The Little Known Writing Contest
By, Little Known, I’m not referring to the recognition of the contest, but to little known history. Not trivia. Not minutiae. But interesting historic events or people that don’t get the attention they deserve (or maybe hoped to avoid).
Everyone knows about Churchill, George Washington, Shakespeare, Julius Caesar and all the other big names. But I prefer the lesser-known figures in history that sometimes made just as much of an impact as their better-known counterparts.
The contest rules are simple. Every two weeks, I will post a Little Known historical fact. I will give just enough background information to give you the impetus of a story based on that event or person. Ground your scene in as little or as much of the facts as you want. Please limit your scenes to 500 words or less. I won’t disqualify you if you go over by a few, but don’t get carried away; I am reading all of these myself, after all. And on that note, it is likely that I will have to cap the number of entries, so the earlier you get your entry in the better.
So write a scene if you’re stuck with your other writing, or you feel like entering a contest just for fun. The winner will get their entry posted on this website with attribution, so include as much or as little personal information as you want. You can even use a pseudonym. Sorry, no cash prizes. And I can’t guarantee that any agents will be calling you as a result. But you never know.
I also promise to never, ever use, copy or plagiarize anything that is submitted to me. And I would also like to thank George Duncan for graciously allowing me to use some of the material from his history website. I’m sure that I’ll modify these rules after a few iterations, but for now, thanks for entering, and have fun.
Contest premise # 2 : One of the most decorated Marine officers of World War II was Colonel Peter Ortiz, who served in both Africa and Europe as a member of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Although born in the U.S., he was educated in France and began his military service in 1932 at the age of 19 with the French Foreign Legion. As a result of his training and experience, he was awarded a commission, and a special duty assignment as an assistant naval attache in Tangier, Morocco. In 1943, as a member of the OSS, he was dropped by parachute into France to aid the Resistance.
In the course of his duties he began frequenting a nightclub in Lyons that catered to German officers. This enabled Ortiz to gain much information regarding German activities in the area. This Marine had worn his Marine uniform when leading Maquis groups in raids. To have an Allied officer leading them bolstered their morale immensely, especially when the uniform bore such impressive decorations.
One night, while Ortiz sat with the German officers at the club in Lyons, an enemy soldier damned President Franklin Roosevelt. He then damned the United States of America. And then, for whatever reason, he damned the United States Marine Corps. Perhaps Ortiz was bored. Perhaps he was drunk. He excused himself from the table and returned to his apartment where he changed into U.S. Marine uniform. He then shrugged into a raincoat and returned to the club. He ordered a round of drinks and then removed his raincoat and stood brandishing his pistol in front of a group of slack-jawed Germans.
What happens next? Your scene can take place any time during the bar scene or after as long as it is somehow related to either Colonel Peter Ortiz, the Maquis, or the bartender! Use your imagination. Deadline - 21 April 2008
Email your entries to this address only. DO NOT include your scene as an attachment, and no HTML in there either. The deadline is bedtime, Pacific Time, on the day indicated.
