Staccato

Prompt:

Staccato

Staccato sentences are short, concise and often emphatic. They focus the reader or listener on content because there are no unnecessary words to obscure meaning. Examples of staccato sentences are:
Get out of my way! Quick! Now!
The internet is filled with other examples that you may explore.

Weave a tale, in any genre, that uses this writing style. At least ten percent (10%) of the total number of words in your story must be staccato words. [ For example, if your story is 2500 words, then staccato words should be 250; in a 3000 word story your staccato words should be 300…and so on] Kindly highlight these words so it would be easy for the team to identify them. (Head on to the thread of this post on FB Group for an enlightening discussion, if any.)
Send in your entries to penmagica@gmail.com as an attachment in a word document (.doc/.docx) along with a 2-3 line bio (not required if previously sent) and a cover picture for your story (optional).
The subject of your mail should be “Entry for #Staccato″ (compulsory).
Along with your entry please send a suggested cover for your story (LANDSCAPE ONLY, as direct attachment, and no watermark, please). Use pixabay.com, pexels.com or unsplash.com to source lovely covers. In case your story is unaccompanied by a cover, it will delay the publishing process.

Rules:

The submitted story must be between 2500-3500 words (each). Entries lower than or exceeding the word limit will stand disqualified for the event. (Penmancy Tip: Use https://wordcounter.io/ to check your word count.)
There is no limit to the number of entries you may submit- though only the first one of them will be eligible for the contest.
Previously published or plagiarised works will not be considered for contention. The writer of such content stands to be disqualified for the next Penmancy event.
Stories found to have been shared on another writing platform or blog before the declaration of results stand disqualified from the event. Kindly check the Terms of Use for details.
In case a story is received after the submission deadline, it shall be considered as a guest entry and shall not qualify for the contest.

Winning criteria:

The winner will be chosen on the basis of the judges’ scores (out of 10)
- plot/story/creativity (15 points)
- language/grammar (10 points)
- narrative voice & content (9 points)
- emotional impact, (8 points)
- use of prompt/theme (8 points)

The entries adjudged by a panel of judges and event organisers shall be binding. Judges’ scores to be deemed final and may not be contested or sought from the Penmancy team.
All writers are required to read and comment on 5 stories other than their own and encourage their fellow writers with valuable and constructive inputs. Comments like “nice”, “good work”, “brilliant piece”, etc. do not provide the necessary critique and are not helpful for anyone.
Only stories that garnered an average score/rating of 7.5 and above, as aggregated on judges’ scores, shall be eligible for winning.
Contest duration:
- The submission for the contest is open from July 1 to July 31, 2022
- Results for the event shall be shared on August 7, 2022, at 8:00 pm

Top three winners will receive a copy of the book ‘Stories from the Forest’ by Flor Ana.