question. does this story have to have a coherant timeline? what i'm saying is, if i have a bunch of flashbacks/skewed time in it, do i have to point out where it is, or even make it remotely evident?
the way i want my story to run is just one giant train wreck waiting to happen, and the character is losing sanity fast. so do i have to indicate it, because i think it runs much better when the reader is guessing.
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thanks to the Epic Graphics crew! it's EPIC!
OFFICIAL DRUG-ADDICT WANNABE OF [ROBOT JESUS!!!!] OOH-RAH!
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Word, definitely true. Raid's the air-to-ground missile. Boiling water's the hydrogren bomb.
I have a question/would like to start a discussion on the other point of the prompt, or at least the anti-hero and the definition thereof. Let us use film for easy examples. Mad Max is an obvious example, but I also consider Indiana Jones and especially James Bond to be anti-heroes as well. Would the rest of you agree?
and an antihero is defined as a good-intentioned character that uses less-than-savory means to achieve their ends.
Both Bond and Jones work to fight the forces of evil, but Jones will lie, steal, and kill to do it, and Bond is an outright assassin. Nowhere in this definition of anti-hero at least does it say the character must be flawwed, it says their methods must be darker than those used by a conventional hero. Jones, perhaps, I can buy as a fairly conventional adventure hero - he kills people, but they're nazis, so it's a good thing. Bond kills people in cold blood, seduces women with uncanny ability, steals, cheats, beats... Yes, he is suave about it, but does polish and style mean he isn't an anti-hero?
the general feel you should be getting from an antihero is someone who OUGHT to be unlikeable having an appeal. Bond is a good example of this...he probably would be an enormous ass in real life, but in movies we all enjoy watching him. The best examples of antiheroes tend to be in crime movies...Jules and Vega from Pulp Fiction are hitmen who have absolutely no problems doing what they do, so they really should be villains. However, the movie casts them in a positive light and the audience relates to them.
As for the timeline related question, it doesn't have to be coherent...but remember, you're also being scored on the structure of your plot, and if it's too hard to understand, you can expect to lose points.
well, disappointing news...I had asked Matt Cavotta to be our guest judge this round, and after some initial optimism, it turns out he has too much work right now to be the judge.
VD, any way I can get ahold of one of the writers that seem to wander this forum?
What's your stance on flashbacks and flashforwards? Say, if we are writing a story where somebody is writing a biography, mulling over his life, but flashes back to random points in his life as he describes it (example). Would that be within the context of what you are trying to convey to us?
What's your stance on flashbacks and flashforwards? Say, if we are writing a story where somebody is writing a biography, mulling over his life, but flashes back to random points in his life as he describes it (example). Would that be within the context of what you are trying to convey to us?
that would work fine, but it probably wouldn't be as creative as doing something else.
There are a lot of ways to address the prompt, and it's perfectly fine to take a safe out in order to get a tight story. However, ambitious, high-risk entries have the potential for greater scores.
that's terrific news! mr. mcdermott can at least see our progress!
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" I came to them in a flock of ravens that filled a northern sky at dawn...
Magic shall be written upon the sky by the rain but they shall not be able to read it;
Magic shall be written on the faces of the stony hills but their minds shall not be able to contain it..."
Ooh, I'm worried, given the amount of inane humor there's no way my story'd be published. Guess I'll have to work on it a bit.
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my mouth is full of winsome lies -
and eyes are full of death besides
but luckily the soul is wise -
it sees beyond my blindness and
forced failure makes a better guise,
so as i come again alive,
it feels like life's a decent plan
Hmmmm, 12 days left, three SSC3-threads in this forum so far. More stories!!!
I think we can safely expect a burst of stories at the end...last time, my story had been done for quite some time before I published it, just to give as much time as possible for editing...I'm sure many people will be doing the same thing.
err, not me... haven't begun. too much free time is becoming a detriment... lol!
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" I came to them in a flock of ravens that filled a northern sky at dawn...
Magic shall be written upon the sky by the rain but they shall not be able to read it;
Magic shall be written on the faces of the stony hills but their minds shall not be able to contain it..."
It's a prompt which, while it is inspiring, I'm not sure I could make work logisticly. I find it tough enough to pull off linear plots succesfully (as the obvious twist in my SSCII showed) to have a non-linear one become anything other than a hideous uninspired mess.
You can circumvent the requirement pretty neatly by using flashbacks, and just count on having enough technical precision to absorb the hit on the story score.
Or see it as a way to stretch yourself as a writer....this is something you can have a lot of fun with!
@scavenger: enh, yeah, technically you're right. However the intent of the prompt is pretty clear in my opinion, and anything that keeps in the spirit of the prompt (which a backwards story definitely does) is fine by me.
