Amph SFF Writers' Guild Writing Contest! VERSION THREE --- contest closed

Done! All that's left is to read it through for errors and send it.

I guess you can just call me Justin Time corny, I know.....

 

One more thing now that it's sent, FatBurt, let me know if you don't get the story. My email has been acting weird lately, due to server problems. I think it's all cleared up, but I'd rather be safe and mention it.

 

I know I promised to write something. I did try/am trying. But I don't think there is any way I can complete the story I was finally able to start today in the under two hours remaining to me.

Like tws I was battling writer's block. Idea block even. But, unlike tws, I didn't manage to beat it into submission in time. I finally got an idea that fit the prompt very late on the night of the 6th but we started our vacation the next morning and were on vacation all this week. I tried to finagle time to write despite being touristy and stuff but it just didn't work out. I got some time to myself finally about 4 this afternoon. But then had to break for dinner and getting the kid off to bed. And I just can't come up with a coherent story that fast that will stay within the prompt.

I'll keep working it, and I'll send what I manage if I manage to get to anything even vaguely resembling an ending so I am not forsworn but this one was difficult.

On the plus side, I kinda like the story idea I came up with so I do plan to keep writing it no matter what happens contest entry wise.

KD

 

I just hope I'm not the only one who was able to write something

 

Well, I sent mine in even though it was about 45 minutes too late. I'm not at all happy with it though. What I have learned from this is that for fast writing for sure, and possibly for all writing, I am not an outline kind of person. This prompt was a good one I think for people who create outlines and plan. But for people like me who just get an idea and start writing, I think it might have been very difficult. Certainly it was for me. A good exercise and learning experience though.

I look forward to learning how many entries we had and hope to be able to read the entries even though I didn't get mine in before midnight.

KD

 

Monumental PC problems at home

New Motherboard and processor needed.


Can all entires now be posted to


terry.dickenson@directline.com


This is my works e.mail and I can access the internet from here.


Thanks

 

well, I sent mine to the new address, a couple of hours ago, almost, so that should be taken care of. why do computers pick the most inoppurtune times to screw up?

 

Computers are evil, evil things that I love provided they actually work.



I've been given some nice tips on jury rigging the system so I may get lucky tonight.


If not I'm off to our local PC compenent shop to get spares at some point this week.

To fix the system I need a new motherboard and processor.


I've decided to get a Dual Core Pentium 2x2.8 processor and a decent motherboard to go with it.

I can overclock this baby to 2x4.1 gig according to various websites (But I'll not be playing with that until I get all entries out.


There may be a slight delay whilst I get fixed but I hope to be fully running by the weekend.


I'll thank you all in advance for your patience.



Can all judges PM me with their email addresses if you haven't already done so.

Cheers

 

I wonder how many people entered. I know KD and myself, I hope there were more. Anyone up for a show of hands?

 

I was unable to submit an entry this time due to my concentration on a script I've been working on all summer, and I did not feel like trying to rush something again. Hopefully next contest I'll have enough time to write an entry.

 

I just hope there will be one, with less writer's block all around.

 

I failed miserably at this. I tried to come up with something that I was excited about enough to write, but nothing really fired into me from the prompt. I will attempt any other contest that comes up, hopefully I'll be fired up for the next one. However, good luck and well done to anyone that has found the time and energy to enter into this and I look forward to seeing the results again.

 

I, too, was way too busy over the last month to get something out. By the time I cleared up, there wasn't enough time for me to even put something together of the appropriate length.

 

I've recieved one entry at work so far


My computer is currently with a man and should be back with me (all dual cored up) for the weekend so I'll be able to check on any in my inbox.


I'll be disappointed if it's empty.

 

I don't know if anyone wants my opinion, but I'm going to give it anyway

It seems to me that 95% of the people have had problems coming up with ideas or had some other form of writer's block. Thinking about it, that three-fold prompt probably seemed to be quite a daunting task, maybe even an intimidating one.

I'll bet that's why I came up with three different ideas, trying frantically to get something to fit all three parts. The first idea had one part really good, but was weak in another area. Idea two was the same way only with a reverse problem; idea three wound up having the same problem as idea two, only slightly less severe.

So that's my opinion.

 

Thanks for that. all input is good input.




I went with a threefold prompt because the brainstorm thing we did said they had no objections.


I went with the prompt I did because I was looking to see how many people would go with a wholly good story and how many would make it full of doom and dispair.


If that created a problem then sorry but we'll be talking about new prompts and ideas shortly.

