Who would be interested in this?

[Quiver]

So... this is an idea that just occurred to me. It may be a bit similar to the writing excuses sub-forum (I think this part of the forum is, technically, supposed to be for "fandom" creative works?) but I figured I'd suggest it, and let mods move things around as necessary.

 

So... there's a few people here who are doing NaNoWriMo this year. For those who don't know, NaNo amounts to "Write like crazy"- the idea is to try and write a short novel of 50,000 words in a month. Despite the fact that I never sem to get anywhere with it, it generally is a useful writing tool for people- after all, Brandon advertised it on his site this month.

 

So... I was wondering; how would anyone here feel about having our own NaNo-style game here?

 

What I have in mind is kind of simple; every month, someone (either get a forum "celebrity" like an admin or a particularly active user) to pick a theme for the month; everyone scrambles, writes up a short story (or a chapter) related to said theme, then submit and critique at the end of the month. 

 

April Prompt Provided by Delightful:

Write a piece involving a sudden change in information and/or perspective, by the character, reader or both. 

Bonus points if the character comes to one realisation while the reader thinks something else entirely. 

 

December 2014

January 2015

February 2015

Edited April 3, 2015 by Quiver

[Kobold King]

I'm pretty sure this part of the forum is for all creative endeavors, not just the ones related to a fandom. Plenty of people post wholly original fiction on this board.

 

I'd like to throw my hat into the "Interested" category please. With my schedule an entire novel in a month is definitely out of the question, but an incentive to write something shorter would be a definite help.

 

So yeah. I support this, and I'd definitely be interested in participating.

[Seonid]

Count me in. At least in theory. Definitely after this semester gets over.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

I'll be in, once this semester is over. Can we take the prompt and use characters/worlds from stories we're already working on (in other words, could I use the prompts to try and help me flesh out the novel I'm working on)? 

[Edgedancer]

Seems worth a try to me.

[Seonid]

I'll be in, once this semester is over. Can we take the prompt and use characters/worlds from stories we're already working on (in other words, could I use the prompts to try and help me flesh out the novel I'm working on)? 

 

I'd actually kind of been planning on this. Is that legit?

[Edgedancer]

I'd actually kind of been planning on this. Is that legit?

Well I´m not the boss here but there is rather little purpose in doing something like this regulary, if it actually takes time away from your major project instead of helping you with it. Although, depending on the prompt it might be better to make something new (if not downright impossible to use your main setting) to learn something from it. Your call I would say.

[Kurkistan]

What I have in mind is kind of simple; every month, someone (either get get either a forum "celebrity" like an admin or a particularly active user) to pick a theme for the month; everyone scrambles, writes up a short story (or a chapter) related to said theme, then submit and critique at the end of the month. 

 

*The Grammar Nazi has struck again!!!*   

-Sorry, that's one of of my pet peeves. Continue about your day.

Edited November 21, 2014 by Kurkistan

[Quiver]

I'm pretty sure this part of the forum is for all creative endeavors, not just the ones related to a fandom. Plenty of people post wholly original fiction on this board.

 

 

Probably; heck, the only bit of work I've posted here was an "original" world of mine. That was why I added the 'technically' side of it- mostly just to cover myself in case it turned out this sort of thing is what the Writing/Reading excuses sub-forums are for.

 

Well I´m not the boss here but there is rather little purpose in doing something like this regulary, if it actually takes time away from your major project instead of helping you with it. Although, depending on the prompt it might be better to make something new (if not downright impossible to use your main setting) to learn something from it. Your call I would say.

 

Well duh you can use existing stuff for prompts. How else am I gonna turn the prompts into MLP fiction?

 

Seriously, Edgedancer is right. I'm kind of working out the details of how all this would work... but if you want to take said-prompt and write a totally original piece, that's fine. If you want to take it and use it to write something in your pre-established world and setting and stuff- that's fine. If you want to take it and write something in someone elses world, like an AU where Kaladin is a Lighteyes instead of dark... that's fine.

 

Basically, my thinking was... well, it's a prompt. You can write whatever you want about it, since... in my mind, this is like NaNo; it's to help encourage people to write. If that means you write fanfiction, original short stories, or stuff for your novel, that's up to you. It's a little more restrictive than NaNo, since there's a given theme for each month, but hey- no one said you had to do it every month.

[Delightful]

I like this idea

I'm currently flipping between poorly developed WIP's so it would give me something to write about while I figure out where my plot and world is going otherwise.

I imagine it would be a bit like www.typetrigger.com, except that site only gives you 300 words and prompts are distributed at random times.

It also, to some degree, would make us accountable to each other to write, which usually helps.

