>From Vicki Werkley, Todd, Chuck S, Nina, and Effie:
Twenty-five years ago, five determined individuals-Sharon Joy (TX), Pam
Mandeville (TX), Debbie Markley (CA), Vicki Koenig (MN) and Chris Menefee
(DC)-found each other, and it was 25 years ago today that these Five
Founding Parents (FFP) started the group Spotlight Starman, a grass-roots
effort to return STARMAN to TV with new episodes. On this day, May 22, 1987,
the FFP were all on the same phone call to talk about campaign strategies as
well as ways to find other like minds who valued the show. That we're all
here today is ample testament that they succeeded spectacularly. Chris
Menefee recalled, "In the months and years that followed, long distance
telephone, newsletter printing and first class postage costs all took
'beaucoup moo'-my phone bills alone were often several hundred dollars a
month-but somehow through the generosity and trust of many STARMAN fans, we
managed to keep the communications going in those pre-Internet (and
pre-unlimited calling plan) days.
"That was one of those events you never forget where you were at the time,"
she continued. "I remember rocking gently in the cabin of my houseboat with
a STARMAN tape playing on my VCR and holding the phone as if it were a
lifeline. In 1987, ordinary people didn't have Internet or social networking
or cell phones to connect with each other, we had The Mail and The
Telephone, and a group phone call was cutting-edge. It seems unlikely that
the five of us should have connected at all, much less meshed as we did and
organized. From my point of view it seemed sheer luck deriving from the
facts that nobody else wanted us, and we were all of a like mind. Some of us
had tried in vain to persuade Viewers for Quality Television to show some
respect for STARMAN; the studio had a list of names of fans drawn from pesky
letters they didn't want to have to answer; and through a haphazard
coincidence of referrals, we connected with each other and had the names and
contact information of other fans. It was obvious we'd have to go ahead with
an organization of our own, since nobody else would listen, and when we got
together in that phone call, it was as if we were already a well-oiled
machine; we quickly agreed on a plan. We figured we'd make an all-out
effort, because the whole thing would be over soon, one way or the other -
either STARMAN came back, or it didn't. Of course it did come back, but not
in the way we expected in the beginning: it was in the subculture of fans
that's still creating new 'episodes' in real life. Blue light forever!"
ANNOUNCING
"The Star Return II Challenge"
A 25th Anniversary STARMAN Short Story Writing Contest
To commemorate this historic event and continue our celebration of renewed
interest from the official Sony DVDs and the STARMAN Fan Fiction Archive,
we're really excited to announce a 25th Anniversary short story writing
contest (around 2000 words or fewer), "The Star Return II Challenge," with
winners being announced at STARMAN FAMILY-CON 2012 in October, where we'll
culminate this silver jubilee of all things STARMAN.
We want the entire fandom involved, and everyone to have fun, so winners
will be determined by reader evaluation of a story against set criteria,
with the grand winner receiving the soon-to-be-coveted, engraved "STARMAN
Silver Pen Award," and the top three entries getting certificates signed by
a mystery StarStaffer. Surely these keepsakes will be cherished and handed
down through the generations! But hyperbole aside, we wanted to provide some
memento the winners will be proud to have as formal recognition of their
talent.
Those of you who have read the older stories in The Star Return Series are
aware that the concept originated with Effie Burton and Joyce Fossek in
1994. Their idea-revisiting the many supporting characters helped by Starman
in every episode to see how Paul's visit changed the lives of the people he
had encountered-became the basis of an ongoing challenge. The stories must
focus primarily on the guest characters, though, of course, Paul and Scott
could get to see the results just as we do. Effie also notes that the
stories are not supposed to be conflict oriented-no captures or car chases.
But they may help resolve a new or old problem for the people Starman and
Scott visited. Each story is to be solely about one episode's characters,
without characters from multiple episodes mingling.
The contest begins now for story submissions and ends on September 19, the
26th anniversary of the first episode of STARMAN ever shown. Reader
scorecards are due no later than September 26. The challenge itself will
continue past the contest, since future inspiration for stories around this
theme may occur years from now. It is open to anyone who has the passion and
energy and joy to write STARMAN fanfic, so you don't have to be a
"professional" or super experienced writer, nor a member of SSI, to enter.
All new stories in the contest will be posted into The Star Return II
Challenge Series on the fan fiction archive, which will be different from
the current Star Return Series. We'll merge them together after the contest.
At the end of each story will be a scorecard to cut, paste and send back to
<mailto:HowNovel@starmanet.com> HowNovel(a)starmanet.com by September 26,
2012. This is also the address to which you send your entries, hopefully
with enough time prior to September 19 for most people to read and evaluate
them! If you miss the deadline, your story will still be included in the
series, only after the contest.
We want to encourage a lot of entries, particularly from new writers eager
to demonstrate their passion for storytelling. Many of you have recently
viewed the episodes on the official Sony DVDs, so some of the characters are
fresh in your mind. That makes it a great time right now to think of what
might have changed for these people and share that story with us over the
next few months. For full contest details, read on.
