Fan Fiction Challenges :  CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE 

CAPTAIN SCARLET and the MYSTERONS UNOFFICIAL WEBSITE

by Chris Bishop

UPDATE JANUARY 30, 2010 - CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE NOW CLOSED!

CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE 2009/2010 EDITION NOW CLOSED.

READ ALL THE STORIES ONLINE.

The 2009 Christmas Challenge is now officially close.  I know, officially it closes on January 31, but this is the last batch of stories we have, and we certainly won't be able to properly prepare new stories before that ultimate date!  However, as always, the stories are ALWAYS AVAILABLE ONLINE, and you can still read them.  Just go to the list, for this year's selection of stories - and for a the stories submitted the years before as well.

As always, the Challenge was a success this year - with NINE  new stories added to our Archives, TWO re-posted stories from previous years, and of course, THE unofficial and now traditional Spectrum Calendar, that is offered every year to our visitors!  We like to thank everyone involved with the project - writers, beta-readers, artists, critics, readers, who helped, with their continuous efforts, and each in their own ways, to make this Challenge what it is.  We hope we will continue offering you pleasure in your reading for many years to come.

And now that the Christmas Challenge is done, what will be next?  Well STAY TUNED, everybody, as something special will come this way very soon!

CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE 2009 EDITION 

Hello folks, and welcome to the 8th edition of the CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE!

In 2002,  the Spectrum Headquarters website launched its first Christmas Fan Fiction Challenge, and it was such a success that every year, the experience was renewed and it became a Holidays tradition for every visitor of this website, interested in fan fiction.  In the previous years, all stories presented on this website's challenges - whatever the challenge - prove immensely entertaining and interesting, each in its own way.  Which is probably the reason why the challenges are so popular. Everyone seem to enjoy the challenge, and many participate to it in their own way, either as a writer, an artist - or simply as a reader. 

So this is time, yet again, to officially launch the Christmas Challenge.

If you are a regular visitor to this website, you already know what the Christmas Challenge is all about.  But for those of you who are new to the site - or to the challenge - here how it goes:   

Christmas Day is coming in less than two months, and then, a week later, Year 2010 will be upon us.   For the occasion, the Spectrum Headquarters website invites all of you  to participate to the Holidays Celebrations, by also participating to the  2009 edition of the CHRISTMAS FAN FICTION CHALLENGE.  

The main event of the Christmas Challenge is, of course, to write a Captain Scarlet and Christmas based fan fiction story.  But there is also a lesser event in which you might want to participate, by submitting other kind of projects, like drawings or montages.  See the rules below for more on this subject.

Of course, this challenge is rather short notice, which is the reason why it always last well BEYOND Christmas Day, and for all the Holidays Season. 

In the previous years, during the Christmas Challenge, so many various stories, of very good quality, have been submitted to this site! And this is all the question:  can YOU do the same this year, and answer the Challenge?   Will you have the inspiration to write a Captain Scarlet/Christmas related story, be it from the classic series, or based on the more CGI series? Will we discover new writers, as we did in previous years?  

Answer the Challenge and find out - and see your story posted on this website during the Holidays Season!

Remember, the information set on the Spectrum Headquarters site is there to help you write your story with better accuracy of the Scarlet mythos and backgrounds (Classic or CGI series).  Feel free to consult it! 

So if you have a project  for a Christmas story, that you're sure will be finished on time, contact the webmaster at scarlet1bishop@hotmail.com, or submit your story  directly at spectrum_hq@hotmail.com.  There is more then enough time! 

Announcement and submissions of Christmas-related stories will appear on a list that you will find on  a list that you will find below.    Consult it often to know what stories are coming your way!  Also listed below are the stories submitted in the previous years. Feel free to check them out for a good read.  They're available all year's long!  

Read for rules and more  information below.

TO PARTICIPATE:

RULES AND CONDITIONS OF THE CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE:

As always, the same basic rules as any fan fiction challenge project apply:

FAN FICTION:

• The story could be related to Christmas itself, New Year's Celebrations, or to one of the many subjects generally associated to them, or can simply be set during the Holidays Season. The story should keep true and faithful to the Captain Scarlet mythos, either from the Original Captain Scarlet series, or the New Captain Scarlet series.

• It could be as short as one page, or as long as you wish.  

• You can write your story alone, or team up with another writer.

• Slash stories will not be accepted. 

• Accepted will be one-shot stories, or two or three-parts maximum.  If more than one part, note that, to avoid an unfinished story,  all the parts should be completed before posting.  Contact the webmaster for more information.

• Check our Submission Guidelines before submitting your story. If you need the service of a beta-reader, and don't have one at your dispostion, ask the webmaster for the possibility of finding one. Take note that the use of beta-reader is not required, but recommended.  Please take beta-reading time into consideration when you submit your story!  

• The stories will only be accessible from December 1rst onwards, and January 31st will mark the last day stories related to the Christmas Challenge will be posted, giving  a little more time to writers to complete their stories (the Holidays Season being a busy period in the year for everyone). Depending on how many stories are received, one or more stories will be posted each week. The stories will  STILL be accessible after that,  but the Challenge will be closed.  The limited date to send your story to this website will be  January 25,  so we'll have time to edit it for posting.

PICTURES:

You can also submit other projects, like drawings or pictures  - to be put with your story if you are a writer, or as a stand-alone artist rendition of a Christmas/Captain Scarlet  scene.  Your contribution would make a nice addition to the Christmas Challenge, and will be posted on the CHRISTMAS PICTURES page.  There's already a few items from previous editions, so you can visit the page, if ever you want some inspiration or ideas to what you might send.

Accepted will be original drawings, paintings, pictures, montages, collages,  comic strips, gif animations, etc.  Just contact the webmaster and propose your project(s).

We hope a lot of you will be able to submit something.  Don't be shy, and contact us to inform us of your projects  at this site regular e-mail scarlet1bishop@hotmail.com. 

Announcements and postings  will be announced on this page.

A SPECIAL NOTE: As always, we won't refuse multi-parts stories ,  or stories out of theme, that will come along during the time this Challenge will last.  These stories will be posted as 'regular' Captain Scarlet stories, but they will not be considered part of the Christmas Challenge, and won't have a link through the Christmas page.  Depending on the webmaster or this website's collaborators' availability, for beta-reading (if required), these stories might get posted only after the Christmas Challenge.  The webmaster will contact you in case of delay.