Remembering Alex Birch

A story related to Alex in some way. It might be about him, or in his memory, or might be an attempt to write in his style. You can find some of Alex's old SSC stories in the archives

Human Drama

A story based on the drama of the interpersonal relationships between the characters.

Imbalance of Power

A story in which a character has power or authority over another. This might be parent/child, teacher/pupil, or any other combination. Try to make the power imbalance a significant part of the story.

The Age of Twitter

A story in which Twitter - or related services such as Instant Messaging, text messaging, or social networking generally - is a significant element. You don't need to tell the story entirely as a series of tweets (although do have a go at that if you'd like to), but the technology should be relevant.

A Picture is Worth Five Hundred Words

A story based on, or inspired by, one of these images:

Edge / Not-my-kink

An 'edge' story is one which involves subject matter close to, or beyond, the author's limits. A 'not-my-kink' story is an attempt to write a story which makes significant use of a kink, or kinks, that the author doesn't have - but which might be hot to someone who does have those kinks. The author is encouraged to include a short note explaining why the story is either 'edgy' for them, or 'not-their-kink'.

Slash

A story about a romantic/sexual/kink relationship between two fictional characters who don't have that relationship in the original material. (Other definitions of 'slash fiction' exist, but this is the one we're using for the SSC.) Read more on the concept of slash fiction.

Another Time

A story set in a time - either past or future - other than the present, in which the time is significant. For example, the setting might be historical, or futuristic, but it should be relevant to the story.

Genre Fiction

A story in any well-defined 'genre' of fiction. Examples might be: crime, mystery, romance, science-fiction, fantasy, horror, western. The genre should be a significant part of the story.

Wildcards

A story which includes, in any way, all of a set of three 'wildcard' words or phrases. There'll be a new set of wildcards each week of the contest.

Week 1 wildcards: "unlock", "purpose", "renaissance".
Week 2 wildcards: "significant", "sarcasm", "sanity".
Week 3 wildcards: "roommate", "lightly", "forget".
Week 4 wildcards: "tea", "ski", "medicine".
Week 5 wildcards: "shriek", "schoolhouse", "bedding".
Week 6 wildcards: "disciplinarian", "escape", "inherit".
Week 7 wildcards: "ejection", "camcorder", "typo".
Week 8 wildcards: "blackboard", "knee", "gift".
Week 9 wildcards: "unsettling", "knack", "karaoke".
Week 10 wildcards: "fantasy", "emotion", "freedom".
Week 11 wildcards: "prefect", "master", "control".
Week 12 wildcards: "plethora", "fireworks", "blackmail".