Writing Challenge Comments, Questions, Answers

[Mouse]

re: Q & A Writing Challenge for Chrons Members -- (Was Proposed Competition)

I've had a go at the Twitter fiction thingies (stories with 150 characters or less) so I'll have a go at this too. Although I will suck.

 

[chopper]

re: Q & A Writing Challenge for Chrons Members -- (Was Proposed Competition)

i can contribute, but i can't guarantee every month. sounds like it'll be fun though...

 

[TheEndIsNigh]

re: Q & A Writing Challenge for Chrons Members -- (Was Proposed Competition)

One issue.

Will it be like the Photo Competition where the winner decides the new topic.

Not that it's likely to arise but, I'm hopeless at thinking up things to write about.

Oh and by the way Ursa. I'll take some those words off your paws. Do you do give discount for bulk, price them individually or even by the syllable?

I'm going to need a source of cheap commas and full stops too if anyone's in the market for offloading a few.

 

[chopper]

re: Q & A Writing Challenge for Chrons Members -- (Was Proposed Competition)

i got a bucket of apostrophes goin cheap.

 

[Boneman]

re: Q & A Writing Challenge for Chrons Members -- (Was Proposed Competition)

I'm in. Nothing wrong with giving it a go, and seeing how we all feel about it. 75 words seems so horribly short...

 

[BookStop]

re: Q & A Writing Challenge for Chrons Members -- (Was Proposed Competition)

I would very much like to take part in this competition, but on one condition: that people promise not to peek at the pile of innocent victims of my editing soon to be lying slaughtered at my feet simply because they were destined never to be among the chosen, that most select group of words ordained to become part of an entry in the seventy-five word story hosted on this most prestigious forum, the Chronicles.






(Phew! Getting that down to only 75 words was quite a challenge. Perhaps I should just have said something along the lines of "I would like to particiapte, because...." or even "Yes." )

Wow, that's 75 words? It may be more difficult than I originally thought.
Might I suggest 100 instead or are we all set on only 75?

 

[Boneman]

re: Q & A Writing Challenge for Chrons Members -- (Was Proposed Competition)

Might I second that? (I can see we'll be in committee for at least a week!)Actually, I'd prefer 250 words......

 

[Quokka]

re: Q & A Writing Challenge for Chrons Members -- (Was Proposed Competition)

Sounds good, the old picture inspired stories that ran here for awhile were always fun so I'm in .

 

[Interference]

re: Q & A Writing Challenge for Chrons Members -- (Was Proposed Competition)

I hate, loathe and detest competitions (losing all the time tends to set your attitude for quite a while after, and I'm so fed up with reading compliments that are followed by the dreaded But paragraph), so I won't be competing. I'll write if the theme grabs me, but I won't compete.

I know. I have issues

 

[Erin99]

re: Q & A Writing Challenge for Chrons Members -- (Was Proposed Competition)

That's another two votes for a longer word length!!! (Seph and I.)

We were discussing it last night, and wondered if you'd up the word length so we could write a short story. Even up to 1000 words would be better! (Or 2000.) I mean, people wouldn't have to go up to the suggested word length, but you could if you needed to. Wouldn't that open up more options to the authors?

And another question: would we write a story, or just a paragraph that captures the theme like Chrispy did in the "Autumn" photo challenge thread? Or even have the choice of either?

 

[chrispenycate]

re: Q & A Writing Challenge for Chrons Members -- (Was Proposed Competition)

I'm not certain I can write anything that short, but have every intention of trying. And, oh Loopy one, whether it is a description or a story will presumably depend on the theme; if someone chooses "wind" or "yellow", either solution is viable, if "Goldilocks", you're sort of stuck with condensed action.

But I'm definitely in favour of the 'short, short' format, even if I can't do it (especially because I can't, like photos); it exercises a different set of mental muscles. A thousand words would just be more of the same, aerobic rather than sprint. (and nobody says how long the words can be.)

 

[TheEndIsNigh]

re: Q & A Writing Challenge for Chrons Members -- (Was Proposed Competition)

I think the shorter the word length the better.

The six line story thread seemed to get on OK. There'll be less chance of vast transcripts of overly long vernacular descriptions of transcendental interludes if the word length is low.

 

[Parson]

re: Q & A Writing Challenge for Chrons Members -- (Was Proposed Competition)

I think the shorter the word length the better.

