Short Story Contest: Tuneh Won

Hi Stephen:  Can I please pick your brain some more for minor details regarding the contest?  Can I send you my e-mail or would you mind sending me yours, now? In the event that I'm not able to reach you or you choose not to respond, thanks. Safia

     What up Seun  ? Thanks for the encouragement!  I know I'm going to love writing the short story! I simply enjoy writing and the research involved.  The money would be a bonus because I love writing and often wrote articles for our college newspaper.  If I win I will post it on our web media site and send an article to our college press and local paper. 
     I know it would have been better to just google it, but because some our readers of Nairaland may not be familiar with the currency exchange; how much is 25,000 nair when exchanged into the American dollar 
     Thank you again,
     Safia
P.S.  I'm looking for a chat pal  any males (30-40) interested feel free to reply!

Hello Seun, brand new member of Nairaland. Must say i feel like i've swallowed the blue pill and opened Pandora's box and swallowed half a bottle of Gavisicon to quell by churning stomach. Which is good. I think your competition is a great idea. A lot of Nollywood films are so formulaic, they're almost cringe worthy. They are so many great stories to tell about Nigeria, that i've always wondered why no marketer, producer or Director has ever taken the risk and done an "outside the box" story.

Having said that though, i think N25,000.00 is quite a low sum (with current inflation rates) for an original story, that will possibly become the basis of a screenplay. Writing a story is a very insular,consuming and emotional process, which is frequently overlooked in the bigger picture. It's nice that your doing a competition to help promote and support it, but i think you can offer more of a kitty to the successful writer and keep the N25,000.00 as a 3rd prize or something.

For example, most stories for screenplays need at least 2 good plot points to keep everyone interested and help with pacing.
Why don't you get people to submit tag-lines or very brief summaries of their stories, then commission the story that interests you the most.

I'll give you mine for free: Boy enters secondary boarding school at 10years old. Makes friends and feels comfortable. Discovers the he might be gay. Starts a confused relationship with another older, more experienced boy, whose dad is a politician. Older boy gets caught molesting another boy by a pedophile teacher. Agrees to give up/set up new friend for clemency and lack of exposure to his dad.

10 year old is set up and nearly raped. Manages to escape and elopes from school. Confesses all to his parents. Parents (who are considerably influential themselves), speak to School principal. Principal says he is powerless unless the teacher is caught in the act, will 10 year old turn the tables and set him up,  10 year old agrees and sets up the teacher, things go a bit awry, but the teacher falls for the bait and is caught. Older boy is expelled from the school. 10 year old, still very confused is withdrawn from the school by his parents. The last we see is him looking at the school gates through the rear window of his parents car as it drives away, the end.

Just made that up now, but it gives you an idea of what i mean

Lol, i know, my stories tend to be a bit dark, but i followed the guidelines. I guess naija isn't ready for those type of stories yet.

Something lighter
Talented 10 year old joins her schools cultural society and auditions to sing for a big show they are organizing. Is eventually shortlisted to join the choir, but tragically get's dropped the day before the event because there are too many people performing.

She is devastated. She has always considered herself very ordinary and unpopular, but being in the choir and rehearsing had made her one of the cool kids, made her feel like she had purpose. She had really enjoyed it.

She goes back to her normal boring life and as if things can't get any worse, she doesn't leave the dining room in time , so all the seniors give her their plates to wash and theres no water running from the taps.

Utterly depressed, she sits outside the dining hall and cries, still holding the dirty plates. Amazingly, the School principal happens to be doing a routine tour and passes. Noticing her crying, she kindly takes her back to her house, gets the steward to wash the plates and asks her whats the matter. 10 year old gushes out telling her the whole story. Principal listens and tells her to believe in herself and if she doesn't suceed, try, try again. They will always be other shows and she shouldn't feel she was only popular because she was in the choir. Maybe she was popular because people were getting to meet her and see what she was really like.

Now even more determined, she keeps practising and rehearsing with the choir and discovers that she is really good at harmony. A year later, when the next cultural society performance comes up, not only does she perform, but her talent helps her school win the tournament for the 1st time in 15years.
She is now the most popular girl in school. The End

I don't do email. If you've got anything to say go ahead and post it. Eventually, I'll read it and respond. By the way, all the information you need is on the first pages and subsequent pages of this thread but if you've still got any questions, ask Seun, he's the person in charge of this competition and he's the one giving out the money.


You know you can just google it right? Anyway, presently, the exchange rate is $1=N117.90 so N25000~$212

Excellent idea. Unfortunately, the person with the best story idea isn't always the best writer.  Technically, you can submit the story summaries you posted above to the current competition, since they are more than 75 words long.  I doubt that they'll be selected over fully developed stories, though.

The most promising entries I've received so far were sent to me by tundeh and newdeal.  tundeh's story has a neat concept and structure, but at under 700 words, needs a lot of development.  newdeal's 4000 word story is the exact opposite, it gives me a lot of material to work with, but it reads like a random collection of short stories that happen to take place in the same school.

sisqology didn't really understand what I meant by a "cinematic" story, but I've pointed some things out and I'm waiting for his/her second entry.  ossy4rill submitted part 1 of a 2 part story.  My co-judge feels the story is too Nollywoodish, but I'm still waiting for part 2.  The first entry I got was from a non-writer; I enjoyed reading it but I can't use it.  I also got a story outline that I felt wasn't a story at all - nothing interesting happened in it.

You have a point, but I would buy that story if well told.  Shape-shifting is very easy to simulate.

I think I would be interested in an excellent story in any genre, provided it's suitable for high school students.  I don't want any good writer to opt out of the contest because "I only write stories in this other genre".

@newdeal: obviously, I am not to blame for your story's lack of focus, if any!

Some are saying the guidelines are too restrictive, others are saying I'm not specific enough.
Guys, there's nothing wrong with the contest. Just pick up your pens and start writing.

And I appreciate your participation very much.  Thanks a million. 

u guys are a bunch of bananas, why can't u just write the story and stop saying shit that doesn't really have any depth or insight to it, in my opinion, i  think Seun is out to help u guys discover urself and there y are crying foul, pls, pls, pls, leave the man and start typing isnsead, type a truelife story of all your misdeeds when u were in your secondary school, im sure that will make a good comedy,

I guess you don't have to be in chain to be a salve
A million Naira  story for just 25 000 Naira ,

Hi, i ought to have replied long ago but i've been quite busy. I'm writing my exams in my uni where i'm running my course. This shouldn't pass me by even though i ain't used to writing for secordary schools. let me see atleast, the little i can write.

Cheers

@Seun
I'm so sorry 4 dat. I will b4 then. Tanks

Seun how many entries did u get for the short story contest?

is it a must for a winner to emerge?

Oga Seun, I pray u find interesting one which will raise u up as u plan.
When are u announcing the winner?



Phemour