Kasper Hviid
Sage
I have tried my hand at comic jams and game jams and I always find this stuff crazy inspiring! Since there’s a fixed deadline, I don’t have time to pause at any of those writer's block thingies, and the theme of the jam forces me to explore areas that I wouldn’t have ventured into otherwise.
So, I thought it would be fun if we did a fantasy short story jam! So we decide on a theme, set a deadline, write the stuff. Then we read each other's stories and gives feedback. If good, we could publish it as a free anthology. Anyone onboard?
But fantasy short stories, is this even a thing? Mostly, fantasy are those epic, neverending tales, the bigger the merrier. On the other hand, there had been numerous sci-fi short stories where the author quickly explores some crazy idea, so I imagine that one could do sorta the same thing with fantasy.
Good anthologies always has some sort of cornerstone. Some general mood that the participants are able to tune into. If you watch BLACK MIRROR, you’ll find the dystopian view on today's technology to be radically different from the fantastic and wondrous world of THE TWILIGHT ZONE. Likewise, ABC OF DEATH stands on its own with its anarchistic, experimental and outrageous horror stories.
A short story anthology worth mentioning is MACHINE OF DEATH. This one is about a world where some specific vending machines are able to predict how you’re going to die. This concept with death as a sentence that has already been written, something predefined, resulted in stories that were, mostly, sincere and deep-felt. There was surprisingly little ironic distance in this one.
So I think that, beyond the fantasy theme, it would be nice if the jam had some sort of theme or core, so that we had a common goal to aspire towards. I’m not overly particular on what exactly it should be, though I do have some ideas. Wanna hear what others have to say first, though.
In jams, the deadline is often tight enough to keep you on your toes. How long should we have to write a short story? One week?
So, I thought it would be fun if we did a fantasy short story jam! So we decide on a theme, set a deadline, write the stuff. Then we read each other's stories and gives feedback. If good, we could publish it as a free anthology. Anyone onboard?
But fantasy short stories, is this even a thing? Mostly, fantasy are those epic, neverending tales, the bigger the merrier. On the other hand, there had been numerous sci-fi short stories where the author quickly explores some crazy idea, so I imagine that one could do sorta the same thing with fantasy.
Good anthologies always has some sort of cornerstone. Some general mood that the participants are able to tune into. If you watch BLACK MIRROR, you’ll find the dystopian view on today's technology to be radically different from the fantastic and wondrous world of THE TWILIGHT ZONE. Likewise, ABC OF DEATH stands on its own with its anarchistic, experimental and outrageous horror stories.
A short story anthology worth mentioning is MACHINE OF DEATH. This one is about a world where some specific vending machines are able to predict how you’re going to die. This concept with death as a sentence that has already been written, something predefined, resulted in stories that were, mostly, sincere and deep-felt. There was surprisingly little ironic distance in this one.
So I think that, beyond the fantasy theme, it would be nice if the jam had some sort of theme or core, so that we had a common goal to aspire towards. I’m not overly particular on what exactly it should be, though I do have some ideas. Wanna hear what others have to say first, though.
In jams, the deadline is often tight enough to keep you on your toes. How long should we have to write a short story? One week?
