The Writer Games // Spotlight & Interview

I am super excited to share with y'all about a newly established writing contest: The Writer Games! Both Julia from Lit Aflame and Kassie from Soldier Girl Stories have created this new and exiting way to inspire writers all over the blogging community!

Check out the official website HERE.

So what is TWG? It's a flash fiction contest that lasts from January 1st to February 5th. But the cool thing is, there are elimination rounds... challenges... mentors... prizes... and more! Make sure to check it out, because it sounds like loads of fun!

There will be judges of the three different rounds and the judges are Kassie Angie, Jenna Terese, Cassandra Hamm, and Julia S. But the last round (out of the four elimination rounds) will be judged  by whoever votes!

Who doesn't want something to motivate them to write?! This is a awesome opportunity and I can't wait to give it a go. (Or try to anyway, lol!)

Still not sure how exactly The Writer Games works? Here are some of the basics broken down for you from the website:

THE BASICS
~ Lasts from January 1st to Feb. 5th

​~All times are Central time

~ Flash Fiction

~ 500 words or less

~ 3 Elimination Rounds

~ On the Fourth and final Round contestants will be assigned to a "Mentor" - a published author who they can get advice from on their final entry, geek about chocolate with, and plot to ruin readers' dreams together.

Sign up for this contest HERE!

I think this sounds like a unique and fun way to practice my writing skills and get lots of awesome feedback!

I also asked a few questions for a interview! Thanks girls for answering them, I loved your answers!

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and what instilled your love of writing?
KASSIE: Well, I’m an 18-year-old Army girl with Texas roots and a heart for wounded soldiers, missions, and special needs kids. I love running, Lightning McQueen, and rodeos. I’ve been writing since I knew how; I’ve just always loved it. As I grew up and began to realize the gap between the civilian and military world, the Lord opened my eyes to the idea that writing stories was something I could do to help bridge that gap.

JULIA: I'm an INTP who dwells in a little hobbit-hole in Texas. I write Sci-Fi and Fantasy stories that revolve around seeing the light in the midst of darkness and finding healing in brokenness.  Saved, sealed, and going to Heaven -- I seek to bring my Savior Jesus Christ glory in all that I do, and I firmly believe that if the Bible says it, it's true! I think a lot of my love for stories came from my mom reading to my brothers and I when we were younger. A few pinnacle books in my childhood were The Boxcar Children, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Little House on the Prairie.

2. What inspired the idea behind The Writer Games?
KASSIE: We were emailing back and forth about doing a giveaway, which turned into a contest, at which point we said this is not going to be your average writing contest. Julia was really the mastermind behind the idea of The Writer Games; I just added the Olympic edge, haha!

JULIA: What if there was a type of contest for writers where they had to enter a sort of "arena"? What if these writers had to face challenges that put their literary strengths to the test? What if, as time passed, the contestants dwindled, challenges grew harder, and each round advanced the participating writers towards greater rewards??? These are the sort of questions we though on while creating TWG. We drew on our personal interests: melding together The Hunger Games and Olympics to create a writing contest like none other!

3. What is your target audience and are there age categories?
KASSIE: Well, by default I guess we’re reaching out to our homeschooled blogging community, although we hope to share stories that will be able to inspire and teach anyone. There are no age categories and no age limits, either!

JULIA: As Kassie said, The Writer Games is open to anyone who wants to participate, and there are no age categories. We hope to provide an intriguing, inspiring, and altogether motivating writing experience for the Writers - young and old - around the writing community!

4. How will The Writer Games encourage newbie writers and challenge experienced writers?
KASSIE: New writers will get to try their hand at different styles of writing and potentially get to work with an experienced author-mentor. Experienced writers will get to stretch out of their comfort zone of writing and try something new every week.

JULIA: WHAT KASSIE SAID XD

5. When the flash fiction entries are judged, what are some aspects they are judged on?
KASSIE: Plot, character, theme, and how well their incorporate our mini challenges. The different judges will be looking for a strong, well-paced plot; realistic, relatable characters; and seamless use of the mini challenges.

JULIA: There are four focus points when it comes to judging the Writer Games entries: Plot, Character, Theme, and Mini Challenges. Jenna Terese will be judging plot; I will be judging character; Kassie is the judge of the theme; And lastly, the Mini Challenges will be judged by Cassandra Hamm.

6. How long did the planning process for The Writer Games take?
KASSIE: Wellll...we started emailing about it at the beginning of July, and we finalized everything for the website/signup launch pretty much the day before it happened? So basically five months, I guess! XD

JULIA: SooooOOooo LOngggggg, lol. Getting together an entire contest like TWG is WAY more work than it looks. In fact, we're still planning and preparing things (such as prizes), and probably will be all the way up till January 1st when the Writer Games begins!

7. What is your favorite thing about being a writer/author?
KASSIE: Falling in love with my characters and having them seem oh so real to me—and then having people I’ve never even met get invested in that same story, take the message to heart, and act on it. I love seeing how God uses my stories in more ways than I’d ever dreamed.

JULIA: There's so many things I could answer with! I love the way mere dreams can come to life; And the moment when you're writing and you just know -- you KNOW -- that this is what you're meant to be doing, and that the act of creating a story is one of the most beautiful things in the world; But really, ultimately, I'd have to say that my favorite thing about being a writer is the opportunity to inspire and change lives through the weaving together of words.

Do you like writing flash fiction? Doesn't this contest sound EPIC? 

Do you like writing contests? Lets Taco bout it!