Luka's 2015 Novella and Novelette Challenge and Contest

[Luka Datas]

Yep. The contest theme is merely a starting point. When I wrote for the 'Letters From Home' theme, I found other themes wanting to take over and I let them. But without the initial theme I would never have written the story. So the theme is a kind of spark that ignites your activity. A necessary spark! But not gospel. The theme is perhaps a 'kick up the butt' when you need it most.

I heard an interview last night with a Dutch writer that I found interesting and possibly applicable to what's being discussed here. The guy is an interesting writer too, http://www.abc.net.au/radionational...iringa27s-novel2c-these-are-the-names/6569146

 

[kennychaffin]

Yep. The contest theme is merely a starting point. When I wrote for the 'Letters From Home' theme, I found other themes wanting to take over and I let them. But without the initial theme I would never have written the story. So the theme is a kind of spark that ignites your activity. A necessary spark! But not gospel. The theme is perhaps a 'kick up the butt' when you need it most.

There's a book "The Triggering Town" by Richard Hugo. It is about inspiration, creativity and doing exactly what Dreaming says, the trigger is what starts the creative process, but then you exercise it, edit it, dig it out (as Stephen King says) - to find the 'real' theme.

 

[Dreaming]

Is 'Nine Lives' your decided theme Luka? I think you should start the comp thread asap.

I don't think it would have to oppose the (coughs) other thread challenge, but they can happily co-exist.

More choices are always better than fewer choices. And of course submitting the same work to both treads will increase the readership even to those choosing not to write to a theme. And votes too since anyone that reads will most likely vote. It's just that those not written to this theme will not be eligible for votes, which is no problem at all, just a matter of choice. The most valuable thing as that we all rise, and get something done

 

[N. E. White]

There is no rush, Luka. I'm sure whenever you put forth your themed contest, they'll be folks who will enter - with or without the challenge thread. I don't see this contest and the challenge as being in conflict. Actually, they may complement each other.

However, they are confusing (I had gotten confused).

When you start your new contest, use a title format similar to how we do the other contests. For example:

July - Dec 2015 Novelette Contest

If you want, use the same language as the rest of the contests (example below).

Good luck! Nine lives as the theme sounds interesting. I may even give it a go.

********************************************

THEME: <pick a theme!>
WORD COUNT LIMIT: <generally, this is 100 for the micro-flash, 1000 for the flash fiction contest, 5000 for the short story, less than 20k for novelette, or whatever>
DEADLINE: <usually, for the micro-flash, sometime mid-month, for the flash, a few days before the end of the month, or two-months, for the short story contest), pick a specific date>

<You can include some inspiration information here to entice your fellow members to participate.>

If you are new to the contests, here's a general outline of what to do:

1) Think of a story idea that includes speculative fiction elements (fantasy, science fiction, horror elements) and fits the theme stated above
2) Write story
3) Edit story
4) Post story in the Stories sub-forum. (Use these guidelines to title your thread so it is easy for folks to find your entry.)
5) Come back here and let us know that you posted your story and provide a link to that story (makes it easier for me to find your story when it comes time to vote).
6) Read the other entries and offer comments that help the writer both know what they did right and what they did wrong (in your humble opinion)
7) Vote when the voting poll goes up

The winner takes over the next contest and has the honor of picking its theme.

CONTEST GUIDELINES:

• PG-13 - generally, the forum restricts its contents to what would be acceptable at the PG-13 rating. However, we are lenient for creative purposes in the writing forum. Please warn readers if your story contains adult situations.
• Once you post your contest entry, we discourage writers from altering the original text submitted. While it may be okay to change a few typos here and there, please do not revise your piece substantially. If you would like to respond to feedback, you are encouraged to post your revision within the thread (but not the original post).
• Please refrain from voting for your own story.

