I would like to apologize...

For this dead period on here.

I feel as though I should probably explain myself a little bit better. For a simple analogy, life is Pac Man and my free time happens to be those little pellets. College is an obvious time consumer and this semester seems to be more work filled than the last. But, fret not! I will try to update this blog at least twice a month. I can promise that.

Oh yeah, the contest. Unfortunately, it is over and there will be no winner. It met an untimely demise back in September. You see, my father died back in September. As you can imagine, that throws everything off. My mind was elsewhere and I couldn't get back to the contest. So, I apologize for that.

But I will upload the stories that would have been the winners on this blog. I will do that. So, yeah.

And finally, I will continue to update this blog with giant monster news, both pertaining to literature and the general genre. Plus, there will be a few more of those entries like "What is giant monster fiction?"  It should be an interesting time.

Namaste,

Nick.

Only 9 Days Left!

Sorry I haven't posted much! I've been busy!


Don't forget about the contest, though! Only 9 days left!

Meet the Judges!

Nick Clark is the host of the Monstrous Fiction Writing Contest and founder of Monstrous Fiction. He is 20 years old and attends High Point University in High Point, North Carolina. An English major with a focus in literature and secondary education, he is a proud member of Sigma Tau Delta (the international English society). His interest in giant monsters started at a young age and has been a big part of his life. Other interests include comic books (he’s a Marvel), science (physics, biology, astronomy, oh my!), Pokémon, and various other nerdy things.  

            Richard Fletcher is a 19 year old kid from Central Texas. He is considering entering the field of law, but is still unsure. When it comes to the monster genre, he's got a wide range of interests. From atomic behemoths, to classical mythology turned evil, he digs it all. This same diversity of interests is reflected in his taste in other things as well. From Burn Notice to Super Sentai, from the Beatles to Weird Al, from Pokemon to God of War he digs it all. Looking for creative spins on monster stories, this kid's eager for some entries to judge.

Jacob Haas is 20 years old and attends Southeast Missouri State University (or SEMO for short). There, he studies the digital arts and plans to create character models for either video games or movies (he’s yet to decide). Like all of you, he’s a big fan of monster movies and has been watching them for as long as he can remember. His favorite monster movie is Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla (1974); watching Mechagodzilla firing all of his missiles and beams at Godzilla and King Caesar was a blast (pun not intended) for him!

 CT Himes is a resident of New Castle, Indiana. He has worked for the United States government, acted in several student films, and is a legally ordained minister of the American Marriage Ministries. Besides his interest in monster movies, he is also an avid gamer and admirer of musical genres as disparate as death metal and big band era jazz. He aspires to one-day figure out which of these strange interests he'll pursue for the remainder of his life.

Dillon Fisher is a very creative individual. He enjoys Kaiju films and playing Playstation. His favorite past time is drawing. He spends his free time drawing and listening to music such as Metallica. He is a staff member on Toho Kingdom, where he provides a monthly podcast.

What is "giant monster fiction?"

It seems like a pretty easy question to answer, doesn’t it? Giant monster fiction is a genre that has some type of giant something destroying a city or fighting another giant something or both…Well, not really. I wish it were that easy. Alas, it’s much more complex than that.

            Many would agree that the modern giant monster genre started in 1933, with the film King Kong. In the film, a giant ape is discovered on a prehistoric island and is brought to civilization. King Kong is now regarded as a great American classic. The giant monster genre would remain low key for over two decades. In 1953, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms was released, featuring special effects by Ray Harryhausen (the apprentice Willis O’Brien, the spfx wizard behind King Kong). This tale of a prehistoric reptile awakened by an atomic explosion would go on to inspire the 1954 Japanese film, Gojira. That Japanese film would come over to the U.S. as Godzilla, King of the Monsters. This seemingly set a trend. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, giant monster movies (often of the B-movie standard) ruled the cinemas. The Godzilla series grew popular at this time and spurned on a wave of Japanese giant monster films and TV series (Ultraman and Gamera are two popular examples). A Euro-Monster explosion also occurred, with films like Gorgo and Reptilicus. As the 20^th century progressed, the giant monster genre slipped into obscurity, ultimately making it a niche genre.

            The modern giant monster genre has been around for almost 80 years, it has become a flowing type of genre. Within the greater idea of genre, giant monster fiction often fits under both science fiction and fantasy. While it started out as science fiction (with atom bombs and whatnot), it slowly oozed into the fantasy mega-genre with the 60s expansion. The Japanese giant monster genre was also important in the greater genre’s growth…

…I should probably get to the point, shouldn’t I?

            I want to define what a giant monster is and the different types of giant monster sub-genres. So, first, let us define the genre as a whole:

Giant Monster: a genre of fiction in which large, super-or-preternatural beings are central to the plot. The action of the narrative is usually instigated by the action or appearance of these beings.

We have a definition to go off now. Grand. Lets define a giant monster next.

            Giant monster: a large, super-or-preternatural being.

Now that was easy, wasn’t it? I’ve presented a rather liberal definition of “giant monster”. Why is that? I feel that that a giant monster is should not be confined to a limited lends. Giant monsters can be as simple as a giant gorilla (ala King Kong) or a three-headed, civilization destroying space dragon (ala King Ghidorah). The creative options are limitless!

