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 Hungry for more, I see. Write It Now is an ultra flash fiction contest. I ran one of these back in March and had a blast doing it, so here we go again! If you want to see how it played out, the contest was here: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3959882 If you participated in the first Write it Now, pay attention to Some Things as there are some new improvements this time around! You may sign up from now up until 10/7/21 @ 9PM EST. On 10/8/21 @ 9PM EST, a prompt will drop. At that point, start punching keys, because only a mere 2 hours later at 11PM EST, submissions will close. On your honor, do not write anything in advance or prepare for this contest. Any registered member of SA is welcome to join. Judgment will be fast, and all entries will be judged by myself, and previous champ, QuoProQuid, and runner-up Beezus! We will declare a winner, a place, and a show. The first prize will be 75 USD. If we hit over ten entries a place prize of 50 shall be awarded. If we hit over twenty entries a show prize of 25 shall be awarded. And that’s it! The prompt will be specific, but not inherently challenging. There will be no other flash rules or conditions. Also, I do understand that this contest is inherently going to be biased to some specific time zones. Thing is, this is when I can run this. I’ve got a family to look after and a job that takes up my time. I do invite others to launch one of these someday and accommodate other time zones. Some things:
Your Judges: Beezus Chili QuoProQuid The Fast Folks
Chili fucked around with this message at 01:57 on Oct 9, 2021 |
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Sep 8, 2021 03:14
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Lock posted:Thank you for doing the banner, otherwise I would have never seen this. Time zones definitely hurt me, but I totally understand. I will try to be in, because I love this idea. Awesome! I'll put you down, no biggie if you can't make it.
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Sep 8, 2021 20:27
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Lock posted:actually I just double-checked the time and I will be working when this starts. If it were one day earlier or later I could take part but I’ll probably have to miss it this time. Still, I’ll be following because I really do love the idea. No problem! Feel free to join the discord or read and crit stories later.
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Sep 8, 2021 21:45
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mispots, ignore this
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Sep 9, 2021 05:45
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nesamdoom posted:I'm a terrible writer and no matter what I'm sure if I do this the story(I will work it around the prompt) will be about the only character I ever write about, probably from his perspective(in the style that I write for him), and I'll most likely kill him again. If that doesn't bother anyone then I'd be willing to clack some keys and see what comes out. Welcome to the party. If you want to warm up, consider checking out thunderdome, found here: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3953574 A new prompt should be up soon and you'll have a week or so, as opposed to the two hours for this contest, to start getting the gears turning. Regardless, happy to have you and your Lazarus join us for this contest.
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Sep 13, 2021 03:09
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SRQ posted:I appear to have missed this, or did I? Am I reading the dates wrong? You're in, if there's a way to clarify the sign up deadline, let me know. Want it to be clear. And the discord link expires every week; I'm about to go update it.
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Sep 22, 2021 01:19
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Eat This Glob posted:shoutout to whoever sprung for the banner ad. i haven't written fiction in probably 5 years at this point and this sounds fun. i do soul crushing non-fiction writing now about stuff i hate and an industry i abhor - and fun is in short supply these days. count me in. i'll even use my space key, unless it slows me down too much Glad it worked, and glad you're here!
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Sep 22, 2021 13:00
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Glad to see we have a good pool of entrants thus far! And equally happy that people are hopping into the discord. If you saw this thread some time ago but didn't want to make a commitment to something that was so far away, we're closer now!
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Sep 28, 2021 14:22
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Ur Getting Fatter posted:I clicked on the banner ad and now I'm signing up for this? Even though I haven't written anything other than contracts and legal briefs since I was a teenager? Hell yes! You are who I wanted to sign up for this!
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Oct 5, 2021 22:40
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 Sign up deadline is today, holy cats!
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Oct 7, 2021 14:49
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And we've hit twenty entrants! If everyone who signs up submits, the first three places will be awarded prizes!
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Oct 8, 2021 00:06
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And that does it! Sign-ups are closed! If you're interested in sharing your progress as you write (totally optional) now would be a great time to either post a link to your google doc, provide us with your twitch information, or request that I make a special room for you in our discord. A few people did this last time and it was good fun for people to follow along! If you haven't yet joined the discord (totally optional) feel free to do so here https://discord.gg/dYdauAyz3v, spectators will nudge you forward in this insane contest if you need them!
