• *It's ok to discuss in this thread. [ POST ENTRIES HERE, IN THE ENTRY THREAD. ]

2020 is finally over and now we are onto a new year which will hopefully not suck as much! The stores have already gotten rid of all the Christmas candy---I checked, no freaking sales or anything---and the Valentine and Easter crap is out. On that note, it's time for THE VALENTINE'S DAY WRITING CONTEST!!!!!

VALENTINE'S DAY THEME: Any Other Era

Maybe it's just that I hated 2020 THAT much---Your story will need to take place at least 50 years prior to right now or 50 years in the future, and yes, it should be a romance story. This is Valentine's Day.

I'll be looking for these main components:

• romance
• a setting that feels pre 1970s or post 2070s (The year of course does not need to be stated, you develop this as part of your setting)
• Your romance does not have to have a happy ending. You can have a happy story, a tragedy, a comedy---whatever you'd like---as long as it's a romance and takes place in the past or future. Your story could involve time travel and take place in both! Go crazy!
• This one will be trickier than you think. I'm 100% dead inside. Whoever can make me feel something wins $100!

Due date:

February 15, 2021 (I gave you until the day AFTER Valentine's Day, because you'll be busy loving on your S.O. on V-Day of course!!!)

Prizes:

$100 to 1st place

$50 to 2nd place

$25 to 3rd place

Judges:

As of right now:

• Little ol me
• @Peaceblossom
• @GoryBlizzard

Please write!!!! I absolutely play fair. So if I’ve ever banned you before, write anyway. If we hate each other’s guts, write anyway. Don’t skip out on the contest because you have a ban record or have had a thread deleted. Please write! I’ll read it! (And I trust my other judges to do the same. I had 2 good judges the last contest, I have 2 good judges for this one!)

Rules/Info:

Submit multiple pieces or just a single piece. While I don't necessarily mind multiple pieces, it would be nice to see the effort and time put into a single work instead.

Please write original pieces. While I wouldn't really know that you pulled up an old piece of writing you made years ago it does kind of defeat the purpose of the competitions. (To write!) If I find it posted on the internet anywhere else I will assume that it is plagiarized and it won't be entered into the competition.

Short story format only please. The last couple of years I've also allowed poems, but we find out that no matter how well written a poem is it never places against a well written short story.

Other than that, no word count or topic limitations. Just make it a romance that takes place in another time!

Other:

It's a good idea to write in your preferred program and then copy/paste into notepad to get rid of some of the weird formatting between Word and newgrounds that can happen. Whenever I post I write in word, copy/paste into notepad, then copy/paste into an old newgrounds blog page to make sure the format look good before posting.

Try to keep your story posted together. It just makes for smoother reading. If you see someone else posting their story please wait until they've finished.

If your story will be multiple posts it's not a bad idea to write "continued on next post" or something similar to help judges and other people who are posting stories stay organized.

@fro was the original person starting writing contests on here and I stole these rules from him.

In the spirit of love, here's a favorite of mine by the extremely talented @Potatoman

@TomFulp please add the Valentine's Writing Contest to your events calendar and please pin this thread to the top for me and also please let me out of my cage, it's been 13 days, thanks

Can I write it on paper? I don't prefer to type it.

As long as it's clear and we can read it, sure.

I truly enjoyed the Halloween contest, so many of those entries read like professional novels and I formed attachments to their characters. We have amazing writers here!!!

I'll make it as clear as I can. I'll type it if it doesn't work out. I'd like to enter tho : )

These are just tips. Take them or leave them, but you will at least want to listen, since I will be reading and evaluating all the entries on their merits:

1) Write from the heart. Pretty fitting considering that this is meant to be V-Day themed. If your piece doesn't feel genuine or heartfelt, I'll know, because I won't get any vibes as I read your work.

2) Understand that you have a wide range of latitude when it comes to formulating your entries. If you are concerned about historical accuracy because you don't know enough about the past, don't overthink it. Either just continue to write with a flair that allows us to envision ourselves in an older time period, or just pivot towards the future. The first tip still applies regardless of the time period in your story.

