Welcome to the third round of my contest! This competition will follow an almost-traditional tournament-style bracket with 4 rounds. Half of the writers will be eliminated in each round. In this round, two writers will be eliminated so that two writers will remain for the finals. The general rules are as follows:

1. Entries are due on 10 September, 2018. No late entries will be accepted*, however if all contestants submit their entries early, judging and the next round will begin early.
   
2. Entries must be exclusively yours. No collaboration is allowed.
   
3. Whether you advance to the next round of competition is determined solely by the judges. The amount of diamonds or favorites on your submission will not count toward your chance of moving on.
   
4. This round requires the submission of a short story of 500-5,000 words in prose. Please leave a word count somewhere on your submission. Link your submission in the comments of this post.
   
5. Only the text of your story will be judged. Any visuals you use will not be judged, though they will be appreciated.
   
6. All submissions must be in the form of a story linked in a comment on this forum post before the deadline.
   

The challenge for this round is "Leaving Home." At some point, if not already, you will find yourselves leaving your childhood home for one of many reasons, be it leaving for college, moving out for a job, or any other circumstance. When you do so, you will have to pack up your belongings to take with you.

For this challenge, tell the story of the act of packing up your things. Which items do you choose to take, and which items do you choose to leave behind? What sentimental value do said items hold from you, what individual stories do they tell? Try to craft a complex narrative based not the actions of your character, but rather on the decisions, thoughts, and emotions of her or him.


The writers of this bracket (in no particular order) are:

striker107
Zatharel
Artsy_Lady
Cib


This season will be judged by myself and CaelChan. The breakdown of judging criteria is as follows:

Originality – Make your stories new and interesting! I want to see you think outside the box, present plots in unexpected ways, write something I’ve not read before.

Quality – Write well and present clearly. Proofread your entries!

Cohesion – Organize your thoughts and finish your stories. Make sure that your story is a complete package as-is, without the need for “Part 2” or other accessories.

Let me know if you would like my in-depth feedback of your work and I will PM my thoughts to you. However, keep in mind that my writing is not perfect and I judge from my perspective as a reader and writer.

If you missed the entry for this contest and would like to participate in a future one, let me know and I’ll be sure to contact you when the next one happens.

Good luck writers!

*If you need more time than is currently allowed, contact me and suggest a new end date. A majority of the writers in the competition must agree to your extension in order for it to be valid.