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Oct 8, 2021 12:42
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Oh, also, we're still seeking someone to help copy the stories from here, to a google doc, so we can judge them anonymously. If you're interest in lending your hand for this task, let me know!
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Oct 8, 2021 13:02
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I'll be adding these wonderful share links to the OP as they come in!
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Oct 9, 2021 01:11
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Mystic Mongol posted:The idea of people watching me write real time fills me with The Fear, no thank you. Totally understandable! It's an entirely optional thing, and only share if it'll be fun for you!
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Oct 9, 2021 01:20
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Prompt drops in five! Who's excited?!
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Oct 9, 2021 01:54
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Thank you all for joining! Your first prompt is a word that can mean many different things! Pick one of the things that it means and start writing! Or, just go into the discord and complain about how bad it is. It's pretty bad, isn't it?  The Prompt word is: Bluff
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Oct 9, 2021 01:59
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Your second prompt: Second prompt: At one point, a character is lost Remember, you only need to incorporate one of these prompts! Using both is entirely optional and will not earn you any additional favor!
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Oct 9, 2021 02:09
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We're halfway there, keep it up!
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Oct 9, 2021 03:02
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Just two minutes, the deadline is firm here!
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Oct 9, 2021 03:58
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All done! No more bets!
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Oct 9, 2021 04:01
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We are in the process of judging! There will be a recorded video release of our deliberations! Results should be up by the top of the hour.
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Oct 9, 2021 07:19
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OK, gonna be short and sweet here because there's a lot more coming. Look forward to a video of our deliberations with comments for all, and further crits coming shortly thereafter. For now, we need judgement. Tied for third place and both collecting third place prizes are the authors of The Mover and We Will Not Be Okay! In second place the author of Last Call And our winner.... The author of Rakiura! Again, more tomorrow but good lord do I need to go to sleep.
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Oct 9, 2021 08:11
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Alright, turns out I had too much adrenaline to sleep so... Here are the judge deliberations recorded for your watching/listening pleasure. Stories were discussed in the order they were submitted so scrub through it to find yours! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy7ajnBTuho (The video is still processing so it may be a few minutes until it's up and live) And here are what we call judge burps. I’ve got little comments to offer about each and every one of these stories. It is AN ACCOMPLISHMENT that you got anything like this done in two hours. That’s absolutely the first and last thing you need to remember. Do check out our recording if you want to hear your stories discussed, but otherwise, here’s some feedback from me. If you want a deeper dive, just let me know, I’ll rip things apart and post a further crit here. Also, though I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. The Thunderdome, is an amazing online community located right here! It’s been around for nearly ten years and provides a weekly writing prompt. The community is supportive and you will get feedback and grow as a writer if you participate! It’s great! Come check it out! An Otter Predicament I like the choice to go with otters, the currency being clams is cute. The story struggles in a couple of points as it got bogged down in the specifics of the odds, amounts, and what have yous. It’s a bold and good choice that you designed your own currency, and playing cards, and the odds and whatnot, but since the story is largely about all of that, and it’s a little hard to follow, it’s not easy to tell where “the otter” is at. Also, “The Otter” would greatly benefit from a name. It doesn’t have to be a typical human name, but just a name. As soon as something has a name it suddenly demands empathic concern and it also focuses us on the protag and gets us rooting for them. Especially important in a story like this where there are winners and losers. Speaking of, I’m not entirely sure what happened in the end? A call for a draw? I don’t really get it. That’s not quite how I understand any kind of poker to be. Bluff Pretty solid concept, I wanted a bit more from the execution. I guess I had a really hard time believing that they would be this at odds over something like this when they’re married and such. Like, I like the idea, but if they’re just gonna actually share things what’s the problem? I don’t know, I see the ambition in the idea but it just doesn’t make sense to me. Maybe have them be divorced? They could still lust after each other but at least the tension would make sense to me and play out a bit better. As