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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Challenge Dear Diary Challenge 2018|New year, new challenge.

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction and Writing Resource' started by Diary_Challenge_Sock, Dec 8, 2017.

  1. Pandora

    Pandora Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2005
    @Ewok Poet: Consider it done.

    And thanks for letting us know!
     
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  2. Findswoman

    Findswoman Fanfic and Pancakes and Waffles Mod (in Pink) star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Feb 27, 2014
    Here's a question for the @Diary_Challenge_Sock (@Pandora and @Kahara). Does the story told in one's DDC have to end at the end of the year for it to qualify for the voting, or can diaries that continue into 2019 qualify too (as long as they were updated on schedule throughout 2018 or half thereof)? I know we've had several DDCs in the past that continued into the next year (or else didn't bring the story to a close at the end of their year), but can't remember if that was a deal breaker for the voting or not, and I don't see this question addressed directly in the rules, so I thought I'd check. Thanks! :)
     
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  3. Pandora

    Pandora Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2005
    @Findswoman: I think this is another one of those things we just never thought to clarify in the rules. And the answer is: yes, you just have to keep to the update schedule for your diary to qualify for voting at year's end, even if the story itself is still in progress.
     
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  4. Kahara

    Kahara FFoF Hostess Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2001
    @Findswoman, @Pandora, Ditto, and I believe that I actually had one that was incomplete (as far as I was concerned) at the end of the year one time. It was counted as normal because I'd kept the update schedule. So, it's maybe somewhat rarer but there's definitely precedent.
     
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  5. Pandora

    Pandora Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2005
    When I first did the challenge, I also ended the year having kept to the update schedule successfully, but without finishing the diary--and I remember now that I waited to see if that made any difference for the voting, but so far as I could see, it did not. And I know that just the other year, in 2017, Carlos Dangers's diary took second place, even though they were still writing it. That was not the first time a technically incomplete diary won either, so there are basically no barriers.

    I thought just now that I remembered this question being brought up at some point in past challenges. But I remember that so vaguely that I don't think I could find the actual post even if it did happen.

    The thing is: most people who make it to the end of the year have tended to finish their diaries (and I can speak from my experience that when you don't, you miss having the deadlines that schedule brings the next year) but there have nearly always been several diaries that didn't have THE END on the final day of December. The objective of the challenge, as stated in the first rule, is to keep a journal going for a year, or for six months. Nowhere in that does it say that the end of that time must be the end for the diary.
     
    Last edited: Nov 6, 2018
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  6. Findswoman

    Findswoman Fanfic and Pancakes and Waffles Mod (in Pink) star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Feb 27, 2014
    Thanks, you two, that is definitely good to know—and I was pretty sure I'd seen examples of it in past years, so I just thought I'd double check. I don't know yet whether the same will be true for the diary I'm working on now, but it's good to know that it's a legitimate option, at least, if needed. @};-
     
    Last edited: Nov 6, 2018
  7. Diary_Challenge_Sock

    Diary_Challenge_Sock Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Oct 23, 2007
    It’s that time again: the year is rapidly moving towards its close, and we are beginning to turn our thoughts towards the next year, and the next year’s challenge. 2019 will be the twelfth year for the Dear Diary Challenge. That’s a long time (in internet time, it might well be a century) for a challenge--and much has changed here on the boards since the_wandering_shadow put up the inaugural thread on December 19, 2006. The days when the index would be filled with over forty diaries at the end of January are in the past.

    The Half-Marathons have been quite successful, and we plan to continue with those in 2019. But besides that, we need to consider the options for continuing to mix up the challenge, if it is to continue to be viable.

    ---

    The Full Year Challenge

    While we have no wish to do away with the full year diaries—that is, after all, the original challenge—the fact remains that we are finishing up 2018 with only two such entries, down from an original three. So we’re taking a survey to gauge interest for the full-year diaries: if anyone out there is planning to go with the original option for next year, please let us know.

    Discussions and Mini-Challenges

    If you forgot all about these, that’s understandable—so did we. Unless there is a good deal of interest, we are probably not going to continue doing them for the upcoming challenge.

