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He stared down at the envelope and reread what was emblazoned on the letter. *"DO NOT DISCARD: FREE TRIP TO ALPHA CENTAURI INSIDE! OPEN IMMEDIATELY."* The advertising agencies were getting more creative all the time.

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April 2008 Contest - Lost in Translation
Written by Nathan   
Sunday, 02 March 2008

Dialogue is an important part of writing. Some people think it is strange that it takes a writer a long time to develop good dialogue - they speak, so they should be able to write it. If it was only that simple. Writers often over complicate exchanges making them too formal or sound forced, and bad dialogue can break a story just like bad prose.

Nighongo o hanashimasu ka. Do you speak Japanese?

The difficulties are exacerbated with a foreign speaker. If the dialogue is not in their native tongue word choice could be limited or incorrect, phrasing and structure could be different, and a number of other problems can arise. If the exchange is in their native tongue, language is a window to a people's soul. It falls to the writer to convey what their society is like.

Now imagine crafting a dialogue involving a being who is not native to earth...

tlhIngan Hol Dajatlh'a'. Do you speak Klingon?

That is the challenge for the April 2008 PlotStorming contest. Entries must contain dialogue with an alien - a being who is not native to earth. It could be sci-fi and feature a real alien, or it could be fantasy and feature an entity from another plane of reality. Whatever you choose, your goal should be to craft a great exchange - hopefully something that gives the reader a glimpse, a deeper understanding, of the entity and its culture.

Summary:

Format: short story
Genre: any
Concept: dialogue with an alien
Challenge: Reveal a culture through dialogue
Word Count: 1500 to 3000 words
Deadline: April 30th

Judging:

The judges for the contest will be the community. Creativity, originality, rich dialogue, and quality will be the keys. The community will nominate the individual that created the best piece.

If you're interested, please continue reading to see the complete rules and deadline information (April 30th).
Last Updated ( Saturday, 05 April 2008 )
 
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