December 2007 Topics

The INKsters Celebrate December (with a spicy typewriter)

Come Join Us!

The contest rules and submission requirements are on the bottom of the notecard. Please read them to prevent driving me crazy.

MOST IMPORTANT THING OF ALL: Please hit SEARCH on the bottom of your screen, select the "Groups" tab, and join the INKsters. This is how we communicate and we're positively indulgent with telling you about literary events we like.

This month we're going to be wandering through our real lives with Christmas music being piped into our ears everywhere we go. As writers, we question the value of each word being brought forth into existence, and we're going to have a little fun with a few of the songs we know (and love?).

Each day in December, you have a song title. You can write a MAXIMUM of 500 words on a theme related to the song title. You can make a funny parody of the song, you can write a poem in praise of the writer of the song, you can tell the story of how your mother played that song every year on her reel-to-reel tape, you can research Killarney and write of its Celtic ancestry, or you can go in any direction your mind will take you. Don't forget we're living a second life here, so concepts that bring our favorite metaverse into the picture are always encouraged. If you're Muslim, or Jewish, or Wiccan, we know you're sitting on years of angst over Frosty the Snowman and now is the time to let it out. Be funny, be poignant, be sexy, be Second.

Make Second Life your nightly stop to cut and paste before going to bed. A half hour a day is all we ask.

Here are your daily topics:

Saturday, December 01, 2007: All I Want For Christmas Is…
Sunday, December 02, 2007: Blue Christmas
Monday, December 03, 2007: Christmas For Cowboys
Tuesday, December 04, 2007: Christmas In Killarney
Wednesday, December 05, 2007: Deck the Halls
Thursday, December 06, 2007: First Christmas
Friday, December 07, 2007: Frosty the Snow Man
Saturday, December 08, 2007: Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer
Sunday, December 09, 2007: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Monday, December 10, 2007: Here Comes Santa Claus
Tuesday, December 11, 2007: Holly Jolly Christmas
Wednesday, December 12, 2007: I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
Thursday, December 13, 2007: I'll Be Home For Christmas
Friday, December 14, 2007: It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Saturday, December 15, 2007: Jingle Bells
Sunday, December 16, 2007: Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
Monday, December 17, 2007: Let It Snow!
Tuesday, December 18, 2007: Mary, Did You Know?
Wednesday, December 19, 2007: Christmas Tree
Thursday, December 20, 2007: Rocking Around the Christmas Tree
Friday, December 21, 2007: Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
Saturday, December 22, 2007: Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Sunday, December 23, 2007: Silver Bells
Monday, December 24, 2007: Tennessee Christmas
Tuesday, December 25, 2007: The Christmas Song
Wednesday, December 26, 2007: The Little Drummer Boy
Thursday, December 27, 2007: The Night Before Christmas
Friday, December 28, 2007: The Twelve Days of Christmas
Saturday, December 29, 2007: Up On the Housetop
Sunday, December 30, 2007: We Wish You A Merry Christmas
Monday, December 31, 2007: White Christmas

HOW TO ENTER:

1. From your Inventory, select the Create menu and then begin a New Note. Write your entry onto the notecard (or Control-V to paste it onto the card from your word processor). Your entry should have your name at the bottom. Rename the description on the notecard to be the same as the competition name and date. Save your notecard in your inventory and you MUST rename the notecard with your name first, then the title of the competition, then the due date.

2. Next, from your saved notecard in your inventory you MUST right-click on the notecard select Properties. Make sure the toggle boxes at the bottom are checked to allow future owners to modify, copy, AND give/transfer. I must have full permissions from you to place the notecard in our anthologies.

3. Teleport to the INKsters Headquarters:

(SLurl located on right column of the page)

and drag and drop your finished notecard into our mailbox. Then send me an IM to let me know you've completed your entry. If you have any technical difficulties, please let me know and I will help you.

AND NOW FOR THE RULES:

1. You have until 11:59 p.m. Second Life time on each day to write one entry in English related to the topic. I reserve the right in my sole discretion to grant a wee bit of wiggle room when necessary for late entries (but don't count on it bub!).

2. Your entry must be no more than 500 words. If it's a little over, I won't disqualify you; if it's a lot over, I will.

3. An illustration, photo or texture usable in Second Life to accompany the story is strongly encouraged, but not required. Please drop your illustration onto your notecard (make sure the properties are set to full permissions).

PRIZES:

I award L$25 to the best entry as judged by me (ItsNaughtKnotty Cannned) after consultation with my secret inner circle or smart people who live in real life. If I decide none of the entries are a winner, I reserve the right not to award a prize on a given day. I also reserve the right to award more than one prize if I have ants in my pants.

I am occasionally asked, "What are you looking for?" Short answer: Quality writing. I don't care if it's poetry, prose, fiction, essays, journalism, or alleged non-fiction. If your writing is the best today, you'll win. Please take the topics as starting points only. They're designed to expand your mind and suggest a possible direction for you today, rather than being a specific task for you to complete. Please think divergently and create something beautiful, funny, poignant, interesting or informative. Also, please note the vagaries of competition: Sometimes your most beautiful work ever is overlooked by the judges, and sometimes a total piece of poop wins, and those of us who've been writers for a long time are so used to this we don't even notice it anymore. We hope you understand completing and submitting your writing makes you a champion, and the judging and competition portion of our group is a motivational tactic to help you AND us AND me get off our collective keisters and create something beautiful from nothingness.

PROCEDURAL MUMBO JUMBO:

I publish the writing prompts monthly. William Shakespeare in the INKsters Headquarters will always know what's what. Touch him, like he's touched you.

There is no fee to compete. All times are Second Life time. By entering, you grant me the permanent right to use your story in our Second Life anthologies and on our blog related to Second Life on the internet. http://slinksters.blogspot.com/

You retain all other rights. I encourage you to submit your writing to other people and places in the real world and in Second Life.