Weekly Flash Fiction Challenges are on hiatus until November 1. Just like hands on a ranch, we’re going to take a break from our regular chores to challenge and show off our skills. We’re going to have us a rodeo! A flash fiction rodeo.
THE TUFFEST RIDE
Judging for TUFF began after the final September Free-Write. These writers were in it to win it. A free-write is a scary contest to enter because it makes a writer feel vulnerable, but vulnerability is exactly what a writer has to push past to write deep, to meet the muse, to follow gut instinct. Drafting is all about trusting the spark of creativity.
We will post a video on October 1 (right here in the blog feed) to announce the five writers who will advance to compete every Monday. They will write a new story to a fresh prompt, then each week revise according to word count and a technical challenge. After the final constraint, three writers will go on to compete for first, second and third place.
All five are winners and each will receive at least $25 by the end of the contest.
All writers are welcome to take up each Monday TUFF challenge. You can play along from the safety of home. Learn more about the TUFF process under Flash Fiction. It’s a powerful tool that can help you revise a story, scene chapter, novel, synopsis, and more.
NEW CONTEST EVERY WEDNESDAY
Beginning October 3, a new Flash Fiction Contest will debut in the Rodeo. Each one will remain open until 11:59 p.m. (EST) the following Wednesday. That gives writers plenty of time to enter. Be sure to read the rules. Follow the word count exactly (use Microsoft Word or wordcounter.net). Punctuation is often “counted” so check your work using one of those two official word counters.
BONUS CONTEST
One of our local sponsors, Continental Fire Company, is an evening venue for events. The building is a historic firehouse from the 1800s. Later it became the first location for Michigan Tech University. The owners embrace their location’s rich history. And that will factor into the bonus contest. They are looking for three old-time radio spots.
CFC will select three entries to develop into radio ads that they will produce and use. Three winners will each receive $25 and a clip of their ad when produced. This exciting opportunity is how we can incubate our literary art and find creative uses for it. Details and rules post Sunday, October 21 when the contest opens. History details and online sources will also be shared. The contest will close along with the final scheduled Rodeo #5 on November 7 at 11:59 p.m. (EST).
CHALLENGES
If you don’t want to enter a contest, you can submit a challenge in the comments or on your own blog post. We will only publish qualified contest entries in collections because it becomes too daunting of a task to track down all the challenges. So, to be clear, if you want to be included in the collection, you must enter the contest. It’s free, so why not?
IT’S FREE!
You can enter all six contests for free! No fees and first place wins $25. Our sponsors make this possible.
TIMES
Set your clocks to New York City (that’s EST).
Our live readings and TUFF prompts will be posted by 7 p.m. EST. Submission deadlines will take into account when each video posts. TUFF challenges have 5 days to respond (until the final 24-hour challenge).
Rodeo contests start at 12:00 a.m. EST on Wednesday and close the following Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. EST.
WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Judging and compiling entries into collections take time. Winners will be announced each Friday by order of contest after the events close. Each contest will post its winner announcement date. We will also post the collection of qualified entries that same day.
QUALIFIED ENTRIES
Qualified entries are those that meet the contest rules. Pay attention to word count. If a contest calls for 99 words, and you submit 96, your entry will be disqualified and not included in the collection. This might seem harsh, but it is a contest, so take it seriously. But have fun, too!
LEADERS & JUDGES
This simply couldn’t happen without the leadership of Geoff Le Pard, Irene Waters, Sherri Matthews, Norah Colvin, and D. Avery. Each of them works hard to make you sweat, stretching your skills. They, along with their judges, have a difficult task to pick a winner. Be sure to read their rules carefully. And show them some gratitude for what they do to make this Rodeo fun and challenging.
Next year, they will each mentor new leaders. The following year, those mentees will go on to develop their own contests, and the third year they will, in turn, mentor new leaders. This allows writers from our literary community to take on leadership roles. If you are interested to know more, contact the Lead Buckaroo.
THANK YOU!
Thank you for participating in a vibrant literary community where we get to play with words, meet other writers in meaningful ways, and progress our own writing goals. You are Carrot Ranch!
Now go saddle up and get ready to show off your skills. Best to you all!
Weekly Flash Fiction Challenges return November 1.
The real game starts.. Good luck to all who braved to write.. Wishing the five bulls a tough write😁😁😁
Yes! Time for the full games to begin! Thanks for joining the “tough” start! You are a bull writer, Deepa!
Thanks again Charli
Exciting! One question: do you plan to post the five weekly TUFF entries? Would be good to see how the winners tackle the stages.
Hehe.. Will I be one among the five?? If yes, will post for sure😁😁
Yes, Anne, I’ll post their entries each week so everyone watching can see how they are progressing. Writers can play along from home, too, and challenge themselves.
Whether or not i am one among the five, i am going to write the prompts. It sounds challenging to write something from 99 and ending with 9
I hope to do the same, Deepa. I have been intrigued by this process since Charli first mentioned it about a year ago but never got around to giving it a role. Perhaps this will provide me the impetus I need.
Anne, I used the TUFF process with a small group of entrepreneurs to craft their visions, mission, elevator pitch, and tagline. It’s an effective way to distill ideas, chapters, and, of course, flash fiction. I’ll be interested to know what you think.
That’s a good plan, Deepa! The TUFF challenge has an impact that you will notice. We’ll be announcing the five winners tomorrow. Regardless of the outcome should be proud of having met the challenge of each free-write.
