LLV
Junior Scribe
Posts: 17
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Post by LLV on Dec 27, 2013 15:44:50 GMT -5
I'll give it a shot, but I've a question first: when we are assigned a paragraph/intro, do we keep it as is or are we allowed to modify/rewrite it to fit our own writing style? I would hate to have a glaring difference between the first paragraph and the next... Oh, and also: how long a story are we talking here? I'm assuming short story, so around 10k words? 15k?
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Allya
Senior Scribe
My Little Monster!
Posts: 2,271
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Post by Allya on Dec 27, 2013 16:04:54 GMT -5
You keep it. For instance one year they went crazy with the first person, present tense. I hated it so much but thems the breaks. Also, turns out I didn't suck at it. Oh and if I remember correctly the limit is 5k so the reviewers don't want to shoot themselves.
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Post by James on Dec 27, 2013 16:16:47 GMT -5
I'll give it a shot, but I've a question first: when we are assigned a paragraph/intro, do we keep it as is or are we allowed to modify/rewrite it to fit our own writing style? I would hate to have a glaring difference between the first paragraph and the next... Oh, and also: how long a story are we talking here? I'm assuming short story, so around 10k words? 15k? The beginning must be kept as is. No modification. A short story, by industry standard, is something from 2,000 to 8,000 words. But for the Arena, we haven't ever set a word limit.
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Post by James on Dec 27, 2013 16:18:41 GMT -5
You keep it. For instance one year they went crazy with the first person, present tense. I hated it so much but thems the breaks. Also, turns out I didn't suck at it. Oh and if I remember correctly the limit is 5k so the reviewers don't want to shoot themselves. Yeah, can we please not do the whole first person, present tense. It started off as a challenge. By the third or fourth time, it was just an irritant. And yeah, we usually have 5k limits for the other competitions. I think we don't for the Arena because in principle instead of just a few people reading everything, there should be lots of people reading as much as possible. But it never really works out that way. If we had the limit, Tam would have died. I'm pretty sure he had two stories north of 10k.
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Post by Jenny (Reffy) on Dec 27, 2013 16:18:55 GMT -5
Good point ... do we have starters? And do we need any? Or is there a list saved from last Arena?
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Post by James on Dec 27, 2013 16:29:04 GMT -5
Good point ... do we have starters? And do we need any? Or is there a list saved from last Arena? We don't have any starters yet. We start sending them in once we settle on an organiser.
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Allya
Senior Scribe
My Little Monster!
Posts: 2,271
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Post by Allya on Dec 27, 2013 16:36:03 GMT -5
If you decide to have me write, I'm going to be very short this year on length. Short, and to the point. I got shit to do!
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Post by Injin on Dec 27, 2013 16:37:59 GMT -5
Sure I'm in.
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Post by ASGetty ((Zovo)) on Dec 27, 2013 16:57:24 GMT -5
I'll write, but only if my story can be about organizing. Do you know that sort of fear? The one deep in the pit of your stomach. The one that you have to overcome or you lose yourself to its constant, gentle nagging in the corner of your eye. You have to check your cupboard. Just in case. You know there's nothing there. But if you don't go and check... well, there could be.
That was the fear I faced. Obviously, there was nothing beyond the door I stood facing. Yet my hands gripped the handle of my heat ray blaster a little tighter. The magical staff upon my back, prized from Beezlebub's cold dead hands, weighed a little heavier upon my back. The feeling in my stomach grew heavier. Pushing open the door with my spare hand, I strode into the room, projecting a confidence I didn't have.
"Hello Linda," I said, cringing at how high my voice sounded. The words were drawn tight, threatening to break, like a guitar swing being pulled too far.
The secretary looked up at me, her dull lifeless eyes meeting mine. "Ah, Mr DiGiovanni. You've arrived. Good. The filing cabinet is over there."... you're going on the list of writers. Can that be one of the beginnings?
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Post by James on Dec 27, 2013 17:37:12 GMT -5
Do you know that sort of fear? The one deep in the pit of your stomach. The one that you have to overcome or you lose yourself to its constant, gentle nagging in the corner of your eye. You have to check your cupboard. Just in case. You know there's nothing there. But if you don't go and check... well, there could be.
That was the fear I faced. Obviously, there was nothing beyond the door I stood facing. Yet my hands gripped the handle of my heat ray blaster a little tighter. The magical staff upon my back, prized from Beezlebub's cold dead hands, weighed a little heavier upon my back. The feeling in my stomach grew heavier. Pushing open the door with my spare hand, I strode into the room, projecting a confidence I didn't have.
"Hello Linda," I said, cringing at how high my voice sounded. The words were drawn tight, threatening to break, like a guitar swing being pulled too far.
The secretary looked up at me, her dull lifeless eyes meeting mine. "Ah, Mr DiGiovanni. You've arrived. Good. The filing cabinet is over there."... you're going on the list of writers. Can that be one of the beginnings? But... but... I can't get my own beginnings.
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Post by James on Dec 27, 2013 19:35:57 GMT -5
By the way, within a day we have a definite eight writers. Probably nine. Maybe even ten. That's a pretty good start. I was a little worried we'd might struggle to reach eight.
Hopefully we can reach and surpass thirteen. Here's hoping people like Orombur pop out of the woodwork like they so often do.
Also, if Pete, Kwan and Allya can organise who's the organiser... that would be swell.
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Post by Kaez on Dec 27, 2013 21:03:07 GMT -5
By the way, within a day we have a definite eight writers. Probably nine. Maybe even ten. That's a pretty good start. I was a little worried we'd might struggle to reach eight. Hopefully we can reach and surpass thirteen. Here's hoping people like Orombur pop out of the woodwork like they so often do. Also, if Pete, Kwan and Allya can organise who's the organiser... that would be swell. I didn't anticipate so many folks interested in it. I'll write.
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Post by James on Dec 27, 2013 21:21:55 GMT -5
By the way, within a day we have a definite eight writers. Probably nine. Maybe even ten. That's a pretty good start. I was a little worried we'd might struggle to reach eight. Hopefully we can reach and surpass thirteen. Here's hoping people like Orombur pop out of the woodwork like they so often do. Also, if Pete, Kwan and Allya can organise who's the organiser... that would be swell. I didn't anticipate so many folks interested in it. I'll write.
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Post by James on Dec 29, 2013 0:07:02 GMT -5
Good point ... do we have starters? And do we need any? Or is there a list saved from last Arena? Hey wait. You. Are you signing up?
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Post by Jenny (Reffy) on Dec 29, 2013 5:46:59 GMT -5
Good point ... do we have starters? And do we need any? Or is there a list saved from last Arena? Hey wait. You. Are you signing up? I said I'd write on the first page, no? Yes, please! I'd like to write.
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