____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________
"The Star Return II Challenge"
A 25th Anniversary STARMAN Short Story Writing Contest
STORY GUIDELINES:
1. All stories should be set no more than three years after Paul's
return to help Scott. They want to go back to see how Paul's visit has
changed the lives of the people he encountered. This must be the major theme
of all the stories. But maybe a person's life hasn't changed. This would
still make an interesting story. The idea is to see how these people were
living reasonably soon after they met the Starman and shown the way to a
better life.
2. The stories must not be conflict oriented-no captures or chases of
Paul and Scott, but they could help resolve a new problem for the people
they are visiting.
3. It would be especially nice if the story reminisced a little about
the first visit, but not in too much detail. These would be more to explain
things which weren't seen on the screen, rather than rehashing what we
already know.
4. Each story must be based upon an individual episode. There shouldn't
be people from two episodes intermingled.
5. Length: Around 2000 words or fewer. There will be some leeway, but
not much!
6. Be sure to submit a summary of your story with your submission.
CRITERIA: On a 1-5 scale (5 being the highest), to what extent does the
story exhibit: (each 10 % of total score)
"Canonicity" - To what extent: does the story pay homage to the series,
through dialogue, allusions, motifs, or realism within the bounds of the
canon? Does sphere use advance the story rather than serve as some instant
"magic" solution to a tight situation?
1 2 3 4 5
Plotting - To what extent: is this an innovative or compelling story that
holds your interest? Does it keep the pace well? Are the events of the plot
believably strung together? An original take on a central STARMAN theme? If
humor is employed, does it fit the context?
1 2 3 4 5
Character Development - To what extent: are the characters fleshed out,
i.e., does the reader understand why their motivations and actions make
sense within the context of their original encounter with Starman? Within
this specific story? Does the dialogue seem believable, i.e., could you
imagine Paul and Scott or the particular character in a series episode
saying them?
1 2 3 4 5
Writing quality - To what extent: is the structure logical and easy to
follow? Are there any continuity problems or huge unexplained gaps? Do the
sentence skills-grammar, spelling, syntax, punctuation, general
proofreading-exhibit excellence? Is there wide use of vocabulary? Does the
language flow? Does the writing avoid "headhopping"-frequent bouncing back
and forth between points of view, and is it clear when switching points of
view?
1 2 3 4 5
In Starman's Spirit - To what extent: does the story exemplify or advance
STARMAN values such as promoting kindness, respect between generations or
the sexes, and positive human relationships?
1 2 3 4 5
Overall Impression (20%)
5 - One of the best stories in the contest
4 - Really enjoyed reading it
3 - Good story
2 - Some element turned me off
1 - Poorly written or totally disliked story
SCORING:
Average score of all readers submitting evaluations on scorecard:
5 Individual Criteria: (5 rating = 10 points, 4 = 8 points, 3 = 6 Points, 2
= 4 points, 1 = 2 points) TOTAL 50 points maximum
Overall Impression: (5 rating = 20 points, 4 = 16 points, 3 = 12 points, 2
= 8 points, 1 = 0 points) TOTAL 20 points maximum
Judges Panel: Average of judges ratings using same scorecard. TOTAL 20
points maximum
Judges panel: a team of experienced writers and editors of STARMAN fan
fiction, including a college-level teacher of English Composition and
Literature: Chuck, Todd, Nina, and possibly one more, a published writer.
Kudos and Comments: 1 point for each kudos or comment received on the
Archive, maximum of 5 each. TOTAL 10 points maximum
ELIGIBILITY:
. Open to anyone who has the passion and energy and joy to write
STARMAN fanfic. Judges of course are ineligible for the contest, as are
prior Star Return stories. Judges, as well as any writer, may submit their
own stories for the ongoing challenge outside of the contest. Please make it
clear if you're submitting a story for the challenge, but you don't want it
to be judged for this contest.
. No rating higher than "T" (Teen), which is equivalent to the movie
rating of PG-13, will be accepted, meaning stories must be suitable for teen
audiences. Basically, if it can't be shown on network TV, we can't accept it
either. This includes inappropriate adult themes, torture, graphic violence,
explicit sex, or profanity unless pixilated out, and is also the standard
for all stories posted under the official SSI "How Novel" banner. This is
STARMAN, after all, which we profess to be a family-friendly show with
strong family values. You must specify a rating of either "G" for "General
Audiences" or "T" for "Suitable for Teens" in your submission.
DEADLINES:
September 19, 2012 for story submissions. September 26 for reader
evaluations. However, we encourage all writers to submit stories as soon as
possible to assure the maximum number of readers for your story and give
them time to submit their scorecards.
PRIZES:
The grand prizewinner will receive an engraved "STARMAN Silver Pen Award,"
and the top three entries will receive certificates signed by a mystery
StarStaffer, connected with the STARMAN TV show.
SUBMIT STORIES AND SCORECARDS TO: <mailto:HowNovel@starmanet.com>
HowNovel(a)starmanet.com
