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2005 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest Winners

JNA

JNA

Cyburbian Plus
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Their website:
http://www2.sjsu.edu/depts/english/2005.htm

The Western Winner has a planning related theme:

As soon as Sherriff Russell heard Bradshaw say, "This town ain't big enough for the both of us," he inadvertantly visualized a tiny chalk-line circle with a town sign that said 'population 1,' and the two of them both trying to stand inside of it rather ineffectively, leaning this way and that, trying to keep their balance without stepping outside of the line, and that was why he was smiling when Bradshaw shot him.

AIB the Headline and Article from the AP Wire:
N.D. Man Wins Annual Bad-Writing Contest
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationw...85231.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines
 
Bulwer-Litton is one of my favorites. It's an inspiration to any planner who has written a three page, one sentence staff report.
 
The problem with that contest is that they nearly all use overextended (distended?) metaphors to be funny. It gets repetitious after a while.

Bravo to that one for breaking out of that mold... almost.
 
jordanb said:
The problem with that contest is that they nearly all use overextended (distended?) metaphors to be funny. It gets repetitious after a while.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I agree. A short bit of bad prose, cleverly written, is always somewhat enjoyable.
 
jordanb said:
The problem with that contest is that they nearly all use overextended (distended?) metaphors to be funny. It gets repetitious after a while.

Bravo to that one for breaking out of that mold... almost.
Click to expand...
True, but long sentences are in keeping with the original run on sentence.

"It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents--except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness."

--Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, Paul Clifford (1830)


Also, the longer the sentence the more opportunities to insert various types of humor. I bet we continue to see lots of long entries as winners for many years to come.
 
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