it is, I had a time differentiating the two, they both kinda seemed to want the same thing for pretty much the same reason and though I understand that they were somehow incapacitated, it felt like a bit of stretch that they’d miss a vulture when it’s made, very clearly, only a few paragraphs earlier, that they have good aim. We Will Not Be Okay Ok so this is like some of ponzi scheme of ennui? Passing the dread from one to the other. That’s a simple look at this but I think I like what you’ve got going on around it more than what the story is about. The train being somewhat suspended in this nether realm while this mysterious thing is happening was kinda cool. The other mechanic of this resembles the flick “It Follows” which, if you haven’t seen, you’ll probably like. I did find the central thrust of the story a tad difficult to follow, it took me a bit to realize all of the crazy poo poo that was going on but once I got it, you had my attention. The Base of the Bluff Hey you, I wouldn’t ordinarily indulge but you shut your loving mouth! This was pretty great! I was with you! You didn’t linger too much on building up the protag’s sentiments about themselves, and I enjoyed the catharsis. I was rooting for your character and that’s not an easy thing to pull off. I couldn’t quite tell what was going to happen, and I don’t know if that’s intentional, but I kinda wish the picture was painted a bit more clearly. Regardless, by the end, I was pleased to see the character take some control. This felt relatable and engaging to read. bluff Ok, so look, you know what the problem is here. The length is clearly an issue. Now why? People read novels far longer than this? The issue here is that especially in the beginning it just goes thing happens, thing happens, thing happens. We knew how long this was going into it and without someone to really care about or an outcome to hope for, it felt like a big chore to get through. You clearly have a good mind for plot and it’s clear you’ve got a story to tell here, but this is baggy and largely doesn’t contribute to an engaging reading experience. I think you have a good understanding of your characters in your hard, but you don’t spend enough time showing us more about them to get us on board. Drop This was a very vibey piece. It was a little difficult for me to wrap my head around the narrative and the place but the feel of it was powerful. The language was at huge risk of feeling purple, but it never got there, it worked. In reading it, I wasn’t quite sure where to put my hopes, or where to feel invested, but I was here for what I read. I don’t have much useful feedback for this, this felt like it was written in two hours, but in a good way, it kinda felt like it exploded out of you. It left me feeling something, so that’s pretty good. The Bluffalo Ok, so I enjoyed this for what it was, but it wasn’t much. We were looking for stories in this contest and this wasn’t a story. It was basically a pokedex entry. And it was fine and creative at that but a bunch of expository detail about a creature does not for an engaging read make. Let’s see one of these Bluffalo’s out in the world and have it interact with stuff or have someone interact with it. Mustang Sally I dig the moxie of this. Historical stretch fiction we’ll call it. But beyond that, it’s a bit difficult to parse the action and the narrative. It also feels like the meat of the story is the cool thing that happens, in this case, the conversation with the aliens, and it’s kinda buried in the middle and the stuff around isn’t quite as engaging. Maybe shift the attention to that, and have it end quickly after with that sort of regret about what did or didn’t get accomplished. Focus on the cool poo poo, y’know? Comings and Goings At its core this is a simple story, beyond that however, there’s something more powerful. I did want for a bit more. I have a soft spot for stories that handle grief and this only kind of winks at the process, instead choosing to focus on something else, that something sort of excuses the process and draws more attention to whatever the intrigue of the dynamic is. I found it pretty to read, and did feel engaged, but it also doesn’t feel like much is earned here, these are moslty things just kind of happening. Pretty things, mind. The Bluff Stories with binary outcomes are inherently flawed, in my book. Either one thing happens or the other does. It’s clear about halfway in that your protagonist is never in a million years getting out of their apartment to address the concern. Then, that’s what happens and it’s hard to care. You have everything in the world to play with here. If that’s going to be the outcome, go nuts with it. Have the party evolve further and further so that it gets so crazy that the ceiling ends up caving in and crushes the protag to death. As it is, this is relatable sure, but just think of how it feels to be this person, everyone’s been there, and all that’s happening here is representation, give us something more. Edge of Everything Ok so you had me going. This felt like a Spaceman Spiff adventure, and I hope that reference means something to you. I wanted this to be real. And it doesn’t have to be really real for it to be real. Get lost in the bizarre alien poo poo, go for it. This has a great spark in it but I was hoping for it keep pushing further than it did. When the turn happened and the cool boots were introduced, I was totally here for it. Black Sunflower The story holds weight and tension when it’s focusing on the predicament of the dude with the worm in their belly. Beyond that? You gotta remember, we’re reading a lot of stories, quickly, and trying to come to judgment, quickly. This made my head spin a little. It’s pretty enough and I like some of the imagery but boy