 

I went with a threefold prompt because the brainstorm thing we did said they had no objections.

Yeah, I was in on that and didn't have any objections either. But things are a lot different on the flip side. Still I don't really have any objections because I have three new ideas that I can run with and do anything I want with. Can't argue there.


I went with the prompt I did because I was looking to see how many people would go with a wholly good story and how many would make it full of doom and dispair.

I can understand that. It could have produced an interesting lot of stories. I just got to thinking too much again I still think I might be right but nobody has chimed in yet to prove me wrong.


If that created a problem then sorry but we'll be talking about new prompts and ideas shortly.

Oh, no problem created, at least not in my case anyway. Sure I sort of got frantic and said so, but that's just me I'm glad we'll be talking about this again because I'd really be disapponted if this was the last one. Because this contest does seem to generate quite a bit of interest, regardless.

 

Well, I did send my entry to your work address too Master-FatBurt but as I said before, the first time I sent it, it missed the deadline by 45 minutes or thereabouts so it really doesn't count, I expect.

I think that the three part prompt this time might well have been great for planners/outliners. And if I hadn't been on vacation that last week I might have been able to do a better job as well as get it in on time. But for me, it was a struggle writing this time because I usually get an idea and then sit and write and see where it goes. So I was struggling this time trying to force it to go back on track each time it went off the rails.

A great learning opportunity, but one of my more frustrating writing experiences because of that.

KD

 

Well, I did send my entry to your work address too Master-FatBurt but as I said before, the first time I sent it, it missed the deadline by 45 minutes or thereabouts so it really doesn't count, I expect.

I think it was midnight board time, I don't know if you're taking that into account or not. I was an hour early my time, 4 hours early boardtime, and probably 3 or 4 hours late England-time (since that's where our host is from I believe). Besides I think that much leeway would have been granted, not to mention that we might be the only two that entered and if that's the case I don't desire to win by default.

 

45 minutes late isn't an issue and I got at my work address the next day (Spam filters etc) so don't worry there.



I pick up my fixed and improved dual core PC this evening so I'll be sifting my home inbox tomorrow and will be sending the entries to the judges tomorrow afternoon/evening (UK time)



again thanks for your patience

 

Finally online at home again.



I've recieved a total of.......



2 entries





I'll get them sent out tomorrow.




I'll open things up for discussion as to why things went wrong.

Prompt issues?

Time?

Subject Matter?

Other.


Please be candid.

 

Well like I said earlier, I didn't have much time due to my other writing project, but I do have to say that I found the prompt to be rather restrictive, and to be honest I didn't really feel like writing something with that amount of plot points already created. That is just me though, I know other people don't mind prompts like that, but for me personally I'd greatly prefer something more vague or general.

I think really the lack of entries this time points to a larger issue about this writing contest, and I don't really know what it is. All 3 contests have had extremely low turn out. Wasn't there only one entry the first time for the first deadline? And two last time? And I was one of the two, and I only wrote my story literally a few hours before the deadline, so it could have been one last time just as easily. And now two. I hate to say it because I was all about this idea when we were first talking about the concept months back, but I just don't think this thing is working. It always seems to generate a fair amount of interest, but then only one or two people actually write a story. I'm not sure why this is or if it can be fixed. If there is a fourth contest I will hopefully try to write something.

 

I unexpectedly lost my home Internet access at the beginning of the previous contest. I was expecting to get it back during the summer holiday, but my financial dire straits got deeper, so I decided to quietly drop out of the contest.

 

I think really the lack of entries this time points to a larger issue about this writing contest, and I don't really know what it is.

Well, it may be so, but I think we ought to give it just one more try. Maybe we should call it 'Final' something... hey, it worked for the Final Fantasy series

Wasn't there only one entry the first time for the first deadline?

Okay, I admit I wasn't there for that first one, but looking back on its thread, less than a month was given for the intial deadline. A week was added, not really a huge amount of time, and there were seven total entrants. Therefore I'd say at least contest one had a decent turn out even though last time and this time didn't.


I'd say more but I've got to go get ready for work...

 

I thought that the promtp was restrictive as well (though I didn't try to write it). I thought that the ones with the first line or the thing that people were doing when the story started was better and allowed for a wider range of story possibilities.

As for the lack of participation, it was probably a combonation of the prompt, summertime activities and vacations getting in the way, and the fact that sffbc as a whole doesn't get very much attention. I would support at least one more contest, because it's a great idea.