If you remember, in October, we tightened our grips on the reins and we Rodeoed. Four weeks, four hosts, four contests, four winners, four prizes! Thanks to Charli and the Carrot Ranch, I was able to not only participate in those writing challenges, but also host one.
When I volunteered, I was not sure what to expect, but since I like trying new things, I just went for it. When the time arrived, I came up with a prompt (quote + masterpiece painting), crossed my finger, and hoped for the best.
If you would like to read more about the contest or maybe even write a story of your own (outside of the contest), take a look here -> (Writing Contest) Rodeo #4: “Wanted Alive”. (You should also check it out if you had missed my art.)
All I could think of was: “What if no one enters?” I wondered about all the pen names that I would have to make up and the stories I would have to write to submit as entries so as not to seem unpopular.
Thankfully, I did not have to do any of that. Entries started coming in and I breathed a sigh of relief. Admittedly, I was hoping for a few more entries from a few specific “regulars” of mine, but the timing just was not right. I understand.
Whenever I got an entry (or a couple), I would copy and paste it into a word document, leaving the author’s name out. Of course, I also checked the word count to make sure that the flash was precisely 99 words. Most of the time, I read the entries right there and then, judging them.
But I knew that the judging process was NOT up to me. I had to leave it to the professionals – Darlene Foster and Geoff Le Pard. Before I sent the document with all of the compiled entries to them, I read the entire collection one more time. This time, I took my time, and a couple of the pieces actually clicked with me for the first time. “That is quite interesting!” I thought to myself.
THANK YOU
TO EVERYONE
WHO DECIDED TO GIVE IT A GO
AND PARTICIPATE!
The judges were a mystery to me. I had absolutely no idea which entry they were going to choose. My whole point was to have unbiased judges, who would focus on the craft and not on the author. But I was nervous. After all, it was MY contest on MY website.
All of that stress was needless. Darlene and Geoff got back to me with the winner rather quickly. And I was pleased with their choice!
Today, I present to you the WINNER of the Rodeo#4 contest – “Wanted Alive.”
“Incriminating Evidence” by Shiloh Carozza
“Reach for the sky!”
“Teacher says the sky is the limit.”
“Shuttup. Gimme your paper.”
“But I drew this!”
“Gimme it. It’s better than mine.”
“But it looks like me, not you.”
“Here, you take mine. Trade pictures with me or I’ll shoot!”
“No!”
*SNAP*
…
“What happened to your eye, son?”
“A bully shot me with a rubber band, sir.”
“Why?”
“He wanted my homework. It was a self-portrait.”
“That’s awful mean. Did you tell your teacher?”
“Yes, Sheriff Brown, but I want him arrested.”
“Arrested? How do I know what he looks like?”
“He looks like this.”
The piece speaks for itself, but if you would like to know what the experts said – It was “best for the neat build-up, the believable dialogue and the punchline.” It was funny and it made great use of the word AND picture prompts.
Shiloh, Charli from the Carrot Ranch will reach out to you to discuss the delivery of the prize! $25 is on its way. Bragging right are all yours, too!
There were a couple of honorable mentions and you can check them out on the Ranch’s site. (If the site is not updated yet with my portion of the contest, it will be soon. Check back again later.)
Thank you, Charli, for granting me this hosting opportunity. It was all sorts of fun!
Thank you, Darlene and Geoff. You were great to work with!
Thank you, all of you who have entered! There would be no contest without you!
See you next time?!
Stay golden,
***
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Great story and integration of the poster! Can we now ‘release’ our own stories? It’s a bit early from the original date of the 29th…? I’ll keep checking to see what happens with the honorable mention portion of your own rodeo! You did a GREAT job by the way, and I hope you are proud of this accomplishment! Thanks Sam!
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Hmm… did it say 29th in my original post? It might have been a typo. Yes, it’s OK to release them now.
Thanks, Melanie! I am! Thank you for participating!
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The build up is pretty awesome I laughed out loud at the end there 🤣🤣
~B
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Right? It was a great piece.
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Thank you, that makes me so happy!!
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Nice!
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It was fun collecting those. Too bad you didn’t participate. Next time?
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I’ll try. I saw your original post, thought I should write something for it, and then promptly forgot. It did sound like fun.
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I will try to spam more next time so no one has the chance to forget.
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Spam is always good.
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Nom nom nom
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How fun! I can just picture those kids.
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Just like your story – totally relatable and real characters.
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Aw, thanks, Goldie.
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Cool! Glad it went well. Great winning story, too — it makes such excellent use of your masterpiece! 😜
And sorry for not participating, myself… Or being very participatory at all, lately, for that matter.
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Yes, I was pleased that my word and photo prompts were utilized.
