Discussion -- September 2011 Challenge

[Mouse]

Re: Discussion September 2011 Writing Challenge

Hey, blame TDZ!

 

[Perpetual Man]

Re: Discussion September 2011 Writing Challenge

What? There's a unicorn? Where?

And what's with the horny? Don't all unicorns have horns?

Like rhino's

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Re: Discussion September 2011 Writing Challenge

Love TDZ's! Second entry in the comp's history with a horny unicorn? Wins best line ever. (I'll let you guess which line.)

TY TY, Mouse! And I can guess which line ... it's the one that kept creeping back in no matter how many times it got edited out.

I had (sorry, lousy memory) forgotten the previous horny unicorn. Oops!

 

[paranoid marvin]

Re: Discussion September 2011 Writing Challenge

When voting, my main preference is for quality of story over how well it conforms to the specified genre, especially when it comes to SFF, as it covers almost all fiction.

 

[The Judge]

Re: Discussion September 2011 Writing Challenge

I'm the opposite. I use whether or not a story has conformed to the theme and genre as a filter before going on to draw up my short lists. Admittedly that does sometimes remove what I think are good stories, but, to me, that's the point of having a theme/genre, otherwise each Challenge might as well always be an open one.

 

[Boneman]

Re: Discussion September 2011 Writing Challenge

I will admit to looking for a 'kind-of' beginning, middle and end type of presentation, and if it's not SF or fantasy, then it has to be really good to get included in my list. And with the deadline approaching in three days, I need to get some ideas of my own! Having been on a road trip for four weeks, it seems harder than usual to find some inspiration...

 

[mosaix]

Re: Discussion September 2011 Writing Challenge

I'm the opposite. I use whether or not a story has conformed to the theme and genre as a filter before going on to draw up my short lists.

Me too.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Re: Discussion September 2011 Writing Challenge

I rarely focus on the genre, unless it is too blatantly unfitting to the month's theme. It just doesn't occur to me, to be honest.


Meanwhile, I have submitted my entry for the month, somewhat accidentally. I was actually still undecided as to whether I wanted to make any further changes, and accidentally clicked "Submit" instead of "Preview Post". Whoops!

Oh, well. I suppose it will have to do. At least I know I got the genre right.

 

[Boneman]

Re: Discussion September 2011 Writing Challenge

Well, I posted. It's certainly fantasy... I think.

I have to say that, so far, Chel's story is way out in front, for me. (Blimey, three commas in a short sentence.) But I've been caught out before, and some of the usual suspects have yet to post, so I'll wait and see! And TDZ's unicorn is very beguiling. Why was it again, that Noah forgot the Unicorn?

 

[Ursa major]

Re: Discussion September 2011 Writing Challenge

Why was it again, that Noah forgot the Unicorn?

Perhaps he didn't see the point of it, and he already had a couple of horses....

​

 

[Chel]

Re: Discussion September 2011 Writing Challenge

I have to say that, so far, Chel's story is way out in front, for me.

Thank you! That made my day, even if we're not voting quite yet.

Another thing that also made my day (until I came home and saw this) was that I found no less than three fantasy-ish books to read for the kids at work at a sale in a bookstore that usually doesn't carry much in my language... but that's beside the point. Just had to share!

 

[Boneman]

Re: Discussion September 2011 Writing Challenge

Perhaps he didn't see the point of it, and he already had a couple of horses....

​

So why Zebras, as well, then? Dammit, I can't get Val Doonican out of my head now! Green alligators, and long-necked geese, humpty back camels and some chimpanzees...

Oops, off thread. Sorry. Racks brain for something to bring it back in again: Oh, yeah; isn't great how many newcomers are entering the challenge?

 

[Flugel Meister]

Re: September 2011 SEVENTY-FIVE WORD WRITING CHALLENGE

Flugel Meister – Ahh, the Friday night syndrome, the aftermath of a night on the town, drinking partying, drunken brawls, taking something one should not have, broken bones, scrapes and off to casualty. A bleak but spot on interpretation of the down side of a night on the town, seen through the eyes of those that clean up after the partiers. I could almost see him/her, brushing away the grime, eyes watching the wretched masses. Great idea.

Phew caught up!

Thanks for the coverage, Perp. Very much appreciated, and I'm sure I'm not alone on this.

 

[Quokka]

Re: Discussion September 2011 Writing Challenge

I was glad to see the discussion about editing earlier in this thread. I posted my story yesterday, noticed a spelling error and edited it without thinking... Then I thought maybe I wasn't allowed ot do that... Then I realised I hadn't put in a reason for the edit.... Then I thought about going back to add a reason.... but then I would've edited twice.... Then I just sat back and worried I'd broken a rule .

So I take it editing in the intial hour after posting is ok?

Also interesting to read about stories meeting the SFF criteria, I've done the same as mentioned before in starting off ok but losing the connections in the edit down to 75 words. This month I started off with my usual approach of reading the challange, writing and posting a story in one sitting. I was about to post when I reread the thread with the challange details and realised my story wasn't noticibly SFF, I was very tempted to simply change 40yrs to 200yrs and scrape in on a technicality but instead I put it aside and ended up entering a different story all together.

 

[Ursa major]

Re: Discussion September 2011 Writing Challenge

So I take it editing in the intial hour after posting is ok?

Definitely.

 

[Flugel Meister]

Re: Discussion September 2011 Writing Challenge

Also interesting to read about stories meeting the SFF criteria, I've done the same as mentioned before in starting off ok but losing the connections in the edit down to 75 words. This month I started off with my usual approach of reading the challange, writing and posting a story in one sitting. I was about to post when I reread the thread with the challange details and realised my story wasn't noticibly SFF, I was very tempted to simply change 40yrs to 200yrs and scrape in on a technicality but instead I put it aside and ended up entering a different story all together.

Just imagine my story is set three hundred years in the future onboard an intergalactic hospital ship. The cleaner in the story - obviously - has four arms, three legs and eighteen eyes.

 

[Parson]

Re: Discussion September 2011 Writing Challenge

Just imagine my story is set three hundred years in the future onboard an intergalactic hospital ship. The cleaner in the story - obviously - has four arms, three legs and eighteen eyes.

Proving that anything can be SFF!

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Re: Discussion September 2011 Writing Challenge

I was glad to see the discussion about editing earlier in this thread. I posted my story yesterday, noticed a spelling error and edited it without thinking... Then I thought maybe I wasn't allowed ot do that... Then I realised I hadn't put in a reason for the edit.... Then I thought about going back to add a reason.... but then I would've edited twice.... Then I just sat back and worried I'd broken a rule .

So I take it editing in the intial hour after posting is ok?

As long as it's physically possible for you to edit, it's ok -- when it's not ok anymore, it stops being possible! Unless you're a moderator, in which case you have to be infinitely more careful about that....

 

[nixie]

Re: Discussion September 2011 Writing Challenge

Any moderator, who edits their story after the hour expiry will find their entry withdrawn. Plus we do have extra punishments in place, you really don't want to know the details.

 

[Chel]

Re: Discussion September 2011 Writing Challenge

Any moderator, who edits their story after the hour expiry will find their entry withdrawn. Plus we do have extra punishments in place, you really don't want to know the details.

Now you made us all curious as to these punishments!