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Harry’s Magical Trunk (3-2007) Challenge |
| It’s June, most schools are out, and this is the last Challenge before book #7 comes out. I really enjoy this Challenge and I hope it’s a big hit with our authors, new and old alike. While Harry nears his seventeenth birthday at Number 4 Privet Drive, he starts thinking of hunting for the Horcruxes and how the three (or four) of them are going to live in secrecy in the process. He remembers the tents at the World Quidditch Cup match and Moody’s magical trunk. After lengthy owl correspondence with a few catalogs, stores, and manufacturers, he orders a special magical trunk to start using when he leaves Privet Drive. The author’s challenge is to write a story to include: 1. How 17 y/o Harry obtains his new magical trunk, all the supplies he will need, and leaves Privet Drive before the Order catches on. 2. Describe three magical features Harry chooses for the trunk that are of practical value. 3. Describe two defense mechanisms the trunk has. The trunk cannot be transfigured into another object (tree, bench, dust bin). 4. The big test, explain how Harry tests the trunk over two weeks in at least two different locations, in plain sight, and not get caught or found out. 5. And last, describe how everybody is running around trying to find him. Rules: 1. All general submission rules apply. Huge stories over 10,000 words are discouraged but not prohibited. R-rated stories are allowed but discouraged. Judges are not required to read stories over 10,000 words or any R-rated stories. We have at least one young judge who will not read R-rated stories. 2. All entries must be submitted under Harry’s Magical Trunk (3-2007) sub-category under SIYE Challenge and be submitted by midnight DST, Saturday, June 30, 2007. 3. Multiple chapters are allowed as long as all the requirements are in the chapter(s) that are submitted by the deadline. 4. The categories for judging are Best Overall, Trunk Design, Adventure, and Hidden Test. Bonus phrases for extra creativity are the following. Using any or all of them is not required. A good, creative story will always count much stronger than any bonus. · “I can hide….” · “He may be of age but he can’t just…” · “Two weeks of food, a case of Butterbeer, and...” · “Where do you do laundry?” · “Have you lot looked…” · “…in Ginny’s room and you never knew…” · “And I’m suppose to lie around and …?” Here is a hint to get you started. PS: Although a number of posted stories have trunks, and of course, Moody has one, I credit the idea of this Challenge to a story by Fake-a-smile. He humbly declined the honor. (Dec 06) |
| Sir Ollivander on 2007.06.01 - 07:42PM () |
Comments
Spenser Hemmingway came out of the woodwork on 2007.06.02 - 12:46AM to say:
Ah, there lies the real challenge. When I was in Iraq I saw a contest where people rewrote The Hound of the Baskervilles. Anyone can write something that is wide and deep, but you are far more challenged by narrow mischief. I am personally seeing so many plot bunnies that I am recruiting hungry owls to keep them out of my garden. This is going to be a fun one! Eric B.
Ravenclaw came out of the woodwork on 2007.06.02 - 12:57AM to say:
Look at the wank you’ve inspired! Lighten up. Why don’t you just go ahead and write that story that you so desperately want to read instead of complaining about what everyone else is having fun writing? If you don’t like it, you don’t like a story’s plot line, don’t read it. Cake.
I think it is a fun, somewhat light-hearted challenge to kick off Harry's summer and segue into the hunt for the Horcruxes since this is probably our last hoorah on that subject (can you believe it is just 42 days, 2 hours and 4 minutes away???). Just because people have written trunks into stories doesn’t mean the plots can’t or won’t be unique. Part of the challenge is taking a given set of rules and making it your own.
lecook4 came out of the woodwork on 2007.06.02 - 10:37AM to say:
I must admit that, while Harry's trunk has been used in my story as a prop item, I have never concentrated on the trunk as a magical thing. It opens up new realms of creativity, which is after all, the challenge to all authors. We all write from similar experiences, but that doesn't mean they're the same, or can't be original in our stories. I haven't seen one story that uses the Arch the same way that I do, or the Sword of Gryffindor, although there are hundreds of stories out there that are about them. Just relax, have a sip of your favourite beverage and let the mind take you to a new place, then pick up your quill and start writing. It's so fun to think up something new.. Especially if it stems from something already done. Now that's what I call a real challenge.
werekitten came out of the woodwork on 2007.06.02 - 11:32AM to say:
Hmmmmm. Interesting. The idea isn't exactly original, but most stories use the trunk as a handy excuse for snogging, not as the focal point of the story. This challenge strikes me as one that could either be really fun or really hard and a total disaster. And then there's exams to think about... perhaps I'll enter. Either way, can't wait to read the stories!
lecook4 came out of the woodwork on 2007.06.02 - 01:20PM to say:
Werekitten, I hope you do find the time to enter. I love reading what you come up with. In fact, there are quite a few authors on this site that could take this and do wonderfully unique stories with them. I look forward to reading them all. Don't know if I'll find the time to enter myself, although ideas are already floating around. Hmm! - Anyway, I look forward to yours if you decide to try. :-)
Sir Ollivander came out of the woodwork on 2007.06.02 - 01:52PM to say:
Yes - magical trunks have been a part of a lot of stories. But in this Challenge, the trunk is the main point of the story. That has not been done before that I know of. Think of building your get-away home from the inside. Or a simple game of Hide-n-Seek of how and where Harry is going to test the trunk’s abilities. This time, the trunk is not just some place to store Harry’s stuff. It serves a much more valuable purpose. And your Challenge is to explain that to the readers.
