February Contest : Collaborative Letters!
Jan 31, 2023 17:45:03 GMT -6
Post by Caulder Melhaire on Jan 31, 2023 17:45:03 GMT -6
➰➰ Collaborative Writing Contest ➰➰
SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED!
When we wrote Sorcery and Cecelia, we weren't writing a book. We were playing a game. So yes, it was much easier and more fun for both of us than our normal writing processes. Tidying it up wasn't too bad, either (neither of us is the sort who can't stand revising, fortunately). The sequels, on the other hand, were much more difficult--as soon as we both knew that we *weren't* just playing a game, we had all sorts of problems. Our normal processes are almost totally opposite: I like to outline, she can't; I like to talk about plot, she doesn't; she tends to under-write in the first draft and expand later, I don't... like that.
My first suggestion to anyone who wants to try it is: remember that it is supposed to be a *GAME*, first and foremost. I've played six letter games now, and the other five all fizzled out for one reason or another after a few letters. They were all fun and worth doing, though. Past that-it is useful to give the other player a few open-ended hooks that they can pick up (or not) as they see fit... and pay attention to the hooks the other person is throwing out for you! It helps to have a reason why the two people writing letters cannot just meet up somewhere and talk everything out. Also, you're not actually limited to one character apiece, though if you each start playing more than one person, it can get really hard to keep track of the chronology.
~Patricia C. Wrede, Interview with Patricia C. Wrede. LiveJournal, 2009
As writers, we generally prefer retiring to our well-supplied caves in solitude to load up on coffee and word counts. But so many authors have gone and written incredible tales by working in tandem with their equally talented peers. Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's Good Omens is an absolute classic. Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar's This is How You Lose the Time War claimed a Nebula ward in 2019. And of course, Sorcery and Cecilia, written by the two authors whose novel inspired this contest: Caroline Stevermer and Patricia Wrede.
This February's contest continues its unpredictable nature by asking YOU to try capturing that magic in a similar form. Choose a partner, set up your tale, and get those letters moving!
CONTEST SCHEDULE
SUBMISSIONS OPEN: Thursday, Feb 2nd
SUBMISSIONS CLOSE: Friday, Feb 24th, 11:59PM US Central Standard Time
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VOTING BEGINS: Saturday, Feb 25th - Friday, March 10th, 11:59 PM US Central Standard Time
WINNERS ANNOUNCED: Saturday, March 11th, shortly after midnight or early morning.
CONTEST BASICS
Writers will work in groups of two (2) to tell a short story by having their characters write back and forth to one another. Separated by a circumstance you and your partner will create, your respective characters must communicate only by the written word to overcome what ails them.🧬One entry per group only, of any genre
🧬Word limit: 3500 (Each letter may be as many words as you please, but the combined total should not exceed this amount. Plan your entries carefully!)
🧬I will use THIS WORD COUNTER to ensure entries do not exceed the limit.
🧬Your story must be unique, written specifically for this contest. You may not submit a story you have already been working on or wrote in the past. Nor will we accept fan fiction for this particular contest.
🧬Do NOT disclose which entry you participated in.
🧬Please paste this template at the top of your entry:
Title:
Genre:
Word Count:
Trigger Warnings:
For information regarding Trigger Warnings, please reference our post about it HERE
CONTEST GUIDELINES
As this contest is about collaboration, you'll need to work together to flesh out the details of your story before you sit down and start drafting/polishing. Hence, the extra week for finding a partner, planning, and writing! The following is a general outline of what you should consider brainstorming when starting your entry:Step One: Pick your genre and setting
Step Two: Choose your characters
Step Three: Explain why you are writing to one another
Step Four: Lay out what goal you are helping one or the other achieve (this is your main plot arc to establish/wrap up)
Feel free to chat with other entrants and ask to partner up in this thread! If you need help, PM me and I’ll make a request for anyone willing to partner up with a random somebody. (Also, if anyone wants to volunteer as an open partner, that works as well.)
SUBMITTING YOUR ENTRY
NOTE: By ENTRY, I mean the collective series of posts which comprises the letters sent between your characters.〰️ Only one member of your group needs to submit your entry for the contest.
〰️ Send your entry to me (Caulder) via Private Message in BB Code according to THESE INSTRUCTIONS.
〰️ Each entry will be posted anonymously in Fiction.
〰️ I will not edit mistakes, typos, or for readability.
〰️ I will not edit the sequence of the Entry, so please make sure that your letters are in the proper order when sent.
NOTE: The ProBoards private message system does NOT allow us to edit our PMs. If you see a problem with your entry, you may resend it up to the moment I post it for judging.
JUDGING
Each entrant must vote on every collaborative story, not just submit one vote per group. Though each entry is written by two people, treat it as one collective item when judging (ie, vote on the story as a whole, not as two separate parts.)〰️Voting is open to all Legendfirians! Every contestant is REQUIRED to vote.
〰️Unless excused for serious reasons, you must vote on all entries. You will receive reminders of this requirement before the end of the voting period. If you do not vote on ALL entries, your entry will be disqualified.
〰️You may vote for yourself to maintain your anonymity. This vote will not count toward the final score.
〰️All entries must have the same number of votes for each vote to count. For example, if over half the entries receive 7 votes, we will set the final vote requirement to 7 votes per entry.
Points for voting:
1. Critique each entry according to the following questions. Answer them as thoroughly as possible. Two sentences minimum per question. See the Resources below if you need help critiquing.
*Technical Writing Elements: Which elements were technically sound in this entry? What still needs work? Consider story structure, SPaG, pacing, etc.
*Artistic writing elements: What appealed to me in this entry? What might benefit from revision? (Consider things like appropriate word choice, metaphor, imagery, uniqueness, etc.)
*Coherence: How well did the exchange of letters set the stage for you? Was the plot/setting well established, was the exchange believable, how coherent was the communication as a whole?
2. Assign each area a numerical value: Rate each entry from 1 to 5, with five being the most favorable.
3. Add your scores you allotted to each area and divide by 3 to get an average score. For example: 3.5 + 3 + 4 = 3.5 (The contest host will collect all the averaged scores for each entry and tally the overall average to determine the winners.)
WINNERS
All Contestants: 100 Hard Honor Points for all entrants, upon submitting their entry
1st Place: an additional 200 Hard Honor Points, for a total of 300. Optional publication in the LegendFire Compendium.
2nd and 3rd Place: an additional 100 Hard Honor Points, for a total of 200. Optional publication in the LegendFire Compendium.
(Contestants must edit their Honor Points themselves within their profile settings)
BADGES
Tell others about the contest by adding the contest badge to your signature!
[img]https://i.imgur.com/TgLYuHJ.png[/img]Registration
- Raveneye
- Pelwrath
- Alatariel
- Bird
- Mazulla
- RavingCynic
Happy Thursday all!
With you to spur me on, I should be able to get through the voting part ok. Or if Ala or someone else is open to it! 
