument–withtheuseasyoupleasecaveat.
7
•
•
•
3. SampleJudgingSheet–Tobeusedonjudgingday(printextracopies).
Allow2weeksforthejudgestoread,deliberate,andchoosetheirwinners.
Ondeliberationday,allowupto3hoursforjudgingandproviderefreshmentsandsnacks.
Noarmwrestlingnecessary.Thecontestcoordinatorcanserveasa“shadow”or“tiebreaker”
judgeduringdeliberation.Selectatop10ofyourowntobetakenoutintheeventthatthe
guestjudgesreachstalemate.However,beclearthatthejudgeshaveultimatesayandveto
power.That’swhattheysignedupfor!
3.6ContestPrizes
PrizeswilldependonyourLibrary’sbudgetand,potentially,howmanycategoriesyourun.In2015,
PRPLranbothanAdultandaTeencategorywithfirst,secondandthirdplaceprizesineachcategory
totalling$100.Thevalueofeachprizewasscaledaccordingtoplacement,withfirstplacereceivinga
$50valueprize,secondplace$30,andthirdplace$20.Allprizescameintheformofgiftcertificates
fromlocalbusinesses.
3.7ProgrammingideasandAwardsCeremony
WORKSHOPS
Onewayyoucanguaranteethatstoriesgetwrittenandenteredintoyourcontestistoofferworkshops.
Aworkshopcanbeaplatformforintroducingmicrofictionandwhereitfitsintheshortstoryspectrum,
aplacetoofferexamplesanddissectwhatmakesthemwork,orawaytotweakimaginationsbysharing
creativecontentsuchasvintagephotographsthatcanbeusedasstorystarters.SeeAppendixH:Tiny
StoriesPowerPointWorkshopforasample.Notethatslides9through34inthepresentationareall
imagestakenfrom“TheCommons”onFlickrandareintendedtoprovidesomegristforparticipants
whomightnothaveanideatobeginwith.WhenIofferthisworkshop,Ipresentthefirst8slidesatmy
ownpace.Oncewemoveintothewritingsegment,Ilettheslideshowcyclethroughandrepeatwhile
everyonewrites.
READINGANDAWARDSCEREMONY
Ifyouhavetheresourcesandthetimetohostareadingandawardsceremonyattheendofthecontest,
thechecklistbelowshouldhelp.Inmyexperience,thereadingisasimportantifnotmoreimportant
thantheactualcontest.It’swherestoriesgetshared,bringingtogetheracommunityofreadersaswell
aswritersofmicrofiction.Ithelpsbuildperformanceconfidenceinparticipants,andoftenturns
audiencemembersintofuturewritersoftinystories.
• Leaveatleastaweekbetweentheendofjudgingandthereadingtopreparefortheevent.
• Inviteeveryonetoread!Itdoesn’tmatterifthey’reawinner,arunneruporonthelonglist.
Thestoriesareshort,sobeinclusiveandfilltheeveningwithasmanyasyoucan!
• Sendthatreminderemailyoupromisedentrantswhenyoureceivedtheirsubmissions.
AppendixE:EmailTemplatescontainsasample.Thisemail:
1. Remindspotentialreadersofthedate,thetimeandthelocationofthereading.
2. RequeststheyRSVPiftheyaregoingtoread(soyoucancreatealineup).
3. Tellsthemtoshowupatleast15minutesbeforethereadingstartsandcheckinatthe
door.
4. Sayswhattoexpect-thestructureoftheevening(thishelpsnervousreaders!).
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•
•
•
•
5. Invitesparticipantstoreadanynumberofthestoriestheyentered(1-3),aswellas
commentontheprocessofwritingatinystory.
6. Asksforpermissiontodisplaystories.
7. Friends,familyandfansoftinystoriesallwelcome!
Anywinnersnotpresentatthereadingarenotifiedaftertheevent.
Scheduleanannouncementofwinnersandshortlistedstoriestogouponyourwebsiteandout
onsocialmediarightafterthereading.
Print&DisplaystoriesaroundtheroomorturnthemintoaPowerPointprojectionsothat
peoplecanmingleandreadstoriestothemselvesbeforethereadingandduringthe
intermission(ifyouhaveone).
Doorprizes!forpeoplewhoincorporatea“tiny”elementintotheiroutfit.Thisaddsanother
layeroffunandentertainmenttotheevening.
HeyMC!Museabit,thenletthereadersshine!Thereadingwilllookafteritself.Forthesakeofbuilding
excitementandambitioninparticipantswhoalmostplaceinthewinningthree,Irecommend
announcingthetopteninreverseorder,endingwiththeprizewinners.
