Editing Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest (section)

{{Short description|Tongue-in-cheek writing contest}}
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The '''Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest''' ('''BLFC''') was a tongue-in-cheek contest, held annually and sponsored by the English Department of [[San Jose State University|San José State University]] in [[San Jose, California]] until 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home {{!}} The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest |url=https://www.bulwer-lytton.com/ |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=Bad Writing Contest |language=en}}</ref> Entrants were invited "to compose the [[opening sentence]] to the worst of all possible novels" – that is, one which was deliberately bad.

According to the official rules, the prize for winning the contest was "a pittance".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bulwer-lytton.com/copy-of-about-1 |title=The rules for the Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest are childishly simple |access-date=August 31, 2018 |archive-date=August 31, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180831211837/https://www.bulwer-lytton.com/copy-of-about-1 |url-status=live }}</ref> The 2008 winner received $250,<ref>{{cite news|last=Hesse, Monica|title=Purple Prose? His Is Truly Bruising|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/14/AR2008081403452_pf.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=June 30, 2010|date=August 15, 2008|archive-date=November 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110211410/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/14/AR2008081403452_pf.html|url-status=live}}</ref> while the 2014 winners' page said the grand prize winner received "about $150".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/8990ad_768964667ebd4c2593bacbe1f6bd8716.pdf |title=2014 Contest Winners |website=The Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest |access-date=August 31, 2018 |archive-date=September 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901003735/https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/8990ad_768964667ebd4c2593bacbe1f6bd8716.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2023, the prize was "a cheap certificate and bragging rights".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Contest Rules {{!}} The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest |url=https://www.bulwer-lytton.com/submit |access-date=2023-10-26 |website=Bad Writing Contest |language=en}}</ref>

The contest was started in 1982 by Professor Scott E. Rice of the English Department at [[San Jose State University]] and was named for English novelist and playwright [[Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton|Edward George Bulwer-Lytton]], author of the much-quoted first line "[[It was a dark and stormy night]]". This opening, from the [[1830 in literature|1830]] novel ''[[Paul Clifford]]'', reads in full:

{{quote|It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents, except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.}}

The first year of the competition attracted just three entries, but it went public the next year, received media attention, and attracted 10,000 entries.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bulwer-lytton.com/contest-rules |title=Our Story |website=The Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest |access-date=August 31, 2018 |archive-date=August 31, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180831211838/https://www.bulwer-lytton.com/contest-rules |url-status=live }}</ref> The contest eventually expanded into several subcategories, such as [[detective fiction]], [[romance novel]]s, [[Western novel]]s, and [[purple prose]]. Sentences that were notable but not quite bad enough to merit the Grand Prize or a category prize were awarded Dishonorable Mentions.