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Show rules for this event
Welcome to this new WriteOff round!. This time, Roger, our enlightened and beloved tyrant (don't forget the $10 you promised me), proposes you a Short story pony contest.
• Short story means a story no less than 2,000 but no more than 8,000 words, unless your nickname is Horizon, you feel happy-go-lucky and you goal is to be admired for your ability to flout the rules;
• Pony should be self-explanatory so let's not lose time writing to much about this, though maybe that's what I'm doing right now, so okay, right, I pack it in. I would just add that you can also write about griffons if you like. Or diamond dogs, if you have anything interesting to say about them. Even Rarity's parents.
Prompt submission starts right away. Don't forget to:
• Capitalise your prompt when necessary, unless you want to attract the ire of said tyrant on you;
• Prompts must be short and not name any character (except Pinkie Pie by special request of Trick Question);
• Rating is T so refrain from any explicit prompt (unless 1. you're Trick Question; or 2. you plan to write a Star Trek crossover where Spock mates with Twilight Sparkle in which case go ahead we lack horror stories);
• ‘Ot’ is Owfully tired (what? I made a mistake? Where?);
• As long as the voting process has not started (see below) you can change your prompt any time by deleting the old one and entering a new.
Prompt submission ends Thursday, 14th (aka Bastille Day) at 12:00 GMT, whereupon the voting process begins.
You are allowed to upvote as many prompts as you deem fit. You can have an idea of how your own prompt fares by clicking on the Prompt submission button.
Prompt voting ends Friday, 15th at 12:00 GMT at which time writing begins. All stories must be checked in Monday, 18th at 12:05 GMT sharp. Late submissions will be spurned and ignored. Be wary of using characters or situations that reference too recent an episode, as many contestants do not watch the show on a per-episode basis. Using misaimed words like ‘anybody’ instead of ‘anypony’ risks you being pigeonholed as a philistine. ‘Anybunny’ is reserved to Angel or Everyday. You have been warned.
To conclude, the usual motto which goes along the lines of “Don't compromise anonymity. Doing so is ground for disqualification and we'll send Majin to fuck you as a complimentary punishment. It is highly encouraged – though in no way compulsory – to write a fake review of your own story.”
Good luck, and don't fret too much: whatever you write, my own entry will be worse, so go ahead.
• Short story means a story no less than 2,000 but no more than 8,000 words, unless your nickname is Horizon, you feel happy-go-lucky and you goal is to be admired for your ability to flout the rules;
• Pony should be self-explanatory so let's not lose time writing to much about this, though maybe that's what I'm doing right now, so okay, right, I pack it in. I would just add that you can also write about griffons if you like. Or diamond dogs, if you have anything interesting to say about them. Even Rarity's parents.
Prompt submission starts right away. Don't forget to:
• Capitalise your prompt when necessary, unless you want to attract the ire of said tyrant on you;
• Prompts must be short and not name any character (except Pinkie Pie by special request of Trick Question);
• Rating is T so refrain from any explicit prompt (unless 1. you're Trick Question; or 2. you plan to write a Star Trek crossover where Spock mates with Twilight Sparkle in which case go ahead we lack horror stories);
• ‘Ot’ is Owfully tired (what? I made a mistake? Where?);
• As long as the voting process has not started (see below) you can change your prompt any time by deleting the old one and entering a new.
Prompt submission ends Thursday, 14th (aka Bastille Day) at 12:00 GMT, whereupon the voting process begins.
You are allowed to upvote as many prompts as you deem fit. You can have an idea of how your own prompt fares by clicking on the Prompt submission button.
Prompt voting ends Friday, 15th at 12:00 GMT at which time writing begins. All stories must be checked in Monday, 18th at 12:05 GMT sharp. Late submissions will be spurned and ignored. Be wary of using characters or situations that reference too recent an episode, as many contestants do not watch the show on a per-episode basis. Using misaimed words like ‘anybody’ instead of ‘anypony’ risks you being pigeonholed as a philistine. ‘Anybunny’ is reserved to Angel or Everyday. You have been warned.
To conclude, the usual motto which goes along the lines of “Don't compromise anonymity. Doing so is ground for disqualification and we'll send Majin to fuck you as a complimentary punishment. It is highly encouraged – though in no way compulsory – to write a fake review of your own story.”
Good luck, and don't fret too much: whatever you write, my own entry will be worse, so go ahead.
>>Monokeras
Well now I'm just tempted to compromise my anonymity D:
Don't compromise anonymity. Doing so is ground for disqualification and we'll send Majin to fuck you as a complimentary punishment.
Well now I'm just tempted to compromise my anonymity D:
Blarg, I can't believe that the last time I actually participated was the previous MLP short story round...