 

[Facing]

I'm sorry I was away so long. @Luka Datas would you like me to start looking for places people could submit a 9 lives story or would you like me to send you a list of the themes for submission calls with dates around the end of the year. I'm happy to do either or both.

 

[Luka Datas]

Thanks Dreaming, Bodhi and Kenny for standing up for the contest in the other thread. With all the copyright breaches and theft going on lately of artist's work though I'd think artists themselves would rail against any instance of it, I guess if plagiarism's theirr bag though that can be their contest of choice.

I've.gotta admit I was a bit stunned when I saw how much of the thinking that originated here ended up in that "secretly" crafted challenge.- none of which had come from Wilson.- except maybe the idea to call it a challenge instead of a contest- which was pretty inconsequential really (and also ironic considering how competitive the act of posting a competing contest actually is.)

Hopefully the moderators will also notice that what he's up to isn't cricket and shut his comp down because it could really be a waste of time for people entering it. Fingers crossed on that.

I don't know where the idea came from that a theme should be mandatory. If my memory serves the writer in the other thread who claimed I'd said that it should be was also the person who actually said that it should be, immediately after I'd repeated someone else's suggestion that it should only be optional .... very confusing indeed.

Anyway... I'm more of a "get all your ducks in a line" kind of person than the "argue in an endless loop" type or the "jump on a shark tank with sharks to see who's faster - me or the sharks." type -- both of which can be tempting as hell, though.

To this end I think we should stay the course and try to make our comp as accessible as possible to as wide a range of writers as possible until July 15 when we launch it. But like everything else in this thread it is open to discussion and just because I've expressed a contrary opinion shouldn't be taken by anyone to mean the idea has been vetoed. Most popular ideas get the most traction and that's all there should be to it. The
last thing anyone should want is to alienate people who otherwise might have participated.
Sorry for the long winded message.

ALSO don't worry about it @RedMage - and I like you too

 

[kennychaffin]

I beg to differ nila. They will be in conflict with one another for any number of reasons. It should be resolved, not preempted...or smoothed over as you seem to want to do. I'll tell you what I just told Luka by pm .... Even though I have no skin in this as I am not likely to enter....if the Wilson/Redmage contest is allowed to stand I will very likely take my leave of this forum as it was out of line.

 

[N. E. White]

I will very likely take my leave of this forum as it was out of line.

Yikes! I'm sorry to read that. Please do not leave.

In hindsight, I agree having both a novella challenge and a novelette contest is probably not the best idea. It would be great if the two could be merged or reconciled. Allow me to talk to KatG, and we'll act on her advice.

 

[Luka Datas]

I'm sorry I was away so long. @Luka Datas would you like me to start looking for places people could submit a 9 lives story or would you like me to send you a list of the themes for submission calls with dates around the end of the year. I'm happy to do either or both.

Well I had thought the 9 lives theme could be one option and your subcalls another and probably more interesting option for people. I mean with the subcall you not only have the experience of finishing the thing but also the opportunity to submit your proofread, critiqued and hopefully perfected novella to a publisher. Or if people wanted to get creative, they could do an amalgamation of the theme
Perhaps if you post the links you like best we could all make a decision over which look like the most fun.

PS thanks for this @Facing

and thanks Nila. Important stuff! and It's.good to know for sure we're not dead in the water. plus I know the thread title says "novelette." but it morphed into a novella comp quite some time ago...

 

[RedMage]

I beg to differ nila. They will be in conflict with one another for any number of reasons. It should be resolved, not preempted...or smoothed over as you seem to want to do. I'll tell you what I just told Luka by pm .... Even though I have no skin in this as I am not likely to enter....if the Wilson/Redmage contest is allowed to stand I will very likely take my leave of this forum as it was out of line.

Would you leave, Kenny? Why? I can't believe that is your solution to every disagreement, argument and decision made that is not in your favor. Simply don't participate in those threads you don't like or don't agree with what they are doing.