    Free-for-All

    Is there anything else you would like to discuss, or see clarified? Do you have an idea for the challenge? A crazy idea even? Let us know.
     
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2018
  8. Ewok Poet

    Ewok Poet Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2014
    The Full Year Challenge

    I am consider trying this again, after an one-year break. I am sure that I am not the only one. It could be that our demographic is much different from what it used to be back in the days there were 40 diaries at the end of January. Apart from the occasional influx of very young people, most of us are in our thirties and forties and life comes with responsibilities that are sometimes hard to keep up with themselves, so fic may or may not take a backseat. And if this is challenge is all about endurance, why not keep it that way?

    As for six month challenges, they have obviously been a great success and they should totally go on.


    Discussions and Mini-Challenges

    I never understood the latter, I must admit. But the earlier keep people interested, introduce new folks to the concept and get them planning to give it a go at some point. I'm all for discussions. One thing that might help: it could be specified that, for people taking a break, they can jump into the discussion as their previous years' diarists!

    Free-For-All

    You have a typo here. Jedi_Lover. :)

    Nothing to add here - you're doing a great job, keep it up! :)
     
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2018
  9. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Full-Year Challenge

    Definitely feel like this should continue to be an option for those whose time and plots allow. :cool:

    Half-Year Marathons

    These are WONDERFUL so that persons who are busy at the beginning of the year can jump in during the summer and vice versa. Not so plot-time intensive. [face_thinking] And each individual entry can really be oomphy as to character growth/action.

    Other

    It's great when half-year diaries expand into longer ones but it'd be equally nice if those who started out thinking they were going to do a full year -- if they wound up doing half/3/4 would still have their diaries considered active. [face_thinking]

    Discussions/Mini Challenges

    The discussions are great, don't have to be every month per se. As for the mini-challenges, what if that were like as on an as-needed basis? Or the other diariests could submit prompts like the drabble prompts for the UDC. E.G. Post 3 in early autumn: "cool nights"; "warmed by the fire". [face_mischief]
     
  10. Pandora

    Pandora Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2005
    @Ewok Poet: You have a typo here. Jedi_Lover. :)

    That one's on me, I'm afraid--but rest assured, it's fixed now.

    -----

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts, @Ewok Poet and @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha. There are some good ideas in there that could help with keeping this challenge going.
     
  11. Lady_Misty

    Lady_Misty Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 21, 2007
    Full-Year Challenge Keep, it's a good challenge; I don't plan on doing the DDC next year because of the baby and not knowing how much time I'll have once he gets here.

    Half a Year Diaries It is a good thing to do to introduce people to that want to participate but aren't sure if they can do a whole year or just want to do try it out without the full year commitment.

    Discussions/Mini Challenges I like the discussions here and I don't mind the Mini Challenges but I don't always see them in time to use them in an entry even though I often write four entries for a month.

    Free For All Even though I don't plan on doing a DDC next year would it be possible to create a post and tag everyone doing the DDC when a new Discussion/Mini Challenge is up?
     
    Last edited: Dec 7, 2018
  12. Findswoman

    Findswoman Fanfic and Pancakes and Waffles Mod (in Pink) star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Feb 27, 2014
    Thanks for the thought-provoking poll questions, @Diary_Challenge_Sock! :)

    I'm all for keeping both full-year and half-year options for all the reasons previously stated. The half-year option was what led me to try this out this year to begin with—though now my own DDC is starting to balloon to the point where it will certainly spill beyond the confines of this year. (Outline better next time, Finds! [face_shame_on_you]) Since I'll be finishing up that one in the early months of next year, I will probably not be starting a new diary, half or full, at least not at the beginning of the year. (And yes, I know that isn't going to officially count for next year's challenge—just saying I'm going to at least try to keep it regularly up to date.) But I'm glad this challenge is here, and it will remain on my radar. :)

    I can honestly take or leave the mini-challenges; it can be pretty difficult to fit them in when one already has a plot mapped out. Discussions from time to time can be fun and useful, though, if both the hosts' and participants' time permits.