Step 1: Write a story
Step 2: Put story onto playing cards
Step 3: Shuffle
Step 4: Garnish to taste.
That would work. But I don't recommend it.
Actually, that's something my fiction professor recommends doing from time to time. Not shuffling, obviously, but putting the parts onto notecards and then moving them around to find the most effective sequence.
It does wonders when you're writing a piece with "motive backstory" (a bunch of flashbacks) that don't necessarily require a certain order.
I will have something done, oh joyous day! Just another evening or two writing, a beta reading from a friend, and I'll post. I hope a few other people can get something up as well!
And my story is done! Just sent it off to a beta reader, I'll post within next few days. Wasn't sure if I'd be able to come up with something, and I'm not sure if my protagonist is more tragic hero or antihero (tragic antihero?), but I'm sure she/it qualifies. Probably more as the antihero. I'm rather pleased with how the temporal mixing worked with mine, as well.
Anyway... where are all the rest of the submissions? Only a few days left people, and unlike the stories, we writers can't escape sequential time.
the way i want my story to run is just one giant train wreck waiting to happen, and the character is losing sanity fast. so do i have to indicate it, because i think it runs much better when the reader is guessing.
thanks to the Epic Graphics crew! it's EPIC!
OFFICIAL DRUG-ADDICT WANNABE OF [ROBOT JESUS!!!!] OOH-RAH!
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the biggest flaw in either of them that I see is "Don't call me Junior." from indie when he just shoots people cos he's mad at his dad =P
thanks to the Epic Graphics crew! it's EPIC!
OFFICIAL DRUG-ADDICT WANNABE OF [ROBOT JESUS!!!!] OOH-RAH!
Both Bond and Jones work to fight the forces of evil, but Jones will lie, steal, and kill to do it, and Bond is an outright assassin. Nowhere in this definition of anti-hero at least does it say the character must be flawwed, it says their methods must be darker than those used by a conventional hero. Jones, perhaps, I can buy as a fairly conventional adventure hero - he kills people, but they're nazis, so it's a good thing. Bond kills people in cold blood, seduces women with uncanny ability, steals, cheats, beats... Yes, he is suave about it, but does polish and style mean he isn't an anti-hero?
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As for the timeline related question, it doesn't have to be coherent...but remember, you're also being scored on the structure of your plot, and if it's too hard to understand, you can expect to lose points.
I hope I think of something good and win with it, I've got a couple of good ideas for prompts already :D. But then, I come up with ideas all the time.
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VD, any way I can get ahold of one of the writers that seem to wander this forum?
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Poetry Challenge
that would work fine, but it probably wouldn't be as creative as doing something else.
There are a lot of ways to address the prompt, and it's perfectly fine to take a safe out in order to get a tight story. However, ambitious, high-risk entries have the potential for greater scores.
Man, he's incredible.
Magic shall be written upon the sky by the rain but they shall not be able to read it;
Magic shall be written on the faces of the stony hills but their minds shall not be able to contain it..."
COLOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
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and eyes are full of death besides
but luckily the soul is wise -
it sees beyond my blindness and
forced failure makes a better guise,
so as i come again alive,
it feels like life's a decent plan
I think we can safely expect a burst of stories at the end...last time, my story had been done for quite some time before I published it, just to give as much time as possible for editing...I'm sure many people will be doing the same thing.
Magic shall be written upon the sky by the rain but they shall not be able to read it;
Magic shall be written on the faces of the stony hills but their minds shall not be able to contain it..."
COLOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
You do explicitly say that backwards is ok, but you should probably reword it to something like "forward-moving, linear" storylines.
You can circumvent the requirement pretty neatly by using flashbacks, and just count on having enough technical precision to absorb the hit on the story score.
Or see it as a way to stretch yourself as a writer....this is something you can have a lot of fun with!
@scavenger: enh, yeah, technically you're right. However the intent of the prompt is pretty clear in my opinion, and anything that keeps in the spirit of the prompt (which a backwards story definitely does) is fine by me.
Step 2: Put story onto playing cards
Step 3: Shuffle
Step 4: Garnish to taste.
That would work. But I don't recommend it.
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Winner of SSC 1 & ">3 & 6
Actually, that's something my fiction professor recommends doing from time to time. Not shuffling, obviously, but putting the parts onto notecards and then moving them around to find the most effective sequence.
It does wonders when you're writing a piece with "motive backstory" (a bunch of flashbacks) that don't necessarily require a certain order.
Trades
Articles
Winner of SSC 1 & ">3 & 6
Anyway... where are all the rest of the submissions? Only a few days left people, and unlike the stories, we writers can't escape sequential time.
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Articles
Winner of SSC 1 & ">3 & 6
Scavenger, can we expect anything from you?