Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest: Dragon Age Style
I was going through some funny stuff in my journal and came across a mention of the Bulwer-Lytton Contest. Essentially, this contest is to write the worst opening sentence of a novel possible. It's based on English novelist and playwright Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, who was the author of the much-quoted first line "It was a dark and stormy night".
I figured it would be a fun exercise to adapt it to Dragon Age.
Official Rules are similar to the actual contest rules.
1) Each entry must consist of a single sentence but you may submit as many entries as you wish.
2) Sentences may be of any length BUT WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT ENTRIES NOT GO BEYOND 50 OR 60 WORDS, and entries must be "original" (as it were) and previously unpublished.
3) Entries will be Judged in various categories on March 7th.
Optional Rule:
4) To tie it in to the release of DA2, your story is set either between Awakenings and II, or is the opening sentence for Dragon Age II, a-la Duncan's opening monologue for Origins.
Categories
"The Dark and Stormy"- Any beginning sentence that insists on dramatically setting the scene by reinforcing the story's immediate environment.
"The Mighty Pen"- Any sentence that begins the story with incredible impact or direct action.
"The Great Unwashed"- Any sentence that has been deliberately laden with grammatical or typographical errors.
and "The Almighty Dollar"- A sentence that very well could have been published by Victorian standards, but is now considered unbearably cliche or wrought with antiquated technical error.
And finally, "Sten Disapproves -9" category. Any submission that intentionally exceeds the word count limit by a mile.
I figured it would be a fun exercise to adapt it to Dragon Age.
Official Rules are similar to the actual contest rules.
1) Each entry must consist of a single sentence but you may submit as many entries as you wish.
2) Sentences may be of any length BUT WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT ENTRIES NOT GO BEYOND 50 OR 60 WORDS, and entries must be "original" (as it were) and previously unpublished.
3) Entries will be Judged in various categories on March 7th.
Optional Rule:
4) To tie it in to the release of DA2, your story is set either between Awakenings and II, or is the opening sentence for Dragon Age II, a-la Duncan's opening monologue for Origins.
Categories
"The Dark and Stormy"- Any beginning sentence that insists on dramatically setting the scene by reinforcing the story's immediate environment.
"The Mighty Pen"- Any sentence that begins the story with incredible impact or direct action.
"The Great Unwashed"- Any sentence that has been deliberately laden with grammatical or typographical errors.
and "The Almighty Dollar"- A sentence that very well could have been published by Victorian standards, but is now considered unbearably cliche or wrought with antiquated technical error.
And finally, "Sten Disapproves -9" category. Any submission that intentionally exceeds the word count limit by a mile.