Challenge The 2012 Calendar Challenge - Military Appreciation in March! - adjusted timeline for "The Move"

The 2012 Calendar Challenge
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WELCOME! to a new challenge to kick off the new year! I am your host, Lexi; my able-bodied assistant for the year is LoriLynn- in the event of sudden infirmity, insanity, or internet-less-ness, expect updates from her in my absence. Shouldn?t be a problem except, perhaps, in May and November when I?ll be moving (blame the Army?).
I?d make a challenge sock but uh? I can?t (yet).

Special thanks to Ceillean for deciding that the Boards need a new challenge for 2012 and helping encourage the planning of this one.

The Challenge

The challenge undertaken by your lovely hostesses is simple: to spice up the Boards, provide some fun times, encourage some lively discussion, and help get the creative juices flowing.
YOUR challenge, as a potential participant in the 2012CC: do the spicing, have fun, and let your muse run rampant!

For each month in 2012 (there were 12, the last I checked), there will be issued a prompt. This prompt will be generally vague- the purpose of this is to allow you writers to write what and where you?re comfortable, while having a coherent set of stories tied together by a common theme. For none of the prompts will you be confined to writing in a single era.

The theme of your prompt for each month will pertain to a holiday or event falling within that month. But before you jump ahead and get really excited for Valentine?s-in-February, STOP! Part of the fun (for all of us) is the unpredictability of the crazy holidays I?ve chosen. Don?t take anything for granted and don?t write ahead- chances are, you?ll guess the wrong theme.

Lastly- be sure to expand your horizons a little, perhaps bit-by-bit over the course of the year. You have twelve months with twelve prompts to write about twelve all-new sets of characters, to try your hand at writing in different eras and timeframes? explore a little, write a short vignette about someone who interests you but you aren?t quite ready to write a whole story about them. If you write primarily fluff, try your hand at some drama or some angst; if you write military-jargon-laden action, give humor or romance a shot. Part of the fun here is the lack of restraints- some prompts might encourage certain genres more than others, but surprise us all! Be creative, have fun, and enjoy the ride!

RULES

There are no rules!

Okay, there are a few-

1. New challenges will be posted on the 1st of every month. If I (Lexi) cannot post, expect an update from LoriLynn in my absence. Shouldn?t be a problem (I hope).
2. Responses are due by the 21st of each month. Post the link to your response in this thread.
3. All responses through the year should go in the same thread UNLESS writing in a new era; in that case, keep era-responses together. THEREFORE- up to 3 response threads per author over the course of 12 months, one in Beyond, one in Saga, one in Before. Make sure to include Calendar Challenge (or just 2012CC) in the subject line of your thread.
4. Voting will take place between the 22nd and 29th of each month (yes, even February), at the end of which Luna_Nightshade says the mods can award colors! Yay! (Duration of colors may end up depending on participation? *wink wink*) PM your vote for best entry to me, LexiLupin, between the 22nd and 29th. I'll have a compilation post of all entries up late on the 21st or early on the 22nd every month.
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Your January challenge is:

Resolutions


?Making resolutions is a cleansing ritual of self assessment and repentance that demands personal honesty and, ultimately, reinforces humility. Breaking them is part of the cycle.?
-Eric Zorn

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It?s that time of year when we all vow to lose weight, exercise more, spend more time with family, keep in better touch with old friends- you name it, someone?s resolved to do it? and chances are, somebody?s broken their resolution in the process.

Maybe you yourself have a resolution- maybe you have a writing/fanfiction resolution! In that case, we at the 2012CC wholly support you? unless your resolution is to not do any challenges in 2012. But don?t forget that you can still vote if you are not writing! And don't forget that this challenge is on a monthly basis, not the whole year.

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Well, while you?re trying not to eat that piece of chocolate cake that?s calling to you from the kitchen, sink your teeth into THIS: what sorts of resolutions do our favorite characters from the GFFA need to make? Maybe Wes won?t pull so many pranks on Wedge this year? maybe the ruling Sith Lord is just tired of killing people and resolves to keep his murder rate down!