3) I want to reiterate the no plagiarism/no self re-publishing rule to emphasize its importance. It can get you kicked out of college, grad school, any professional school or get you fired. It can void your contest entry too. Posting old work of yours does a disservice to yourself as a writer. Plagiarizing work from other people isn't fair to them. This is something I will look out for because I want whoever wins to deserve it based on the production of high-quality original work.

4) Filter out as many distractions as possible as you write. Music might aid your creative process, but it doesn't for everyone. Just know yourself and how you work best, then execute.

My story will be about a whirlwind romance with a buxom woman named EightCapture

Wow you really know how to inspire confidence in those of us that can barely spell our own user name correctly. This reminds me of the time I fell in love in the 50 with person from the future named SevenSeize.

Did I win?

You're off to a great start!

Unfair tactics, unfair tactics everywhere

Are your local stores having any sales on Christmas candy?

If I know my stores, they are having sales on panettones. And you better believe they will go on until the last one gets off the shelf

Yep. There is a LOT of candy on sale

I've always wanted to try Panettone--- is it overrated or do you enjoy them?

I do. Specially ones where they change the fruits for chocolate, those are good

That sounds phenomenally better, substituting fruit for chocolate! 😆

You betcha!

Oh boy, This early? Alright, I might end up springing one of my ideas that's been laying around for this... How does a Chatroom Drama sound?

The sky is the limit!!!!

Managed to net some Halloween candies but there was no xmas candy to be had. In fact all me and my mom saw were V-Day candies being stocked. In fact there were these cool looking candy tins with sports themes on 'em. Anywho, for this ro..rom....r o m a n c e theme, does it have to be sappy and high mushy?

I can write on the topic but rather not go all gushy mushy; I'll be on topic but don't want to venture into that arena will that be acceptable?

Yeah the theme was left vague on purpose.

I don't read a lot of romance and I hate Hallmark movies---- like if I were writing in this competition, I'd struggle.

Actually, one year I won the Valentine writing contest, and I did so by writing a sci fi story about someone going through a breakup and her rebound.

And I ended it on a cliffhanger. No happy ending 😄😄😄

So you guys have a lot of freedom with this one!

Mushy

Not mushy

Kissy

Not kissy

Etc

Well, I just posted my story. Thanks for hosting this contest, I look forward to reading the other entries. :)

RAPTUS

Can a single mistake destroy everything that you have?

How far would you go, to make up for your sins?

Love is a one-way street. Just like Death.

a lonely guy on the street when meet a girl of the dreams,she take me home,and we drove back at home,and then he tried to rape me and he tried to kill me and i died and i cracked a thick skull,the guy took her body,put her garbage bag and disposed the body to the lake,who will make a decide?,should we leave her or we come back to her and kill himself and reunited together.

I give you no promises, but I might do something, but I might not.

I decided what the hell. I actually looked at this earlier and was like I always wanted to join a writing thing on here but never did. I remember there being a horror writing one like ten years ago I wanted to do and didnt and just never got around to it. i didnt think i would do this then i couldnt sleep last night so i just bang one out for a few hours and its really fucking weird and kind of dumb and hopefully meets the minimum for criteria but, i might as well make something, i sort of like reading and writing, sort of wanted to do something like this since i was a kid but never mustered the energy or focus, it was fun, its been fun, hopefully its a little bit funny or something

also: formatting was really weird and none of my word programs have a word count or anything like that (that i know of or could find) mainly because if you use page wrap turn that shit off because it makes every tab a line break or something like that!

Count me in, I instantly have the idea!

Working on a submission currently - excited to have time to participate in one of these again!

Stupid question, but: how will one receive the money?

Actually that was a question I had myself. Are we able to select the method of prize reception? Are we actually able to Waive the prize? Is that even concievable? Can we get the equivalent value in other forms, Like Mann Co Keys?

I send it to Tom via PayPal and I'm assuming the only way he can send money is through PayPal or Venmo himself.

You can absolutely waive the prize, I send the entire pot to Tom. If someone wishes to waive their prize, we could just give it to Tom for another NG prize pot.