Thank u Charli
This is very exciting, Charli. I’m looking forward to finding out who the TUFF 5 are. Good luck, everyone!
It’s exciting and I hope all the contestants realize how tough they have made judging!
I’m interested to find out the numbers – of entries and entrants. 🙂
In my panic last night I forgot the details I had compiled. My notes for my video were right there and yet I didn’t look at them. We had 118 entries by 36 writers. When we selected the best for each prompt, as you know with judging, we didn’t always pick the same stories! However, it became clear we were picking the same writers.
Reblogged this on Norah Colvin and commented:
Are you saddled up ready to write in the Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Rodeo 2018? The contests get underway this week and continue throughout October with plenty of opportunities to join in and the chance of winning a prize.
Who will be among the TUFF 5 writers? Did you enter? Could one be you.? Or maybe me? Charli reveals all on 1 October. Not long to wait!
Thank you for sharing!
This sounds amazing. I’m assuming everyone who entered wants to be 1 of the 5 chosen ones. However, it’s great to hear that anyone can participate in the rest of the challenges, too.
This is so engaging!
I’m glad to hear that because I really wanted this to feel inclusive and engage writers in the process. Thank you, Goldie!
Wow! The dedication and teamwork that allows this to happen are amazing. Good luck to all you intrepid writers and bronc-busters. Thanks to all you leaders, judges, organizers, and hands.
Agreed! The community and all who participate, the leaders, judges, and sponsors are amazing. Enjoy!
Looking forward to the fun!!!! <3
It’ll be a blast! <3
Reblogged this on Sascha Darlington's Microcosm Explored.
Thanks for sharing, Sascha!
[…] Charli Mill’s Carrot Ranch literary society’s annual flash fiction rodeo is starting this week. I am very excited to be a judge and intend to enter as many of the other competitions as possible. You can find out more about it here: https://carrotranch.com/2018/09/30/all-you-need-to-know-to-rodeo/ […]
Reblogged this on ShiftnShake and commented:
The fun has begun at Carrot Ranch. It’s Rodeo time! Cowhand Christmas; Buckaroo Bonanza; Ranchers’ world wide write-off! The roughest, toughest, friendliest competition around. All kinds of fun and always absolutely Free.
Thanks for sharing!
This is a most attractive and organized post Boss. Let the games begin!
That bonus event and its sponsor sound great. I like that it is tucked into a rodeo week and not at the end. Rodeo for radio; awesome.
When I first showed up here at the ranch you had just hit the road in Mars taking many moons to end up there in the Keewenaw. Now that you’ve landed it sure is good to see you hitchin’ the Ranch to the Houghton post. The integration of your two communities is a powerful thing for both, for all involved.
Please have a beer on behalf of Pal and Kid next time you are at the Continental Fire Company. (Huh? Oh…Kid wants to know if there’s a decent amount of bacon on the menu)
It’s been a journey from Elmira Pond to Mars to Copper Country, that’s for sure. Glad we crossed paths. I’ll toast Pal and Kid next time I’m at the Continental Fire Company and see if they can put some bacon on their scorpion bread. Lots more integrating to do, like connecting Houghton to Vermont, England, Canada, India, and Australia.
Those connections and more have been made. But yeah, Carrot Ranch will go on tour. Keep it real.
Gotta spread the bacon.
Reblogged this on Colleen Chesebro ~ The Fairy Whisperer and commented:
The Rodeo is coming! GET ready to write flash fiction for the month of October. No entry fee… CASH prizes!
Thanks for sharing, Colleen!
You’re welcome. <3
Bring on those bucking broncos and let our fingers tap it out, yeha 🙂
The chutes are open, Kate!
yeha … got my spurs and cowgirl hat on ready and waiting Charli 🙂
Reblogged this on Susan Sleggs and commented:
This is what I am doing for fun in October….join in and ride along
Thanks for sharing, Sue!
So looking forward to this!
It’s going to be fun!
Reblogged this on Where Genres Collide.
Sounds fun!
It’ll be lots of fun! And thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome!
The fun begins Charli. All saddled up and rearing to go. Good luck to all that enter, good luck to the ring masters (is that a rodeo term) and particularly good luck to the judges – I know it is a tuff job. Thanks Charli for all that you put into the organisation of this month of contests.
Thanks, Irene! Ringmasters or rodeo clowns — might depend upon the day. But it will feel like a circus. Thank you for your leadership and contest, Irene!
[…] prompt “ranch romance”. This one is in keeping with the rodeo theme. Go to Carrot Ranch for more on the rodeo and to read the winning TUFF stories. Join in the weekly […]
[…] at the Carrot Ranch. The theme for her contest is ‘Fractured Fairytales.’ Click here for all the […]
[…] playing with images. To see the TUFF winners go to Carrot Ranch. Join in the weekly rodeo contests all this […]
[…] September 13th. To see the winners of that competition go to Carrot Ranch. Join in the weekly rodeo contests all this […]
[…] Ranch. The Fab Five continue to duke it out with further TUFF challenges even as the weekly rodeo contests continue all this […]
[…] Here is my final recycled 297 word response to the Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Rodeo’s TUFF Contest prompts, this one “scars from climbing” posted on September 1st. To see the winners of the TUFF competition go to Carrot Ranch. Catch up on this month’s weekly rodeo contests . […]