At first I groaned and moaned. I didn't like the first line. "The snowman grinned malevolently as..."? Pleeeeeeeeeease! But a challenge is a challenge, and I do like to challenge myself. Sure, it isn't a line I would have ever come up with on my own. But the last line, "...buried alive." possessed morbid promise.
I just submitted my 249 word wonder. Go, challenge yourself! The deadline is Wednesday, December 8, 4PM. The rules are here, and here. The second link says that the deadline is Wednesday, December 6... My own assessment is that it is still on the 8th.
Is it the word malevolently you don't like? Is it the never use any words that end in "ly" rule that you aren't happy with? I admit I'm shocked they're offering it up as a first line in a contest...I would never...In my writing I try to stick to that as well even though even Stephen King says it's ok on occasion(as opposed to occasionally ;). Best of luck to you :)
ReplyDeleteBreeze
Hi Breeze! Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteTrue, I generally try to avoid unnecessary adverbs and adjectives. It's not a rule, and it is not like I never use them, but I personally wouldn't use an adverb in the first sentence, not in this way. I'm also not fond of joining sentences with an 'as', but it is not as bad as starting a sentence with an 'as'.
I think the CBC challenge is what it is -- a challenge, not just a contest. Literary challenges are known for weird restrictions. Check out the challenges that Narrative puts out!
From this perspective, it was a fun exercise, and it forced me to tweak my boundaries!
I am still waiting to read this!
ReplyDeleteThey announce their results on Monday. I doubt I'll win, but I'll wait until then to post it here. :-)
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