RECOGNITIONBYPUBLICATION
Ifhostingareadingandawardsceremonyistootime-intensive,anotherwaytohonourwinningstories
istopublishthemonyourwebsiteor,evenbetter,inalocalpublicationsuchasanewspaper,journalor
magazine.Thissecondoptionrequiresthatyouapproachlocalmedia/publishersinadvanceandseeka
partnership.Seet
3.8Local/RegionalPartners
•
•
•
•
IfyourunaTeencategoryinyourcontest,considerpartneringwithanEnglishdepartmentor
teachersinyourlocalhighschool(s).Akeenteachercanmakeallthedifferencetohowmany
entriesyoureceive.Tip:havetheteachercompilealistofstudentnameswithtitlesofentriesto
makesortingeasier.
Letyourlocalwritersgroupsknowaboutthecontestandencouragethemtouseitasan
exerciseorwritingchallenge.
Partnerwithalocalnewspaperormagazinetohavethewinningstoriespublishedafterthe
contestcloses.PowellRiverLivingpublishedPRPL’sTinyStoryContestwinnersin2015.
Inviteyourlocalradiostationtoattendorevencaptureaudioatthereadingandawards
ceremony.AprogrammeratCJMPCommunityRadioairedseveraltinystoriesonhisshowafter
hearingthemattheTinyStoriesReading.
3.9EvaluationOptions
Thinkabouthowyouwillevaluateboththequantifiableandtheephemeralaspectsofthecontest.
Quantifiableaspectsinclude:
• Numberofentrants/entries.
• Numberofpeopleinattendanceatrelatedprogramssuchasworkshopsoreventssuchasthe
reading/awardsceremony.
9
Numberofspin-offactivitiesthathappeninthecommunityorlibraryasaresultofthecontest.
ExamplesincludetheMemoirWritingforSeniorsgroupthattookonPRPL’scontestasawriting
challengetwoyearsinarow,orthefourhighschoolclassroomsthatIpresentedtoin2015.
Ephemeralaspectsinclude:
• Howdidpeoplehearabouttheevent?Whodidyoureachorengagethroughthiscontest?
• Successstories(forexample,howdidyoushareyourstories?Whatdidindividualstellyou
abouttheirexperience?)
• Didthiscontestencouragesomeonetostartwritingorkeepwriting?
• IfyouranaTeencategorywhatdidthestudentsandteacherssayabouttheexperienceof
writingmicrofiction?Didtheylearnanythingfromtheprocess?
Keeptrackofyournumbersandwritedownwhatpeoplesayandpleasesendsomeofthehighlights
[email protected]:[email protected]’llusethemforourown
evaluationandapplicationstofundthecontestinthefuture.
•
10
4.0Resources
BelowareahandfulofInternetresourcesthatmaycomeinhandyintheprocessofrunningyour
contest:
ThewebsiteofLouBeach–Thebestplacetofindoutmoreaboutthebookthatinspiredthe420
CharactersTinyStoryContestandthemanwhowroteit.
http://www.loubeach.com
Storiesinyourpocket:howtowriteflashfiction–AsuccinctarticleontheformbyDavidGaffney.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/may/14/how-to-write-flash-fiction?INTCMP=SRCH
TheArtofMicrofiction–acolumnonLitReactorthatcontainsanicesummaryofwhatmicrofictionis
andwhyit’sofinteresttobothreadersandwriters.
https://litreactor.com/columns/the-art-of-microfiction
Plus,TheCommonsonflickrisagreatplacetofindimageryforstorystartersorads.ThekeygoalofThe
Commonsistosharehiddentreasuresfromtheworld'spublicphotographyarchives.You’llneedtosign
upforaflickraccounttoaccessit.
11
AppendixA:ContestGuidelines
Deadline
Thedeadlineforthe420Characterstinystorycontestis(DATEHERE).
Guidelines
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Entrantsmaysubmituptothreetinystories.
Eachstorymustbe420charactersorfewer—includingspacesandpunctuation.Hint:Usethe
“WordCount”functioninMicrosoftWordtofindoutyourcharactercount.
Donotcountyourtitleinyourcharactercount.
Pleaseindicatecharactercountforeachstoryyousubmit.
Ifenteringmorethanonce,submitallentriesasseparateattachmentstoasingleemail.
Entrants’anonymityispreservedthroughoutthejudging.Contactinformation(includingan
emailaddress)mustnotappearontheattachedentry(ies),butshouldappearinthebodyofthe
emailalongwithatitle(ortitlesinthecaseofmultipleentries)andcharactercount.
Thisisacommunitycontest:onlyresidentsof(YOURLIBRARYREGION)mayenter.
Youthentrantsmustbestudentsgrades10-12undertheageof19.IfenteringintheYouth
category,pleasestateyourgradeorageonyoursubmission.
Entriesalreadypublished,accepted,orsubmittedelsewhereareineligible.
Noentrieswillbereturned.
