Dummy me I had no idea that you could not enter because you were running the whole shebang ! Now that kinda sucked !
I had hoped Charles would write another great story... which with his proper sentence construction, spelling and punctuation makes the whole thing easy on the brain and eyes. (Unlike my stuff which can be like a puzzle trying to figure out the intent..)
So we give up one to gain another.... Such is life I suppose.
I really am not a schooled writer (obviously)..... so unless I have an educated proof reader and spelling 'B' champion looking over my shoulder I really do suck. My present wife does not even read English in a helpful way ! (week weak border boarder there their.. poor example but you understand) all the usual mistakes a 4th grader would make etc etc....
Believe it or not I used to write occasionally for US aviator and every month for Southern Skies (both now out of business) but I have always just considered myself a story teller.... like some back woods grandpa who needs a dark night and a camp fire to make things interesting .
Spell check works for many but I am so hopeless (and probably don't care like I should) that words are typed, sentences are made that only I can read and understand but I still enjoy it occasionally... Might be from growing up in Texas with a accent or writing short hand and copying clearances at work; mostly using symbols can be a slight excuse..? Or I am just a dumb A** or, a man of few words which used to be a badge of something good in movies until I figured out it usually meant 'nothing up in the noggin' ...? ... sad story!! hahah.
Well if I am still alive come March I do have a story that is rather scientific, slow to start, slightly complicated, based on real science, and probably boring to most about a dimensional empire that to me answers many of the questions about visitors from "OUT THERE" that might get one or two votes... ( what a promo teaser, no?)...
Now, if the Theme is about Dogs or Pigs I can always start the story with a one liner about Oscar the ???... hahaha Themes SUCK! Oops sorry probably not PC...... and besides with a theme you are directed to write about something that you know nothing about because you never cared about the subject.. That is for script writers not story tellers !! hahahhaha Yep expand your writing horizons and all that... Sometimes I think my horizons expanded so much I have forgotten where they went to ... No kidding !
The main reason why the one running the contest can't participate (unless it's a non participating entry just for the fun of it as I did) is because of the judging in the background. But maybe that could change...as many Moderators did come forward to help with the judging...and I would also like to see Charles put in an entry or two again...
As for the themes, we did notice that some entries in the last contest weren't theme oriented but since it was the first contest, we did let it slide.
So, there might be a non themed contest coming up (or if not, eventually) or a theme contest where an entry must reflect the theme in order to qualify. Again, it's all being discussed and nothing is officially decided yet.
As far as I can remember, I always wrote, something, somewhere. But my first language being French, I must credit TOS for English contests as it was there that I decided to jump into a pit of English writers. My English vocabulary is very limited but it got better with time. I do have to look at the dictionary every once in a while cause I come across a word I don't understand and sometimes, some jokes, puns or terms simply have no meaning at all to me...I simply don't get them. Mais c'est la vie...
I am looking forward to the next contest. The last one was awesome and the coming one must be better...Many details to discuss still but it's coming. Soon :)
Just a little fleshing out, without giving too much away. You'll notice that Solarius has a Staff Award. That's pretty rare. His reflects the astonishing creativity, attention to detail, and organizational skill he brought to the first contest. Every new contest will depend on his pioneering effort.
It seemed only right to give Solarius the chance to have his work judged and made eligible for a prize. When he wondered if anyone would like to be responsible for the next one, so that he could enter, I jumped at the chance. I have won once, and others should have chances before I step back in. (Besides, all of the other entries were so good, that I'm nervous about trying again.)
There's a second advantage, and that is there's an outside chance that someone might have voted for me for reasons other than the story itself. The vote was so close, that I don't want that to happen again, at least not for the immediate future.
(As of this moment. Not official) This contest will have a theme. It will be a theme everyone is familiar with. It should require no knowledge of anything besides yourself and a general knowledge of humanity. Because of that, the request that the story deal with the theme will be more strictly enforced.
I assure you there will be enough aspects to the theme that there shouldn't be repetition. I don't know anything about your story, so I can't tell you whether it will have to be revised to fit with the theme. You do point out a reason for an "unthemed" contest. I think it will have to happen because some stories cry out to be told whether they fit a theme or not. When a writer has a passion for a story, it has to be honored.
