Photo Contest Winners #11 thru #15

Winners, Choose Your Prize

Photo Contest Winner #11

Damn, this one was tough. TOUGH. I so badly wanted a foreign language inscription. Randy’s made me laugh, but I fretted over having to write the characters. The extra layer of a foreign language—especially one that must be photographed to translate—allows a longer discovery process and thus provides a greater sense of reward to the finder.

And I absolutely adored “Trockenhaubenanschlag” or “drying hoods attack.” Genius in its absurdity. However the biggest shock laugh went to:

Josh Fordham Wins!

Inscription: Call 1-888-454-5548 (IKILL4U) Available worldwide, no job too small

However, as I’ve marked it, I would strike out the second half. Shorter = Shockier. The ambiguity amazes me, i.e., is the photo the hired killer or an example of a victim? Bravo!

Photo Contest Winner #12

Amlere Wins!

The Inscription: Anders Behring Breivik. The evil was always there.

Again, I’d strike out the second portion. Doing so allows the eventual finder to more fully discover the horror. Always try not to dictate emotional reaction; instead, create the conditions for the intended reaction to occur within the reader. That said, a partial fingerprint in “blood” might help. Or would that be going too far?

Photo Contest Winner #13

Ina Wins!

The Inscription: Wish me luck, love. I will need it. March 1918

I assume this refers to WWI, although bushy mustaches weren’t allowed due to gas mask regulations. Only tiny “Hitler” ‘staches were allowed because they fit within the mask. Thus the tiny mustache craze was born. Charlie Chaplin, anyone?

Photo Contest Winner #14

Logan the Lobotomizer Wins!

The inscription: You were too high to watch her.

What held my attention is the suggestion of a third party—not the dog or the writer, but someone who’s receiving this photo after neglecting the animal. So much story suggested by so few words. Amazing.

Photo Contest Winner #15

Anthony Cangianiello Wins!

The Inscription: Gets the job done, no questions asked.

While this suggests the first winner on this post, I still like how it seems to solicit work without naming the actual task. Murder? Kidnapping? Sex?

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All excellent suggestions. Now off to Los Angeles. Look for me to post more photo winners soon.

As before, winners can choose either an inscribed copy of Not Forever, But for Now or an oversized trade paperback of the graphic novel Fight Club 2. Please contact Dennis at The Cult, send him your snail mail address—and a phone number if you’re outside the U.S.—and let me know which book, and how you’d like it inscribed.