So you thought my writing was suspect. Here's the winning entry from this year's Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest: They had but one last remaining night together, so they embraced each other as tightly as that two-flavor entwined string cheese that is orange and yellowish-white, the orange probably being a bland Cheddar and the white . . . Mozzarella, although it could possibly be Provolone or just plain American, as it really doesn't taste distinctly dissimilar from the orange, yet they would have you believe it does by coloring it differently.
The contest, sponsored by the English Department of San Jose State University, is named after the British novelist Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, whose 1830 novel Paul Clifford began with the now notorious line: "It was a dark and stormy night."
Posted by Joe at July 17, 2003 05:56 PMWhat's really funny (to me at least) is that I studied English* at San Jose State University, dark and stormily.
(*Actually it was "Liberal Arts" but the course was a bit top-heavy on the English Lit, so close enough, I reckon)
Now that is interesting - or as the Aussies here would say "excellent". I'll have to check out exactly why San Jose S.U. is the home of this particular award, but this dial-up connection is a pain for extended periods of net searching.
Posted by: Joe at July 17, 2003 06:13 PMIt's a pity now that people are writing specifically for the award. I liked it better when it was full of examples of genuinely awful writing.
Posted by: DJ at July 17, 2003 08:07 PMThat is a very good point. I hope the reason for it is that editors at publishing companies now do their jobs and weed out the crap before it hits the presses.
Posted by: Joe at July 17, 2003 08:54 PMI will never be able to look at string cheese the same way again. In fact, after reading that passage, I think I have become laxtose intolerant.
Posted by: Tom at July 18, 2003 08:24 AM8+)
Posted by: Joe at July 18, 2003 04:27 PM