Winnersandrunnersupwillbeannouncedandprizeswillbeawardedatareadingon(DATE
ANDTIME)at(LOCATION).Entrantsunabletoattendthereadingwillnotbenotifiedofthe
resultsunlesstheyhaveplacedinthetop3.
Winningstoriesandwinningauthors’nameswillappearontheLibrary’swebsiteandFacebook
pagefollowingthereading.
EnterbyEmail
•
•
•
•
[email protected]
Thesubjectlinemustcontainyourfullnameand420Characters.e.g.,"JohnSmith,420
Characters.”
Pleasealsosubmitthefollowinginformationinyouremailorfilloutandattachtheprovided
“EntryForm”:
o Yourfullname
o Title(s)ofentry(ies)
o Charactercountforentry(ies)
Acceptablefileformats:Word(.docand.docx)orpdf
THEFINEPRINT:PowellRiverPublicLibrarytakesnon-exclusiveelectronicrightstopostthetextat
powellriveribrary.caandinLibrary-relatedpresentationsandpublications.Allotherrightsremainwith
theauthor.ThiscontestisopentoallentrantsexceptLibrarystaff,contractemployees,boardmembers
andexecutives.Peopleinthesecategoriesmayparticipatebutwillnotqualifytowin.Questions?Call
contestcoordinatorSoniaZagwynat604-485-8663
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AppendixB:EntryForm
Pleasefillinthisformandemailitasanattachmentalongwithyourentriesto:[email protected]
FullName:
Title(s)andCharacterCount:
(ie.“TheBoat”370characters)
1.
2.
3.
13
AppendixC:CallForEntries
Canyoupackvividdescriptions,originalcharactersandsurprisingplottwistsintoanarrativesmall
enoughtofitinastatusupdate?Wewanttoreadyourtinystories!
Here'sthedeal:
RULES
1)Thestorymustbe420charactersorfewer-includingspacesandpunctuation
2)Uptothreeentriesperauthor
3)Beforeentering,readourContestGuidelinesatpowellriverlibrary.ca
WITHGUESTJUDGES
(Judge1)&(Judge2)
DEADLINE:OCTOBER31,2016
ADULTPRIZES
1st:$50giftcardfor
2nd:$30giftcardfor
3rd:$20giftcard
YOUTHPRIZES
1st:$50giftcardfor
2nd:$30giftcardfor
3rd:Threeteenpassesfor
Sendentries&queriesbyemailto:[email protected]
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AppendixD:PressRelease
Contact:S.Zagwyn,TeenServicesCoordinator
Tel:604-485-8663
Email:[email protected]
FORIMMEDIATERELEASE
August13,2013
LibraryLaunches420CharactersTinyStoryContest
Ifyou’veseenthepostersaroundtownannouncingtheLibrary’s420CharactersTinyStoryContest,you
mighthavewondered:what’satinystory?Why420characters?Inanutshell,literally,420character
storiesaretinynarratives,approximatelyoneparagraphlong,inwhicheveryletter,spaceand
punctuationmarkgetscounted.Thefirst420characterstorieswerewrittenbyauthorLouBeachas
statusupdatesonabigsocialnetworkingsite.Thesestorieswerecollectedandpublishedinabook
called420Characters,thenamesakeandinspirationfortheLibrary’scontest.Sonowyouknowwhat
420characterstoriesareandwheretheyoriginated.StillwonderingwhytheLibrarywantsyoutowrite
one?
Givenitstraditionalroleasthego-toplaceforlonger,morecontemplativeliteraryforms,thesocial
mediaconnectionmightseemalittleodd,admitscontestcoordinatorSoniaZagwyn.Whatinspiredthe
Librarytocreateawritingcontestthatencouragesitsparticipantstocounttheircharactersandmind
theirspaces?“It’sabitsubversive,”saysZagwyn.“It’sawaytochallengethestatusquoofthestatus
update,toinjectsomeimaginationandnarrativeingenuityintoaformthatwascreatedasaresultof
therestrictionsimposedbyvarioustypesofsocialmedia.We’reappropriatingthatformanddaring
participantstodreambiginasmallspace.”
Althoughyou’dbehard-pressedtofinda1-pagebookintheLibrary,Zagwynpointsoutthatthereare
numerousbooksintheLibrarycomposedofliteraryshortforms—fromcollectionsofpoetryandshort
storiestopicturebooksandmagazineblurbs.“Itsoundscounter-intuitive,butformalrestrictionscan
actuallybequitefreeing,”saysZagwyn.“Insteadoflookingatablankpageandbeingoverwhelmedby
infinitechoices,thewriterwhostartswithsomeboundariesisfreetodirectagreateramountofenergy
intospecificthingslikewordchoice,inventingtheperfectmetaphor,orfindingadetailthatreallysings.
I’mexcitedtoseewhatpeoplecomeupwith.”
