Welcome to the "Pick Your Pic" One Shot Contest!

Hosted By: LustLikeTequila (FFN: Hazeleyes71790)

Guest Judges: UNF4Rob and wmr1601 (Blog: wmr1601)

Contest Twitter Account: ATh0usandWords (that "o" in thousand is a zero)

PhotoBucket Account with Photos: PickYourPic

You have all heard the expression "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words" right? Well how about a contest that gives you the opportunity to pick a photo that inspires you to write a story. Give the photo life by writing a story about it. With over 40 photos we hope that one of them will inspire you. Photos can express what you are feeling, so write what you feel! All characters, ratings, forms of writing (Poems, one shots, songs...etc), genres and pairings are welcome

Interview with TwoTwiMoms Winners of First Place:

How did you first get into Twilight?

twimom817~ I was curious what all the hype was about when Twilight the movie came out. I picked up the books at a local store and was instantly hooked.

Kare831~ My nieces and nephew got me into it. I told them I wasn't crazy about vampires but they insisted I read it... I struggled through the beginning of Twilight and then watched the movie. Then I had to finish the book and spent 2 days reading the rest.

Do you have a favorite book out of the four in the Twilight series?

twimom817~ Breaking Dawn Kare831~ Eclipse

Do you have a favorite author or story?

twimom817~ God, I have some many authors I love I wouldn't know where to start. One of my favorite stories is Femme Docs and Kevlar Knights by A Cullen Wannabe. It was one of the first I read. Kare831~ I agree there are SO many great authors. My favorite fic would have to be ... University of Edward Masen by Sebastien Robichaud with Nature of Love by Drotuno a close second.

When reading Fanfiction, do you have a preference of genre that you tend to go to? Canon, AH, Slash, etc. Or are there any that you try and stay away from?

twimom817~ I usually read the Bella & Edward stories that are AH. They have to have a HEA and little angst is good. I love a good romance story with some action. I NEVER read a Bella and Jacob story. I've only read 2 slash stories that I like. So I shy away from the norm.

Kare831~I'm a Bella & Edward girl too. I love a HEA, and sometimes a little angst. I love fluff and romance and sometimes a little action never hurts. I'm not a Jacob fan either, so I stay away from that.

Do you keep your writing to yourself in the real world, or is it a secret?

twimom817~ It's mostly a secret. Other than my husband no other family member knows I write fanfiction. My husband hasn't even read any of my stories. Only one close friend has read my work.

Kare831~ My Dad and co-workers know that I write, but they have no idea what I write. My mom knows because I made her read Unanswered Prayers., and my best friend from high school read Perfect Game and she's convinced that I need to go back to college and find a job in publishing. I think she's nuts ...lol.

While the photo you chose itself was inspiration, was there anything else that inspired this story?

twimom817~ I saw the contest and looked at the pictures and instantly fell in love with that picture. I emailed Karen and said you wanna write a story about this and of course she did. I wanted to convey what I’ve seen and how I thought families went through this type of separation and make the readers feel the connection too.

Kare831~ Several members of my family are former Servicemen, my Grandpa served in WW II, and I have 3 cousins who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and I have a great amount of respect for them and I could only imagine what their spouses felt like when they left for a tour. I thought about them a lot while I was co-writing this.

How do you plan out your stories? Do you write everything out and then go from there, or do the chapters come to you as you are writing them?

twimom817~ I know for my own stories I have a semi plan on how I want the story to go but I come up with it as I write. I think the same goes for when I'm writing with Karen. We have a foundation of how we envision a story but sometimes when we start writing we say hmm I think it would be better this way.

Kare831~ I'm a little anal when it comes to my individual story ... I have a timeline and a complete outline of the story. I have a notebook full of notes and details so that as I'm writing I don't contradict myself. It's very organized. When I write with Jill, it's different. We discuss a general direction and kind of see where our imagination takes us. Our Irishward, for example... you never know what he's going to do next! He's very ornery that way.

Do you have anything other story ideas up your sleeve?

twimom817~ I have a few ideas but nothing solid. Karen and I bounce ideas off each other all the time when the plot bunnies attack and then say yah or nay.

Kare831~ I have a LIST of ideas. I don't know if I'll actually get to writing them and making them full fledged fics or not because Jill keeps me busy with one shots, (but I love it because it's so fun to work with her!) lol. We do bounce around a lot of ideas and I think we are getting ready to write a story for the Christmas Contest?

Do you have any advice on new authors who want to get started in the fandom?

twimom817~ Make sure you find a good beta or proof reader. There's nothing that turns a reader off than too many mistakes. Find fellow writers to help you bounce ideas and improve your writing. Don't be discouraged. If you get a bad review don't let it get you down and if you have a case of writers block, take a break, read another story and keep trying harder.

Kare831~ I couldn't agree with Jill more. It took me a couple months after I first started posting to find Jill and she's been a godsend, and we've been learning and growing as writers ever since. It's nice to have someone to help you and encourage you. When you first post a story or even a new chapter it's nerve wracking because you're putting a little piece of yourself out there for others to criticize. It helps to have someone in your corner, whether it's a friend, a beta or a pre-reader.c