TTAC Future Writers Week: The Winners Get Their First Assignment

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

You noticed that I needed to catch my breath a bit from TTAC’s Future Writers Week. The results still have me breathless. At the start, I thought with seven a day, I probably have enough until Friday. Was I ever wrong.

Even extending the event by two more days due to overwhelming popular demand, I still have enough candidates for another few weeks. Don’t despair: Your works will be presented to the ruthless readers of TTAC, in the future, after we have digested that whale of a contest.

After a grueling week, 19 writers join the ranks of TTAC, which makes Thetruthaboutcars not only the carsite with the best readers, but most probably the carsite with the most writers.

Here is the final list:

TTAC’s Future WritersNameContestantRankedDayMichael Trainor41MondayGeorge William Herbert72MondayGrant Tillery13MondayMatthias Dean-Carpentier201WednesdayAndrew Nevick162WednesdayEvan Reisner193WednesdayMatt Oppen221ThursdayWilliam Simonsick232ThursdaySean Scoggins243ThursdayJeremiah Cayce321FridayJeff Snavely352FridayThomas M Kreutzer293FridayKeith Kostecke391SaturdayDerek Young412SaturdayMichael Stephenson363SaturdayBilly Pollock491SundayDan Reitman462SundayMatt Horsfield483Sunday

Not to forget David Hester, Contestant 31, who earned the highly coveted Editors Choice Award on Friday. Should I ever get a ticket in Canada, I will drop your name, David, and I expect the ticket to be dropped.

Also do not forget: There were no winners on Tuesday. Tuesday was deemed an awful day by our jury. My condolences to Paul and Mike, who may have been disqualified by association.

Many of TTAC’s new writers already wrote and said: “What now? When do I start? How do I start?”

Here is your first assignment:

  • Finish the winning story.
  • The snippet that was quoted during the contest must be part of the story, verbatim. Everything else is up to you.
  • The story should have anywhere between 400 and 800 words. Please not longer. Also include one short paragraph that introduces you: Who are you, what do you do, where do you live. Please send the stories to my personal email, which will be given to you in a few days, along with more instructions.
  • Deadline: Saturday, February 9, 2013

Start wirting! (And please, use a spell checker.)

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  • Nrcote Nrcote on Jan 30, 2013

    > Start wirting! (And please, use a spell checker.) And the first new wirter to make a typo will be shamed to oblivion. Right? Can't wait, that will be fun. Heh, I won't be on the receiving end.

  • Eggsalad Eggsalad on Jan 30, 2013

    Well, the snippet that got me a win was part of a four part, 2000+ word article I wrote for an online Volvo magazine over 10 years ago, so there's no way I can "finish the story" in 4-800 words AND include an autobiography. However, I am a pretty crafty guy and I will figure out how to make *something* work.

  • Bullnuke It may be awhile before these show up on US shores. The MV Fremantle Highway has just started demo/reconstruction in Rotterdam after the large fire when transporting its last shipment of electric Porsche products.
  • Fie on Fiasler Big, fast and thirsty does not equal good. True luxury is not cobbled together by the UAW.
  • Inside Looking Out I see it as gladiator races - only one survives in virtual world.
  • Crown They need to put the EcoDiesel back in the Grand Cherokee. I have a 2018 and it has been the most reliable vehicle I ever owned. 69,000 miles and only needed tires, and regular oil and fuel filter changes.
  • El scotto Y'all are overthinking this. Find some young hard-charging DA seeking the TV limelight to lock this kid up. Heck, have John Boehner come up from Cincy to help the young DA get his political career going. Better yet, have the young DA spin this as hard as he or she can; I'm the candidate for Law and Order, I defied our go-easy office and leadership to get this identified criminal locked up. Oh this could be spun more than a hyper active kid's top.Now I'd do some consulting work for Little Kings Original Cream Ale and Skyline Chili.
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