Sorry guys, I've had a rough week and it's leading up to this weekend when I will be vending in the mountains for three days. So I will unfortunately be scarce until next week.
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- Thread starter Philip Overby
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #142
Be careful in them dere mountains. (in my best miserly voice)
Thanks Phil. Don't worry about me, I've never actually seen a bear. Those bear-proof trash cans must be doing their jobs.
Wish me luck. I'm crossing my fingers that I have an easy pack-up job. It snows at this event every year and nothing's worse than packing up several hundred pounds of costumes and a wet-ass tent and then having to dry it all when I get home.
Yeah nothing like sitting through two scorching days and then snow at night.
Wish me luck. I'm crossing my fingers that I have an easy pack-up job. It snows at this event every year and nothing's worse than packing up several hundred pounds of costumes and a wet-ass tent and then having to dry it all when I get home.
Yeah nothing like sitting through two scorching days and then snow at night.
Have fun selling costumes!
How close is what you do the the LARPing world, out of curiosity?
Also, there is now a Weekly Challenges sub-forum. I moved the Weekly Prompts and Quest of the Week over there.
How close is what you do the the LARPing world, out of curiosity?
Also, there is now a Weekly Challenges sub-forum. I moved the Weekly Prompts and Quest of the Week over there.
That's cool, but aren't you worried that having the challenges in a subforum will mean they get ignored?
Well, I am NOW.
Kidding. Sort of.
I'm more worried that they'll clutter up the challenge forum, assuming these are to be posted regularly.
Kidding. Sort of.
I'm more worried that they'll clutter up the challenge forum, assuming these are to be posted regularly.
That's why I suggested the archive thing, so they'd only move there after the week was up. I don't mean to push or anything, but take a look at how much the Brainstorming and Planning subforum is ignored. And right now there's cover art in the showcase instead of the Cover Art subforum. Subforums just don't generate much real activity.
But I think keeping the active challenges on the regular forum, then moving them to an archive, would keep the activity where it belongs. And if the archive really is a list of stories, people will actually look through it, at least more than they look at those threads now.
Again, I don't mean to push if people disagree. I can be cool with whatever.
- Thread starter
- #148
Well the Challenges got buried on the Showcase before and now it has its own forum. We'll see how this goes. I think if someone is looking for something specific then they'll find it.
Ailith
Minstrel
"I am not dead yet
I can dance and I can sing
I am not dead yet
I can do the Highland Fling
I am not dead yet
No need to go to bed
No need to call the doctor
Cause I'm not yet dead."
I can dance and I can sing
I am not dead yet
I can do the Highland Fling
I am not dead yet
No need to go to bed
No need to call the doctor
Cause I'm not yet dead."
*whistles* That was a close one.
- Thread starter
- #151
The thread wrote me a letter:
"If I die I want to leave all my..."
Then it's just like a blood smear. Hmm...
"If I die I want to leave all my..."
Then it's just like a blood smear. Hmm...
Benjamin Clayborne
Auror
The thread swells with pride. "You puny mortals don't know what you have done. You will never kill me. With every post I grow stronger..."
- Thread starter
- #154
Since this thread isn't dying, anyone care to share what they're working on at the moment? Challenges? WIPs? Etc.?
I'm planning to try Camp NaNo for the first time. Not sure what I'm going to write yet exactly, but I've thought about writing two short novellas instead of one 50K unfinished manuscript. I understand there is some market for novellas in the small presses? I may aim for that once I edit them.
I have one NaNo I did that I'm in the middle of editing now. And I think it's halfway decent.
I'm planning to try Camp NaNo for the first time. Not sure what I'm going to write yet exactly, but I've thought about writing two short novellas instead of one 50K unfinished manuscript. I understand there is some market for novellas in the small presses? I may aim for that once I edit them.
I have one NaNo I did that I'm in the middle of editing now. And I think it's halfway decent.
Ailith
Minstrel
I’d like some feedback on a challenge I’m working on. It’s a weekly challenge that sets up an ethical dilemma. Writers create a scene in which characters must solve the dilemma and deal with the outcome.
I think it has high creativity potential, but also high frustration potential. Here’s why: A dilemma is a problem with no good answer. Writing a scene that may not have a “good” or “fulfilling” outcome can be irritating.
So why is it a good exercise? The point of the challenge is to show the decision-making process of your character, practice writing emotionally charged scenes, and to flex your own problem-solving muscles. A challenge should be challenging, right?
Each week would be a new, completely different dilemma. Different characters, different world, different problem. That way, contestants can skip a week, join at any point, and not feel obligated to post every time.
So what do you think? Is anyone interested in this type of challenge? Or do you have any suggestions to make it better?
I think it has high creativity potential, but also high frustration potential. Here’s why: A dilemma is a problem with no good answer. Writing a scene that may not have a “good” or “fulfilling” outcome can be irritating.
So why is it a good exercise? The point of the challenge is to show the decision-making process of your character, practice writing emotionally charged scenes, and to flex your own problem-solving muscles. A challenge should be challenging, right?
Each week would be a new, completely different dilemma. Different characters, different world, different problem. That way, contestants can skip a week, join at any point, and not feel obligated to post every time.
So what do you think? Is anyone interested in this type of challenge? Or do you have any suggestions to make it better?
I think you'd be better off making it a Trigger Challenge and letting the entrants decide the dilemma. I know for me that would be the fun part. And that would also help the problem of entrants seeing a "solution" to the dilemma which you might not yourself.
Ailith
Minstrel
Thanks for the feedback!
In this case, the contestants would write the dilemmas themselves? Or they would be presented with several options and then pick? I've already written up about 4 "set ups" in which the dilemmas are presented. They are open ended, and writers can answer or "solve" them however they wish by writing a scene that sort of continues from the set up. Characters and settings are somewhat vague so individual writers can do what they want.
Let people come up with their own dilemma.
If you're already committed, start with a trigger challenge and then use it to introduce the weeklies once it's over. I don't think it's a good idea for everyone to jump on making weekly challenges when the audience for them is still building. But there aren't any triggers people can join right now, so people will join and it will be successful, and that will market not only your weekly challenge, but all of them, when it's done.
If you're already committed, start with a trigger challenge and then use it to introduce the weeklies once it's over. I don't think it's a good idea for everyone to jump on making weekly challenges when the audience for them is still building. But there aren't any triggers people can join right now, so people will join and it will be successful, and that will market not only your weekly challenge, but all of them, when it's done.
- Thread starter
- #159
Yeah, it looks like most of the triggers that were all started at the same time are mostly wrapped up for the moment. So a new one may be welcomed now. I'm interested to see where you are going with your challenge idea and I, for one, will most likely join it.
Weekly or Trigger, I'll probably join on general principle. Your entries in Shenoka and Quest of the Week are great, so anything I can do to keep you in the challenge section is worth my time.
The only thing that would stop me is if I really don't have a good story. I may not win all the challenges, but I always post an idea I'm proud of and that I hope is different enough to stand out from the crowd. (I don't know how often I pull that off.)
The only thing that would stop me is if I really don't have a good story. I may not win all the challenges, but I always post an idea I'm proud of and that I hope is different enough to stand out from the crowd. (I don't know how often I pull that off.)
