![The Swivet [Colleen Lindsay]](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ydq3peK34xU/S6mKLbLIBzI/AAAAAAAAAWc/nSRAcSuIQ9U/S760/swivet+blue+header.jpg)
Okay, a new contest to keep y'all occupied so that I can free myself up to get caught up on reading. (Not having a working Sony Reader any longer is seriously cutting into my productivity and my reading time! I protest!)
In any case, here's a new contest, and it's a lot harder than the last one: Submit your query in haiku format. And you need to follow the rules for haiku formatting. Three lines, first line consisting of five syllables, second line consisting of seven syllables, third line consisting of five syllables again. Leave your query haiku in the comments field below. (Anonymous commenting is on, so have at it.) The contest is open until midnight Friday, EST.
The top ten haikus will be posted on the blog next week. Winner will get his/her real query letter critiqued in depth.
Think of this as exercise in thinking concisely. And have fun!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
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242 comments:
1 – 200 of 242 Newer› Newest»Set, lord of chaos
stalks psychic paralegal
keeps sun off menu
Teen finds living book
Targeted by dark cabal
Told from book’s viewpoint
Girl jumps for joy and
Catches grouchy joy fairy.
Mild chaos ensues.
Cross through a rainbow
The Render awaits his sword
Will he grant it death?
Super Hero Dating
Alice caught in the center
Sex in a cape, really?
Filamena -
You broke the syllable-count rule. Try again.
Girl wants the magic--
She'll give anything for it.
...can she pay the price?
We have your mother
Computer screen left, unread
You're next, Beware!
dazed by wildwinds
girl rejects pageant values
beauty: the town slut.
Teen sees the future
She is scared by what she sees
But can she change it?
Author's first novel.
Unexpected marriage and
Brother's treachery.
(You already rejected it and I haven't rewritten it enough to have a prayer of resubmission, but I didn't want to pass up a chance at haiku! *grin*)
Are people who received honorable mention in the Twitter contest eligible?
Tough lady wrangler
Fights zombie gladiators
To conquer world’s fear
How fun!
Child weapon escapes
Befriended by survivor
'Til truth wreaks ruin
she has a good womb
after the apocalypse
he wants it real bad
"What if I'd had it?"
Gwynn sees what life would have been
with unwanted child.
We abducted two,
but cannot see any thoughts.
They have friends! Now what?
I don't think I've done this since eleventh grade, heaven help me. Here goes!
"Grief gives way to strength.
Lovers seek new paths to find
Old divinity."
Thanks for the mental challenge, Ms. Lindsay.
Amethyst
Royal Guardian,
exiled from her planet,
struggles to survive.
clindsay, quite right.
Superhero love
Alice caught in the middle
Sex in a cape, huh?
Mean theater actress
Grim Reaper is janitor
Infatuation
Girl sees dead dog, but
needs to hear him to stop witch.
The hermit can help.
*** That was hard!
Quetzalcoatl cult,
Two Paranormal PI's,
Death toll is rising.
When it rains it pours,
Now that he controls the earth.
Karma is a bitch.
Good Shifter meets bad
Faces change, gauntlets are thrown
Which one will switch sides?
Corpses in the wood?
Harold will investigate
after brewing tea.
Magic's First Daughter,
the Church's Champ - doomed love midst
urban fantasy.
Cross-dressing rent boy
wants man to love and girl's voice
in head to shut up.
Margaritas? Check!
Fairy Godmother, Absent!
What's A Man To Do?
With tequila and
sarcasm, Fran copes with love and
office politics.
Wendy's to-do list:
Cater wake... Watch victim's kids...
Catch the murderer.
Sole teen character
Desolate wild Alaska
His quest to survive
Future cop has a
Libido pump on the fritz
Now she looks at girls
Staid Kentucky girl
Two vampires, three friends, one Dick
Bring laughter, love, death
Under our Oceans
Worlds, Monsters, and Two Gay Teens
Battle to Survive
Seeing stars at noon,
A ghost, a lying lover?
One stellar headache!
A demon wants life
And steals warmth from a woman
She searches for help
coming of age sucks
small town girl, meets big city
oi! subway mishaps.
The Call was foul
But in the Response; the truth
Demons could not hide.
Geek boy, surfer girl
Cosmic Freaky Friday tale
Nightmares turn to dreams
Darkness is safety.
The sun is starting to rise.
