What’s stronger? The power of love or the power of fear?

Concept: Choose one genre--either horror or romance--and write a story in 4 rounds.




Romance and horror stories have been around for centuries in all cultures. Historically, often folk tales of caution, horror has always explored our fears whether imaginary or real. They might end in hopelessness or triumph mirroring our desire to conquer fear and vanquish evil though we doubt if it’s possible. Romance, on the other hand, showed the perils and joys of risking our hearts. Whether ending happily or tragically, they remind us of the importance of giving and experiencing love.

Both love and fear have the power to transform. Which will you choose? Does the hero fear love or do they love fear?


Qualifications to Host:

• Hosted Genre Drama;
  Contestant in Heaven’s Story Time: Hero’s Edition;
  Contestant in Official MTS Sim Contest (TS3): Cultural Diversity;
  Contestant in Qbuilderz Groundwork: A TS3 Foundation Challenge

Requirements:
Any skill level. Writing and picture taking experience helpful, but not necessary. This is a great opportunity to learn if you’ve never done it before.



Rounds:
Over the whole contest you will write a complete story with beginning, middle and end. Each round will be one part of your story with round 1 being the beginning and the final round the ending. Each round you will be required to include an objective in your story (usually to do with plot and structure) and a challenge known as the requirement. There will also be a bonus to include that is optional.

Choose either romance or horror to write in. You cannot write in both. However, you may write any kind of story within the genre. Gothic, comedy, thriller, psychological horror, etc are just as game as a romantic comedy, tragedy, drama, paranormal romance, etc. If you’re writing a story with the other genre in it like a horror with a romance subplot, be sure that the genre group you chose is the main focus and conflict.




Contest Rules:
1. Forum Rules Apply
2. Sims 2 & 3 accepted
3. No eliminations. No placeholders.
4. One entry per person. First round is application. Must have 5-20 entries.
5. Any CC are allowed.
6. Original stories only. No borrowed or reused stories. It must be a new story written by you not one you’ve (or anyone else has) written before.
7. PG-13 or below only! No Explicit material please! This means no graphic violence, sexual themes, or mature adult material. Cursing is allowed, but must be kept within reason/relevancy.
8. Post-editing is allowed. However, your entry will only be added once it appears to be a full submission meaning the word/picture count appears to be in the requirements and the entry form is complete. A couple screenshots and a few sentences does not count as an entry. Please hold off posting until you have something that is close to or within the contest story rules. I will not add you otherwise.
9. However, no post-editing after a round ends. If you do post edit after a round has closed you will be automatically docked -5pts as if it were turned in late. If your story/pictures are not finished or edited to your liking, sorry. Your entry will be judged based on what you’ve submitted.
10. Entry form must be completely filled out for your submission to be added. This includes the word & picture/screenshot counts. If you post an entry with an incomplete form, you will not be added until the entry form is completed. If you do not fix this before round 1 ends, you will not be able to participate. Promising to “take care of it later” could take a spot from someone who is fully prepared if you never get back to it.
11. Entry must be in spoiler tags. Example:


Story Rules
1. Main characters must be your creation. Can be any age, species, pet, etc.
2. Must be a complete story with a beginning, middle and end. Endings can be ambiguous or cliffhangers, but must be conclusive.
3. Must have a title and include a 1-3 sentence synopsis and a brief recap of previous rounds.
4. Word count must be within 1,000-2,000 words (unless instructed otherwise in a round). Please use Microsoft Word or Word Counter for your count.
5. Screenshots are required and must be within 10-20 pictures (unless instructed otherwise in a round). Pictures must be 800x600 (minimum) to 1280x1060 (maximum). See Creator Guidelines Screenshot Basics
6. Grammar/spelling will not be judged. But please put your best effort into it.
7. Photoshop can be used at minimal. Borders, greyscale/sepia, smudge/fog, saturation are all okay. Get creative with your pictures.
8. Cover picture is allowed. This is like a book front cover or a movie poster. It is optional, but gives judges/readers a visual reminder beside the synopsis/recap of what the story is. The cover picture should reflect your story and be above the entry outside of the spoiler. You may use Photoshop to your heart’s content, including text, effects, etc, on this picture only.

