ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, July 12, 1996 TAG: 9607120024
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Friday Something
SOURCE: NASSNCY GLEINER
It was a dark and stormy afternoon when a WDBJ-TV news team surprised Becky Mushko with a knock on her door. The Roanoke City Schools' drama and creative writing teacher expected to see the Publishers Clearing House wagon right behind them. No such luck. Mushko was a winner, but her only prize would be 15 minutes of fame. Her entry in the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest (``I dashed it off in 10 minutes'') had just won first place in the western category.
An English professor created the annual competition to immortalize Edward George Bulwer-Lytton's "Paul Clifford," which began, ``It was a dark and stormy night ...'' Thousands of entrants concoct bad opening sentences to imaginary novels. The worst are judged the best.
Mushko's good prose and poetry have been published in several ``obscure'' magazines and anthologies, she says. (``My career earnings in writing are approaching $600; I've even received one fan letter.'')
Think you can do worse? For contest information, call (408) 924-4447 or write Scott Rice at San Jose State University, San Jose, Calif.
LENGTH: Short : 33 linesby CNB