Afterwards, there was no talk about revisiting the challenge, which disappointed many of us. Sure, classics like Bottling Farts weren't up for any literary awards, but they were fun to produce and entertaining in their own right. The overall quality was better than expected, which made it all the more puzzling why no one was pushing for a second Eight Hour Fiction Challenge.
After lengthy deliberation with members of Kindleboards, the rules were finalized and a target date was set for February 2014.
Here are the official rules:
THE IDEA
To write, edit and publish a work of fiction in eight hours or less. The author is responsible for all aspects of the creative process, including cover creation (whether you do it yourself or have someone else do it) and posting it to at least one major e-book vendor (typically Amazon).
RULES
1. Everyone is welcome to participate in the challenge.
2. You may take the challenge as often as you like.
3. You are free to write whatever you wish. No work will be excluded because of its subject matter or genre.
4. The hours worked do not have to be consecutive.
5. Although writers are encouraged to attempt the challenge in eight hours or less, they may use up to 24 hours to ensure quality and completion of their work.
6. E-mail me the following details to donaldrump@segordon.com by 11:59 p.m., February 28th, 2014 (early submissions help tremendously):
- Book Title
- Author Name
- Genre
- Total Words
- Completion time (This is used to determine the 8/12/24 hour categories.)
- Book Cover (Please limit this to 300 pixels in width.)
- Description
- Author Bio (No more than a paragraph or two.)
- Date(s) free
- Link(s) to your entry on Amazon (If it's not on Amazon, a link to one of the other major vendors will do. Affiliate links are accepted and encouraged.)
- Comments (Optional. Tell us what you learned from the challenge, obstacles that you had to overcome, etc.)
Results will be posted on my personal blog http://segordon.blogspot.com the first Saturday following the end of the month. If you're looking to conserve your free days, that Sunday may be your best bet. In the future, I may give the Eight-Hour Fiction Challenge its own blog or website, but let's get through the first challenge first!
Additional blogs are welcome to include the results of the Eight-Hour Fiction Challenge. Just contact me and I'd be happy to share the source code (and most importantly, images) so that it can be easily posted on your website/blog and there isn't a duplication of effort.
JANUARY CHALLENGE
Although I was still incorporating feedback for the official rollout in February, a few of us took the challenge anyways. (Once you’ve done it a couple times, it becomes quite addicting.) Here are the two submitted entries:
Title: The Iron Border
Author: Cora Buhlert
Genre: Dystopian Science Fiction
Length: 5,600 words
Completion Time: 11-12 hours
Description:
Ana has lived in the shadow of death all her life. For when she was six years old, a TV broadcast announced that an asteroid would hit the Earth twenty-two years later, extinguishing all life as we know it.
As Ana grew up, she put her faith in the worldwide lottery supposed to select the chosen ten thousand, the survivors of humanity who would escape the doomed planet in giant space arks.
But the lottery is not as fair and unbiased as Ana has been led to believe. And even her best efforts to turn herself into someone who would be useful aboard the great space arks do not bring Ana any closer to the gleaming shuttles that are being constructed behind the iron border only a few miles away…
About The Author
Cora Buhlert was born and bred in North Germany, where she still lives today – after time spent in London, Singapore, Rotterdam and Mississippi. Cora holds an MA degree in English from the University of Bremen and is currently working towards her PhD. Cora has been writing, since she was a teenager, and has published stories, articles and poetry in various international magazines. When she is not writing, she works as a translator and teacher. Visit her on the web at: http://www.corabuhlert.com.
Read Cora's experience taking the Eight Hour Fiction Challenge.
Where To Get It Free
XinXii: http://www.xinxii.com/en/the-iron-border-p-350154.html
Use coupon code 8HOUR2 (valid until 02/11/2014).
DriveThruFiction: http://www.drivethrufiction.com/browse.php?discount=87796
(Discount expires on 02/11/2014.)
Additional Links
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I3TO5RY
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-iron-border-cora-buhlert/1118357741?ean=2940148206866&itm=1&usri=2940148206866
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/de-DE/ebook/the-iron-border
ARe: https://www.omnilit.com/product-theironborder-1410636-245.html
Title: The $500 Question
Author: Donald Rump
Genre: Fart Fiction/Humor
Length: 2,100 words
Completion Time: 6 hours
Description
Perkins Deadwood can't believe his ears. His twelve-year-old son just asked for a pet fart for Christmas. And not just any fart, a Spanish fart. Hay caramba!
Can the used car salesman talk his son out of it? Or is this Christmas really going to stink?
For mature (and not so mature) audiences.
About The Author
When he's not writing about old, crusty farts, Donald Rump writes about actual farts--the stinkier the better. He is also an advocate of the No Fart Left Behind program and marriage equality for all gaseous entities great and small.
Mr. Rump lives in Southern Maryland with his pet fart Floofy.
Where To Get It Free
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/395386?ref=donaldrump
Use Coupon Code LW73P (valid until 2/22/2014).
Additional Links
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HZY1E0Y/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00HZY1E0Y&linkCode=as2&tag=thwoofsego-20
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-500-question-donald-rump/1117997303
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-500-question