TheLibrary’scontestrunsuntilSeptember30withguestjudgesselectedfromlocalliteratiand“prizes
worthwritingyourgutsoutfor.”FirstplaceentrywinsaKobotoucheReader,seconda$50certificateto
Breakwaterbooks,andthird$25worthofbakedgoodnessfromMannafromHeaven.Formoredetails
ortoreadexamplesof420characterstories,gototheLibrary’swebsite:powellriverlibrary.ca.
Ifyouwouldlikemoreinformationaboutthistopic,ortoscheduleaninterview,pleasecall604-485-8663
[email protected].
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AppendixE:EmailTemplates
1stEMAIL–ENTRYRECEIVED
Hi,(NAMEOFENTRANT),
Thisemailistoconfirmthatwereceivedyourentryforthe420CharactersTinyStoryContest.Thanks
forparticipating!Winnersandrunnersupwillbeannouncedandprizesawardedatareadingon(DATE
ANDTIME)at(LOCATION).Allparticipantsareinvitedtoread,somarkyourcalendar!We’llsenda
reminderemailwithmoredetailsaweekbeforethereading.
Writeon!
2ndEMAIL–READINGREMINDER
GreetingsTinyStoryEntrants:
The2016TinyStoryReadingwilltakeplaceon(DATEANDTIME)at(LOCATION)andyou’reinvited!If
you’dliketoreadyourtinystoryorstories,pleaseRSVPtothisaddressby(DATE).
Herearethedetails:
Friends,familyandfansoftinystoriesareallwelcome!Thereisnodoorcharge.Contestwinnersand
runnersupwillbeannounced,prizeswillbeawarded,andstorieswillbeondisplayforalltoread.Ifyou
don’twantyourstoryondisplaypleaseinformmebytheabovementioneddate.Plus,ifyouadda
tinyelementtoyouroutfit(miniaturebowtie,petitehat,teensytrousers)you'llbeenteredtowina
doorprize.
Afewnotesforthoseofyouwhowillbereading:
1. Allreadersshouldshowupatleast15minutespriortothereadingandcheckinatthedoor.
2. Storieswillbereadbeforeandafterabriefintermission,withprizesawardedattheend.
Readingorderwillbedeterminedrandomly,unlessyougiveadvancenoticethatyouneedto
arrivelateorleaveearly.I’lltellyouyourplaceinthereadingline-upwhenyouarrive.During
thereading,I’llcallyouuptothestagebyname.
3. Youmayreadanyorallofyourentriestothetinystorycontest(thatmeans1-3tinystories).
Pleasebringprintedcopiesofyourownstoriestoreadfrom.Ifyoufeelspontaneouslyinspired
tosaysomethingaboutthejoysorchallengesofwritingatinystory...doit!
Formoredetails,seetheattachedposter.
Seeyouthere!
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AppendixF:OptionalJudgingCriteria
DearJudges,
Iimagineeachofyouwillinstinctivelyusemanyofthesecriteria,orvariationsthereof,whenchoosing
yourshortlist.Yourtoptenpickswillprobablyconsistofstoriesthatstickwithyouinsomeway—gouge
atyoursoulortickleyourfunnybone—withoutjarringtransitionsorflat-footedlanguage.Thelistbelow
ismeanttohelpyouonceyou’redowntothatfinallistandneedtodistinguishtheprettygoodfromthe
trulyawesomepieces.Everyoneofthesecriteriadonothavetoexistinthestoriesthatyouchoosefor
yourshortlistandyou’rewelcometoadvocateforastorythatdoesn’tchecktheseboxesbutsucceeds
inyouropinioninotherways.Youmightwanttoscoreyourshortlistedstoriesfrom1-5ineachofthese
categoriesinthefinaldiscussionandthentallyandaveragethenumbers.I’mopentoanysystemthat
worksforyou.So,inanyorder...
Doesthestory:
• Makeartfuluseoflanguageandwordchoice?
• Actuallytellastory?(Aretherehintsofconflict/character/setting/plotthatleadyoutoa
conclusion/revelation?)
• Haveasurprisingtwistorevoke/suggestagreaterstorybeyondtheactualtext?
• Containmemorablecharacters(or,byextension,voices)?
• Containevocativedescriptionthatavoidscliché?
• Showconsiderationforstructureandsentencevariation(Rhythm)?
Happyreading!
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AppendixG:SampleJudgingSheet
Scoreyourtop10storiesfrom1-5ineachcategory.
Titleor
Artful
Twistor Memorable
Story#
Language
Tellsa Story
Character&
&Word
Story? Beyond Voice?
Choice?
Story?
Description Considered Tally
Avoids
Structure&
Cliché?
Sentences?
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AppendixH:TinyStoriesPowerPointWorkshop
Seeaccompanyingfile:“AppendixH-TinyStoriesWorkshop.pptx”
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