Flash 500 Unreasonable Constraint III Challenge

Details

As writers, we’re constantly on the lookout for passive voice. We don’t want things done to our characters; we want our characters doing things. Even technical writing is adopting the unspoken “you” subject with “Select the hyperdooda to enable the thingamajig” over “The hyperdooda is selected, enabling the thingamajig.” We’re encouraged to loathe passive voice like the rude, hairless, rabies-infected bat boy it is.

Which is precisely why this challenge is to write entirely in passive voice.

Subject: The trials and tribulations of a non-human main character. It can be animate or inanimate, alien or animal, just so long as it isn’t human. Flesh out something that makes said non-human character’s life difficult. For example, you could write about how hard it is for a slug not to have thumbs (or arms or legs for that matter).

You will be allowed to use 1 (one, uno, un, ein) active verb per 100 words. If you need some help with passive voice, check out our article on passive and active voice. As usual, you have 500 words (meaning 5 active verbs tops) to tell the story of what makes an inhuman character’s life difficult.

Hopefully the contest will be won by you!

Winning entries

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Prizes

Rules

• Entries must be received before midnight of Saturday, August 25th (UTC time) and the winners will be announced within one week of that date.

• Entries must be about the difficulties faced in an inhuman character's life written almost entirely in passive voice. You are allowed 1 active verb per 100 words, but no more than that.

• Must be no more than 500 words.

• Sharing what you've learned makes these mini-contests better for everybody: although we don't require it, we'd appreciate it if you come weigh in on the group discussion thread here.

• Only one entry per author, please. Multiple entries will all be disqualified.

• Work must have Public visibility on Scribophile until a winner is announced.

• Winners must have a valid PayPal account or we won't be able to send the prize money!

Submission guidelines

• To enter the contest, post your work on Scribophile and check the box that says "Enter this work into the F5 Unreasonable Constraint III Challenge". The system will automatically enter your work. You can see this checkbox until the contest deadline, given in UTC time.

• We don't charge anyone to enter, but you'll need karma points to post your work. You can earn karma points by writing critiques of work by other members.

• If you have placed in a contest in the past with a particular piece, you may not resubmit that piece in other contests.