MORE DETAILS
purple heavens • a writing contest >> REVAMPING -- COMING SOON
QUESTIONS ANSWERED
NOT REALLY A FAQ CAUSE THE CONTEST'S NEW AND NO QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN ASKED YET,
WHICH MEANS THE 'QUESTIONS' ARE MY OWN SO I'M PRETTY MUCH ANSWERING MYSELF...
WHICH MEANS THE 'QUESTIONS' ARE MY OWN SO I'M PRETTY MUCH ANSWERING MYSELF...
sections
This refers to the main contest. Purple Heavens offers 6 different SECTIONS where you can either coincidentally match a past or ongoing fanfiction to a SECTION - provided that it was first published no earlier than 2017 (rule two)-, or start anew.
You have a year and one month to write the story (less, if you discover this contest later). Deadline extensions will not be granted (rule eleven). Unlimited entries permitted (rule four).
The requirement is simple. You can submit any entry to a SECTION as long as you know you can answer what I ask in the respective SECTION. When you read through the SECTIONS, or if you have already, you will know what I mean. It's similar to me, as the host of Purple Heavens, supplying the plot for a story and you, the author and entrant, bringing it to life. However, instead of restricting it to just a plot, I am merely giving you a concept, a theme, a topic if you will, to ponder, write, and successfully entice me into considering your entry as the SECTION's winner. These are ideas that your story need to incorporate to successfully participate in the SECTION, and go on to judging, or else I will have to unfortunately disqualify your entry. That being said, you are free to narrate any storyline you wish, just remember to adapt it to your chosen SECTION. You are always welcome to ask questions if you aren't sure of anything.
As demanding as the SECTIONS come about, I do essentially want your characters to feature a korean idol/s, which you are free to choose whoever you'd like. On this note, please shape the chosen idols to what suits your story, and not how they appear to us on screen.
The SECTIONS identify ideas, but they do not identify genres. This shall be the last time I clarify the difference. This contest isn't for the 'best fantasy story', nor the 'best thriller story' (PSSSSSS THRILLER AIN'T MY CUP OF TEA YA'LL [psychological thriller is an exception]). I simply want authors to represent the 6 notions I have dancing around in my head, and I don't care if you choose to investigate them romantically, or mix it up with detective and a bit of psychological fiction. As long as I am able to coherently pinpoint your unique interpretation of my given conceptions, I am satiated.
You have a year and one month to write the story (less, if you discover this contest later). Deadline extensions will not be granted (rule eleven). Unlimited entries permitted (rule four).
The requirement is simple. You can submit any entry to a SECTION as long as you know you can answer what I ask in the respective SECTION. When you read through the SECTIONS, or if you have already, you will know what I mean. It's similar to me, as the host of Purple Heavens, supplying the plot for a story and you, the author and entrant, bringing it to life. However, instead of restricting it to just a plot, I am merely giving you a concept, a theme, a topic if you will, to ponder, write, and successfully entice me into considering your entry as the SECTION's winner. These are ideas that your story need to incorporate to successfully participate in the SECTION, and go on to judging, or else I will have to unfortunately disqualify your entry. That being said, you are free to narrate any storyline you wish, just remember to adapt it to your chosen SECTION. You are always welcome to ask questions if you aren't sure of anything.
As demanding as the SECTIONS come about, I do essentially want your characters to feature a korean idol/s, which you are free to choose whoever you'd like. On this note, please shape the chosen idols to what suits your story, and not how they appear to us on screen.
The SECTIONS identify ideas, but they do not identify genres. This shall be the last time I clarify the difference. This contest isn't for the 'best fantasy story', nor the 'best thriller story' (PSSSSSS THRILLER AIN'T MY CUP OF TEA YA'LL [psychological thriller is an exception]). I simply want authors to represent the 6 notions I have dancing around in my head, and I don't care if you choose to investigate them romantically, or mix it up with detective and a bit of psychological fiction. As long as I am able to coherently pinpoint your unique interpretation of my given conceptions, I am satiated.
rounds
As stated in the Foreword, ROUNDS arrive when I have time to regulate more entries on top of the main contest, and read them all after the 3-month period of accepting submissions. ROUNDS encompass a single idea, prompts are provided, and most importantly, there is one requirement all entries must meet in order to successfully participate in a ROUND. The requirement doesn't so much ask you to explore a concentrated idea, like the SECTIONS, but they do narrow your inspiration scope, albeit I won't be too harsh. I will make the requirement very clear in the ROUND chapter, but for starters, you can check one out in the first ROUND. The requirement will be different every ROUND, so don't just assume the next one will be the same as the previous one.
Information on a new ROUND will be posted as a chapter, in between entries, and all details will be unveiled in one go. This means that when the chapter for a new ROUND is up, that signals the opening of the ROUND. The contest entry form will be updated with the ROUND option, so if you're interested in participating in the ROUND, simply visit the form (I link this everywhere lmao).
