FAQ

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Heyy guyzzz! This is the FAQ section of the story, where I will post all questions and answers submitted to me. If you would like to submit your own question, just click here. I will answer as soon as I see it!

XOXO,

exocontests

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How many times can we enter?

As many as your heart desires.

Can I write a /yuri story?

Yes; all genres are allowed. (Hell, you could even hit me with a -filled gore story - as long as it's good writing, it's fine with me).

Can I write a series of oneshots?

I will accept any length or type of story that you want to write.

How will the scores and winners be announced?

When announcing the three winners, I will just announce who they are in a chapter of the story (I may or may not include their scores). As for all of the other scores, I will PM everyone to give feedback and explain their scores (in review format, kind of)

What are the minimum and maximum word limits for each chapter in a chaptered story and each one shot?

There will not be any word limits on any aspect of your story.

Do we have to comment when we submit a story?

It's not required, but it would be nice if you did.

Can we use a song that's not listed as a prompt?

I would prefer it if you used a song that's in the the prompt section (because I know all of those songs), but you may use another song as long as I think it's okay. Please comment to discuss it with me!

Will we be able to enter later in the year or will there be a deadline for when we can submit our entries?

There will be absolutely no deadlines for entries. I'd even be fine with people entering on December 31, 2014 if they so desired. As long as everyone follows the rules and submits before 2015, I couldnt care less how late in the year it is.

Must we use the prompts provided? Like can we write something that is not based on the prompts and just some other stories?

I'm assuming that you're asking if it's okay to free-write (it's called free-writing when you don't use a prompt). And, that's allowed

Do the characters have to be EXO?

Nope, you do not have to include EXO in your story. I really love all groups, actors, and OCs, so the characters are completely up to you.

What is a prompt? Do I have to use it in my story?

I've been getting this question a lot and I hope that my answer clears everything up. It's difficult to come up with a definition, so I will just explain how to use the ones in this contest:

Quote Prompts: When using a quote prompt, authors will have to use a particular quote somewhere in their story. It may be in dialogue, in a thought, or anywhere else.

Song Prompt: There are two ways that a writer could use a song prompt. You could take a quote from the lyrics and use it in your story (as a quote prompt would be used). Or, you could take the meaning behind the song and base your story (or part of your story) off of it.

Picture Prompt: If you are using a picture prompt, you have to base some of the story off of the photo(s) you chose. This could mean that you put the actual scene depicted in the photo into your story, use it as a metaphor, or use it any other way you'd like to.

Using a prompt is not required; just comment to tell me if you would prefer not to free-write.

Can I write a series of oneshots and link them all together in a sequel?

Dude, you can write whatever you want.

Can the story be set outside of Asia with English names for characters?

Of course it can. You can write about whatever place and whatever characters you wish to write about.

Can I submit an ongoing story of mine?

As long as your story has a start date in 2014 (or late in 2013), you can submit it.

Can we use prompts that aren't listed?

That depends on the prompt that you want to use. Please comment to discuss it with me.

The story I am currently writing right now was started December 19, 2013 so I know I can't use it, but I will be writing a sequel/side story after I finish it, and I'd like to submit that. Will a link to part one be necessary even if it doesn't meet the criteria?

Yes, you should include a link to part one. In this situation, I would read both parts of the story; however, I would only be scoring the part that was submitted as an entry. Part one would take no effect on your score; I would just read it to understand the full story.

I'm sorry but I don't understand the meaning of 'genres'.

A genre is a category of writing, or a type of story. For example, "fluff" and "comedy" are genres. If "fluff" and "comedy" were the genres of a story, it wouldn't be a sad plot. But if "angst" and "tragedy" were the genres of a story, the plot wouldn't be a funny one.

If our story is chaptered do we submit it as soon as we finish the first chapter or once the story is completely finished ?

That is completely up to you. You can submit it whenever you want, regardless of how far you've gotten.

What is the genre "slice-of-life?"

The "slice-of-life" genre is basically used to describe a realistic, relatable story. It will normally deal with things like relationships, family problems, school/work, and things like that.

If we do not use a prompt, do we not get the points from the prompt section of the rubric?

Aha! There it is! I knew this question would be asked soon. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do about it yet, but I have a few ideas. Don't worry; I'll make it fair; a few options have been proposed in an update (in a poll), so please do contribute your opinion to the final decision.

If I'm using a song prompt that you haven't mentioned in your prompts, do the 'prompt' points on the rubric go to my prompt, or does it have to be one of yours?

If you choose your own prompt, then the points will go to that prompt. I will score you completely on how well you use the prompt, regardless of whether it's my prompt or not.

Are we allowed to get reviews on our stories? Or does that count as cheating since we're asking for people to hide our mistakes/true writing talent?

Reviews are allowed. And this is why:

For this contest, I want to score the fanfics similar to how a critic would score a real book. When an author publishes a real book, it is definitely not a first draft. The final published piece has been looked over, revised, and edited many times. However, the book critics still think of it as the author's work, right? That's how it will be like for my contest. Even if you get a review, I still consider it your work. Sure, it has been filtered by criticism, but it's still written by you.

Can I submit a story that I'm using for another competition?

Yes, that's fine. I don't really mind if you're entering other contests, just make sure that you can meet the requirements for both.

Can I wrtie a story with all OCs?

Sure, you can write about any characters you want.

If we review at your shop, can we still join the contest?

Of course you can! (Just keep in mind that I can't let you judge the contest if you are a contestant, because that wouldn't be fair.)

If we don't finish our story by the end of the year, does it have to be discarded?

If your story isn't complete by the end of the year, but you have most of it done and still want it to be graded etc, etc. leave me a comment when the deadline is approaching.

I will keep you in the contest only if you specifically ask me to. If there is someone who entered and completely forgets about it, then that's not my problem. If you talk to me about it, though, we'll work something out together :3

Every time we use a song or quote in our story is it considered a prompt?

I only consider songs/quotes as prompts if you specifically tell me that they are in your foreword.

What's your opinion on forewords which basically have key samples of one of the chapters? Lazy or effective?

That depends entirely on the excerpt that you choose to utilize. If it's just a random one that doesn't tell much about the story, I'd consider it pretty lazy. However, if it's a sample that gives good detail, is relevant to the storyline, hooks in the reader, and isn't way too long, then I believe that it can be extremely effective.

Can I apply to be a judge and send in a story?

No, you must choose one or the other.

Am I too late to submit a story?

All entries will be accepted until May 1st, 2015.

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To all of my lovely readers and writers:

ZOMG People just keep giving me things today. First the poster and now this. I love you all! Anyways, I am going to take this opportunity to tell you all that you should check out immaboss. She just generously donated 200 karma to this contest! Gurl, thank you so much!!

Also, I wanted to remind you guys that you can submit any questions that you have here. I will answer as soon as possible.

You can submit stories too!

XOXO,

exocontests