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Creative Writing Challenge #25: Tied Together

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Nezumi

Nezumi

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,546
Hessen, Germany
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Theme: Tied Together


Word Limit: 2500

Submission Deadline Friday, January 25th by 11:59 PM Pacific

Voting begins: Saturday, January 26th, and goes until Monday, 28th at 11:59 PM Pacific.

Optional Secondary Objective: Cooperation

Here's how it's gonna work. Everyone who wants to do the secondary has to declare this in the thread until Thursday (January 10th) night (PST). I will then create random pair-ups and those two people get to write their story together. Pairs will also get double the word count, so 5000 words. Should we have an uneven number of participants we'll make a group of three and they'll get a whooping 7500 words to work with. The writing period will also be extended one week.

As for how the writing collaborating might work in general. I feel like the wisdom Cyan once shared still applies.

It probably depends most on the working styles of the two writers, but I'm envisioning something like this:
-"meet up" on IRC or google video chat or some such to talk through plot ideas
-hash out the basic structure of the story, divvy up resposibilities
-write the story in a shared Google Doc so each person can see what the other is doing/has done
-when it's complete, each writer does a full edit passthrough to get the voices to kind of meet in the middle

There are other ways. The novel Sorcery and Cecelia, which is an epistolary story where two characters exchange letters, was written by Pat Wrede and Caroline Stevermer literally just exchanging letters as though they were the characters, and then compiling them into a book when they were done. You might have multiple POVs where each writer writes one character's POV and they have distinct voices, and you trade scenes and comment on each other's stuff. You might literally sit down together and do all the writing as a pair (I can't imagine this working for me). You might both be discovery writers and go in different directions, then find a way to make it all meld.

Could be anything!
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On the Sunday during the challenge period, we have a regular writing hangout over Google Hangouts. Pretend to work on your alleged entry with a whole group! We also have a discord.
[Hidden content]

Join the server and follow the instructions there.

Submission Guidelines:
  • One entry per poster.
  • All submissions must be written during the time of the challenge.
  • Using the topic as the title of your piece is discouraged.
  • Keep to the word count!
  • See this image for how to post your submission, please ask for help if you have trouble viewing.

Voting Guidelines:
  • Three votes per voter. Please denote in your voting your 1st (3 pts), 2nd (2 pts), and 3rd (1 pt) place votes. You may add an honorable mention (HM).
  • Please read all submissions before voting.
  • You must vote in order to be eligible to win the challenge.
  • When voting ends, the winner gets a collective pat on the back, and starts the new challenge using the thread creation Template
Miss this round? Challenges generally run every two weeks. If you miss one, you only have to wait a few days for the next one to be posted in the current thread.

Previous challenges can be found in the Thread Archive
Here is our full, expanded FAQ

Thanks to C.B. For the lovely banners, Ashes for the entry finding script, and all the users who have contributed to the rules and methods of the regular contests.[/QUOTE]
 
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Nezumi

Nezumi

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,546
Hessen, Germany
Rivenblade said:
I've enjoyed this one in the past, but I don't trust myself enough right now to be a reliable partner this go-around. So it's going to be a "no" for me. :-/ If I write anything at all, it'll be a victory.
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Well, working with someone else might actually work as an incentive, but I also totally understand your reasoning. Hope to read something from you soon either way :)
 
Claire Delune

Claire Delune

10 Years in the Making
Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,279
Greater Seattle Area
Congrats, it's been entirely too long since you won.

Last year we missed out on a whole bunch of annual tradition threads... I don't think we did an anonymous challenge, we didn't do a team-up challenge, I didn't get to do my mandatory deadlines challenge...
 
MilkBeard

MilkBeard

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,780
I think I might submit this round, as I've had enough time to let things settle and work a bit on other things.

However, I think I'll be a bit of a party pooper and work individually. I hope that doesn't disrupt the fun this round too much.
 
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OP
Nezumi

Nezumi

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,546
Hessen, Germany
Mike said:
Congrats, it's been entirely too long since you won.

Last year we missed out on a whole bunch of annual tradition threads... I don't think we did an anonymous challenge, we didn't do a team-up challenge, I didn't get to do my mandatory deadlines challenge...
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Well, good thing that we seem to be off to a better start already this year.
MilkBeard said:
I think I might submit this round, as I've had enough time to let things settle and work a bit on other things.

However, I think I'll be a bit of a party pooper and work individually. I hope that doesn't disrupt the fun this round too much.
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Nah, individual entries are just as welcome.
 
FlowersisBritish

FlowersisBritish

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,377
Wow look at that. Its like when you submit in a timely fashion you win. Isn't that funny.

Also yeah sign me up. I love me some collaboration.
 
mas8705

mas8705

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,497
*hits watch thread*

I keep forgetting to partake in the creative writing challenge, but I'm going to make sure I don't miss this one. Might be a slightly interesting one to jump into for the first one, but hey, it will be fun to see if I still know how to write. ^__^
 
OP
OP
Nezumi

Nezumi

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,546
Hessen, Germany
mas8705 said:
*hits watch thread*

I keep forgetting to partake in the creative writing challenge, but I'm going to make sure I don't miss this one. Might be a slightly interesting one to jump into for the first one, but hey, it will be fun to see if I still know how to write. ^__^
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Welcome! Do I read this right that you are up to join in on the secondary?
 
mas8705

mas8705

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,497
Nezumi said:
Welcome! Do I read this right that you are up to join in on the secondary?
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It would be hitting the ground running to try the secondary as my first challenge here, but I can give it a fair shot since it could let me explore a different means to thinking when writing. ^__^
 
zulux21

zulux21

Member
Oct 25, 2017
20,344
I really wanted to find a version of this that instead of saying "the girl you love." was "The one you love" but alas I can't.

but the secondary makes me think the theme should be

:P
 
FlowersisBritish

FlowersisBritish

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,377
I'm going to throw it out there for newish people on the fence about the secondary, being paired up with a more veteran member might be nice because they offer a bit of a safety net in case things go awry.
 
