There she was, taunting me, mesmerizing me.

The vibrant red she wore sparkled in the light, complimenting her smooth figure. Fashionable accessories gleamed, further transfixing my gaze.  She moved with the gracefullness I had been dreaming of and even smelt fresh, new--a great relief to the last one. She was sleek, shiny, and even a little show-offish. But most importantly she was the one. I just knew it from the first time I heard her popular name.

We would go places, her and I, whether it was to a far off vacation spot or just down the street. I would have the key to turn her on and she would have the softness to ease my mind. Yes indeed. It would take some money--and lots of it--but the way she rolled with life's traffic it would be worth it.

"Here you are sir," the man said, handing me a wad of papers, "now all you need is to get an updated license plate, a few more things, and you're a brand new car owner."

Author guidance for This exercise

Okay, here's what's happening, folks:

CLOSING THE COMPETITION
The competition will close at midnight (GMT time) on the 31 AUGUST. If you enter your piece after this date IT WILL NOT COUNT.

DECIDING THE WINNER
To decide on the winner, everyone can vote for which pieces they think should get 1st, 2nd and 3rd places. This means you can vote three times, but please specify which piece should, in your opinion, win which place. Also, a sentence or two about why you've chosen each piece would be very helpful.

VOTING RULES
- Anyone can vote, even if you haven't been involved with the actual competition at any point.
- You cannot vote for your own piece. Anyone found doing so will greatly reduce their chances of winning.
- You can vote only once, and after you have voted, you cannot change your vote.
- To cast your vote, EMAIL me at WESTRINA@LIVE.COM, or send me a message via my profile.
- This is an anonymous voting system, so please DO NOT leave your vote as a comment.
- Your email should contain the NAMES of THREE PIECES and their AUTHORS. Please specify which piece should, in your opinion, win which place (1st, 2nd, 3rd).
- Please give a sentence or two after each piece about why you think they should win that place.
- You don't have to vote for a piece on one of the two shortlists - they are for guidance only, and are my personal opinions of the best pieces entered.
- Voting begins at midnight, GMT time, on the 1 SEPTEMBER. If you vote before this, your vote will NOT BE COUNTED.
- Voting closes at midnight on the 10 SEPTEMBER. If you vote after this, your vote will NOT BE COUNTED.

For more information, please visit the discussion group: http://www.protagonize.com/group/protagonize/topic/2091


The New and Improved Even Shorter Shortlist
in order of appearance
Mr Clark by Subtle.Smile
Scarlett by LiesAndCatchyHooks
Peter Valis by Lee
Box of Cereal by DollyInk
Love at First Sight DollyInk
Percival McPurrson the 16th HourglassThorne
Miracle by Allisxn

Deciding on this shortlist has been very very hard indeed. I have tried to choose the pieces that I think best reflect the assignment given. Peter Valis, Mahin and inHuman I thought might work well in the Opening Competition... If you have any comments, please leave them either here or on my profile. Thanks!

THE SHORTLIST (that keeps getting longer)
in order of appearance
Eirithael by SpookOfNight
My Old Inamorata by Anonymous
Mr Clark by Subtle.Smile
Scarlett by LiesAndCatchyHooks
Peter Valis by Lee
Box Of Cereal by DollyInk
Mr John Williams by ZillaGirl
Sorrow by SpookOfNight
Alice by Tigerwolf
Woman Next to Me by Patriot
Mahin by Deathephoenix
inHuman by LCameron
Ship Builder by Pantalaimon
Broken by Pantalaimon
Love at First Sight by DollyInk
Alice by Aliproject.kai
Percival McPurrson the 16th byHourglassThorne
Miracle by Allisxn
The Daimonic by Ixarux


Enjoyed this? Found it hard? Easy? Why not try the latest competition - to write an opening scene for a story in just 200 words. Can you do it?? Here's the link:http://www.protagonize.com/exercise/opening-competition

The title is pretty self-explanatory, actually...

Think you're good at characterisation? How about establishing a rounded character in just 200 words? Not so easy, huh?

Try to put as much detail as possible (appearance, how they feel, etc), while following the Golden Rule:

Show, Don't Tell

There are no other rules, really. Just don't go over 200 words. Nothing much need happen in your scene, just as long as you show who your character is, and why they feel the way they do.

Feel free to read the entries and rate them - that's how we'll decide the winner. The competition will close in... how about, September? Let's see what happens!

Get writing!

updated Sep 1 '10 by Westrina