Help me, Obi-Wan Reader . . . again

The Lord done sent me a link . . .

Selfish, be the Lord. He done sent me the link hoping I would be picked, would send in my NaNoWriMo novel, get published, and get a contract for sequels.

You see, the Lord wants a sequel. For them who don’t know, the Lord be HERE.

Seriously, if you are a struggling author-wanna-be, you should enter this contest. If you win, you get your manuscript evaluated (a $1,200 value).

From Wikipedia:
Wannabe or Wanna Be is a pejorative for a person who wishes to be or do something but lacks the qualifications or talent.

Hey! . . . I’m an author-wanna-be! I think I will enter.

Let me see . . . you enter by sending in a sample of your work (past or current) of no more than 1,500 words by the end of April. CRAP! . . . this is the application to the writing workshop all over again.

Two people already suggested sending in a sample from my NaNoWriMo novel, but there is so much I don’t know.

For instance, I have no idea if the selection process will consist of drawing a name at random from the submissions (in which case I can send in any ole piece of crap writing I can easily get my hands on), or if the selection process involves an actual evaluation of the sample (in which case I need to be selective about which piece of crap writing I send in).

To be safe, I should try and put my best words forward . . . and that’s where you guys (the two or three who will read the following) come in. There is a poll at the end; please don’t vote unless you have read the samples.

That’s right, I am going to offer up a number of choices, let people vote on them, and then I’ll choose whatever I want. Here’s the rub . . . 1,500 words seems like a lot, but it’s not.

Not when I want to present a serious example of my writing. Anyway, here are my choices (in no particular order).

Please note: many of the offerings differ from the originals. I edited, cleaned up stuff, corrected grammar, and in general spruced them up. None of that was intended to change any of the stories. Also, the samples are formatted according to standard manuscript submissions.

NaNoWriMo 2014:
The problem I have with this choice is that most chapters are longer than 1,500 words. Plus, taken out of context the story might not engage or make any sense. I deal, after all, with non-human and once-human characters.

Here’s what I did . . . I chose Chapter 5 of the novel (NNWM-2014-Ch_5 PDF). I thought that chapter was as close an introduction of the novel as possible, but still retained enough action to capture the reader’s interest.

For them who are interested, the complete novel is HERE, but you have to request the password to read it.

Awakening:
This short story started as a piece of flash fiction meant more as practice for me than to provide a complete story. It did, however, blossom into a complete story comprised of three separate segments.

Obviously, the complete story is too long, but the initial segment was just about right for the requirements of this contest. Here it is; the first part of the story (Awakening PDF).

All three segments are presented in this retrospective post.

The Blood – Torin:
Another foray into fantasy, this was a difficult choice because a large part is recounting history, and therefore not all that exciting. I considered choosing a later chapter, but I was faced with dropping someone into a story in a place where they are likely to get lost.

Still, here’s The Blood – Torin Chapter 1: The Blood – Torin PDF.

For them who be interested, here’s the complete The Blood – Torin.

Fall of Angels:
This is a fantasy short story with a religious angle. It too started out as a short piece of flash fiction but expanded to a more ambitious (probably overly ambitious) short story.

This one really gave me pause . . . I initially picked the first three chapters (Fall of Angels_ch_1-3 PDF) for submission but on rereading the submission I found it not compelling enough; even confusing. I think it has a strong opening, but then falters as it adds some of the groundwork for the rest of the story.

BUT . . . chapters nine through eleven also introduce the story and do so with engaging narrative and interesting characters (Fall of Angels_ch_9-11 PDF). In fact, so much so that it drew me into re-reading the story.

Edited to add: following suggestions I received, this is the latest update to the proposed submission: Fall of Angels_ch_9-11b

For that rare reader who might be interested, here’s the complete Fall of Angels.

Water Wars:
It seems like a no-brainer; this piece has already received honorable mention in the Writers of the Future quarterly contest. It’s probably my best-read piece of fiction. It appears in three posts, and it has just shy of 150 views. Note; that is not a guarantee it was read that many times.

In contrast, THIS post has been viewed 860 times.

However, that’s neither here or there. Here’s the Water Wars PDF.

Closure:
I really wanted this piece in consideration, but I had to cut 150 words from the story to squeak it in under the 1,500-word limit. It was tough, and I hope I left enough of the tone to not diminish it.

Here is the Closure PDF. In contrast, HERE’s the original.

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For them who have read these (or remember previously reading them), here is the poll:

You can vote whenever, but I’ll likely make my choice sometimes next week; I’ll read them all again and, depending on my mood, the weather, and giving some consideration to the poll, I will choose the piece I send forth to represent me.

Oh, I almost forgot the obligatory photo.

That’s it. This post has ended . . . except for the stuff below.

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Astute persons might have noticed these doodles, and correctly surmised they hold some significance for me, and perhaps for humanity at large.  

If you click on the doodle, and nothing happens, this is the link it’s supposed to go to: https://disperser.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/palm-vx-and-i/.

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Note: if you are not reading this blog post at Disperser.Wordpress.com, know that it has been copied without permission, and likely is being used by someone with nefarious intention, like attracting you to a malware-infested website.  Could be they also torture small mammals.

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Please, if you are considering bestowing me recognition beyond commenting below, refrain from doing so.  I will decline blogger-to-blogger awards.   I appreciate the intent behind it, but I prefer a comment thanking me for turning you away from a life of crime, religion, or making you a better person in some other way.  That would mean something to me.

If you wish to know more, please read below.

About awards: Blogger Awards
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Note: to those who may click on “like”, or rate the post; if you do not hear from me, know that I am sincerely appreciative, and I thank you for noticing what I do.

. . .  my FP ward  . . . chieken shit.