1st Annual Nolasco Gothic Story Contest
“Take thy beak from out my heart!”
-“The Raven” Edgar Allan Poe
Directions: Using Edgar Allan Poe’s Gothic literature as a guide, you will write an original
Gothic/scary story.
Your story should:
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Be typed in Times New Roman size 12 font
Be double spaced
Have a spooky/interesting title
Include all the defining characteristics of a Gothic Story (macabre/violent incidents,
psychological/physical torment, supernatural events, and bleak setting)
 Be at least two pages long
 Be creative, interesting, and entertaining
 Not exceed a PG-13 “rating”
Your story should not:
 Include excessive gory violence and detailed depictions of killings, etc.
 Include the killing of any teachers, faculty members, people that go to this school, any person
you know, or any celebrity
 Have explicit/inappropriate language or content (violence, sex, etc.)
 Reference drugs or alcohol (unless it is to condemn them as bad)
Judging: *You will also receive a 50 point assessment grade for this assignment, which will be graded by
Mrs. Nolasco according to the attached rubric
 Monday, October 22 all stories will be submitted to Mrs. Nolasco
 Mrs. Nolasco will read all completed stories to the class (author’s name will be omitted)
 Class will assess stories on a scale of 1-5 in the following areas: originality, commitment to
Gothic theme, and entertainment value
 The stories with the three highest scores will win the following prizes…
The prizes:
1st prize: McDonald’s breakfast or lunch for you from Mrs. Nolasco
2nd prize: King Size candy of your choice
3rd prize: Sit at Mrs. Nolasco’s desk for the day
CATEGORY
A
B
C
D
elements of Gothic
literature
Includes 3 of the
elements of Gothic
Literature
Includes 2 of the
elements of Gothic
literature
Includes 1 or none of
the elements of
Gothic literature
The story contains
many creative details
and/or descriptions
that contribute to the
reader\'s enjoyment.
The author has really
used his imagination.
The story contains a
few creative details
and/or descriptions
that contribute to the
reader\'s enjoyment.
The author has used
his imagination.
The story contains a
few creative details
and/or descriptions,
but they distract from
the story. The author
has tried to use his
imagination.
There is little
evidence of creativity
in the story. The
author does not
seem to have used
much imagination.
Title is creative,
Title is related to the
sparks interest and story and topic.
is related to the story
and topic.
Title is present, but
does not appear to
be related to the
story and topic.
No title.
There are no spelling There is one spelling
or punctuation errors or punctuation error
in the final draft.
in the final draft.
Character and place
names that the
author invented are
spelled consistently
throughout.
There are 2-3
spelling and
punctuation errors in
the final draft.
The final draft has
more than 3 spelling
and punctuation
errors.
Gothic Elements Includes all 4
20 Points
Creativity
20 Points
Title
5 Points
Spelling and
Punctuation
5 Points