Shadowgirls

Writing Contest Rules

1. This contest is for undiscovered talent. If you’ve already got a comic series somewhere go head and work on that and let someone else have a chance at this.
2. Writers must submit a full 8 page comic script in “full script” format with panels and dialogue clearly outlined. All scripts must be submitted to david@starkweatherstudios.com with the subject line Writing Contest.
3. The deadline for all scripts to be submitted is August 16, 2008 at Midnight, CST.
4. The submitted script can only use existing characters from Shadowgirls or in some cases public domain characters such as those from Myth or Fairy tales.
5. The submitted story must be able to stand on as its own as a complete story and not rely on the existing storyline. By the time this short story is released this season will be complete already. (Don’t worry about characters who may or may not be dead or alive, if the story is good we’ll fit it into continuity.)
6. Any stories that don’t follow the rules will be excused from the competition.
7. The five finalists will be selected by August 30th and posted on our forums for community voting and the winner will be selected by September 15th!
8. The winner will have their story drawn and published in our Shadowgirls: Tales From Innsmouth anthology. The winner will also receive 10 complimentary copies of the book and our one of a kind 3’x6’ Shadowgirls convention banner signed by the creative team.
9. All accepted entries will be entered in a drawing for a brand new Xbox 360 Pro!
10. We reserve the right to add to and modify these rules as necessary for clarification. If for some reason you are disqualified you may resubmit before the deadline.
11. Please use this thread for questions pertaining to the contest.

Bugger. If only I was a decent writer *shrug* I'll give it a shot for the sake of a laugh if nothing else.

DaveRod wrote:4. The submitted script can only use existing characters from Shadowgirls or in some cases public domain characters such as those from Myth or Fairy tales.

So I take it we're not permitted to use characters we've created ourselves?

What about insignificant characters who have yet to be named or fleshed out completely? (i.e. The man headed for pancake nation, Mrs Gill, Mike from Lucky's Bar, etc?)

Starkweather characters are offlimits? (i.e. I take it you want the story to be focused on Innsmouth and Shadowgirls?)

DaveRod wrote:2. Writers must submit a full 8 page comic script in “full script” format with panels and dialogue clearly outlined. All scripts must be submitted to david@starkweatherstudios.com with the subject line Writing Contest.

Is that a script as fleshed out as the one you showed us?

Jacobus: I suspect he means 8 comic pages.

Here's a site that describes FULL SCRIPT

ANOTHER GUIDE TO FULL SCRIPT

MORE FULL SCRIPT GUIDING

I totally need to try this. Have outlines for four comic ideas as is though lol.

I'm tempted to write something up, but I'm already in the process of getting a book published with VirtualBookworm.com. But I am a little intrigued by what another fan could create (only because SG fans seem to be more rational and less psychotic than fans of certain OTHER entertainment outlets I could name).

When we mean book, we mean comic book or webcomic really. I think you'd still qualify.

Gee... Other entertainment outlets... Hmmm... Any I know of?

Charles wrote:So I take it we're not permitted to use characters we've created ourselves?

You are correct. We don't want to deal with ownership issues so only our characters or the aforementioned Public Domain type.

Charles wrote:What about insignificant characters who have yet to be named or fleshed out completely? (i.e. The man headed for pancake nation, Mrs Gill, Mike from Lucky's Bar, etc?)

Those characters are fair game.

Charles wrote:Starkweather characters are offlimits? (i.e. I take it you want the story to be focused on Innsmouth and Shadowgirls?)

Starkweather characters are indeed offlimits for this contest.

Jacobus wrote:Is that a script as fleshed out as the one you showed us?

That is an example of full script and that is the format that we'd like to see it in. But any of the versions suggested by Charles would work too. Each panel and bubble just need to be specified.

This can clarify a lot for me: Rule one states that this is for undiscovered talent and that if you've a series already in the works to work on it....what if you're kindasorta working on a series? As in I'm writing it and drawing it but've only managed to crank out two pages in three months (and those only the cover pages) 'cause I can't really draw to begin with?

Er, yeah...that made sense, I hope. I might have another one or two questions for you later depending on your answer

I would say you're in the clear there if you wanna enter.

Just for clarification... When he said "if you got your own book" we mean like you're you got your own webcomic or you own printed book out there with your name on it. The uneviable status of "first book in production" I can not only sympathize with, as I was there for several years... But I would say it doesn't count. The rules are pretty flexible here. The key word is undiscovered talent. Everything thing else is totally workable on some level.

Interesting. Is this contest limited to certain countries only?

Pretty much worldwide really.

Ok, just to clarify (and I hope this isn't me stating the bleedin' obvious) - none of our own characters. If any of us are playing with our own characters for our own projects I can understand that, but does that extend as far as, for instance, if we were to create stock characters like two cops sat in a patrol car (call 'em Officer Barton and Officer Clayton) and they just yabber three lines and get eated by Mervs? Are guys like that fair game or a no-no and we should only play with folk we've actually seen in Shadowgirls thus far?

Also, is there anything you don't want to see at all (aside from things involving schoolgirls and tentacles, naturally, and anything else distasteful or just plain wrong)? I expect from thus far in Shadowgirls you're ok with gore and violence to a degree, but is there anything that's just too leftfield or beyond the pale? Any genre style you're not interested in (as in, you know my love of romance, if I wanted to do something touchy-feely and ever so slightly kitty-cats-and-puppy-dogs)?

Like I said, hope I'm not treading well-worn boards here, but... just wanna be sure

Inconsequential secenery bitches and stuff like that is perfectly okay.

As for what we don't wanna see? Well I can only speak for myself, so D.Rod will have to chime in on his own. Generally we're open to all kinds of stories. But here's what I will probably frown upon:

- Fanservice stories. (Self explanatory.)
- Goddamn politics and religion stories. (I can't even read Goddamn Thor without having a Goddamn political opinon shoved in my Goddamn face. GODDAMN THOR! What the Goddamn hell does Goddamn THOR have to do with Goddamn politics? Not a Goddamned thing, that's Goddamn what!)
- Overt "silly stories". You know the kind. The stupid type that is basically a multipage set up for a bad joke. It's not that I don't like comedy, but I hate bad comedy more.
- Overt drama. Please, don't give me eight pages of Becka and Lindsey crying about their lives. You give me the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, I will kill you.

And I will outright reject any stories that uses the Golden Age Shadowgirl. Sorry.