The only clue you get for an upcoming ROUND prior to its official opening will be the title of the ROUND which I reveal on the main page. I keep them vague, but you can get some ideas and perhaps even guess what I will be looking for in the ROUND, but most importantly, you should be keeping an eye on the dates, so you can start planning and writing from Day 1.
3 months isn't a long time. In my opinion, it's barely enough to write a chaptered story, hence why I limit the submissions to 10 chapters or under (rule ten). I leave the word count/s to you. One-shots against 10 chapters would have a distinct difference in content, quantity-wise, but do what suits you best. You're the composer, and the stories are yours.
Different to SECTIONS, entries for ROUNDS will not be receiving a grade upon completion before the deadline simply because time is too restricted. Even if you manage to complete your story way before the deadline, I probably wouldn't be able to finish reading and decide on a grade before the ROUND closes, where I would need to start reading anyway. When announcing winners, I will be adding a sentence or two about what made the entry stand out to me, and how it's worth the prize.
In case you missed it in Prizes, 10KP per entry will be added on to the 100KP base to encourage more submissions. Each ROUND is not subjected to one winner; the number will differ and be revealed in the published chapter. Winners will not be sharing the 100+KP, but each be entitled to the whole amount. If an entry is co-authored, however, then the KP will be split.
I would like to keep rules strict, so please please please make sure you can finish the story before the deadline comes. I am a big character on fairness, so no one will be given second chances when everyone else played thinking they only had one. I hope you can all understand.
Information on a new ROUND will be posted as a chapter, in between entries, and all details will be unveiled in one go. This means that when the chapter for a new ROUND is up, that signals the opening of the ROUND. The contest entry form will be updated with the ROUND option, so if you're interested in participating in the ROUND, simply visit the form (I link this everywhere lmao).
The only clue you get for an upcoming ROUND prior to its official opening will be the title of the ROUND which I reveal on the main page. I keep them vague, but you can get some ideas and perhaps even guess what I will be looking for in the ROUND, but most importantly, you should be keeping an eye on the dates, so you can start planning and writing from Day 1.
3 months isn't a long time. In my opinion, it's barely enough to write a chaptered story, hence why I limit the submissions to 10 chapters or under (rule ten). I leave the word count/s to you. One-shots against 10 chapters would have a distinct difference in content, quantity-wise, but do what suits you best. You're the composer, and the stories are yours.
Different to SECTIONS, entries for ROUNDS will not be receiving a grade upon completion before the deadline simply because time is too restricted. Even if you manage to complete your story way before the deadline, I probably wouldn't be able to finish reading and decide on a grade before the ROUND closes, where I would need to start reading anyway. When announcing winners, I will be adding a sentence or two about what made the entry stand out to me, and how it's worth the prize.
In case you missed it in Prizes, 10KP per entry will be added on to the 100KP base to encourage more submissions. Each ROUND is not subjected to one winner; the number will differ and be revealed in the published chapter. Winners will not be sharing the 100+KP, but each be entitled to the whole amount. If an entry is co-authored, however, then the KP will be split.
I would like to keep rules strict, so please please please make sure you can finish the story before the deadline comes. I am a big character on fairness, so no one will be given second chances when everyone else played thinking they only had one. I hope you can all understand.
judging
For SECTIONS' entries, there are grades A, B, C, D, E.
A is the highest your entry can score, E the lowest. If you receive two grades, for example, C/D, it means your entry is in between the two; not entirely a D but not hitting the complete C grade. Grades may be given before the deadline if the story is completed, given that you comment you have finished your submission, or if it is entered as a completed story, stated in the form.
All entries graded A-C will qualify for judging, (excluding C/D and below) and in turn compete for the prizes. This is to say that if an entry has been scored a D or E grade, they will not be considered in the final round of judging, and so most completed entries before the deadline will know if they are still contesting for prizes (once I have read and graded them). This may come across harsh to authors, but it is a system I am implementing, so if you prefer not to see your grade at all, there will be an option for you to let me know on the form. All decisions are respected, and will not be judged (OH SNAP).
I need to make it clear that graded A entries cannot be immediately assumed they will win over graded B or C entries. All graded A-C submissions will be read twice, and this delivers many benefits. First, as professional of a reader as I am (lmao wtf), some days I may not be reading with a clear mind and misinterpret messages within the story. Second, my first read in March will differ from my second read in November. Third, the more familiar I am with your story, the more things I will notice that I may have missed the first time around. So in essence, the grade you receive before the deadline reflects my overall enjoyment of the story, whether I think I will consider it worthy to win when November comes around. A grades can turn into C's, and C's into A's. Don't be bogged down if you receive a C... and maintain the positivity if you receive an A :).
Also, Purple Heavens doesn't offer one prize for each SECTION. Don't forget there are Purple Favourites, and A Story To Read. You might receive a grade C for an entry too fast-paced, characters unrealistic and storyline a little too flat, but still win a minor prize. I may be adding more prizes as I go along, and will be doing big announcements if I do.