 

Kurk: You mentioned

Edited November 22, 2014 by Delightful

[Kasimir]

Sounds interesting, especially if it isn't something we've got to do every single month. I'd be interested, for one. I'd just like a more specificity in this notion of a short story or a chapter--exactly what are we talking about here?

 

(I've known people whose definition of 'short story' seemed to go to 15k words, so I'm just highly curious.)

[Kobold King]

Basically, my thinking was... well, it's a prompt. You can write whatever you want about it, since... in my mind, this is like NaNo; it's to help encourage people to write. If that means you write fanfiction, original short stories, or stuff for your novel, that's up to you. It's a little more restrictive than NaNo, since there's a given theme for each month, but hey- no one said you had to do it every month.

 

I can definitely get behind this. I think it's great that participants will be permitted to run wild with whatever their given prompt is.

 

How precise or abstract are these prompts likely to be? Should we expect vague prompts like this:

 

"Write about moving to a new town."

 

or detailed prompts like

 

"In a world populated by polychromatic equines, write about a monarch's personal protege coming to a small town to learn about an obscure branch of sorcery related to friendship."

 

?

 

Since I'm asking a bunch of questions anyway... if the details can be compiled in time, would December be our first run?

[Steel]

I wouldn't mind.

[Delightful]

I can definitely get behind this. I think it's great that participants will be permitted to run wild with whatever their given prompt is.

 

How precise or abstract are these prompts likely to be? Should we expect vague prompts like this:

 

 

or detailed prompts like

 

 

?

 

Since I'm asking a bunch of questions anyway... if the details can be compiled in time, would December be our first run?

It could maybe also be a prompt like, write a story involving any three of the following:

Friendship

spears

magic

a small town

an underwater habitat

magical rainbows.

[Kobold King]

It could maybe also be a prompt like, write a story involving any three of the following:

Friendship

spears

magic

a small town

an underwater habitat

magical rainbows.

 

I like this idea.

 

Quiver, are you the ringleader of this project? We have no admins on board the project right now, but you're both the originator of the concept and somewhat of a forum celebrity in your own right. Do you plan on supplying us with our first prompt(s) once the full logistic have been planned out?

[mail-mi]

I would totally be down for this. So when do we start ?

[Quiver]

I like this idea.

 

Quiver, are you the ringleader of this project? We have no admins on board the project right now, but you're both the originator of the concept and somewhat of a forum celebrity in your own right. Do you plan on supplying us with our first prompt(s) once the full logistic have been planned out?

 

Since when?!

 

I guess since I'm starting this it would make sense to pick the first prompt... speaking of which, I'm thinking of leaving how detailed or vague such a thing is up to whoever happens to be providing it. For what it's worth, mine will probably be a very vague thing (like writign about a particular theme or something- or, more liekly, do something for the holidays), but it might be fun to give a very specific description and see how many different ways the people of the forum can interpret it....

 

As for when those terrible things can be expected... I like round numbers and such, so I'll try and get said prompt online on either the 30th or the 1st, and have December as the first run. 

 

Honestly though, I'm with Kasmir as far as the length thing is concerned. It's why I left it vague- I, quite frankly, have no idea how "long" the average short story (or even a chapter) is. I'm thinking of leaving that limil super vague, since it's not like this is a contest with a prize or anything; the point is just to try and encourage writing and creativity and stuff, so if you get one idea which you write 30K for because you really got into it... well, good for you!

...Of course, if you guys think we need a more hard deadline, say so. Heck, I suppose we could give whoever-is-prompting the option of nominating a word count as well.

[Kobold King]

Since when?!

 

I guess since I'm starting this it would make sense to pick the first prompt... speaking of which, I'm thinking of leaving how detailed or vague such a thing is up to whoever happens to be providing it. For what it's worth, mine will probably be a very vague thing (like writign about a particular theme or something- or, more liekly, do something for the holidays), but it might be fun to give a very specific description and see how many different ways the people of the forum can interpret it....

 

It just seems like you're a considerably active and well-contributing member. I'd wager that everyone who's been on here longer than a week knows who you are.

 

And yeah, I could totally support a holiday-themed writing prompt. Are you thinking of a specific holiday like Christmas, or leaving it open for other winters festivities like Hanukkah?

[Quiver]

It just seems like you're a considerably active and well-contributing member. I'd wager that everyone who's been on here longer than a week knows who you are.

 

And yeah, I could totally support a holiday-themed writing prompt. Are you thinking of a specific holiday like Christmas, or leaving it open for other winters festivities like Hanukkah?

 

Sure, as the pony guy.

 

Anyway, off the topic of my ego boosting...

Since I won't be online on the 30th, I may as well just give details on said prompt now.

 

>Ahem<

 

December Writing Prompt:

Happy Holidays! Write a story against a backdrop of a fictional or non-fictional holiday/celebration.