Can Nate make it set?
catcher in the rye
mixed with teen pregnancy and
cannibalism
Murder in the streets
Self-aware temple oh my
Dark Lord not at fault
Three sons of angels
Two Mercenary armies
One love in summer
Jaded Cambion
Battles with her very own
Father to survive
Teen roadtrips to find
dead brother’s girlfriend. Shock!
Finds boyfriend instead.
~suki (who can't remember her google/blogger password)
Agent gets query:
"Cos bitch, yur gonna love this"
Writer gets the deal!
This was really fun!
Dear new, weird family,
I saw your van disappear
Sure hope I’m not next.
McCarthy's 'the road'
told by snarky metalhead
with viking longsword
Posted twice:
I have joined a war
Against my dead lover’s kind
Because I see ghosts
Maturation stuck
Tattoos are contagious
Be brave, take a risk!
I don't have a query to be critted, so in the unlikely event that this wins, please give that to someone else :)
Daughter of evil,
Parents wish to rule world,
Can she find boyfriend?
Carjacked by Hunger
She thinks he's crazy, until
She meets his master
Windows made from tears-
An impassable prison.
Can Lith make a door?
Dhampire tempted;
trust the angel or the vamp?
Is it life or love?
Pre-teen author writes!11!!!11!!
Nobel Prize, surely a lock
Miss this chance? You'll die. :(
gold rush teen orphaned
finds what her dad's killers want
must grow up real fast
Before he blossomed,
A bud was plucked from his bed,
All the flowers weep.
A demon unleashed
To consume all innocents.
It was all a trap.
When Jesus awakes
He finds himself in Deep Space
Without a rocket
Fly, aging dragon
To the aid of plague-sick friends
Reader's heart soars, too
A vampire must save
humanity's sanity
from crazy angel
(Ya didn't put an upper limit on the number of entries. So.)
Reality show
run by vampires: immortal
or impaled you'll be
Too late, wish comes true
in the worst possible way
Stupid irony!
my idea is great
it's Potter meets Da Vinci
when is my book tour?
Ooh. *cracks fingers and gives it a whirl*
Cyberpunk novel
Assassins and corruption
Manuscript complete
Vampires and slayers
fight for immortality
in World War One trenches
She's always been scarred
and he is just as twisted;
They both need to heal.
Young shaman in a bind
runs toward death, trips over life.
Laughing, he kicks ass.
Blast, I copied the wrong one. It should be:
Shaman in a bind
runs toward death, trips over life.
Laughing, he kicks ass.
Werewolf in Bluegrass
Fights demonic horsey set
Can he break the curse?
They flee conscription
In starships that run on sex
Foul secret, young hearts
Norman soldier lies
Welsh princess weds and beds him
Just as granny planned
Stranded on planet
Vampire must not provoke mob
Yet she’s paranoid
New start for hero
Received helpful rejection
You don't want it yet
***That made my eyes cross
Singer’s lover loss
incites eating disorder,
finds hope in a song.
Mack’s Pawn. Gun duct taped
to her hand. Jane steals far more
than she’d bargained for.
Fell into a drain
Best pal and skateboard in tow
And what we found there!
Prophet versus Cook
Who stays in kitchen and gives
Rude gesture to Fate.
(another version sure to come, unless a limit is stated)
Fell into a drain
Best pal and skateboard in tow
And what we found there!
What the hell am I doing?
I really don't know
Throw in trash
Or, perhaps in lieu
of query, a nice twenty
dollar bill? And pie?
Brother has nightmares
Boyfriend has low self-esteem
Dustin has headache
(and a different book)
Big bro's an angel
Surprise! So is your girlfriend.
You're just the witness.
Messenger of god
Trying to speak, but finding
The world is now deaf
She of two cultures
Past shadowed in secrecy
True terror unknown
Seven Deadly Sins
Stand between love-drainer and
Her crush. Well..., crushes.
Poor Japanese girl
Sings sakura but bombs fall
There is love in war
Flash mob rendezvous
and small town retribution
drive her to the aisle.
Wedding day a fraud
She stole everything but him
Revenge wasn't sweet
Dying girl meets death
Wants a second chance at life
But is it worth it?
The second attic
stole my mother, sealed me in
this house without age.
Damn it, Jim, I'm a
Novelist not a poet,
Letter I will write.