	Horror
	Contestants	Round 1	Score	Round 2	Score	Round 3	Score	Round 4	Score	Final Score
1	frenchyxo22	Les Secrets De La Nuit	74.5	Withdrew	----	Withdrew	----	Withdrew	----	----
2	Mr_Valentine90	Only Nightmares	81.3	Part 2	80	Part 3	94.8**	Part 4	82.3	84.85
3	justJones	Charlie and the Terrible Day	81	Part 2	74.7	Withdrew	----	Withdrew	----	----
4	spladoum	All the Pretty Flowers	89.3	No Entry	0	No Entry	0	DQ	----	----
5	pixipulator	Worse Than Dead	82	No Entry	0	No Entry	0	DQ	----	----
6	Silent_Monochrome	Piskie-Led	75	No Entry	0	No Entry	0	DQ	----	----
7	Jasumi	The Forgotten Year	92.5*	Part 2	78.5	Part 3	92	Withdrew	----	----

	Romance
	Contestants	Round 1	Score	Round 2	Score	Round 3	Score	Round 4	Score	Final Score
1	random_name	I Can Grant You A Miracle	87	Part 2	87.3	Part 3	90.5	Part 4	98.7	90.88
2	Rin_of_Water	Spirit Dreams	89	No Entry	0	No Entry	0	DQ	----	----
3	LucyBorgia	Falling for the Man Next Door	88.7	Part 2	86	Part 3	76	No Entry	0	62.68
4	katiejapan	Heaven Shifting	79.8	No Entry	0	No Entry	0	DQ	----	----
5	PinkWallet14	Expect Style	81.7	Part 2	64.5	Part 3	71.7	No Entry	0	54.48
6	SimsObsessed	Say Something	84.7	Part 2	79.7	Part 3	73.3	Part 4	65.7	75.85
7	Tamlyn	Daughter of the Witch	93**	Part 2	99.3**	Part 3	92.8*	Part 4	101.7*	96.7
8	Freelala	Bright Water	89.8	Part 2	98*	Part 3	90.7	Part 4	107**	96.38
9	Vagen	Arrows	91	Part 2	86.7	Part 3	83.3	No Entry	0	65.25

Scores
Round One Scores
Round Two Scores
Round Three Scores
Round Four Scores



Timeline:
Each round will last 3 weeks ending at 11:59:59 HAST. You have 3 weeks to write, take screenshots and post your story. There are 4 rounds so this contest will last until the beginning of September. Round 4 Ends 9 September 2014


Judging:
Judges will read and judge within 6 days (this may be expanded, if needed). Contestants will get scored by the judges. Those scores will be added and averaged. Both judges and EJs can give feedback.

Judge 1	Judge 2	Judge 3	EJ 1	EJ 2
cherry4567	heaven	Qnshr5

Scoring:
(All scores show the maximum available points for that section. Each line/question of criteria worth up to 5 points unless otherwise noted.)

1. Creativity (15): Is the story original? Is it entertaining? Is the requirement done well, flows with the story?

2. Character (20): Is the main character(s) realistic and relatable? Are their goal/desires clear & understandable? Do their decisions have consequences (good or bad) that shape the plot? Do they grow/change during the course of the story?

3. Story (20): Does the plot make sense/is it understandable? Is the conflict consistent, a struggle that’s rising? Does the setting capture the period, mood and tone of the story? Are the round objectives met?

4. Genre (25):
Horror: Does the story revolve around characters worst fears, nightmares or terror?
Does the story evoke fear/panic/unsettledness in the audience? (10pts)
Is the antagonist(s) believable and enough of a threat to keep the story moving? (10pts)

Romance: Does the story revolve around the love between two protagonists?
Does the story evoke strong emotions (hope/humor/sadness/etc) that fit its tone in the audience? (10pts)
Is the obstacle(s) believable and big enough to keep the lovers apart or in conflict? (10pts)

5. Atmosphere (15): Do the props/staging draw us into the world? Do the words paint a picture/good description? Do the screenshots complement the story/bring it alive?