Ginebra Wood came out of the woodwork on 2007.06.02 - 05:47PM to say:
My God! it must be the last challenge I will judge before the last book! (yes I will buy the book in English, I ca´t wait util they traslate iI in spanish) by the way, my boyfriend had a trunk under his bed...is one of the best places to "hide a trunk", nobody wants to look under a boy´s bed!
Sovran came out of the woodwork on 2007.06.03 - 11:20PM to say:
Sir Ollivander - I've been bitten by a plot bunny, but I haven't completely decided what form it's going to take yet. So I have a question. Do we have to cover the entire two week 'evasion' period, or can we do part of it and leave the rest clearly implied? Thanks!
Spenser Hemmingway came out of the woodwork on 2007.06.03 - 11:45PM to say:
Sovran--We need to do both. Write your story without being afraid of any possible diversion from our interpretaions. At the same time, wordsmith something that will fit into anyone else's vision in one way or another. There are all sorts of missing moments that tell the rest of the story (plug intended). The final chapter may still belong to us, with J.K.R.'s permission of course). Open your imaginations...and have fun! Eric B.
Sir Ollivander came out of the woodwork on 2007.06.04 - 10:12PM to say:
Sovran - I was going to say yes, you could imply parts of the time period. But I don't know how without Spenser sic-ing one of his 'altered gnomes' on me.
Months later, Harry could be telling the story as to how he evaded everybody for two weeks. A few days in a store window with his invisibility cloak over the trunk, three days in the luggage storage area of Hogwarts’ train station. But the best time was….the majority of your story. That could cover two week's worth.
werekitten came out of the woodwork on 2007.06.05 - 06:11PM to say:
Wait... I thought the story just had to cover 2 weeks, not that he has to hide for two weeks. It says, he tests it over two weeks, which I took to mean as he spends two weeks testing it. Like, could he hide for a few hours, watch the aftermath, then, a 12 days later, do it again (different scenarios each time, obviously)? Or test it repeatedly on different people over two weeks?
Sir Ollivander came out of the woodwork on 2007.06.05 - 07:40PM to say:
werekitten - “…Harry tests the trunk over two weeks in at least two different locations.” That could be interpreted a few ways. I’m pretty easy as long as the spirit of the Challenge is met. In the next update I’ll write that Harry will have dinner with the Weasleys. So he takes a break from hiding for at least one evening. You ideas work fine, too.
Sovran came out of the woodwork on 2007.06.08 - 02:28PM to say:
Fine, fine. But if you regret steering me towards a longer fic, don't blame me. 10k is hardly enough to cover one good day, if you ask me. Two weeks? There's a novella in the works. =)
Sir Ollivander came out of the woodwork on 2007.06.09 - 08:39AM to say:
Sovran - 10K is a long story to read. But 10K from you is normally a pretty interesting story to read. Go for it. Tom
Outoftheloop came out of the woodwork on 2007.06.11 - 05:41PM to say:
You say Harry tests the trunk... could we possibly interpret that as, "The trunk is tested?" :O Which in turn leaves open certain interpretations. In essence, do all of these tests have to be... er, intentional? :P
Sir Ollivander came out of the woodwork on 2007.06.18 - 05:49PM to say:
Outoftheloop - Harry has to test the trunk in at least two situations. If something else happens that tests the trunk, well, that's okay, too.
Benoni came out of the woodwork on 2007.06.26 - 10:35PM to say:
Question here: The challenge says that the story has to describe "how 17 y/o Harry obtains his new magical trunk". Would it be acceptable if he were still 16 at the time?
sapphire200182 came out of the woodwork on 2007.06.28 - 02:16PM to say:
Benoni - probably not. don't chance it.
Sir Ollivander came out of the woodwork on 2007.06.30 - 09:25PM to say:
Benoni - if Harry orders, purchases, buys or otherwise obtains his trunk a few weeks before his birthday but doesn't start using it outside of #4 Privet Drive, I guess that's okay.
Phishbulb came out of the woodwork on 2007.06.02 - 12:24AM to say:
No offense, but does the world really need more stories about Harry buying a trunk? If you're interested I can list off about 57 billion independent Harry stories that all feature this particular plot line. To differentiate this contest from all of the others you should think about including the following requirements to spice things up: - Harry buys a new wand - Harry buys lots of rare books that will teach him wandless magic/how to become an animagus/how to cast incredibly strong wards -Harry stumbles upon a super smart/sarcastic snake - Harry buys a whole new wardrobe - To buy all of this, Harry goes into Gringotts where he gets a magical debit card -- making sure to address Griphook by name Actually, why not make a challenge where the author has to write a story where Harry and Ginny are both likeable throughout. No Ginny pregnant by Malfoy. No Ginny hooking up and staying with a guy who's abusing her. No Ginny treating Harry like crap simply because he gave into destiny and sacrificed a short term relationship to save the world. Just a story where Harry and Ginny are together because it is clear that they should be -- not just because the writer wanted to write a H/G story and put those two characters together with a terrible plot. That would be something new.