Inspirational winners

This challenge was all about how art can help inspire us to write great stories, and how we can use this inspiration to help develop the initial concept into a complete novel. If you wonder where the inspiration for the challenge came from, it was a work of art and a book inspired by a work of art. Tracy Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring was written to answer one very simple question:

Who is the girl with the pearl?

In answering this question, with a fictional story about artist Vermeer's model, Tracy sold millions of copies of her book. Worth thinking about, eh?

I hope the exercise was a useful learning experience for everyone who joined in, as I expect it was. Ideas do not just leap at us out of the blue. They are generally grounded in experience. This might be life experience, involvement in an event, a crisis, an accidental happening. It can also come from cultural sources such as a book, poem, song, movie or, of course, a painting or other artwork.

To enter this challenge, Vocal creators were invited to write a single chapter of their next novel. It might be chapter one or it might be any sample chapter but it had to be inspired by a work of art. Having written the chapter, entrants were asked to provide a brief account of how the story might develop into a novel-length book. If nothing else, every entrant will have emerged from the challenge with a ready-prepared proposal and starting point for a novel-length book, anytime they need it.

Need a new challenge? Here's a quick one: Write a micro fiction story about a thief. Deadline Sunday, prize tip for the best: $5

Where have all the tea leaves gone?

There is no doubt that all of the entries took the brief to heart and the results were truly impressive. Some of the best writing I have so far seen on Vocal. Judges in such competitions often speak of the high standard of entry and I am unable to say any different for this one. In order to make my life easier in the judging, therefore, I devised a points system based on three simple criteria. Scoring for each criterion was 1 for least demonstrated to 5, for most demonstrated.

Assessment Criteria

1. First and foremost, entries must demonstrate a clear connection between the work of art highlighted, and the resulting story. How much was the story a product of inspiration taken from the art?
2. Demonstrate a clear connection between chapter one (or the sample chapter) and the novel to be. Does the chapter inspire the reader to want to read more? Is there sufficient interest in the rest of the story.
3. Is the sample chapter a great story in its own right?

Having reread all of the stories and rated the works, I was left in the difficult position of there being only two points' difference between the highest and least highest scores. This is truly a reflection on the high quality of the entries.

In an attempt to make some progress, I then went on to read the entries again and was still left with only two points in the race. From that point I decided the best and fairest way to resolve the deadlock was to read and assess each entry on the merits of the story itself. This final part of the process of selection resulted in a clear winner.

Before I announce that winner, and given the absurdly close final scores for each story, I have decided not to declare any second, third or runner up places. Instead I will pay the stated $25 prize tip to the winning entry, and make each of the other entries a runner-up, paying a $5 prize tip to each. If you read the winning entries listed below, I am confident you will agree that they each deserve to win.

THE OVERALL WINNER

With out further ado, then, please join me in congratulating the winner of the Girl with the Golden Earring challenge:

John Cox for Raising Lazarus.

When the fabled ship Mary Celest was discovered with not a soul on board, what is not known is that one of the missing sailors had risen, like Lazarus from the grave, to tell his tale. Superb storytelling John and thank you for sharing this super sea yarn with us. Your $25 first prize tip will be with you shortly.

Also winners

Please also congratulate the runners up. Each of these fellow Vocal creators has written a fantastic chapter for a book any one of us would want to read. They have also demonstrated that they can develop an original idea for a story using the inspiration that comes from looking at art. In no particular order, the runners up, each winning a $5 tip, are....

Kendall Defoe, The Rider

Gael MacLean, A Young Man in Curlers at Home on West 20th Street

Addison Alder, The Shot and The Scream

Lana V Lynx, Masterpiece or Trash?

Sarah Parker, Strangulation

Matthew Fromm, Across The Jade Sea

Congratulations and really well done to each of our seven winners above.