did I have a hard time making heads or tails of what I was reading. The captive quality of the protag and the dynamic of two entities struggling their way through this difficult predicament is what had my attention. maybe it is I liked this, but maybe I’m missing something. Where’s the prompt? I’m hopeful that nobody here, yourself included, wrote things ahead of time but I’m sturggling to see either “lost” or “bluff” in here. Regardless, the first beat is solid enough, I like how the parents are talking, it reads relatively genuine. I am suspicious, however, that you know who I am and what I do. If so, I certainly wasn’t expecting pandering in this, but congrats on that I guess. Anyhow, what then follows is some weird McDonald poo poo that kinda takes me out of things. The father and daughter’s improved relationship doesn’t feel quite earned beyond ‘he took her to therapy’. Mover I liked this. You have a mundane repetitive existence, interrupted by something. Always a solid start. And then we have a decent back and forth. I do feel like this is something that would happen more often than is led on? And I don’t think that would quite weaken the story. What is it about this specific move that makes it more difficult for the mover to do their job, y’know? As opposed to it just kinda happening once and then reaching a nice conclusion. Speaking of, it’s a little hard for me to get a clear sense of the outcome here. It certainly seems like the mover doesn’t move, but is that gonna be OK? Feels as though it’s just delaying the inevitable. I almost was rooting for the negative outcome and it causing a reckoning for The Mover. But, still solid. Last Call This was great. Sure, nothing terribly new, but the standards are standards for a reason and a good ol’ revenge tale in the west, when told well, can be a loving banger. And this was one. The setup for the story happening at the card table was great and I was a little annoyed that the payoff was kind of an afterthought, but then the real poo poo picks up and when it becomes clear what’s actually going on, you had me bought in entirely. Very well done. A Character is Lost I struggled with this. So much of the story is just people being coy and withholding which is fine for a bit but then it kinda lives there. And it lives there for so long that by the end even I, as the reader, don’t really know what’s going on. And that may be because it’s never clearly stated or I may have lost the will to be interested as these people are just being hugely circumspect and distant. I like the idea of the setting, it’s a good powder keg situation, and the set pieces are all there to have something solid, but let’s go to it. Nothing is ever truly lost I don’t know if we needed the frame story. Also the telling of the story of how the parents met isn’t much of anything yet it’s sort of venerated as this great story. Everything after that in the story within the story is actually quite good and I think I would’ve just enjoyed the tale of recovering the watch a bit more than all of the other stuff. Show me the dad hunting that poo poo down and the lengths he’s going to and how he’s not valuing the right stuff and what-not, that’s the part I was more interested in anyhow. Rakiura A very nice and deft inversion on the mantra of the journey being the meaningful whatever. The conclusion of having nothing to proove did somewhat come out of nowhere but it was a refreshing and surprising one, and handle well. I was invested in the outcome and I didn’t see it coming but found it cathartic in its own way. Good piece of writing. I don’t have much else to say. Resistance A decent narrative, all told, but not much surprising here. It’s just kind of a bunch of things happening. The backdrop of this being about something larger than these two doesn’t really add to the story in a meaningful way that I was hoping for. Also, goodness does this need some quotations. I see that it’s all told from a specific point of view but eh, this is just much less clear than it needs to be.
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Oct 9, 2021 09:18
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Alright! Now that I've gotten a couple hours of sleep... Thank you all for participating and an extra shout out to my cojudges beezus and qpq! If I owe you some prize money, message me on discord! If you don't have discord, post here on how you'd like me to reach out to you! In the short term, be on the lookout for a link to a survey for the viewer favorite. Beezus should be posting it shortly. Long term? Keep writing! If you pulled off a story in just two hours imagine what you can do with a whole week! Head over to thunderdome if you want more! Also, if you have any feedback on the contest, especially how discord was managed and if it was or wasn't helpful or fun to have, I'll appreciate hearing from you here.
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Oct 9, 2021 12:58
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That is awesome feedback. Thank you!
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Oct 9, 2021 20:21
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Okiedoke! So all of the current victors have been awarded their prizes and nearly all of our crits are out. But, there's still some business to attend to. The viewer favorite voting is now open! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScYlFTu8H4_x3gFt1QVAij7uqzZ-8eOjAJ5_D6sgbbLvadYlA/viewform The winner of this will also receive a 25$ prize! Do not nominate one of the four stories that has already been awarded, and please do not nominate your own! Voting on this will close a week from today.
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Oct 11, 2021 19:12
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