I put the same thing in two out of the three spaces. Is that a a problem?

 

Nope, thats all taken into account.

 

Can you apply to be a judge, then opt out for a session of you are presenting an entry.

 

Wait, you can vote for a theme more than once?

 

Albus, volunteering to be a judge would be for the next cycle. We'll take a bout of volunteers for each cycle. You're welcome to volunteer repeatedly, and also to choose to not do so if you want to make an entry.

 

In the sense that we will be extremely displeased if you, or anyone else, does so. In that sense, yes.

Mordecai did already say that it was an honour system only so long as it goes without abuse.

Doing it this way allows for it be discrete and for many more options to be available.

 

So, if it's one of the three I selected I might crank out an old idea I had, because it would loosely fit into any of the three. Probably a couple of others too.

That said, are people going to be marked badly if it doesn't conform enough to the explicit topic? Say, the main character is someone other than Harry, but it's not the 'Alternate Main Character' topic?

Just want this cleared up before I attempt to put my fanfic hat back on.

 

GL: so long as the topic doesn't specify a character, you won't be marked down for the use of any main character, whether it is Harry or not. You can run with whatever main character you want, so long as the entry is in line with the theme.

 

Sorry dude, I wasn't clear, I didn't necessarily mean that one specifically. Hunger Games & Dystopia could mix, for example, while technically being submitted within the Contraband / Organised Crime month, if you wrote adventurously. You might feature a cracking Harry/Fleur romance in any of the other categories.

But not to worry. Whichever fits best, I suppose. I think, tail twixt legs, I shall attempt to revive the TGYH thread while waiting for the results - the wavelength I'm on for this seems slightly more inchoate than usual.

 

Ladies, gentlemen and Vash...

This is to let you know that the poll will officially close in 1 hour, meaning 9 pm GMT, and that if you have not voted for your topics now is the time to do so.

 

Last chance guys, go get your vote in!

 

Themes for Dec 2012 and Feb 2013 DLP Writing Contest

Queue drum roll.

The poll results are as follows:

First Place: "Dystopian or Apocalyptic World"
​

Second Place: "The Hogwarts Hunger Games"
​

This means that our theme for this contest is "Dystopian or Apocalyptic World." The theme for the next contest, February 2013, is "The Hogwarts Hunger Games".

Important Note: The Hogwarts Hunger Games theme does by no means have to be a crossover. You may interpret it, and any other theme, as you wish so long as that interpretation is sensible and made clear to the judges via your writing.

December Contest Deadline: Entries must be submitted by no later than 31st January 2013. No entries submitted later than that will be accepted. You have been warned.

Good luck, and may the judges be ever critical of your writing.

EDIT: For the curious ...

1. Dystopian or Apocalyptic World
2. The Hogwarts Hunger Games
3. Anti-hero
4. Professor Potter
5. Contraband and organised crime in the wizarding world
6. Harry/Fleur
7. Harry expelled at the start of OotP
8. Dimension-hopper
9. Criminal/Detective/Auror, Harry or Dumbledore
10. Mirror Universe of the HP World
11. Dark!Dumbledore
12. Post-Hogwarts Globe Trotting
13. Conspiracist!Harry
14. Cold War
15. Student Army
16. Alternative Main Character
17. Sci-fi
18. Wizarding America

 

Sweet. Got a pretty cool idea for this that I can write over Christmas.

 

I'll probably catch some shit from the couple of loyal readers I have for starting yet another story, but I'm so in for Apocalyptic World.

And for Hunger Games, too. Dammit.

Excellent choices, DLP. And congratulations to the organizers on bringing back this contest. We always talk of doing good shit here at DLP, but few times is the actual legwork done to make it happen. Cheers!

 

Well, the ones I voted for finished in the middle of the pack, but I'm excited anyway.

One idea for the next voting round: extra fields for downvoting themes. Ludum Dare sort of does this...they actually let everybody give each theme +1, 0, or -1, but I don't know if you receive enough votes for that to work.

 

12, 13, 16. damn. Anyways, not even sure on Apocalyptic... that IS different from Post Apocalyptic... right? not very up on my end of days type stuff.

 

My ones were all in the bottom half..

 

Hmmm, so in theory you could write a hunger games story twice as it is a dystopian society

 

There are many settings in which dystopian would fit. We might see a decent number of crossovers in this competition, actually.

 

Gambit: For this theme you could write post-apocalyptic if you wanted, but you could also write the apocalypse yourself. Whatever you wanted. So long as it works.

Thyestean, in theory you could, yes. But since you know the second cycles topic is Hogwarts Hunger Games, you might as well try something else for the first cycle.