Contest I was thinking of trying until...

icerose

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I read the first provided chapter. I don't think I can write something that starts like this, it makes my head hurt just glancing at it.

Valley girl meet hopeful writer.

http://www.mustardweb.com/mystery/chapter1.htm

Are most (any?) mysteries written like this?

Excerpt:

The curator of the National Mustard Museum is missing, totally missing, completely missing, missing in a large way, and is presumed, so sad to report this news to you, dead. As in totally dead, completely dead, and dead in a large way. The grieving widow dropped him at the museum at exactly 8:00 a.m. She remembers the eight o’clock news beginning the instant he stepped out of the MustardMobile with keys in hand, approaching the front door to the building that houses more than 4,500 different mustards from all over the planet.

The Curator is irretrievably missing. Strangely missing. Suddenly missing. And, we presume, irretrievably, strangely, and suddenly dead. The very thought of this circumstance makes fans of the golden condiment turn away from their normal joys. A pity, a shame, and a bad bundle indeed.

Curiously missing. Horrifically missing. Tragically missing. We must presume that he is also dead, dead, dead, in the same adverbial ways. You are wondering: how did this come to pass? Did he suffer? When is the funeral? Who is catering? Most important of all, what will the widow wear?
 

icerose

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Yeah it does, now that I am looking at it for what it was meant to be. Posting here definitely helped in the way I had hoped.
 

Jamesaritchie

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Contest

This contest looks like a lot of fun. And $5,000 for 2,500 words? That's good money for any writer.
 

BJ Bourg

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That sounds like a very interesting contest. All kinds of ideas popped into my head just from reading that excerpt.bjb
 

icerose

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Once I was able to look at it for what it was meant to be, mine too. Are you entering as well?
 

kayebee

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Checked the web site this morning and the deadline has been extended to May 31. So there is still hope for all of us procrastinators!

Karen
 

icerose

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Thanks for letting me know Kayebee, my entry was moving along rather slow, now I won't stress it quite as much. :D
 

BJ Bourg

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icerose said:
Are you entering as well?

It's tempting, but my writing plate is full at the moment. I'm trying to finish editing my first novel and I have to write three or four stories for an anthology I've been asked to participate in. Of course, I have my fulltime job, my fulltime family, and I want to fight again so I;ve been trying to get back in shape.

Good luck to you and everyone else who enters -- I hope one of you takes home the money!

bjb
 

icerose

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BJ Bourg said:
It's tempting, but my writing plate is full at the moment. I'm trying to finish editing my first novel and I have to write three or four stories for an anthology I've been asked to participate in. Of course, I have my fulltime job, my fulltime family, and I want to fight again so I;ve been trying to get back in shape.

Good luck to you and everyone else who enters -- I hope one of you takes home the money!

bjb

Wow, I'd say you're busy! What fighting style and class?
 

BJ Bourg

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icerose said:
Wow, I'd say you're busy! What fighting style and class?

I dabble in boxing. I've had three professional fights and I'd like to have a few more before I get TOO old to do it any more. I got into the game too late to consider going anywhere with it, so I'm just having a little home-town fun. I enjoy the physical challenges, the sparring sessions, being in top fighting shape, and the feeling of the roof being raised when your opponent drops in a heap on the canvas from a punch that you threw. I used to take Nekodo karate and I fought in several tournaments. I enjoyed it, but it doesn't compare to full-contact fighting.
 

icerose

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Ah, nice. I prefer kickboxing myself. Seems like such a waste to not use the legs. I studied for 5 years before I got married and had kids. Amazing how little you can do when you're pregnant. :D

Good luck with that!
 

Good Word

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Several years back, I had a boxing lesson every Saturday morning for about six months. It was a tiny boxing gym and they only had one locker room, so when I needed to change all the guys would have to come out so I could go in!

The lessons were great.
 

icerose

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Eek, talk about awkward! I think I would come and go in my workout clothes and do all the changing at home. I am glad you enjoyed it though.
 

BJ Bourg

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icerose said:
I prefer kickboxing myself. Seems like such a waste to not use the legs.

I agree totally with you. Full-contact kickboxing would have been my first choice, but we don't have any kickboxing clubs locally and there are never any organized kickboxing shows around here. I used to kickbox a lot in sparring. When I started boxing, I had to stop kicking all together, because when someone started to move in, the tendency was to shoot a side kick to stop them and a straight right to drop them. When I'd throw a left hook punch, if my opponent backed away, I wanted to follow that with a right spinning hook kick. I would catch myself mid-action and when I'd hesitate, I'd get tagged. I miss the kicking and still do it occasionally, but I'm not as limber as I used to be (I used to be able to hang between two ropes in a split, but now I can only get to within about eight inches of the floor in a straddle split).

Anywho, it's all fun and it's all a great challenge. Keeps me feeling alive.

Yeah, pregnancy has to be tough. I couldn't imagine being restricted in my movements like women are when they're pregnant. I think pregnancy is the ultimate sacrifice. A woman gives up her body (literally) for her child. Y'all are to be applauded!

Take care!

bjb
 

icerose

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Yeah, that would be a tough transition. I rely heavily on my legs because they are more powerful than my arms.

And it is very tough to not only halt your life for 9 months while you are pregnant, but for the first five years of their lives as well. It's all worth it, and thanks for the compliment. It's just harder than heck to get back into shape after having three kids and being home all the time.

I went from being active in kickboxing, full time student, full time worker, and a writer for fun, plus being married, to being home ALL DAY LONG. And if that isn't an adjustment, I don't know what is. Thank goodness for writing or I would have lost the better part of my sanity by now.

Sara
 

Good Word

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I hear you, Sara. My daughter is almost 4, and I still feel like I'm getting it together.

And what you've done in terms of your daily life IS a huge adjustment. You've done a lot.
 

icerose

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I'm just glad I am done with three kids. It's nice to be able to look forward to older child activities and such. Like taking my kids camping and fishing, and gardening as well as regaining some of that writing time. ;)

Congrats on your daughter, is she going to preschool or kindergarten this year?

My oldest is headed into kindergarten and she is very excited.
 

Good Word

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Preschool.

Are you entering in this contest? Didja write something?
 

icerose

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Nice :)


Yes I am entering this contest. I have the book plotted and most of the second chapter written. They pushed the deadline back to May 30th because the contest was being featured in a magazine or something like that and they wanted to give that time to circulate.

It's been interesting trying to write a not so serious peice. Kind of fun really.
 

icerose

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My entry is completed, I just need a new ink cartrige to print it. It's going to be cutting it super close for me, but I don't have much of a choice.