Contest Stuff - Writers Required

I did have another one, based around the 4 pictures: Present the user with a single image - this could be user created, something that exists in the real world, something digital - The story has to take place inside that photograph.

Another variant that might prove to be interesting is a collaboration between the artists and writers on here: The writer creates a story, and the artist creates a series of photos or a collage to represent the story.

I do both with some of my other tales outside of here - Sometimes my story is written after drawing the photo, sometimes the writing inspires me to draw the photo

Just to add, about the idea of writing in an established authors style. You would have to take into account that not everyone reads the same things.

Even if it was completely open, and each contestant could choose any author. It might be hard to judge if you have never read said author. Even the most famous well known writers and stories, will have people that never read them. So it might be hard to tell if it is a proper pastiche or not.

On the other hand. I could just be overly thinking this through.

It would be fun.

a reply to: karmicecstasy

It would give us a chance to learn about other styles, the trends in other time periods, etc. to find ones we like but hadn't run across, and then resources to "read more" of that style.

The one contemporary author I truly admire and envy in terms of style, subject matter, and humor is Bill Bryson.


I want to write like he does. Could we do threads where we try our hand at various different authors?

Like:

Write like Twain

Write like Plato

......Dickens

......Chomsky

......................

?? Just an idea.

We've been talking about words and the English language on Buzzy's thread in General Chit Chat. 'Tis where this idea comes from...

Idioms. Given a choice (like two groups of three, pick one from each) use them in a story.

People mis-apply idioms leading to wonderful confusion! And they do not even have to be English.

As far as poetry goes, there will need to be either some guidelines or a types chosen. How could you compare Allan Ginsberg's Howl to a Villanelle to a haiku all in the same contest? So you might consider rotating through free form, limericks, haiku, Villanelle, Sonnet, etc. Imagine the difficulty of doing Iambic pentameter! Hum...

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

I agree and think it would be fun. It is the logistics that I am concerned about. If people have not read the author or the style. Then the contest would be limited to those who have. Either that or people would have to go out and acquire and read a book that matches the author and style.

Which is not a bad thing. It just might limit the amount of people willing to participate.

To make it easier, maybe an author/authors can be picked, who have a short story that is in the public domain. Something with its copyright expired or that is published under a creative commons license and freely available. This way a link can be posted to the story. Making it easier and less time consuming to familiarize oneself with the style.

Or, like I have already admitted, I can just be thinking too hard about all this.

What about people submitting character sketches and/or brief scenario/plot sketches and writers pick a character and scenario to write their stories from. Scoring could include points for story, how often a character is used, and how often a scenario is used, so it benefits a person to enter in all three categories.

Needless to say, you cannot use your own character and scenario.

One thing I do when I have writer's block is to start with someone else's story, just copying it. At some point I feel compelled to diverge from the original and take it in my own direction. That could be fun. Pick a page from a novel, first page, first of a chapter, or just one at random. Everyone starts from the same page, and see where they end up. It could be interesting, and the topics are as varied as there are novels to choose from.

a reply to: Vroomfondel

I like that idea a lot!!

a reply to: tothetenthpower

I have a great idea for a contest, unless it has already been done before I came along, Super Heroes and their origins. Create a short story about the version of a Super Hero from the perspective of ME and how I came to BE. Has to be completely original. It can not duplicate any version of known Super Heroes. There can be some similarities for super powers, but the more original the better.

a reply to: forthelove

Super Hero from the perspective of ME and how I came to BE.

We did Super Heroes already. By ME do you mean Mandela Effect? That might be interesting.

Did any of the suggestions make the grade?

Our British quiz shows used to have a segment where the contestants had to make a short skit/play using a set of randomly chosen tasks. These would be like

Explain how to [bake a cake|make origami art|draw something]
in the style of a [manic depressive|drunk|hyperactive|tired]
[artist | children's show presenter | news anchor]

That was the funniest part of the show.

a reply to: tothetenthpower
How many novice writers are there in this thread? Are there enough to make up teams of just beginners? What if you let them set out on this one the next month do the same thing with teams of beginners? I'm a beginner an would love to start writing but I have just discovered this thread and would certainly prefer to be on a team with beginners first and wouldn't mind watching the advance writers first. .....or I could shut up and watch for a while,,,,lol

a reply to: RookQueen

I am not aware we have any writing teams anymore.
Mostly we have writing for fun, and the writing contest.

Here's the contest that just wrapped up.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

A new one should happen in a month to six weeks from now.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe
I saw the thing about the team is the current contest but it may have been taken down by now. I hope I get to enter the next one. My high school class voted me most likely to be come an author, but that was many years ago and I have a lost less confidence now.
I have one more question. I was thinking about starting a "getting to know you" thread. Only get as personal as you feel comfortable with but list you specialties ie: if your a retired doctor or retired air force pilot, etc. state that so those of us who are newbies could ref. that thread. Is that a bad idea?
lurked here for years (mainly in political threads) and yes I do have my faves but thought it might be helpful to see others from a different light.

a reply to: RookQueen

Have you checked out this Members forum?
www.abovetopsecret.com...

I cannot say if members want to share info or not...some do, some don't.
There have been some threads that are community builders, as you can is if you check out the above link.

I really hope you write a story for the new contest.
ATSers seem to enjoy them, and we have a lot of talent here. And always room for more.

Writing song lyrics with in the end the ATS music band making a track of it.

Just reminiscing for now, but I had a collaborative attempt at a "Vampire novel" on ATS from May 2011 - November 2014.

It was titled William Rochester and the Sea of Blood.

It was inspired by a now deceased mod at the time (Masqua, who was attempting a collaborative space-opera at the time), the Twilight inspired vampire craze of the era, and post-colonial inter-sectional studies I was doing at the time. Yip, amazingly in hindsight, it even has transgender issues. Despite just being a few pages, and a hanging conclusion, it aged pretty well.
Although it was also supposed to be a satire of the genre.

And in in all this I tried to keep a pseudo-Victorian,"gothic" authorial voice.

Anyway, I'd love to see this in comic or movie-form.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

My only advice is to keep chapters short (not more than 2 ATS pages), and a work-plan towards a "choose your own adventure" (remember those books?) conclusion for each.

My mistake was it was too open-ended, and became too diffuse towards the end, and interest was lost.
Although it's still open.
I'd say a mod must say we want to move to this or that conclusion for now, let's collaborate and see how we can creatively get there.

Other inspirations for my story, or half-baked novella:
en.wikipedia.org...

Varney the Vampire; or, the Feast of Blood is a Victorian-era serialized gothic horror story variously attributed to James Malcolm Rymer and Thomas Peckett Prest. It first appeared in 1845–1847 as a series of weekly cheap pamphlets of the kind then known as "penny dreadfuls".

en.wikipedia.org...

But from serialization, consider Charles Dickens.
His thickest novels actually first appeared in serial form in newspapers, I guess as a pre-curser to the "soap opera".

Nope, nobody was expected to read that all at once.

Yeah, as an English lit. student I thought all he did was write all day.
But nope, that's not how it was published at all.