How do you pick the best of the best? For the second time in two months, that’s what I’ve had to do: choose the “best” poetry and “best” flash fiction submitted to recent contests sponsored by the TLE Educational Network in Second Life! It’s wonderful to have so many talented writers in Second Life, which also makes it dang hard to judge a contest.
On Wednesday at the TLE Creative Showcase for Writers, we had a “Speakeasy Contest Celebration” to announce the winners of a flash fiction contest held for real writers at this virtual education center in SL. And as I said at the announcement, in my view, every single entry qualified to win.
Nevertheless, the panel of judges was compelled to (anonymously) choose the top three stories, whose authors were awarded cash prizes in the form of Linden dollars (the currency used in SL). I swear it took longer to judge the entries than it did to write them! If it weren’t for the other judges, fiction authors Rae Larkham and Nazz Lane, I don’t know what I would have done! As it was, we ended up adding two more prizes – a couple of “honorable mentions” we just couldn’t eliminate.
Thankfully, ALL 17 entries submitted to the contest are included in the anthology put together by the TLE Publishing House in SL. This volume is available as a Second Life book at the Creative Showcase for Writers, and for a limited time it is free. So I encourage everyone who enjoys reading good stories to “hustle-port” (i.e., hustle up and teleport) to the Writers Showcase at the TLE Educational Network and grab a copy. You’ve got 17 reasons to do so -- the fascinating stories of life in the Prohibition Era or of characters who somehow relate to that era.
All of the five “winners” attended the contest celebration Wednesday in SL and all but one (who apparently crashed before his turn) read their stories to the audience of approximately 20 avatars. (The photo below shows Trex Renfold reading his story, which was awarded first place.) After the group toasted them (with virtual speakeasy liquor, of course!), several other writers read the stories they submitted – which I was particularly glad about so everyone could see how hard it was to pick the winning entries!
Now, keep in mind that the guidelines for this contest required stories of no more than 500 words! Granted, it is possible to tell a story in fewer words (there are international movements promoting the 100-word story, the 55-word story, and even the 6-word story). But 500 words is quite a challenge! (Think of Mark Twain’s comment, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”) So to receive 17 well-written stories that short, especially given that the contest was open only a brief period, is remarkable. Which just confirms my theory that Second Life is full of talented writers!
On the other hand, each of the five winning stories do have something extra special, whether it was the author’s ability to put the reader smack dab into the world of bootlegging and speakeasies, or a delightfully unexpected plot twist, or the sheer beauty of the language used. So I do offer my sincere congratulations to these five writers for their winning stories:
- 1st Place: "The Barrelhouse Wax Masters" by Trex Renfold
- 2nd Place: "Waiting for Bebe" by Alter Runner
- 3rd Place: "Bad Times at The Crystal Club" by Arkady Poliatevska
- Honorable Mention: "Not So Speakeasy" by Almo Schumann, and "Intoxication" by Lacy Muircastle
The flash fiction contest was kicked off at a speakeasy-themed open house at the TLE Creative Showcase for Writers in late May.
Several of the writers who attended Wednesday’s party expressed gratitude for the ways in which the TLE Educational Network supports writers in Second Life (not to mention many other creative expressions, such as art, drama, music, and performance). I definitely second their comments! TLE’s commitment to virtual education and creative expression is hard to beat!
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