User blog:ClericofMadness/Silence for the Summer Solstice Contest

''Shh... Do you hear that?''

''As the seasons begin to change from spring to summer, things begin to change. Fresh winds blow, flowers bloom anew, and new songs fill the air from birds that had fled winter's chill.''

''However, everything sounds...odd. Almost, empty and hush despite the rampant explosion of life.''

Hello everyone, ClericofMadness here with a new contest! For this writing challenge, I would like for you to tell a spooky tale about...

...Silence.

Yes, the theme for this contest is silence. Use that creative brain of yours to weave silence into something terrifying.

Now, this contest is called Silence for the Summer Solstice, but you do not need to set your tale during that time of year. All you need to do is have the main focus be on silence. Will it be that your main character wakes up to find he can no longer speak? Will you conjure up a monster that leaves silence in its wake?

Rules & Time Frame

 * The story must involve the theme, silence, as a core part of the story.


 * Contest will be open from the time this blog is published until 11:59:59 PM CST on June 20th.


 * To enter, simply write your story and post it to the wiki. Be mindful of the Quality Standards, and feel free to use the Writer's Workshop to get feedback before you post.


 * All entries should utilize the category SftSS18.


 * Stories will be both scored (for feedback and rating; in the comments of the story) and ranked (by top picks from the judges; in the future judging blog post). The top five stories for judges will be given weighted points and the top three overall scores will be the winner.

Judges

 * The judges for this contest are as follows:
 * Gomez Capulet
 * Natalo
 * Banningk1979

Scoring

 * 100 points: Use of Silence - How well the story incorporates silence and its creative use.


 * 100 points: Originality - How unique and fresh the story is.


 * 100 points: Fear Factor - How creepy or unnerving the story is in its execution and content.


 * Final story scores will be the average of these scores.


 * Scores are to be posted in the article comments of the entries by the judges.

Rating
Judges will rank their top three story picks. The points for this are as follows:


 * First Place: 17 points


 * Second Place: 13 points


 * Third Place: 9 points


 * Fourth Place: 5 points


 * Fifth Place: 1 point

The scores will be added together and the top three stories will be our winners.