You bring up another good point about punctuation, grammar, and spelling. I wonder if we should allow editors to clean up spelling and punctuation, leaving grammar as is. Food for thought, as the cliché goes.
As Solarius wisely pointed out, nothing is official yet, but you have my thinking on the subject. Oh, I might put in a non-participating story, that's up in the air.
As far as the start date, there are arguments for March 1, and also for St. Patrick's Day, the 17th. Would you like to suggest an alternate?
No, I figure March sounds very Roman to me regardless of the day....And thanks for your thoughts and response. hahaha-- periods do when commas are inadequate IMO !! Call me a rebel ! hahah
If I ever get to the point where I don't share my thoughts with you or any other Hernando, kick me in the ribs. If that doesn't work, replace me. I know it sounds preachy, but you are vitally important to me. That's what this place is about.
727sky, Charles1952, I kind of like the idea of themes. It forces my mind to think outside of what it knows. I joined a thread over at TOS in which it was a collabritive story geared toward fantasy, which I can't do very well. Dragons, magic, Ogres, etc weren't in my realm of thinking/writing. It was turned into Chit-Chat because there were so many "non-writers" getting their feet wet. Frankly, I'm amazed it wasn't 404'ed.
Oh, I've enjoyed many a fantasy book/series, but could never come up with a coherent thought when it came to writing about that.
I still have a hard time with the idea, but am making in-roads. Just don't ask me to write about romance, even though I have even dipped my toe into that genre and was told I'm good at it. L_L fc/dunno
Myself, I would like to see a theme that involved time-travel, with the express purpose of killing ONE individual and the consequences of what results afterwards. (I must say though, that I have already started such a story over at TOS, but would not use it here as that would be cheating in my eyes)
Beware the man who has one gun, he probably knows how to use it.
So do I. That is where the challenge is. To twist and turn a good story into a theme oriented one. As Charles has mentioned, I also agree that we should have a non themed contest at one point because some stories would be hard to convert into a themed one and deserve to see the light of day just the same but still...a Theme is a huge challenge.
And being in front of a challenge is part of participating in a contest, I think.
I'd like to get Solarius' opinion on the subject, but would submitting a story you wrote for TOS be cheating? You wrote it, after all. At first glance, I don't see the problem.
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginative content such as futuristic settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, time travel, faster than light travel, parallel universes and extraterrestrial life. It often explores the potential consequences of scientific and other innovations, and has been called a "literature of ideas".[1]
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary plot element, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic and magical creatures are common. Fantasy is generally distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of scientific and macabre themes, respectively, though there is a great deal of overlap between the three, all of which are subgenres of speculative fiction.
In popular culture, the fantasy genre is predominantly of the medievalist form. In its broadest sense, however, fantasy comprises works by many writers, artists, filmmakers, and musicians, from ancient myths and legends to many recent works embraced by a wide audience today.
Fantasy is studied in a number of disciplines (English, cultural studies, comparative literature, history, medieval studies). Work in this area ranges widely, from the structuralist theory of Tzvetan Todorov, which emphasizes the fantastic as a liminal space, to work on the connections (political, historical, literary) between medievalism and popular culture.[1]
So a basic just for giggles list of themes which I hope other just add to
themes Cheap knock off series Businessman Alternate history hidden history
Video game New disney movie Alternate sport Earth making first contact New science
Evil you bunnydance
I could go on but why dont some of yall just toss out themes
I think I should start transferring the stories I wrote there to this author's area but I don't think that I'd be putting any of them in future contests. Not that I would consider that cheating but they were written with the purpose of trying to win over there - and I did, twice. I had great fun writing them and some of them - I think - are Hernando's worthy.
To be honest, I prefer writing new ones for contests here. I always enjoy the challenge of writing something new and I like the competition between good writers and like the last contest has proven, competition here is at a top level !!
Although I have little experience in writting, I might just take a stab at the next contest just for fun. I like the Fantasy/Sci Fi categories as my mind is rarely on this planet to begin with.....lol
You don't have a soul. You are a soul, you have a body!