Claire Delune

Claire Delune

10 Years in the Making
Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,279
Greater Seattle Area
1.) Team up with someone.
2.) Browbeat them into writing the story I want to write.
3.) Offer to do the editing.
4.) Rewrite everything they wrote
5.) Praise the power of teamwork
 
zulux21

zulux21

Member
Oct 25, 2017
20,344
Mike said:
(Seriously, though, the team up challenges have always been pretty cool, and Nezumi can attest I'm not... not good... at being a partner)
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I've heard from multiple sources that you are "So good." "So much better than I am." "Amazing." "You should read his work because it will help you."
It's hard to be a good partner when you are literally so much better than everyone else :P
 
W-00

W-00

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,439
Interesting prompt. Several ideas come to mind, but nothing I feel confident in yet.
 
FlowersisBritish

FlowersisBritish

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,377
zulux21 said:
I've heard from multiple sources that you are "So good." "So much better than I am." "Amazing." "You should read his work because it will help you."
It's hard to be a good partner when you are literally so much better than everyone else :P
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You say that, but I did a collab with a user Red and he's a fantastic writer and im pretty alright myself and the process was kinda a mess.
 
OP
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Nezumi

Nezumi

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,546
Hessen, Germany
Mike said:
(Seriously, though, the team up challenges have always been pretty cool, and Nezumi can attest I'm not... not good... at being a partner)
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Nah, I mean our respective schedules fucked us over a bit on that one, but all things considered I think we were on a cool track. We only needed like another two weeks and, I don't know, a couple of thousands words more :D
 
Dedication Through Light

Dedication Through Light

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
22,309
id reallly love to do it, but yeah my schedule makes me unavailable for an entire week of this period, lol, though unless someone else is actually on the west coast time zone.
 
cheese toast

cheese toast

Member
Oct 29, 2017
727
I think my time zone puts me at a disadvantage with this secondary. Plus my couple of ideas so far don't really extend beyond 2500 words.
 
zulux21

zulux21

Member
Oct 25, 2017
20,344
cheese toast said:
I think my time zone puts me at a disadvantage with this secondary. Plus my couple of ideas so far don't really extend beyond 2500 words.
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The issue for me is always the same issue that I have, my weekends are stupid busy making reading the entries in a timely manner nearly impossible. (including time to sleep and eat I'm typically booked from 6am saturday until like 10pm on sunday lol)

I mean I don't have a lot of time to write either, so I wouldn't be a great partner, but I'm not a bad person to bounce ideas off of, and while my writing skills have been stagnating and not improving like I want, I think my editing skills have gotten a bit better *shrugs*
 
Conkersbadfurday

Conkersbadfurday

Member
Oct 29, 2017
5,290
Minnesota
weemadarthur

weemadarthur

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,588
Goes to edit Archive

Sees "last edited" time in October

Freaks out

Remembers NaNo happened

Relief



i don't think i can partner
 
FlowersisBritish

FlowersisBritish

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,377
cheese toast said:
I think my time zone puts me at a disadvantage with this secondary. Plus my couple of ideas so far don't really extend beyond 2500 words.
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weemadarthur said:
i don't think i can partner
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Partnering really isn't that bad. In my experience, it was mostly me and another person sharing messages (we rarely if ever chatted at the same time) and just organizing a basic ass idea and then leap frogging off one another until we were done. It's really not as scary as it initially sounds.
 
FlowersisBritish

FlowersisBritish

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,377
Mike said:
My idea is for an epistolary piece, so time zones would be completely moot.
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That's a neat way to do it. I remember one time me and my partner did one where we switched character's perspectives, going from one to the next and we each wrote our own person with some agreed upon plot points so that we both knew where the plot was moving.
 
mas8705

mas8705

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,497
cheese toast said:
I think my time zone puts me at a disadvantage with this secondary. Plus my couple of ideas so far don't really extend beyond 2500 words.
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Perhaps it might be a good idea that for those of us who are doing the "Secondary" that we do identify where exactly we are. Could be slightly difficult to do the cooperative writing if you have focus in different parts of the world (or a situation where by the time someone gets off work, someone else already called it a night).

Mike said:
My idea is for an epistolary piece, so time zones would be completely moot.
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An epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of documents. The usual form is letters, although diary entries, newspaper clippings and other documents are sometimes used. ... The epistolary form can add greater realism to a story, because it mimics the workings of real life.
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I knew I was probably going to join writers that have far more experience than I do, but I never thought I would be so intimidated by just one word. Now I'm just excited to hopefully learn from you guys to hopefully motive me to finish my first story. ^__^
 
Midramble

Midramble

Force of Habit
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
10,453
San Francisco
mas8705 said:
I knew I was probably going to join writers that have far more experience than I do, but I never thought I would be so intimidated by just one word. Now I'm just excited to hopefully learn from you guys to hopefully motive me to finish my first story. ^__^
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Luckily Mike is the fun kind of intimidating.
 
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