Challenge Twenty-One: Winter Holidays Past
romancingwizard
Romancing the Wizard
Challenge Twenty-One: Winter Holidays Past
The Challenge: Write a 500-word romantic winter holiday story which takes place in the past (Founders to the Marauder Era), features a het pairing, shows a magical element, and conveys the meaning of the prompt.
Deadline: Sunday, December 21, 2008 at 9:00 pm EST.
Challenge Guidelines
Claiming A Prompt
1) You must be a member and read the Community Guidelines to participate in the challenge.
2) To claim a prompt set, please comment to this post by copying and pasting the number AND prompt you desire. (EXAMPLE: May I have 169. silly hat, please?) The moderator will acknowledge your request, and your username will be added to the table.
3) Limit: Only one prompt per member for this challenge.
4) Deadline: Sunday, December 21, 2008 at 9:00 pm EST. We do not take late entries. If you cannot complete the challenge in time, inform us immediately so the prompt set can be reassigned.
Writing Your Story
1) Your story must:
- a) be het and romantic in nature
b) use your assigned prompt from the table
c) take place during a winter holiday in the past (Founders through Marauder Era only)
d) be exactly 500 words - we will check (Link: Word Count Tips)
e) show or mention some magic element (spell, potion, beast, item, etc.)
f) feature a canon wizard and a canon or original witch --OR-- magical ancestors of known wizarding families, for example a Weasley wizard and a McGonagall witch during 1650. (No Muggles or Squibs.)
g) No time travelling allowed.
3) All stories must be proof-read for canon spellings/usage, grammar, and punctuation, including proper comma usage. (Stories with numerous and/or embarrassing mistakes will not be approved, so they cannot be considered for an Enchanted Quill.) You have two options:
- a) You may use your own proof-reader. It's helpful if he or she is familiar with the fandom.
b) Or you may turn to Romancing the Wizard's team of experienced proof-readers. See this post: Request a Proof Witch for more information.
5) SPECIAL NOTE: Character bashing is not allowed at Romancing the Wizard--not in stories and not in comment threads. Any violations will be deleted without exception, warning, or explanation. Please be particularly sensitive to this criteria when writing and commenting about stories featuring Severus, Sirius, and/or James. We all have our preferences, but this community is for the celebration of all wizards.
Posting Your Story
1) Post your story well before the deadline. Don't wait until the last day to write it! Remember, you need to have it proof-read.
2) Use the title of your story ONLY as the subject of your post.
3) Always use the HTML text box option when 'posting an entry' at RTW. Attempting to use the 'rich text' box will cause template errors and result in a rejected submission. (Link: Posting Tips with New Graphic!)
4) Use one of these conveniently coded templates for your story:
For Stories with a G/PG --or-- PG-13/R Rating:
Challenge Twenty-One: Winter Holidays Past
Title: X
Author:
Wizard/Witch: X
Rating/Warnings: G/PG -or- PG-13/R (choose one)
Genre: Romance -or- Romance/Whimsy -or- Romance/Humour -or- Romance/Drama -or- Romance/Despair
Word count: Exactly 500
Prompt: X (EXAMPLE: 169. silly hat)
Summary: X (a short sentence or two)
Your Story Goes Here
Author's Notes: X
Proof Reader: X (required)
For Stories with an NC-17 Rating:
Challenge Twenty-One: Winter Holidays Past
Title: X
Author:
Wizard/Witch: X
Rating/Warnings: NC-17 Adults Only
Genre: Romance/Passion
Word count: Exactly 500
Prompt: X (EXAMPLE: 169. silly hat)
Summary: X (a short sentence or two)
Your Story Goes Here
Author's Notes: X
Proof Reader: X (required)
5) Do not modify the template, except where you are adding information. 'X' marks the spot to insert your data. (Please delete examples after filling in your information.)
6) Place all your notes, explanations, and recognitions in the Author's Notes section at the bottom of the template. Do not put them in the summary.
7) All submissions will be moderated in a reasonable amount of time. Ineligibe stories will be rejected. Sometimes a story will be approved, but a Moderator Comment will be added asking the member to adjust a minor error. We expect complete cooperation. Invalid posts may be deleted by the moderators, even if they have reader comments attached.
After Posting Your Story
1) After posting at RTW, you may link or upload your story to other LJs or archives. Please mention Romancing the Wizard romancingwizard.
2) Important: Character bashing is not allowed in stories or comments. (See Special Note above in the Writing Your Story section.)
3) A community is only as successful as its members make it. Please participate fully by writing, commenting, and replying.
4) Enchanted Quills may be given by the moderators to the authors of memorable stories.
5) All questions should be directed to seaislewitch by commenting to this post, sending an LJ message, or by email (seaislewitch at livejournal dot com).
6) Thanks to missblane for proof-reading these guidelines.
7) The art is a unicorn snowflake by Grantham 2004.
The Prompt Table: Sparkle, Glimmer, and Shine
1. brilliant bear Patronus
dickgloucester
***POSTED***
2. Phoenix tears
lynelucas28
***POSTED***
3. leaping emerald flames
dustthouart
***POSTED***
4. Slytherin's silver locket
pokeystar
***POSTED***
5. five golden rings
floorcoaster
***POSTED***
6. Black Lake in the starlight
savine_snape
***POSTED***
7. twinkling fairy lights
sc010f
***POSTED***
8. kissable, glossy lips
gelsey
***POSTED***
9. Invisibility Cloak
writermerrin
10. Bedazzling Hex
rosedemon
***POSTED***
11. glittering diamond necklace
silburygirl
***POSTED***
12. gold-rimmed crystal goblets
angelmischa
***POSTED***
13. sparkling everlasting icicles
angelps_7
14. sword of Godric Gryffindor
harmony_bites
***POSTED***
15. glowing wand light
cheapxdate
16. tear-stained rosy cheeks
closetravenclaw
***POSTED***
17. Goblin-made suits of armour
ladywhitehart
***POSTED***
18. gleaming silver knives
delayed_poet
19. Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington
kereia
***POSTED***
20. pearly white ribbon
irishcyn
***POSTED***
21. polished chrome flying motorcycle
stavvers
***POSTED***
22. Hufflepuff's golden cup
somigliana
***POSTED***
23. emerald encrusted snuff box
lewlinx
***POSTED***
24. molten gold Felix Felicis
irespressogirl
***POSTED***
25. glimmer of silver candelabra
myownmuggle
***POSTED***
26. iridescent dragon scales
lilithj
***POSTED***
27. jewelled quill and parchment
verseblack
***POSTED***
28. Mirror of Erised
allie_andromeda
29. luminous holly berries
seaislewitch
***POSTED***
30. diadem of Ravenclaw
redvelvetcanopy
***POSTED***
Remember: Copy and paste the number AND the prompts when commenting to this post. (EXAMPLE: I'd like to make a claim, please: 169. silly hat.)