Robin falls in love
To the great displeasure of
Voices in her head
My Dad owns Big Oil
Now he's giving it to me
I can't handle this
Dead bride on the run
Servant of a whore joins in
To release the spell
tarot teaches Cole
to mind her own damn business.
will she learn to paint?
on the road Anna
finds proof of god and loses
her virginity.
Spiritual book
Plans to enlighten the world.
Requires publisher.
Thought and form collide
Sane or crazy – who can tell
Her fear consumes all
THANKS FOR THE FUN...
It is a shame that a literary agent does not know what a haiku is. It has _nothing_ to do with "5-7-5". Haiku is a form of poetry expressing awe about the nature. As a haiku writer I'm appalled by the way popular culture has mangled my favorite form of poetry into something which it certainly isn't, and it's especially appalling when it's done by such a "professional".
Faithful just found out
Rapture already happened
Oh shit what is next
Ok, I'll try this, but I'm not the best at it.
Demon turns hunter
after falling from Hell, and
brings apocalypse
And Maija? I believe she said "in haiku format."
Fun contest! :)
***
I shouldn't exist
But I do. Damn my parents.
Hope I can survive.
Maija in comments
Does not work well with others
Has comment issues
Vamp-born blood will out
Emotions destroy your life
Trust no relative
Vampire broke one fang
Cops seize it smiling picture
Dentists list in hands
blueandwhite
Zack fails at life when
He must save the world and starts
Procrastinating.
Girl with autism
gets obsessed with an old house
her parents once owned.
Rage, ambition, greed.
Three women make a choice and
Change their world to love.
Civil War widow
meets meteorologist.
Love blooms, secrets fall.
Comrade, lover lost
Test limits of man's restraint
Safe with war brothers
Prada, Gucci, Cartier;
spoils of a successful life--
the cost of lost love
Vampire hunter sees
the truth of all vampires past
and must make a choice....
Curse/Breakpoint, a lass
curs'd with pain from touch, finds love
while avenging lies
A rockstar waits, hiding
she has no spells and cannot see
demons in the green leaves
Maija Haavisto -
You are confusing the western concept of a haiku with the traditional Japanese Haiku (which cannot really be translated, since they are based on Japanese word structures and not english based syllables)
So really, you complaining about how the your beloved poetry has been absconded is a fallacy- what you are practicing (if it IS in English and not Japanese) has nothing to do with traditional Haiku's in the first place, which are specifically built around the Japanese language.
Chicago mayor
hurts a child, K. breaks the news
mayor wants her dead
Cowardly Hagai
needs to find his dead mother.
Pirates aren't helping.
Hot immortal seeks:
Heartbeat, girlfriend, acceptance
Inquire within
Candace has a list
Man one gets checks. Man two, few.
“Right” or “Right-For-Her?”
New face of terror,
The one with the modest veil,
"Ashes of Roses . . ."
Verify word 'forsesse'
Friends split asunder
Winter's wind brings new discord
Destiny revealed
Secret pride of cats
teach kits chase tails,pounce shadows
Human friends they need
Faith as an onion.
How much can I discard and
still have something left?
Road blood ripens, girl
Leaves rusty decided life,
Discovers true love
Ghost and dream walker
Both haunt empath Jade nightly
Jealous ghost attacks
Fire god wants vengeance.
Can a crippled slave really...
save the world from doom?
(Can we do more than one?)
(What the heck. Here's another. Same book)
Brokeback Mongols fight
against dark treachery for
freedom and for love.
Can a stolen book
of spells for raising the dead
give a girl a life?
"It's about Love! O-
vercoming all obstacles."
Wait, that's Moulin Rouge.
Forgotten by all,
A boy and girl look for home.
Memory slipping.
girl destined to die
befriends serial killer
wicked desert laughs
Girl turns into frog
Must kiss princess to transform
Dissection is near
Circus life is cool,
But Emma wishes she could
Hang out with humans.
Whatever you've heard,
I'm not a supervillain.
They just sign my checks.
LOL @teennovelist... I hope yours is selected. I want to see the whole query.
Death nabs the wrong girl
loose ends tie in knots, not bows
go home again, ghost.
Vampires in the church,
Cursed elves and sentient shadows,
Who's a girl to trust?
The Devil arrives
Saying that God lost His bet
His children believe
Sarah Feb 18
at 6:49 am's
query did amuse.
When partner is shot,
The Seven Stages of Grief
Bring little comfort.