6. Presentation(5): Is it organized/follow the entry form? Does it adhere to the rules? Is it within the rounds limits (screenshots/words)? (Deducted points at judges discretion.)

7. Bonus Rounds(5-10): Determined by how difficult or how much work is required.

Scores will be added and averaged. Max points=100/round. Bonus round max=105-110/100

EXTENSIONS:
Because there are three full weeks to get an entry in, extensions will be individual based given only for a good reason (an emergency, the unexpected, etc, not for planned vacations or procrastination, etc) one time only. Please let me know ASAP before the round ends in a PM. Otherwise, entries can be turned in up to 3 days after the round ends with -5 pts accumulating per day (-15 max). After 3 days you will get a “0” for no entry even if you turn in one afterward. Extensions will not be provided for round 1.

Entry Form:
Story Title:
Genre:
Cover Picture: (optional)
Synopsis & Recap:
Requirement: (put the quote, title or name you chose here.) [For Round 4: Requirement must be below your entry]
Bonus: (optional) [put the quote, title, or name you chose here.]
Word/Picture Count:
Entry [in spoilers]

--Any additional notes, inspirational background, music, etc that you'd like to add must go below entry form [in spoilers] (not judged!)





Round One--Closed!


Round Two--CLOSED



Round 3--CLOSED




Round 4: CLOSED



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Resources:
For Story & Picture:
How to Write a Good Story
Sims 2: Picture Taking Tutorial
Picture Taking Tutorial Sims 3 ("perfect pictures" & "contests" sections have good info for all no matter the game you play)
How to Post Pictures

For Plotting/Other:
Five Plot Point Breakdowns Good for understanding story structure
Genre Explanations Good to the point genre definitions with movies as examples. Not a complete sub-genre list, though. You don't have to limit yourself to this site's list. Literature has a lot more in both genres.


Please Remember! This is just for fun. Be encouraging, help each other, and have fun! :D

Contest Approved

• Do not post replies and/or contest applications before the contest host has checked in on this thread, or your post will be deleted.
• DO NOT WRITE USELESS POSTS like "Hey cool contest, I think I might join." Reserve type posts and useless posts about coming back with an application will be deleted.

Checking in!

I'm in! I'll do horror.

Sure, I'm game. I'm all dry of horror ideas at the moment so I'll go for romance.

Is it 1.000 to 2.000 words per round (hopefully it is otherwhise stoies would turn out short) or for the full story. And in entry form what should be written in Requirement: (identifying title, quote, name, etc).

I would like to do a romance :D

Yes. It is 1,000-2,000 words per round. At minimum you'll write a 4,000-8,000 word story. As for the Requirement, this round it is to include an excerpt from the given list. On the entry form you just need to identify the quote. So, if you chose the Notebook quote (because it's short ) you would fill out the form as so: Requirement: "Who am I? And how, I wonder, will this story end?", romance

As the requirements for the following rounds are not quotes, I added "title" and "name" just so people will know that the way it is identified is the way they can write it in. This will make it easy for the judges to quickly see what you used without having to refer to the quote list. Thanks for the question. I'll try to make that clearer.


@Spladoum, random_name & keepsims: First confirmed interests in both genres. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Have been wanting to try my hand at sim story telling, and my contest will be wrapped up by the end of next week at the very latest, so I think I will give this a go Haven't decided which genre yet, Will have to think it over and see which story starts to form in my head first, lol.

EDIT: Well, that was quick Think it will be horror. Well, satirical horror. Have already got a story rolling around in my brain.

I would like to do a horror :D

I may not have much experience, but I would be more than happy to be a judge for this!

Yes! Writing! I love writing! Alright, so I'll go romance, and get started on that submission! :D

Excited to see all the interest. Satirical horror, JustJones? That's gonna be fun. I think there's going to be some really groovy stories here.

@TheIrishJJ: I sent you a PM

Umm I don't get these contests...I know I sound nooby but i'm only new to this stuff.
So can someone please explain the contests to me?