Make us laugh, make us cry, but I want to know who is making a resolution and why (do they celebrate a New Year in the GFFA?); and are they successful? Or are there, perhaps, some unintended and unforeseen consequences of our favorite characters? good intentions?

Have fun, get creative, feel free to discuss your own resolutions while you?re brainstorming Obi-wan?s or Jaina?s or Thrawn?s, and we can?t wait to see what you come up with by the 21st!

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?New Year's Day? now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.?
-Mark Twain

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This looks like a chance for a lot of fun, but I do have a concern:

Having hung out in the OC thread for several years now, I would argue that vignettes can still be very entertaining and Star Wars-y without canon characters playing a major role. Character development can be done on the fly, and if tightly written, in a pretty small space, as far as it pertains to the short story. I quite enjoy OC-centric shorts that have canon character cameos, myself.

I mention this because I fear that there are others like me that will be unlikely to participate with that stipulation that a main character must be a canon character. But, I suppose that is something you could weigh out based on participation in the first couple of months.

 

I foresee fun.

I'm about done with the rough draft to my entry. Pretty sure the editing will take much longer, though. As it usually does.

 

This looks like fun! I'm gonna do my best to participate.

As for the OC thing, I can see the reasoning. It can be difficult to really get into a story with an OC as main character, at least that's how it is for me. I think you'd get a lot more interest for a story featuring Jaina, for example, than one featuring Tirana Laavi (whom I just made up). With short pieces, it's even harder. Yes, it can be done, but for the sake of the competition it probably wouldn't work in your favour.
Also, if one of the themes sparks an OC-centric idea you can always write it anyway. Won't count for the challenge, maybe, but you can still write it!

Aside from which, hey, if the point of the challenge is to try something new and you mainly write OCs, then writing a canon character is right in the spirit of the thing. If I read the rules right you'll be writing about a different character every time anyway. I like that aspect.


I do have a question though, just to make sure - is AU okay?

 

SoA- I hear you; I think Iverna pretty well summed up the logic behind it. It's really along the same lines as the stipulation about NSWFF. But you raise a good point and we'll see how things kick off in the first couple months. And it's not like OCs are forbidden, there should just be a canon character for context.

Iverna- If I read the rules right you'll be writing about a different character every time anyway. I like that aspect.
This is encouraged but not required. Basically, we're just looking for some fresh ideas for the year, perhaps delving into some characters who don't get much love on the Boards anymore.
I do have a question though, just to make sure - is AU okay?
Absolutely! I'll toss that into the FAQs.

 

This was inspiring and led to this Calendar Challenge 2012 Resolutions(Anakin)

 

A Step In The Right Direction

Finished! And actually pretty happy with how the story turned out.

 

Great idea!

Navigating the Hyperspace Lanes

 

I've decided to do this. However, I can't start until February, because I want to use a character from one of my current fics and it would give away spoilers.

 

Yay, glad to see some submissions popping up already! And it's only the 4th!

I have a viggie up in Beyond - Touch.
(note that my own fic won't be in the voting round, it's just for fun)

 

I have to say I strongly disagree with this assessment. OCs are not 'along the same lines as NSWFF' by any stretch of the imagination. Add on top of this that AUs are allowed, and I am left with a raised eyebrow.

Context, as you say, is important. But characters are hardly the only thing that can provide context. If I were to write, for instance, an original character in the Battle of Endor, I doubt anyone would be confused as to what was going on, or why they were supposed to care about the person. They also wouldn't require much development, since at that point it's as much about the event as it is the character. And, as SoA already pointed out, even in less familiar situations, with a little tight writing, excellent characterization can be done on the fly. I've seen it done many times.