Now, let’s look at the sub-genres of the giant monster genre:

The Western Subgenre – This subgenre comes from the Western culture (America and Europe). This sub-genre is mostly science based, but fantasy can be seen occasionally (the dragon and cyclops from The 7^th Voyage of Sinbad). If fantasy elements are seen, they are usually from Western Mythology (Greco-Roman being a favorite). For the science-based monsters, gigantism in normal animals is the standard. The rhedosaurus from the Beast from 20,000 Fathoms is just a giant -yet fictional-, predatory dinosaur. King Kong himself is giant gorilla. While these monsters are seemingly mundane, they can have fantastic powers. The Behemoth from The Giant Behemoth could emit deadly waves of radiation from its body.        

The Kaiju Subgenre – This subgenre is comes from Japan and is probably the one most known by pop culture. Famous examples include Godzilla, Mothra, Gamera, and King Ghidorah. The Japanese Kaiju subgenre has a wider variety of monsters than its Western counterpart does. They can be as simple as the giant dinosaur (Anguirus) to the completely bizarre (Mukadendar from Ultraman). Kaiju have a love-hate relationship with science. On some days, a friendship exists between science and kaiju. On other days, science and kaiju are bitter enemies. Kaiju tend to use more fantasy elements than its Western counterpart does. They tend to use their own, indigenous mythos, but they do other culture’s myths as well. Kaiju also tend to has fantastic abilities: matter manipulation, photokinesis, and radioactive energy beams.

The Hero Kaiju sub-subgenre – There is a smaller genre within the Kaiju subgenre known as the Hero Kaiju. Popular examples include Ultraman and ZoneFighter. The stories in this sub-subgenre tend focus on a hero (usually an alien) that fights giant monsters. The hero tends to change size and battle giant monsters.

The Mechas and Robots Subgenre – This genre is similar to the Hero Kaiju. Instead of a alien fighting the giant monster, a giant robot (or mecha) is used. The mecha could also be the villain! A famous example of a monster-fighting-mech is MechaGodzilla from the Godzilla series. This genre isn’t inherently Western or Eastern as it can be seen in both cultures. While it is not inherently Eastern, it is rather popular in anime (Japanese animation). A related genre is called Super Sentai (known as Power Rangers in the US). In that genre, a team of superpower individuals fight off alien invaders, often with the aid of a giant robot. Popular examples of Mechas and Robots include Megas XLR and The Big O.   

            I think I’ve thoroughly described the three main subgenres in the giant monster fiction genre. Now, keep in mind: you do not have to confine yourself into one subgenre, or even the giant monster genre itself. Explore. If you’re an avid reader, you’d notice that very few texts often stick to one type of genre. The Batman series is both detective fiction and superhero fiction. Star Trek is space opera and speculative science fiction. Star Wars includes both science fiction and fantasy elements. Don’t confine yourself; that only leads to bad writing.

Welcome to Monstrous Fiction! Oh, and we have a contest!

Welcome to Monstrous Fiction, the blog devoted to literature about giant monsters and kaiju! To kick off our grand opening, we are holding the first annual Monstrous Fiction Writing Contest. As literature and monster lovers, we should expand our beloved genre into other medium besides film! And that’s what the Monstrous Fiction Writing Contest is about.

            This contest focuses on short fiction about giant monsters and related ilk. We want to get the minds inside and outside of the fandom to start thinking about other ways to handle the genre, to break it out of its formulaic cage.  We do love Godzilla, Ultraman, and King Kong but we would love to see the creations of others. 

First place prize is $50. 

Second place prize is $25.

There is no entry fee. Writers may submit up to three (3) stories. Entries are to be emailed to monstrous.fiction@gmail.com 

Now, here are some rules and guidelines:

Rules and Guidelines:

- No fan fiction. Period. No Godzilla, Ultraman, King Kong, etc. All characters, monsters, and storylines must be original.  

- The stories should be character focused. The characters, rather than the science or the magic, provide the main focus of the story. That said, while this is a giant monster fiction contest, the judges do not want to read a story just about a monster. A human (or alien!) cast is a must. But don’t forget: giant monsters are characters too!

- The judges do enjoy comedy and humorous stories. Be original. The judges are not immediately interested in atomic powered dinosaurs, light-powered space aliens, or monsters constructed by ancient civilizations.

- No explicit sex or violence. Bear in mind that literature is about examining human nature. The giant monster setting is just a tool used to explore human nature.

Writing/Entry Guidelines:

- The minimum word count is 1,000 words (approx. 4 pages). The maximum word count is 5,000 words (approx 20 pages).

- All entries must be double spaced, 12 point, Times New Roman font.

- It should include a cover page with the story’s title, the writer’s name, and the writer’s e-mail address.            

- The writing must follow the standard conventions of English. Keep spelling, grammar, and syntax in check.  

Today, June 20th, is the official start date. The deadline for submissions in August 1st. I like to think that gives you plenty of time to write. 

Stay tuned for more posts about the contest and about giant monster literature!