This was supposed to be for @dragosroua's 30-day writing challenge, but when I went to his profile to check the link, lo an behold, a call for a 30-day project with a 1000 SP loan was just announced. What luck! So now, if I'm fortunate enough to get the 1k SP loan, this will be for that, otherwise, I would still tag this for the 30-day writing challenge, even though there isn't one.

Project Description

This 30-day initiative was initially planned to be just a series of poems that seeks to tackle major traffic infractions. Inspired by @naquoya's Notes, I wanted this to be a creative outlet to vent my frustrations about traffic. As I solidified the idea, I came to a realization that this could be an opportunity to launch a contest. I was inspired to write this because of my recent string of traffic woes, including this one, and I thought that it would be a great way to hear from other people's stories. Since traffic laws differ in different countries, there would be slight variations, but that's the beauty of it. Once more and more stories are submitted, a bigger picture of the different traffic situations around the world would be painted.

Each daily koan is scheduled to post every 12:34 AM UTC, so set your alarm clocks if you want to make an entry! Every koan will try to discuss a wide number of violations, so that it would give everyone an equal chance to share their stories. I live in the Philippines, such an awesome place to drive in... if you want to die early because of high blood pressure. There are tons of stories to tell, and while I haven't experienced all of them, I know enough first-hand stories to last every day of the month.

This is the first time I would launch a contest, even though I've judged them and won quite a few in the past. The basic structure that I envision for each post is a koan, followed by The Shoulder Lane which serves as a section to discuss the koan of the day.

What the flip is a 'koan?'

Great question! I'm glad you asked! A koan is a riddle or puzzle that Zen Buddhists use during meditation to help them unravel greater truths about the world and about themselves. While we all want to rage on the road some times, the best course of action is to remain calm and establish zen. Now, I'm not a Buddhist, but I have dabbled in their teachings for years, and have developed a great admiration for them. Even though I'm not able to strictly follow the path, I do try to stick with it whenever I can.

In doing so, I want people to learn from others' experiences and be able to share their own. Just to be clear, I'm not particularly fond of driving, but I have been known to pay tribute to it from time to time. Plus, koan sounds slightly similar to cone, which is a regular fixture for roads. Traffic cones are used to guide people to the correct path, so that's what I plan to do with this series.

Contest Criteria

To join, it's simple really, you just have to leave a comment that tells a story involving the traffic violation of the day. You can either write is as a comment or as a post (if you want it to earn separately). If you want to create your own post, just leave it as a comment to the daily post you want to enter in. The story should be connected to the topic of the day, otherwise it wouldn't be considered.

The daily winner is decided by the number of votes (50%) and comments (50%) it receives at the 7-day payout. The number of votes and comments on the comment are the only ones to be tallied, and the votes and comments on the separate post would not be considered. One person can submit any number of entries, but the same person can only have a maximum of two (2) daily wins. I haven't finalized how to decide the winner for the whole series, but I imagine that it would be an elimination bracket where all the daily winners are entered.

First Place would get 15 SBD, second place would get 10 SBD and third place would get 5 SBD. I know it's not a lot, but I'm just a minnow, so I don't have that much either. All of the payment will come straight from my wallet. Oh, and one other kicker. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd placers will also get 50% of the SBD that the daily koan made. So, for example, the daily koan the 2nd placer earned 20 SBD, then he/she would come out with a grand total of 20 SBD (10 SBD 2nd place prize + 10 SBD 50% of daily). Other daily winners won't get any consolation, so work hard to get those votes in.

I'm not requiring people to follow me, or vote or resteem the daily posts you want to enter, but it would be to your benefit if the daily koan you entered earned a lot. Let's say you end up winning 1st place, but your daily koan only earned 3 SBD. You would only get 16.5 SBD as a total, which a shame.

I am guaranteeing a 100% upvote for any comments that include a thoughtful comment about the koan or post, aside from their contest entry. I know it's not a lot, but if @dragosroua would pick this project to empower, that'll be about more than 2000SP. Also, I'm resteeming the latest post (other than their entry) of the person whose story I liked. That is in no way indicative of the daily winner, but that's just an added bonus.

I have been known for telling fiction stories here, that's why a non-fiction contest feels surprising. So, be creative with your entries. You can be as funny or as serious as you want. The story just has to be something that happened to you or a close friend or family member.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask in the comments section. I'm looking forward to all your entries!

---

Vote @lukestokes.mhth | @steemgigs as Steemit witnesses!

---

_{If you enjoyed this, please be sure to follow}