Hello SnowFlakeGamer. It's a contest for fun using the Sims as characters in your story. No money changes hands. You get MTS fame and a chance to participate with cool people. And, if you win, a kewl contest sticker. So, write a story of 1,000 to 2,000 words each submission. Either romance or horror. Follow the rules as given and post here.

Hi SnowFlakeGamer! There's no way to move up from being a noob without learning! A contest is simply a competition with other simmers on the site. There are different kinds of contests. This one is a story contest. Blake currently has a home makeover contest accepting applications (aka entries, submissions) where you would redecorate the interior of a house. There are also building contests (making in-game buildings), beauty contests where you'd create or makeover a sim, picture contests where you focus on taking good pics that capture a certain theme, and others. Contests always have judges and a time limit. This is the main thing that separates them from challenges.

If you want to join a contest you only need to carefully read over the instructions in the first post, do what it asks, and submit your entry in a post to the thread. In this one, you need to write a story and take in-game pics to go with that story. Follow the rules I have and post it. In Blake's, you'd download the house she has, pick a family and decorate according to her rules. In both, there's a time limit and when it expires judges will look at what you've submitted and decide how well you followed the rules and how creative you were... Then you'll get a score back based on the judges's decisions and a new round (level) will begin in which you'll do basically the same thing.

The best way to really learn how contests on MTS work is to either follow one or, even better, participate in one. I encourage you to look at some of the completed contests in the closed contest section to see the entire process. Just reading the contest instructions and then clicking on the entries and scores will help you to see what a contest entails. justJones has a room design contest that still on going that you can also look at to see one that's gone through some rounds in real time (there's some envy inducing beautiful work going on over there )! Contests are a great way to have fun, learn new skills, and improve old skills in the Sims games. I hoped this helps and isn't more confusing! :D

EDIT: A good example of the structure and feel of this contest is to look at heaven's story contests. Read the instructions. Then read a story or two round by round. Story Time Contest, Story Time Contest: Hero Edition

Thanks, Qnshr5 That's a really good explanation of what contests are to people new here.

Yes, everything she said about my contest is spot on.

I am SO excited to see this contest. Definitely going to be putting in an entry.

Ugh, I hate being the awkward one who doesn't know what to do.... Umm, where do we put the entry form? Or do we just check in like this?

I have a question for the pictures, are we allowed to do collages? Like i see as im writing, there are some important things I want to capture but I cant go over the pic limit, so what Im asking is, does a pic collage count as one picture?

like one picture split into two frames? lol i hope I explained that in a way that it makes sense.

I will be doing horror! (with underlying romance but that'll end pretty quickly)
Unfortunately I cannot judge (don't meet the post count D but I would love to if I could.

Mine will be in the Sims 2.

I'd love to do a romance story in the Sims 2.

Your entry form will go on a new post. You just go to the "Post Reply" box and I highly recommend that you push "Go Advanced" because you can preview your post and edit it based on how it will appear before submitting. You can copy/paste the entry form and fill it out. Then click submit and that's your entry.


I know what you mean! I feel your pain, but since the rules don't allow for the Photoshopping/editing that is necessary to split the frame, I have to say no to picture collages or frame splitting by editing. But if you can find a way to split your frame in-game, you could do that. For instance, it's possible to show separate actions happening in two adjoining rooms split by a wall on a set. Or if you make a sim clone or two, you can have that sim giving a progression of emotion by having both (all) in the shot doing different emotions in a replicate of the same space side by side. Or using smudge, which is allowed, to split the frame. Think of the comics/graphic novels/mangas that have multiple actions in one panel. Sometimes its possible to get the ideas for multiple pics into one just by creatively adding more details to it.

What you want to do may not work with these suggestions, though. It's a tough choice, but you'll have to focus on the pictures that visually enhance your story the most. The biggest emotions, actions, and plot drivers.

I would love to enter as well. I'm usually quiet here but when I saw this contest I had to enter I would like to do a romance in Sims 3.

I'm very interested in taking part in this contest. Thinking horror, hopefully I can come up with something good by tonight and start writing.