Okay so I've never encountered an issue like one I'm about to bring up, but I just thought of it as a possibility, so, uh, if you've submitted a completed story, or you have finished it and told me that you have, then please don't make any edits. I may be halfway through reading your entry and I don't appreciate it if authors decide to change up the plot out of the blue. So please make sure you're 100% happy with your story before labelling it complete.
If anyone is interested to judge this contest, you are more than welcome to, however, due to the spontaneous nature of ROUNDS, I will only be opening judge applications for the main contest, ie you will only be required to read entries for the SECTIONS.
I plan to make judging fairly flexible. One SECTION you want to judge? You got it. You want them all? Have 'em all. There will be a criteria you'll go by, but I plan to make it fairly subjective and interpretative so that any reader can follow the rubric. All you have to really do is read and feel. And spit out a number.
The deadline for the SECTIONS is quite a while away, so rather than applying as a judge now and finding out you're way too busy to read all the entries at the close of 2018, I will instead start accepting readers perhaps a few weeks before the deadline, maybe a month or two. So if you're interested, keep your tabs on the contest!
But in all honesty, I am not too sure if I want a judge panel. It's not that I want to completely make this contest my own (even though it technically is), it just might get really complicated working with a huge number if that's how it ends up. Not everyone has the same amount of time, and none of us read at the same pace. So yes to judges for now, but there is a chance that I will change my mind during the course of the year.
One more thing! If you want to judge, you can still enter! Just not in the same SECTION you submit a story for. ROUNDS however, have no such restriction :).
A is the highest your entry can score, E the lowest. If you receive two grades, for example, C/D, it means your entry is in between the two; not entirely a D but not hitting the complete C grade. Grades may be given before the deadline if the story is completed, given that you comment you have finished your submission, or if it is entered as a completed story, stated in the form.
All entries graded A-C will qualify for judging, (excluding C/D and below) and in turn compete for the prizes. This is to say that if an entry has been scored a D or E grade, they will not be considered in the final round of judging, and so most completed entries before the deadline will know if they are still contesting for prizes (once I have read and graded them). This may come across harsh to authors, but it is a system I am implementing, so if you prefer not to see your grade at all, there will be an option for you to let me know on the form. All decisions are respected, and will not be judged (OH SNAP).
I need to make it clear that graded A entries cannot be immediately assumed they will win over graded B or C entries. All graded A-C submissions will be read twice, and this delivers many benefits. First, as professional of a reader as I am (lmao wtf), some days I may not be reading with a clear mind and misinterpret messages within the story. Second, my first read in March will differ from my second read in November. Third, the more familiar I am with your story, the more things I will notice that I may have missed the first time around. So in essence, the grade you receive before the deadline reflects my overall enjoyment of the story, whether I think I will consider it worthy to win when November comes around. A grades can turn into C's, and C's into A's. Don't be bogged down if you receive a C... and maintain the positivity if you receive an A :).
Also, Purple Heavens doesn't offer one prize for each SECTION. Don't forget there are Purple Favourites, and A Story To Read. You might receive a grade C for an entry too fast-paced, characters unrealistic and storyline a little too flat, but still win a minor prize. I may be adding more prizes as I go along, and will be doing big announcements if I do.
Okay so I've never encountered an issue like one I'm about to bring up, but I just thought of it as a possibility, so, uh, if you've submitted a completed story, or you have finished it and told me that you have, then please don't make any edits. I may be halfway through reading your entry and I don't appreciate it if authors decide to change up the plot out of the blue. So please make sure you're 100% happy with your story before labelling it complete.
If anyone is interested to judge this contest, you are more than welcome to, however, due to the spontaneous nature of ROUNDS, I will only be opening judge applications for the main contest, ie you will only be required to read entries for the SECTIONS.
I plan to make judging fairly flexible. One SECTION you want to judge? You got it. You want them all? Have 'em all. There will be a criteria you'll go by, but I plan to make it fairly subjective and interpretative so that any reader can follow the rubric. All you have to really do is read and feel. And spit out a number.
The deadline for the SECTIONS is quite a while away, so rather than applying as a judge now and finding out you're way too busy to read all the entries at the close of 2018, I will instead start accepting readers perhaps a few weeks before the deadline, maybe a month or two. So if you're interested, keep your tabs on the contest!
But in all honesty, I am not too sure if I want a judge panel. It's not that I want to completely make this contest my own (even though it technically is), it just might get really complicated working with a huge number if that's how it ends up. Not everyone has the same amount of time, and none of us read at the same pace. So yes to judges for now, but there is a chance that I will change my mind during the course of the year.
One more thing! If you want to judge, you can still enter! Just not in the same SECTION you submit a story for. ROUNDS however, have no such restriction :).
questions aren't answered? comment below!
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