DARK SKIES' &  STARKE RAVEN'S
PROOF READING RIBBONS
Perfect/Near Perfect  Very Good   Good 
None of the winning stories are rife with typos but we had trouble deciding just how perfect proofreading had to be for a story to qualify for an award.  We left the matter to DS & SR who came up with a system to reward error-free stories without eliminating otherwise beautifully written stories in which there were errors but not at a level to detract significantly from the readability of the story.  They decided to award blue, red & white ribbons to commemorate the quality of the proofreading.  Anything lower would not have qualified for merit award. 
OUTRIDER'S & MIDNIGHT BLUE'S
SPECIAL STAR AWARD 
To us, good fanfic  is REAL writing.  We believe all authors who take pride in their craft feel the same way.  Yet there are a few fannish conventions that cling to a lot of fanfic, even some  of the best.  The alternating name syndrome is one of those.  That is, a story alternates between first and last names when referring to a character even within the same pov.  For example: Chris knocked the shotgun out of the man's hand before he could fire at Vin and Buck.  Before his cohort could fire on Larabee, Wilmington and Tanner put twin bullets in his chest.   Stephen King and Elizabeth George don't find it necessary to do this.  Nor does any other popular profic author you can think of.  Although we've talked to some truly excellent fanfic writers who employ this device we still haven't gotten a really satisfactory reason for such an unnecessary and often irritating convention.  The usual reason given is "variety."  However, just read some of the award winning stories marked with a star below and ask if it's ever necessary to risk having a new reader think there are 14 main characters in this fandom.  We do notice that the best writers, the ones featured in our awards, generally alternate much more subtly than do the writers of lesser skill who feel compelled to avoid using the same name for a character twice in a row.

Of course, we aren't referring here a change in the way one man refers to another when the change is done for a reasons such as emphasis.  Buck might use the name Chris 90% of the time but use Larabee when he's pissed.  Ezra, of course, called the men by their last names about a third of the time, their first names about two thirds, even alternating in consecutive sentences for purposes that had more to do with his endearing pretension than variety or emphasis.

Send nominations to nominations@deathdogs.net

None of the winning stories are rife with typos but as noted in our award criteria, we awarded blue, red & white ribbons to commemorate the quality of the proofreading.  Anything lower would not have qualified for merit award. 
Perfect or Near Perfect  Very Good   Good 

All the stories below are award winners - listed in alphabetical order, not in order of merit. 

Death Dogs
Awards for Magnificent Canon Storytelling

SAMPLE AWARDS SHEET
DRAMA
COMEDY
DRAMEDY
The colored ribbons are for proofreading only.
VIGNETTES
VIGNETTES
VIGNETTES
Vignettes are illustrative literary sketches, often describing a person's character - usually under ten pages.
Independent Stories
Independent Stories
Independent Stories
A Really Good Vignette by A. Good Author
Another Good Vignette by Diff R. NT Author
Funny vignette by A. Funny Author  Excellent story by An X. Lnt Author 
Sequentials
Sequentials
Sequentials
Good Vignettes by A. Good Writer Funny stories by A. Funny Author 
Cross-overs
Cross-overs
Cross-overs
Funny F-Troop X by A. Versatile Writer
SHORT STORIES
SHORT STORIES
SHORT STORIES
1-35 pages
Independent Stories
Independent Stories
Independent Stories
Sequentials
Sequentials
Sequentials
Cross-overs
Cross-overs
Cross-overs
MEDIUM LENGTH
MEDIUM LENGTH
MEDIUM LENGTH
35-100 pages
Independent Stories
Independent Stories
Independent Stories
Sequentials
Sequentials
Sequentials
Cross-overs
Cross-overs
Cross-overs
LONG STORIES
LONG STORIES
LONG STORIES
100-200 pages
Independent Stories
Independent Stories
Independent Stories
Sequentials
Sequentials
Sequentials
Cross-overs
Cross-overs
Cross-overs
EXTENDED
EXTENDED
EXTENDED
Over 200 pages
Independent Stories
Independent Stories
Independent Stories
Sequentials
Sequentials
Sequentials
Cross-overs
Cross-overs
Cross-overs

 
Magnificent Canon Storytelling Awards
NOMINATIONS
Magnificent Canon Storytelling Awards
AWARD CRITERIA
Magnificent Canon Storytelling Awards
Sample Award Page

 
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