Frankly, I think it's a vast disservice to the OC writers of the boards, and we have a number of very talented OC writers, to decide for them what they can and cannot write to serve them best in this challenge. It's a challenge subject to voting; if you think OCs will garner fewer votes, then isn't it the risk of the OC writer to take? If we go by the logic that "OCs are less popular, so they're not allowed in this challenge," then we might as well say "You know what? Nobody really reads Knights of the Old Republic fic, so keep it to the eras everyone else reads."

Those of us who write less popular things tend to know they're less popular. We write them because they inspire us, and because we love them. Which, ultimately, is what writing is about, is it not? It's not about reviews, it's not about awards, and it's not about catering to what we think people want to read. It's about telling the story we want to tell. Sometimes that features canon characters. Sometimes they just don't fit the job, and we have to create our own.

Look, I can pull up dozens of examples of OC vignettes. In fact, I can pull up at least three threads full of them. The only conclusion I can come to is that the OC exclusion (and yes, disallowing them as featured characters counts as exclusion- I, for one, will not be sidelining my OCs any time soon) is arbitrary and not actually based on anything besides voters' purported tastes in fic. Excluding them doesn't read as, "Well, that's a part of the challenge!" It reads as, "Nobody wants to read your stories." While I'm sure that's not what you had in mind, it's going to put some writers off from the outset.

It's an intriguing challenge, but I don't like this rule at all.

 

Eek, okay.

Sorry, SoA, C-DWH... you're right, I really haven't given the matter thought in the proper context and perspective. But I'm glad you both caught and challenged this early (like, REALLY early, SoA). And I think part of the problem is that I myself am guilty of preferring fics of a limited time-frame, by sheer nature of what I grew up with (Beyond books) and there just aren't many Beyond fics (lately, anyway) that have singularly-OC-focus.

So my apologies and yeah, I think we can go ahead and scrap that.

 

Don't fret too much over it, we all have things to learn any time we step into a larger community. I hear you on there being fewer Beyond OCs, though I've definitely read some excellent ones in the era. Perhaps you'd like to try your hand at it sometime- the OC writing community is very friendly and open, and it's a great way to expand your horizons in writing. We're here any time you're interested, in any case.

The restriction being lifted, you'll likely be seeing some OC-centric pieces from me.

 

Finding A Niche in Beyond for my 2012 Calendar response.

Features the amazing Ms. Jade.

 

Hey look I actually finished a challege that I started!! Go me Check out my Beyond fic Promises.

 

Reminder! that responses are due by Saturday the 21st!

 

I'll give this a try. Here's my entry: Finders Keepers

 

First of all- a special thanks to all of you who participated in writing for January's challenge, and thanks to everyone who has read and enjoyed those entries! I certainly had fun, and look forward to 11 more months of excitement!

Our January Resolutions submissions were:

Saga

Resolutions - by earlybird-obi-wan

Finders Keepers - by Thumper09

Beyond the Saga

A Step in the Right Direction - by Ceillean

Navigating the Hyperspace Lanes - by FelsGoddess

Finding a Niche - by Jade_eyes

Promises - by LoriLynn


Voting will take place until 11:59 pm Board time on Sunday the 29th. A reminder that ANYONE can vote, you don't need to have written for the month. PM your vote to me, LexiLupin, with the title for your choice of best use of January's prompt. And the winner gets colors!

 

*drumroll please*




And the winner is...




It's a tie! between Ceillean and Thumper09!!!

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Congratulations to both of you on a well-deserved win! Details on your colors award should be forthcoming shortly.




And a huge thanks to everyone who participated this month with writing, reading, and voting! I had a lot of fun with this and I hope you did too, and that we'll be seeing all of you returning for future months!

The February challenge will be up on the 1st, so don't forget to check back soon!

 

Congrats Ceillean and Thumper09

 

Ties are great and congratulations

 

Woo, that's awesome! Congratulations, Ceillean and Thumper! I enjoyed both your stories!

 

Congrats! All entries were quite nice.

 

Congratulations!