I really hope you stay. I enjoy interacting with everyone here, and I believe you do too. Just over 24 hours ago you and I were having a great exchange in the motivation thread. I see you on all the time, to the point that I'm not even sure you sleep. Your presence, let alone your wonderful posts, encourage me to stay active and participate to greater and greater extents in our community.

 

[kennychaffin]

Would you leave, Kenny? Why? I can't believe that is your solution to every disagreement, argument and decision made that is not in your favor.

Yeah that's my solution to EVERYTHING.
......

 

[Facing]

Well I had thought the 9 lives theme could be one option and your subcalls another and probably more interesting option for people. I mean with the subcall you not only have the experience of finishing the thing but also the opportunity to submit your proofread, critiqued and hopefully perfected novella to a publisher. Or if people wanted to get creative, they could do an amalgamation of the theme
Perhaps if you post the links you like best we could all make a decision over which look like the most fun.

PS thanks for this @Facing

and thanks Nila. Important stuff! and It's.good to know for sure we're not dead in the water. plus I know the thread title says "novelette." but it morphed into a novella comp quite some time ago...

I think this is a great idea. Nine lives is a fabulous theme that is wide open for interpretation.

I just did a quick calendar search of submission calls. For the genres of Science Fiction/Fantasy & Horror combined (and all story lengths) there are 29 deadlines for July, 25 for August, 10 for September, 7 for October and so forth. Currently for December, there's not much at that length. Looking at the current calendar, it is reasonable to conclude that the closer we get to December, the more opportunities will present themselves.

But, since we weren't planning on starting this until Mid July, there could be more by then. In the meantime, we could go with your theme of Nine Lives which could easily be incorporated into any of the three genres.

If everyone is ok with it, I could post links to call outs as they come up. That way everyone can get started on a story. Later on, if one of the links I post correlates well, the author will have a place to send it. Not all of the call outs even have a theme so everyone who writes a story, any story, is likely to find a link that will prove useful by the end of the contest when we're all looking to find homes for our hard work.

 

[Luka Datas]

I think this is a great idea. Nine lives is a fabulous theme that is wide open for interpretation.

I just did a quick calendar search of submission calls. For the genres of Science Fiction/Fantasy & Horror combined (and all story lengths) there are 29 deadlines for July, 25 for August, 10 for September, 7 for October and so forth. Currently for December, there's not much at that length. Looking at the current calendar, it is reasonable to conclude that the closer we get to December, the more opportunities will present themselves.

But, since we weren't planning on starting this until Mid July, there could be more by then. In the meantime, we could go with your theme of Nine Lives which could easily be incorporated into any of the three genres.

If everyone is ok with it, I could post links to call outs as they come up. That way everyone can get started on a story. Later on, if one of the links I post correlates well, the author will have a place to send it. Not all of the call outs even have a theme so everyone who writes a story, any story, is likely to find a link that will prove useful by the end of the contest when we're all looking to find homes for our hard work.

You're a true wizard, Facing.

 

[Jussslic]

Hey guys, so... I don't get why we can't just do something like this? All this arguing, but the difference of opinions isn't really that drastic. Certainly not something that can't be worked around.... (Sorry, feel free to ignore my narrative flourishes )
-----------------------------------------

Friends, citizens, servants of Civilization and Empire,

No doubt you have heard whispers of discord in the Magellanic provinces. There is a kernel of truth in this—the races of the Lesser Cloud are a proud collective, ancient and wise and steeped in tradition that is often in conflict with our own. I assure you, diplomacy has won the day. Ideologies have been reconciled, tensions alleviated. The brewing conflict is waylaid, and for now, we are at peace in the Magellans.

So it is with a broad smile that I convey to you these happy tidings: without any immediate need for mobilization, we avoid a clash of arms and turn our attention to a clash of wits.The four hundred ninety-third Tournament of Words is upon us, and today I present the call for submissions at the Novella length, one of the oldest and most respected formats in the realms of man.