To be honest, though, I haven't been feeling very good about my own writing, as of late. Still not sure if I'm going to be able to scrounge up enough motivation for this one. :S
To be honest, though, I haven't been feeling very good about my own writing, as of late. Still not sure if I'm going to be able to scrounge up enough motivation for this one. :S
Of course it's the weekend of the Eldritch Moon prerelease. Well, at least it's not a minific round; that'd eat up most of the writing period.
I dunno if I can actually enter, given weekend plans and especially that I can only type with my right hand for a while, but I hope I can. This is the most relaxed I've been with the most free time going into a writeoff in a long time. Fingers crossed! (on the good hand, of course)
Alicornacation
Reckon I can get away with just submitting the first chapter of Alicornitus if this prompt wins?
Here's hoping that all those on the fence will find a way to participate this time. :twilightsmile: We had a pretty small Original Short round last time, and more entries would be great!
(I'm hoping to join in as well... I could start to get a decent participation streak going... but time is ever unpredictable with little ones.) :raritydespair:
(I'm hoping to join in as well... I could start to get a decent participation streak going... but time is ever unpredictable with little ones.) :raritydespair:
Okay, I have the time to write for this one. And I have a story I really want to write, so here's hoping the prompt allows for it as I don't want to wait 12 weeks to get to it.
>>FanOfMostEverything
It's a very different experience writing something in the WO, however, and I want that experience for this story.
Also, most of my non-WO writing time goes to my blog.
It's a very different experience writing something in the WO, however, and I want that experience for this story.
Also, most of my non-WO writing time goes to my blog.
>>Bugle
I daresay you could write it for the Writeoff regardless. Just stick a title drop in there somewhere. :-p
But then I'm not the biggest stickler about stories being a 100% match for the prompt. All things being equal, I'd probably rather read a story someone is passionate about writing.
I daresay you could write it for the Writeoff regardless. Just stick a title drop in there somewhere. :-p
But then I'm not the biggest stickler about stories being a 100% match for the prompt. All things being equal, I'd probably rather read a story someone is passionate about writing.
I'm somewhat disappointed Random-Pretentious-Sounding-Phrase didn't win, but it gave it a good shot. So, how many Lost Cities fics are we going to get this round? I'm taking bets.
>>billymorph
hmmm, could be interesting...I wasn't thinking about that. It would be sweet, though
hmmm, could be interesting...I wasn't thinking about that. It would be sweet, though
Pretty sure:
I'm out this round. I'm involved in a "submit something every day during July" contest sponsored by Zoetic Press that I'm writing a series of linked poems for, and the San Diego Comic-Con is next weekend, so I need to get a lotta stuff done this weekend before heading down there.
Mike
I'm out this round. I'm involved in a "submit something every day during July" contest sponsored by Zoetic Press that I'm writing a series of linked poems for, and the San Diego Comic-Con is next weekend, so I need to get a lotta stuff done this weekend before heading down there.
Mike
Well, I know what I'm writing!
I definitely don't have the talent to pull it off optimally, but I think I have the talent to pull it of well enough to be entertaining to some.
Best of luck to all writers!
I definitely don't have the talent to pull it off optimally, but I think I have the talent to pull it of well enough to be entertaining to some.
Best of luck to all writers!
Funny, there's this idea I had some time ago for a story that fits the theme.
Let us see if I can pull it off before the deadline.
Let us see if I can pull it off before the deadline.
>>ZaidValRoa
Oh yeah, as per my usual, I'm pulling from a desperately moldy old idea that just might fit this.
Oh yeah, as per my usual, I'm pulling from a desperately moldy old idea that just might fit this.
I meant to try something new this round, but I should have said so when prompt voting was still going on. The writing period snuck up on me, and I have email notifications off, so... I guess I lose out.
Anyway, here's my idea. I'll help one person a day with their story. On Friday (which won't happen now, since it's already Friday), that might mean only helping flesh out the premise and warning of any pitfalls I can envision with it. On Saturday, that might be seeing the start of the story or maybe even a rough draft. On Sunday, that might be giving a full review of the finished product. Whatever you have done at the time. Just provide me a link to the work in progress, if there is one, and I'll go over it before making myself available for an hour for live discussion.