The six line story thread seemed to get on OK. There'll be less chance of vast transcripts of overly long vernacular descriptions of transcendental interludes if the word length is low.

Say What?

 

[Boneman]

re: Q & A Writing Challenge for Chrons Members -- (Was Proposed Competition)

What?

The first in the competition should be an open entry, on any subject you like, abd then the winner goers on to choose the next.... what makes you think I've got a GREAT idea for a 75 word story, and know nobody will ever choose it as a subject?

 

[Ursa major]

re: Q & A Writing Challenge for Chrons Members -- (Was Proposed Competition)

If it's Bone Idol or his works, you'll be getting another slap, methinks.



I have lots of grate ideas: but no grate in which to burn them.





(I did have an idea, but it's now well over 75 words: I'll have to save it for noted post 5000.)

 

[Moonbat]

re: Q & A Writing Challenge for Chrons Members -- (Was Proposed Competition)

I'm in, or I will be in once said competition has begun. Will there be a starter's gun? I'm waiting! fingers poised mere milimetres above my keybaord. Aaaaand Go!

There once was an ugly duckling, ugly duck king, king of the ducks, ugly as a swan, swanning about as if he were king, he was king, is king, isling, an angel, the angel of islington, is this thing an angel or an angle, the angle of islington, well quite small really, don't be obtuse, be acute, a cutie, as cute as a baby duckling, an egg? Is an egg as cute as a duck?

There that was 75 words, obviously not 75 different words, some words were repeated (like duck), does that matter? That's not my entry by the way, just a quick burst of expression pent up over the Easter period, kind of like writer's tourettes.

anyway as I said, count me in.

 

[The Judge]

re: Q & A Writing Challenge for Chrons Members -- (Was Proposed Competition)

Moonbat, this isn't "Just a Minute"** -- I think repeating things will be fine. (though with only 75 words, whether it's wise is another matter...)

My opinion, for what it's worth, is to keep the word count as low as possible, and for the entries to be stories not simply descriptions. I'd agree that if we were allowed two attempts per month, then voting would be per piece, not per person (which may be one reason not to do it -- you might split your own vote!). I don't know enough about the back-stage stuff to know if that would cause a problem for setting up.

Boneman, the way to get the subject you want for your cracking piece is to win one month.


** for those who don't know it, a radio programme where contestants have to talk for 60 seconds without repetition, deviation or hesitation.

 

[Boneman]

re: Q & A Writing Challenge for Chrons Members -- (Was Proposed Competition)

Boneman, the way to get the subject you want for your cracking piece is to win one month

Can we be serious for a moment?

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

re: Q & A Writing Challenge for Chrons Members -- (Was Proposed Competition)

OK, obviously we have enough interest. And it's early enough in the month, I think we can start today. I'll open the thread and state the theme some time after breakfast (Yes, it is well into the afternoon here, but I keep strange hours. I just woke up. Ergo, breakfast awaits me.)

The whole idea was to make it a real challenge with a very low word count, Leisha, so we'll stick with 75 words at least for the first few months and see how that goes. We might adjust it up a little bit, but I know this is not too hard to do if you consider all the different ways there are to write a story. But with a generous word count it could turn into the kind of writing contest Brian has been vetoing all these years -- where people get intense about the competition and sensitive because they didn't win. This is not just about writing skill, but also about how well you meet the challenge. And it should, to a certain extent, level the playing field so that everyone will be able to compete -- brand new writers, those with a few credits, and those who have been writing for a long time whether published or not. I've seen you tell a story in far fewer words, Leisha, and Sephiroth, too; I know you are up to the challenge with a generous 75! At the same time, anyone who is ever going to send out a novel submission needs to learn how to condense a story into as few words as possible, so this will be good practice.

I see no reason to limit this to prose (because otherwise we'll get into splitting hairs over prose poetry, blank verse, etc.), but I think people should make an attempt to tell a real story with a beginning, middle, and end. I think that should weigh heavily when people decide how to cast their votes.

We'll also go with one entry each to begin with. If it turns out that a lot of people are overflowing with ideas, we could adjust that to two another time. As with the word count, that will depend on whether it lasts long enough for adjustments to be made.

I am going to take it upon myself to choose the theme this time. It will apply equally to SF and Fantasy.

So, let me eat and get back to this.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

re: Q & A Writing Challenge for Chrons Members -- (Was Proposed Competition)

Oh, and I'm going to go with a definite deadline each month, because I don't want anyone to write something and find out it's too late.