At the behest of Empress Miela, shepherd of the Connected Realms, this year's call to competition carries the suggested theme, Nine Lives.

While writing to this theme is by no means mandatory for consideration in the Tournament of Words, its inclusion will surely win you favor with Empress Miela, and the authors of her preferred entries will be seated at her table during the Tournament ball.

Rules:

• Writers choosing to participate are challenged to complete a novella (at least) by the due date of December 31st, 2015 - this means a wordcount of 20k-40k.

• This novella must be a new work - no waiting until December and then posting something you wrote four years ago (this does not preclude you from expanding on, say, a short story)!
  
  
• Any in-progress or completed novellas can be posted on the Stories sub-forum (marked as [2015 Novella Challenge]), should you wish potential feedback or confirmation - this also means it will still be eligible for publication should you choose to go that route.
  
  
• Writers are free to take any discussions off-forum, such as workshopping, or critiques, or plotting - if any discussions happen here, please post in this thread, or if a separate thread is necessary, please mark it as a [2015 Novella Challenge] thread.

[Decide how voting is going to work and put that info here. Are there going to be categories or is everything going to be considered together? What meal will be served at the Tournament Ball? Are we sure the Magellanic threat is neutralized, or is Miela's mouthpiece simply trying to project an air of calm in the face of the forthcoming war?]

Good luck, I say to all of you, and may Fortune shine ever on the Empire.

 

[KatG]

So while I was away visiting with my niece, I discovered that a whole bunch of people in the Writing Forum -- the Writing Forum no less -- decided to toss the forum guidelines out the window and engage in a cross-thread flame war. And Nila brought the situation to the attention of staff. So I am posting this in both of these threads so that this message will be perfectly clear to all parties.

1) If you have a problem with another member's behavior, including staff members, you DO NOT start flame wars and violate the rules you agreed to follow as members. I don't care what the complaint is. You contact staff by Private Message or the feedback forum with your complaint, and we will decide if it needs fixing and how it will be fixed if so. Failure to understand this procedure and follow the forum rules can result in Strikes for members or further action, including banning from the forums.

2) If you are not happy with the forum, you are free to leave it and find another place you like better on the Net. You do not threaten staff in demands that they do what you want. You do not do this especially when what you are demanding is against the rules of the forum. You do not get to decide what threads stay or go. Staff are volunteers and are not here for you to abuse. Just because Nila happens to be a very kind and generous person does not mean you get to treat her like she's your maid, is that clear? Again, failure to cooperate with staff can result in Strikes and further action including banning.

3) A novelette and a novella are two different forms of story, the difference being the length of the piece. They are not interchangeable. A novelette is 7,500 words to 17,500 words and a novella is 17,500 words to 40,000 words. A novella essentially acts as a short novel. A novelette is essentially a long short story. If you are going to try these forms as an exercise or project, you should at least understand what they entail.

4) We can allow members to run as many writing challenges or exercises as they like, as long as everybody participating follows the rules of the forum. We can have ten novella experiments going at once, all with different parameters. Or we can have no challenges whatsoever, which is what will happen if members refuse to cooperate, flame each other, are abusive to staff, and disrupt the Writing Forum so that members cannot have conversations with each other. The idea of allowing the exercises, challenges and low stakes, friendly contests in the Writing Forum, is for writers to HELP each other, support each other, get inspiration, tackle and learn new skills. Members who cannot accept these parameters and refuse to follow the rules of the forum, again, can face Strikes and further action, including banning.

5) In this particular case, Wilson was uninterested in the contest for longer forms that Luka proposed in his thread. So he asked staff for permission to start a new thread with a different challenge that better fit what he and some other members wanted to try. And that permission was granted by staff, because there is no earthly reason why not.