I have to admit that I missed your entry. There was a poetry challenge (hosted by someone else), too, that I thought would have been fun for you… Maybe next time.
How have you been?
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I have been… Iffy. Hence the non-participation. That, and the fact that when I look at dollar signs, I see hoops to jump through.
But by the way, I loved the poster. I’m particularly fond of “Sheriff Goldie’s” phone number.
You have an okay Thanksgiving?
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But hoops are fun to jump through. Have you never been to a circus?
I’m glad to hear that something small like that caught your eye.
Yes, Thanksgiving was quite alright – rather pleasant. Oh, I just realized… your birthday was sometime in the past couple of weeks… Happy Belated! Did you enjoy yourself?
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Actually, I have never been to a circus. Though, I would imagine it’s far more fun watching someone else go through hoops than doing so yourself.
Glad to hear it! And thanks for the birthday wishes. 😊 I suppose I did largely enjoy myself…
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So it’s not all doom and gloom. Good, good… Enjoy your week!
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No, I suppose not. Thanks, and you too. 🙂
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Reblogged this on Carrot Ranch Literary Community and commented:
A Rodeo Contest inspired by the green eyes of a wanted poster. Goldie announces the winner to Rodeo #4…
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Well done, Goldie! You held a fine Rodeo Contest and the stories your art inspired were playful, thoughtful, and moving. Thank you for hosting!
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Well said, Charli!
Thanks again for making all this possible in the first place.
Stay golden!
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Well done, the word wrestlers, competition setters and imagination wrustlers. Y’all done a grand job. 👌😘
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Yes, they did. Such captivating tales!
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I love the winning entry. Great creativity. And props for you, for holding, for participating. I’d have been a wreak. I’d have faked my own death.
I’ve actually done that once, no word of a lie.
This bit: “All I could think of was: “What if no one enters?” I wondered about all the pen names that I would have to make up and the stories I would have to write to submit as entries so as not to seem unpopular.” I totally get it. I’d have been sitting there with you 😂
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LOL
Em, you made me belly laugh. Thanks for that!
And I’m happy someone could relate to my nerves.
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Great story and lots of fun…
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Indeed!
And thank you so much for participating. It was a great read.
Stay golden!
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Hi Goldie
Congratulations to the winner – creative, imaginative, well-crafted!
And well done, Goldie. Great job hosting the contest!
I enjoyed the challenge — mind-stretching!
Congratulations to all the participants.
And thanks to Charli, thank you Goldie, and all the Rodeo leaders & judges for a great Rodeo!
Saifun
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Thank you for participating. I hope you had fun riding the crazy rodeo just like I did.
Stay golden!
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Thank you! I’m so glad you liked it!!
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Fun to read
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It really was thrilling.
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Reblogged this on Norah Colvin and commented:
And the results for the fourth and last weekly Carrot Ranch 2020 Rodeo Contest are in! Pop over to Goldie’s place to read the clever winning entry. Was it yours? It wasn’t mine.
We are waiting for just one set of results now – the TUFF contest that took place over four weeks.
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I love your post, Sam. The entry that the judges picked was adorable.
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Thank you Marsha!
What a fun ride this Rodeo was.
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It really was. It was nice to meet you, though we didn’t get long to talk, really. You got some really cute entries. Funny! I look forward to becoming better acquainted now that we know each other. 🙂
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Thanks, Marsha! It was a pleasure meeting you. Stay golden!
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My grandmother was named Golda, and I take after her, so I will honor your request of staying golden even living in AZ rather than the golden state. 🙂
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What an intriguing name. Was it unique in her circles during her time, or was it more popular?
🙂
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I never knew of anyone else named Golda, but women had some strange names in my family. Nina, Melvina, Elsie, Levona, Tressie to name a few. Golda seemed pretty tame.
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Intriguing. I wonder where the inspiration came from.
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Good question. I probably heard the story at some point in time. I should have written down more than I did. How did you come up with “Goldie?”
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It began with floatinggold, which was my “nickname” at the beginning. But it didn’t have a cool ring to it, so after a while, I started playing with shorter versions.
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Floating gold. That’s interesting in itself. I thought maybe you were blond, but Grandma Golda was never blond.
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Congratulations on a job well done, Goldie. Congratulations to the winner! ❤
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Thanks, Colleen!
It was a great contest all around.
Stay golden!
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Thank you, my friend. Great fun! ❤️
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Pretty cool victory and story! Thanks for making this happen for them and for sharing this with us. 😀
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Keep in mind that I will try to rope you in next time. And a simple ‘no’ will not be accepted as an answer.
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I had a feeling it was going to be the case too. 😂
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You know me so well 😉
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