Sponsoring contests is hard. Judging them is even harder. I didn't realize how difficult it was going to be to maintain interest in the farmpunk fiction contest once I started this. Initially, there was some modest interest, and that was encouraging.

The struggle with a new genre is getting people to catch the vision. In many cases, the original artist had no vision for the genre. He had a story, and he told it. In my case, I had two. Then, I thought, why not give others a chance to see what they can do with this genre? So I hosted the first ever farmpunk fiction contest.

That was an amazing contest. I received several entries (four of them). All of them had their merits. As stories, they were good stories. But did they capture the essence of farmpunk?

As new as the genre is, I'm not sure anyone can say. Not even me. It's still a genre in development. As I recall, there were two entries in that first contest that were very good, and I wanted to choose both of them as the winner. But that's not how contests work. I could only choose one. So I chose this story from @blueteddy.

The other story was just as strong, but there could be only one winner. I really liked "Katie's Run - Part 1."

When I announced the second farmpunk fiction story contest, I had high hopes. I thought I'd see a bit more interest, so I'm disappointed that I received only one entry. However, I'll take the blame for that. It was probably poor promotion on my part, and the fact that I ended up going out of town over the weekend and didn't blog, so there was no reminder to keep the momentum going. Still, @calluna was faithful to enter a second time, and I'm rather encouraged that she has taken an interest in the farmpunk genre.

As the contest host, I reserve the right to not choose a winner if I don't get enough entries. In this case, I'm awarding the prize anyway. I think the author deserves it for presenting two strong entries in a row. This week, the winner is The Rusty Robot.

The Rusty Robot

by @calluna

From the original post

Out in the dirt plains of Escarla, a backwards backwater of a planet, the second sun lighted the corn fields in a dusty orange haze.

What I Like About Rusty Robot

"The Rusty Robot" is not a complete story. It's more like a fragment. But it has an interesting premise. Set on another planet, I'm guessing at some point in the future, there is but one character in the story - the robot. And the robot runs a farm.

That's an awesome start to something I think could be great. @calluna clearly has imagination, the kind of imagination that can make farmpunk a strong genre. I'd love to see her add a part II to "Katie's Run" and flesh out "The Rusty Robot" a bit more to add some of the elements of farmpunk fiction that would make it a distinctive genre and not just another sci-fi subgenre. The writing is strong, the imagination is deft, and there is clearly a passion for lucid storytelling.

Where Should Farmpunk Go From Here?

I would like to see farmpunk grow as a genre. I'd like to see a handful of passionate storytellers take the genre and run with it. But what are the distinctives that make farmpunk a literary genre of its own? In my mind, there are two primary characteristics:

1. The primary element is a juxtaposition of high technology and farming culture.
2. Added to that is a bit of edginess characterized by a countercultural tone, dystopian elements, or retro/postmodern storytelling techniques

Everything else is negotiable.

I'm considering a third contest, but I think I will add a few more changes. First, I'm going to give writers more than a week to come up with stories. I think that's necessary for a couple of reasons. To begin with, as a new genre, it takes some time to wrap our heads around it. One week is hardly enough time to consider all the elements of something this new. Secondly, I think it's likely we'll see more entries if writers have more time to craft stories. So I'm thinking about making this a monthly contest, which should give writers plenty of time to come up with an idea, craft it, and commit it to ink.

I'd be open to hearing other suggestions from writers interested in giving it a go. I'm interested in seeing what others come up with. In the meantime, I need @calluna to let me know if she wants 1 share of Steem Basic Income or a Steem Monsters booster pack. Congratulations on the win!

Let's Talk About Speculative Fiction

Farmpunk being a member of the punk literature group that began with cyberpunk puts it squarely in the science fiction category of literature, which is a subgenre of speculative fiction. Someday soon, I'm planning a post that goes into detail about the spec-fic moniker to flesh out more what that entails. Meanwhile, I recently started a Discord group called Speculative Fiction Writers of Steemit. I'd be honored if you'd join me there.

If you are an artist that plays around with spec-fic themes ( #scifi, #fantasy, #horror, and their respective subgenres ), then you are welcome to join us.

Look for Farmpunk Contest #3 soon. If you've expressed any interest in the genre until now, I'll be tagging you. If you don't want to be tagged, please let me know in the comments below.

@bashadow
@mujasteem
@samuraihedgehog
@steveblucher
@calluna
@blueteddy
@iamjadeline
@stever82
@cicisaja
@talkingwiseshit
@jaichai
@seesladen
@ediblecthulhu

Until the next announcement, keep the candle burning.

Get your weird lit on:

| Limerents in the Bog | Garden of Eden | Sulfurings | Deluge |
| | | | |
| At Amazon | At Amazon | At Amazon | At Amazon |

Review Me, Please

While you're here, check out the backside 5 (my five latest posts):

• My Ground, Air, and Water Adventures With Nathen
• How to Kill Writer's Block Once and For All
• Don't Look Now, But That Yahoo Done Went Crypto
• 5 Things You Should Know About Fundition
• Pay It Forward Curation Contest Entry for Week #22

My farmpunk fiction:

• Altland's Gambit
• Racioppa's Revenge

created and used by veterans
with permission from @guiltyparties