Cygnus Writing Event 2023

[Cygnus]

After a year's absence, I am bringing back my writing event. I will officially launch it in August with the winner determined in September. This notice functions as a heads up to get your creative juices flowing. No excuses for not having enough time. You can search the forum for my previous 2 events to get an idea of what went on previously. Below is a summary of what to expect.

1. Stories need to be UO/fantasy themed.
2. Stories will be judged by me and several other unnamed players.
3. The story is what will carry the most weight. Grammar, punctuation not so much. ( I know English is not the first language for many players, so that is why this is in effect.)
4. All participants will get their first large book from me (a 16k value) Additional pages or books can be purchased at the scribes.
5. The book does not have to be filled end to end. Remember, it's the story that counts.
6. Participants who turn a book in will get a collectible participation reward and 50k gold for their efforts.
7. 3 places will be paid. Best entry will get 5 million gold, 2nd - 3million gold, 3rd - 1 million gold. If I get 25 or more entrants, I will pay 5 places.

If you would like to see the stories previously written, visit my Library. Access through the House gates, Southeast direction, green tile.

PM me with any questions or ask them in this thread.

[Cygnus]

For those who are interested, please pm me so I can get you your first book. All submissions need to be turned in by September 15th. Either to me personally or at the event inbox located on the 3rd floor of my library. When dropping off at the inbox, please give me a courtesy pm so I can display it as soon as possible for the judges to read.

Remember, you do not have to be 'good writer' to enter. A lot of us have good stories in our head. Heck, some of you have probably played a good story being here in Excelsior. Just put it to digital paper. The worse that can come out of this is 50k gold in your purse and a collectible event reward.

Hope to here from you all soon.

[Silent]

Congratulations Cygnus for hosting this event!

Seeing you back fills me with joy! Very nice to see you again

Good luck to all participants!

[Cygnus]

Still time to pen your brilliant short story and share it with the rest of us. Who knows, you may win gold for your efforts. If I get 10 more entrants, I will bump up the prize pool. Currently, 15 brave authors have already applied. Deadline 9/15.

[Desenex]

15 entries! That's great. Should be some good reading.

I think the winning entries should be posted here in the Forums, they are more likely to be read here.

Again, 15 entries sounds like a substantial amount. No matter who wins you're contest is already a success.

[Melkor]

Visit the library! There were 2 contests from years ago and I believe this is Cygnus’s third contest. Lots of great books in there!

[Cygnus]

I think the winning entries should be posted here in the Forums, they are more likely to be read here.

I will not only post the winners, I will list all stories entered and their authors.

[Cygnus]

bump

Still time to enter the contest. Deadline 9/15.

[Cygnus]

Writing time has expired. Now the judging begins. The judges will have to the end of the week to pick their favorites. All judges are confidential. Even they do not know who the other judges are. Hopefully, I will have all their scores by the end of the week so I can announce the winner this weekend. Here are all of the submissions:

1. A Balron's Tale by Desenex
2. The Captain's Tale by Desenex3
3. The Herbs of Minoc by Neville Furnace
4. I Remember by Poo Bear
5. Mighty Joe by Jorulia
6. Necromancer: Xacala by Zalia
7. Blackthorn's Rogue by Deathblow
8. Dancing in the Shadows by Peach
9. Story Heard in a Tavern by Cerrera
10. Lambert's Errand by Rex Lightfingers
11. Red Orcs of Atlantic by Culichi
12. Ancients of Sosaria Info by Balbanes
13. My Travel to Excelsior by Princess Leilani
14. Purdy's Adventure by Lord Anon

Please feel free to come read these fine works. I would love, and I am sure the authors would love, to see some positive feedback from the shard for their efforts. In fact, it would be awesome to rank your own top 3 and post it here.

To get to my library, head to the House Gates and look to the south. D-click the green square tile. The books for the event are on the 3rd floor displayed on tables. Take the floor-to-floor TelePad located in the right wing by the stairs. While you are there, don't forget to check out the rest of the library.

[Cygnus]

Winners have been selected!

Before I list the top 3 in the contest, I personally want to thank each and every one of you who either submitted a story or judged for me. As for our authors, you all are winners in my book. It is not easy for some to bare their writing skills and grammar for public scrutiny, especially when English is not your primary language. With all contests, someone has to win. In my experience, the winner finds a way to spark interest in with the variety of readers. And trust me, our judges were not lockstep with each other. The winner didn't even receive any votes from one judge.

Just to be clear, the authors had no idea who the judges were, and the judges were personally picked by me for their integrity and ability to judge based on the criteria I set up. For the next contest, which will be coming sometime around May of 2024, I will ask all authors to submit using a pen name instead of their playing name. That will keep the anonymity in both directions to reduce any chance of bias.

The Top Three are:
1. Desenex with "A Balron's Tale"
2. Zalia with "Necromancer: Xacala
3. Balbanes with "Ancients of Sosaria"

Congratulations to these three. They beat out some tough competition.

It would be awesome if Excelsior would take a little time out of their day to read these works and pass on your appreciation to them for their efforts. You can view these *Bestsellers* by visiting my Library. House Gates/green square tile to the south/Telepad by the stairs in the right wing.

I will also love to see what the general public thinks, so don't be afraid to list your favorites here.


For those who may be interested in writing but not sure how to proceed, I created a Short Story Writing Primer and placed it in the event area. (Large Blue Book)

Until next year, thanks again for all who participated.

[culichi]

thanks for hosting another year cygnus