 

So... you can use Christmas if you want. Or Hannukah. Or celebrating First Contact, the Rosharan Weeping, Heartswarming Eve... basically whatever you want, so long as a holiday is involved somehow.

[Kobold King]

 

Sure, as the pony guy.

 

Anyway, off the topic of my ego boosting...

Since I won't be online on the 30th, I may as well just give details on said prompt now.

 

>Ahem<

 

December Writing Prompt:

Happy Holidays! Write a story against a backdrop of a fictional or non-fictional holiday/celebration.

 

So... you can use Christmas if you want. Or Hannukah. Or celebrating First Contact, the Rosharan Weeping, Heartswarming Eve... basically whatever you want, so long as a holiday is involved somehow.

 

Aha! I finally have an excues to write a Steelheart fanfic where Calamity is Santa Claus!   

 

...Er, never mind that. Great prompt! I'll be thinking hard about what I'll write around it.

 

Anyone else know what you're writing yet? I think it'd be neat if we shared our thoughts and projects as we go.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Aha! I finally have an excues to write a Steelheart fanfic where Calamity is Santa Claus!   

 

...Er, never mind that. Great prompt! I'll be thinking hard about what I'll write around it.

 

Anyone else know what you're writing yet? I think it'd be neat if we shared our thoughts and projects as we go.

 

Have you been good this year? Because if you have, you're probably not getting superpowers. Calamity Claus is like that horrible aunt who picks that one cousin who dresses like an idiot and makes snide remarks about you as her favorite, who gives him a fully functional robot while you get an IOU. Calamity Claus then laughs as your horrible cousin uses his robot to steal your presents. 

 

I fortunately never had that aunt. Though I did have a grandmother who seemed to think the piano should only be touched by people who had taken lessons. (Seriously, my cousin who was five years younger than me could play it all she wanted, but when I so much as pressed a key, she'd yell "PLAY, DON'T POUND!" How she even heard me lightly tap the high-C key from three rooms away is anyone's guess.) 

 

Ahem. 

 

Methinks I will introduce a Dragon beside the Davenport's lovely Christmas tree. 

[Edgedancer]

Aha! I finally have an excues to write a Steelheart fanfic where Calamity is Santa Claus!   

 

...Er, never mind that. Great prompt! I'll be thinking hard about what I'll write around it.

 

Anyone else know what you're writing yet? I think it'd be neat if we shared our thoughts and projects as we go.

After, for some inexplicable reason, BBC turned down my pitch to have the Doctor go on an adventure with Elsa and instead went with the Doctor meeeting Santa Claus (for at least the second time I might add) I shall instead write abut Voidgaze being Santa... and Nighthound as Knecht Ruprecht.

 

On the serious side of things I´m still trying to decide, if I should write a real world story or some kind of fantasy equivalent. Appart from that I´m thinking of some kind of scenario where someone or a group of people organize something  to grant someone else a happy christmas. No my plan is not as vague as it sounds, it is way more vague.  

[Kobold King]

Have you been good this year? Because if you have, you're probably not getting superpowers. Calamity Claus is like that horrible aunt who picks that one cousin who dresses like an idiot and makes snide remarks about you as her favorite, who gives him a fully functional robot while you get an IOU. Calamity Claus then laughs as your horrible cousin uses his robot to steal your presents. 

 

I fortunately never had that aunt. Though I did have a grandmother who seemed to think the piano should only be touched by people who had taken lessons. (Seriously, my cousin who was five years younger than me could play it all she wanted, but when I so much as pressed a key, she'd yell "PLAY, DON'T POUND!" How she even heard me lightly tap the high-C key from three rooms away is anyone's guess.) 

 

Ahem. 

 

Methinks I will introduce a Dragon beside the Davenport's lovely Christmas tree. 

 

Kobold King wonders why the aunt is stated to be non-existent but the horrible cousin's existence is left suspiciously ambiguous.   

 

I honestly have no idea what I'll be doing. I don't have a fictional WIP to occupy me, so I'll have to think of something else. I've always enjoyed the pulpy sci-fi stories written in the 60s; maybe I'll try my hand at writing something short along those lines.

 

Or maybe something where Santa Claus is a time traveler. There's a whole universe of possibilities here and I wouldn't count any idea out at this point. 

 

Ooh, here's an idea: if Santa Claus is an ageless, immortal entity that's been doing his part to enrich human lives for centuries, how does he feel about the process of human development? How would he react if humanity began colonizing another planet?

 

And most importantly--do alien races have their own versions of jolly ol' St. Nick?

[Edgedancer]

And most importantly--do alien races have their own versions of jolly ol' St. Nick?

You mean Santa Cuthullu?

[Kasimir]

You mean Santa Cuthullu?

"In his house at R'lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming...for Christmas." Now we know what that is all about