    The things that have been suggested so far sound good to me. One other small thing: after we do the voting for a given year, it would be great if there were some indication of the winners in the index for that year. Otherwise one has to do no small amount of digging around in the following year's thread if one is curious to find them.

    Other than that, I think all's good—kudos to the @Diary_Challenge_Sock and to @Pandora and @Kahara for doing a fantastic job hosting this classic JCF Fanfic challenge! =D= =D= =D=
     
  13. Ewok Poet

    Ewok Poet Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2014
    I...just thought of a wacky thing that barely makes sense: what if a diary starts off as a half-year and turns into a full-year one? How would that be handled?

    Yes. All of them, since the beginning. Why not?
     
  14. Findswoman

    Findswoman Fanfic and Pancakes and Waffles Mod (in Pink) star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Feb 27, 2014
    I admit that I kind of wonder about this too, because this just may be happening with my own...
     
  15. Ewok Poet

    Ewok Poet Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2014
    I was referring to an example that would involve the same year all along, but your scenario makes sense, too!
     
  16. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    This is more my "free for all" thoughts and random ramblings. I think both lengths of diaries should stay but I think you guys might (unfortunately) see a drop in numbers for the full-year diary - or even both the full and half-year. The challenge is going on it's 12th year, which is great because it's a really fun challenge, but I know for some, there are only so many times when you are inspired to write a diary, let alone motivated to keep it going for 12 or 6 months. I know for myself, I've completed 4(?... technically 5 if you count my double diary) diaries and now, my motivation to finish the challenge just isn't there (case in point, I have the last 2 entries for my NSWFF half-diary written... but I actually like where my last posted entry ended the story as compared to what I had planned, so I might not post the final 2). We, unfortunately, aren't seeing the number of writers/influx of new faces here as we used to, so that may affect number of participants.

    So I think the challenge for you guys as hosts now is to mix up the challenge so to inspire people who have completed this multiple times, while still remaining true to the challenge. One idea is to pre-post all the monthly mini-challenges - so have the list of all 12 months up on January 1st - that way people who write ahead, as I think most do, can look at the list and plan to have XYZ prompt in that month. And not all months have to be a typical prompt. They could be more challenging, like say "April - have your character write poetry or a song in their diary."
     
  17. Vek Talis

    Vek Talis Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Oct 12, 2018
    So... newbie with a question.

    How does this work, exactly? Do I have to update every week? Every two weeks? Multiple times a week? Is there a set time, or what?
     
  18. Lady_Misty

    Lady_Misty Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 21, 2007

    If I remember correctly it’s bare minimum two entries a month.

    Example: I post on the first and third week of the month and mavjade posts on the second and fourth and briannakin post every week.


    Sent from my iPod touch from a galaxy far, far away using Tapatalk
     
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  19. Pandora

    Pandora Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2005
    @Vek Talis: The information you seek is to be found in the first post.
     
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  20. Findswoman

    Findswoman Fanfic and Pancakes and Waffles Mod (in Pink) star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Feb 27, 2014
    A couple little questions for the @Diary_Challenge_Sock (@Kahara and @Pandora) concerning voting, and apologies if they have already been answered elsewhere:

    Will we be voting on all the diaries together, e.g., full-year as well as half-year, or will full-year and half-year diaries be separate voting categories? (Though I guess there are only two full-year this time, right?) And will all the half-year diaries be in the same category, or will January-start diaries be voted on separately from July-start ones? Thanks, and I hope that wasn't too confusing! :p
     
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2018
  21. Pandora

    Pandora Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2005
    @Findswoman: We have been more or less planning to have three voting categories: one each for the full-year diaries (though given that there are indeed only two of them, it doesn't seem like much of a competition) and for each of the half-years.

    If this should change, we'll let you know--when voting opens at the latest--but I don't expect that it will.
     
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2018
  22. Kahara

    Kahara FFoF Hostess Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2001
    Just a reminder that if you're voting for 2018, the deadline is January 25, 2019 at 12:01 AM North America Mountain Time. Still a few hours left!