Teen girl loves cursed boy
Impossible, his touch kills
Cult wants his power
Daddy a killer
Now tagged and hunted, must ask:
What makes a demon?
one mother, three hearts:
the grief of the octopus
is incidental
Underneath a smile
His life is falling apart
She had to save him.
Friends get cool powers
To battle ancient evil
Then wait fifteen years
oops, typo. It's supposed to read *has*.
Seaside mage enclave
Sailing, beach walks, saving whales
Stir up sparks and love
To rescue her soul
the five spies of the Shogun
Shinji must defeat
Stalker in the woods,
four legs or two? Who or what
Is that behind you?
Quiet for three days,
Mirra seeks magic to keep
from disappearing
New job at odd store
brings signs of vanished sister,
magic in young son
Atheist swordsman
Fights off the missionaries –
Will God punish him?
Dave Veri:
Singer’s lover loss
incites pizza addiction
finds hope in a song.
New shape-shifter life
School is tough, but friends are made
One's shot, one is saved
Merlin's heir finds love.
Magic, might, madness collide.
Destiny rules all.
Anime crazy
Asperger Girl does not do
Well in the real world
Will you buy my book?
It's Epic in Proportion,
Fraught with Great Peril.
After near-drowning
Woman gives birth to mermaid
Spouse finds it fishy
First contact was wrong
Beast and ship fight oppression
Love lost for new world
So! Real worlds, man made
Stuck, epic quest for release
Fantasy holds hopes
Petro chem nightmare
French Canadians save world
Well, not the whole world
A ha ha, Serenissima ftw. :)
(Word ver: baches. We don't need no stinkin' baches!)
Unwitting weapon.
Ally’s alter ego used
By sisters to kill.
A witch and princess
Find friendship strained by evil
And social stigma
One per person, correct?
For spells of your own
You gave all that you had. Now-
You're the sacrifice.
Long-forgotten curse:
Wings of shadow, wings of light.
Which will she awake?
Hopefully I got the syllable count right:
Knights of Roundtable
Reborn as New Jersey teens
Learn past, save future
Exiled princess must
marry enemy and hide
magic or be killed.
Boys, wings, wildflowers
Family secrets, sweet love
Unearthing magic
no broke your dad's heart
all was lost, so choose the friend who
accepts the way you are
Navy wife finds she
died in other dimension –
uh-oh, world is screwed.
Born with healing touch,
but now her powers are gone.
How will she survive?
LOOK BEYOND THE TREND
VAMPIRES ARE OUT AS YOU KNOW
ELF WITH GRUDGE IS IN
UNREPENTANT NERD
IS SHE OF BOOKISH INTENT
OR QUERY VAMPIRE
Imagined friend real?
Old flame best unignited?
Bend time and find out.
Beijing Opera Ghost
Haunts harp therapist for cats.
Wails: "Murder, dumb egg!"
Shy girl sells antiques,
doesn't think vampires exist.
They still want her blood.
Girl saves endangered
mom, unicorns, and schizo
leprechauns from hunt
Girl dies in clinic
Alien gives her back life
Must find her past and killers
A jump to his death
Grandfather’s spirit bestows
The reasons to live
Mortal muse has chance
at immortality if
slacker author writes.
Fatherhood failure
revisits past holidays-
Soul is awakened!
Sigh,farting dragon,
only companion:TV.
Befriended,solves mysteries!
Racist jerk blinded
in snowy accident--ow!
Black doc heals his soul...
Car wreck kills daughter.
Grief torments Mom,til--
Teen writes from heaven!
Four brothers murdered,
Dark Lord seems victorious...
Boys reborn, avenge!
ADHD sucks
'til we understand ourselves.
Learn. Embrace. Succeed!
Middle School is hell--
Jock 'n Jill jungle...
Survival handbook.
Good luck on the contest everyone!
Just a couple of published '575' haiku:
dirty train window–
swans leave the rising river
for flooded fields
across city downs
the moon not yet a quarter
a circus lights up
all my best,
Alan
The With Words International Haiku Competition 2009
.
Mascot for Jesus--
Lion, Leopard, Lynx?
Shocking choice made!
Crummy angel choirs--
yuck view of heaven!
Upgrade image now!
Crones’ hair drips despair.
Spears smashed, dreams dashed, egos bashed.
Hope springs, future sings.
Two "Dear Santa" notes,
one homeless, one rich.
Reality check.
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