Ends June 23th.

Eh, sorry for the lame title. I don't know what to call this. Just check it out; I think you guys will have fun doing this!

Reason

Most stories on here (well, the ones that I read, although I tend to read shorter ones) seem to have one main plot, but nothing else. The whole point of this contest is to help people practice creating side-plots. Especially in short stories, people tend to forget the people in the background. The main characters aren’t the ONLY characters; this contest will hopefully help you give some story for the lesser-known characters who feel left out. They don’t just stand around until you need them for the main character, you know. ;P

Guidelines

Create a little story, having you main character(s) do something. In the background, a side-story must be going on. The main character(s) can never join the side-story; the trick is to sneak it in. The side-story must be something note worthy. It does not have to be the main focus of the story; it can even be slipped in during one paragraph. Whatever it takes. (The rules will explain in more depth.)

Example

I’m not actually going to take the time to write one out, but I will give you an outline of an example.

A girl, Sarah, and her two friends are hanging out in the park. They are talking about the movie they went to the night before, when another group of people wearing identical black shirts run in. They are yelling, so the three girls turn to watch them jump around screaming ‘Go War of Worldcraft!’ The girls look at each other and roll their eyes, then continue their talk. A while later, one of the people from the group accidentally throws a ball at the girls. When he goes to retrieve it, they notice that his shirt says ‘War of Worldcraft: Convention of ’08.’

I know, a very lame example, but we learn that this group of people went to a convention for War of Worldcraft (are there even such things?) They never formally met, but we still learned their story.

Of course, I expect your story to be much more original, and to actually be written in a story format. ;P Also, the main character(s) must actually have a regular story going on: a conflict and everything. They can’t just sit around talking, as fun as it may be.

Rules

1. 2,500 words maximum, no minimum
2. The main characters must be doing something you would find in a real story. You must have a conflict (unlike in my example where they are just talking.)
3. The narrator cannot formally know the people you are describing, and they can never formally meet. This means it can be rock stars or something, but if that happened it would probably become the story for the main character(s,) seeing as they would go up to the rock stars and focus on them.
4. There may be one to five people in the group you are describing.
5. No limits on rating, but no sex scenes, please.
6. The narrator cannot simply watch the group for hours (a little bit if the group is drawing attention to themselves is fine, though.)
7. The group has to being something important, although it doesn’t have to be something big enough to get into the paper.
8. ONLY short stories will be accepted. No poems, scripts, or anything else.
9. No non-fiction. Any other genre is fine.

Prizes

All entries will get critiqued by me after the contest is over.

First Prize: Seven in-depth critiques by me and 700 points.
Second Prize: Five in-depth critiques by me and 500 points.
Third Prize: Three in-depth critiques by me and 300 points.

The critiques you win will be in ADDITION to the critique I do on your entry.

My critiques are VERY in-depth. I go through with a nit-pick, correcting grammar and any tiny details I suggest should be tweaked. At the end I give a long overall comment. The critiques I write take an average of one hour each, and I’m a fast typer. O.o

If you do not have seven pieces that you would like to be critiqued but you win, just let me know. I can just write down that I owe you the critiques, and then you can PM me and ask me for them whenever you put something else up. (In short; you don’t have to have all your work up yet.)

Stuck?

If you have any trouble or specific questions regarding this contest, you may ask here, but I can't help out too much. CIA can! Go sign up for the Contest Improvement Agency to be made for tips and advice for this contest and future ones, so you can make the best entry you can. (Run by Jabbster and me.)

Other

If needed, I will extend the deadline.

All submissions should be posted somewhere on the site, and a link should be posted in this thread. If you don’t want others to see your entry for any reason, then just PM me the link.

You MAY enter old pieces, as long as they follow all rules. Also, you may enter a chapter in a novel you are writing, as long as it follows the rules and is able to stand on its own.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I’ll answer and edit this post as soon as possible. I hope this was clear; it’s my first contest. Just remember to have fun, and let me know if you are interested!

Good luck!

~JFW1415