Neither thread will be closed or deleted. Both writing challenges can proceed. Both threads will be closely monitored by staff. (Something I never usually have had to bother with for contests because it has never occurred to me that there would be flame wars in such events.) If members participating in those threads further break the rules of the forum that you all agreed to follow, individual members may receive Strikes or further action, and the thread may be closed down if members refuse to cooperate and flame each other.

So you want to have these contests in the Writing Forum, for fun, fellowship and personal writing development? Then follow the rules and procedures of the forums. If you are unclear on what those are, or again have a complaint about another member's behavior, contact staff. But what happened here because both Nila and I were away and other staff were busy is NOT going to happen again. Accept that all parties who irritated you had no malicious intent, move on and have fun writing your brains out.

 

[RedMage]

@KatG, thank you very much for helping to resolve this matter. Sorry for interrupting your time with your niece. I hope you are having a, otherwise, happy visit.

 

[Luka Datas]

Friends, citizens, servants of Civilization and Empire,

No doubt you have heard whispers of discord in the Magellanic provinces. There is a kernel of truth in this—the races of the Lesser Cloud are a proud collective, ancient and wise and steeped in tradition that is often in conflict with our own. I assure you, diplomacy has won the day. Ideologies have been reconciled, tensions alleviated. The brewing conflict is waylaid, and for now, we are at peace in the Magellans.

So it is with a broad smile that I convey to you these happy tidings: without any immediate need for mobilization, we avoid a clash of arms and turn our attention to a clash of wits.The four hundred ninety-third Tournament of Words is upon us, and today I present the call for submissions at the Novella length, one of the oldest and most respected formats in the realms of man.

At the behest of Empress Miela, shepherd of the Connected Realms, this year's call to competition carries the suggested theme, Nine Lives..

I like the sci-fi/ fantasy geekiness of the intro - mainly because geeks are the least confronting people imaginable... maybe even more so than Buddhist monks or coma patients... I think the story you've started could be an interesting thing for the comp winners to continue on when they set up the subsequent threads... as a bit of a fun ongoing gimmick.

 

[Hoodwink]

It's a considerable jump from micro-fiction where I'm attempting to rediscover my confidence to this form, so I won't be making any promises, but I would love to give this a try. I just backspaced over the part where I said "depending on how life goes in the rest of 2015" because I've realised that's obvious enough to go unspoken and that if I don't develop the ability to write in spite of at least around the challenges of life, then I'll never write.

I appreciate both the theme and the contest nature of this proposal. Similar to the way that stories must derive from conflict, I have found that my better pieces were honed by good natured, inclusive competition with talented writers on this forum. Deconstructing winning entries, understanding what made them so good and how the author did it. It's probably why I read so slowly. (A good couple of months for anything Scott R Bakker does, savouring every sentence and nuance.)

 

[Facing]

I see the two thread names have been changed and the idea of this being a novelette contest has been emphasized. I know that this thread morphed into one discussing a novella contest but I'm wondering if there are people here who would be interested in @Luka Datas original suggestion of the novelette. At that length we might be able to do one three or four a year, still staggering the start dates so they don't compete with the other challenges.

July 15 to Oct. 8 with a week to read and vote
Oct. 15 to Jan 8 with a week to read and vote etc.

This would give us the opportunity to post submission calls that fall between the two end dates. For example, for a July to Oct. contest, we could post submission calls with dates between Oct. 15 and Jan. 1 which would give writers lots to choose from and varying amounts of time to incorporate the contest feedback before submitting or even workshop their story. As Luka mentioned before, stories can have multiple themes. Nine lives works on so many levels that I think it could be successfully incorporated into many of these calls.

 

[Hoodwink]

I'm in favour of the shorter novelette format to the novella. Not only would it help to differentiate this thread from the other but, I already worry about whether I can read and offer practical feedback for novellas if there are a lot of close-to-dealine submissions. The forum also then covers micro, flash, short, novelette and novella forms.

I might aim for exactly 17,500 words so I can sit on the threshold of whatever way it goes