So here are the rules. Send me a PM on FiMFiction saying what day you want. Obviously, Sunday is more useful, but that means most people will pick it, so that also makes any one person less likely to get it. So do you want to play for better odds or feedback on something that's as close as possible to being finished? The choice is yours. I will randomly choose one of the people who requested each day and notify them by 1 PM Eastern time on Saturday via FiMFiction PM that they were selected. I will only contact the selected ones, so if you don't hear from me, you weren't picked. I will be available any time between 7:00 PM and 11:59 PM Eastern each day. The clock gets triggered when you send me a link to your in-progress doc. I will spend an hour leaving comments and suggestions on it. Take whatever time you want to look over those, then contact me by a method of your choice (FimFic PM, email/Gchat, Skype chat, Google hangouts, Skype call). I will spend up to an hour talking to you about your story and answering questions, and I will leave it up to you to establish that contact. Just make sure all of that happens during those hours. Keep in mind that you'll need to send me a contact request on Skype first if you want to use that, and identify who you are if your Skype ID differs much from your FiMFiction one. I use this same user ID on Google, gmail, and Skype as on FiMFiction and here. I will not reveal which authors I did or didn't help, but if you want to tell people, that's your business. I will not be entering the write-off myself, so I have no conflict of interest.
Will this actually help? That's up to you to decide. In short story rounds, I've made the finals often enough, but it's been a long time since I got a medal in one. I also often differ quite a bit on what stories I think deserve to be the top finishers, so take that for what it's worth. I may persuade you to do things that other reviewers don't like. In fact, that's probably guaranteed to happen, since most choices you make will appeal to some readers and not to others. Almost nothing is universally liked. Still, I think it will be a net positive.
If this works out well, I may do it regularly, or I may expand to minific rounds (where I could probably help several people per day).
I'm interested to see whether I get any takers and if it makes a difference.
Anyway, here's my idea. I'll help one person a day with their story. On Friday (which won't happen now, since it's already Friday), that might mean only helping flesh out the premise and warning of any pitfalls I can envision with it. On Saturday, that might be seeing the start of the story or maybe even a rough draft. On Sunday, that might be giving a full review of the finished product. Whatever you have done at the time. Just provide me a link to the work in progress, if there is one, and I'll go over it before making myself available for an hour for live discussion.
So here are the rules. Send me a PM on FiMFiction saying what day you want. Obviously, Sunday is more useful, but that means most people will pick it, so that also makes any one person less likely to get it. So do you want to play for better odds or feedback on something that's as close as possible to being finished? The choice is yours. I will randomly choose one of the people who requested each day and notify them by 1 PM Eastern time on Saturday via FiMFiction PM that they were selected. I will only contact the selected ones, so if you don't hear from me, you weren't picked. I will be available any time between 7:00 PM and 11:59 PM Eastern each day. The clock gets triggered when you send me a link to your in-progress doc. I will spend an hour leaving comments and suggestions on it. Take whatever time you want to look over those, then contact me by a method of your choice (FimFic PM, email/Gchat, Skype chat, Google hangouts, Skype call). I will spend up to an hour talking to you about your story and answering questions, and I will leave it up to you to establish that contact. Just make sure all of that happens during those hours. Keep in mind that you'll need to send me a contact request on Skype first if you want to use that, and identify who you are if your Skype ID differs much from your FiMFiction one. I use this same user ID on Google, gmail, and Skype as on FiMFiction and here. I will not reveal which authors I did or didn't help, but if you want to tell people, that's your business. I will not be entering the write-off myself, so I have no conflict of interest.
Will this actually help? That's up to you to decide. In short story rounds, I've made the finals often enough, but it's been a long time since I got a medal in one. I also often differ quite a bit on what stories I think deserve to be the top finishers, so take that for what it's worth. I may persuade you to do things that other reviewers don't like. In fact, that's probably guaranteed to happen, since most choices you make will appeal to some readers and not to others. Almost nothing is universally liked. Still, I think it will be a net positive.
If this works out well, I may do it regularly, or I may expand to minific rounds (where I could probably help several people per day).
I'm interested to see whether I get any takers and if it makes a difference.
>>Pascoite
That's an awesome offer, from an awesome author! I still don't know for sure if I'm really going to get something done, but I am going to give it a shot, at least. I can't commit to having a story written at this point so I won'ttry to sign up but I am so grateful you're doing this!
That's an awesome offer, from an awesome author! I still don't know for sure if I'm really going to get something done, but I am going to give it a shot, at least. I can't commit to having a story written at this point so I won'ttry to sign up but I am so grateful you're doing this!
Crud. This was my best opportunity to write this weekend... And my story is MAYBE a third of the way done...
>>TheCyanRecluse
I've hit my increasingly traditional panic point as well. Having a lovely weekend; just not eking out much writing time.
Alas, if all I get done this weekend is fleshing-out an old story idea into a synopsis I can actually write at some point, I'll call it a win.
I've hit my increasingly traditional panic point as well. Having a lovely weekend; just not eking out much writing time.
Alas, if all I get done this weekend is fleshing-out an old story idea into a synopsis I can actually write at some point, I'll call it a win.
>>CoffeeMinion
Ah, but you see, my problem isn't lack of story ideas or synopsis's (Synopses?)... It's a lck of ambition to actually get down and drty and write the damned stories!
Which is why I enjoy these competitions so much. they force me to get off my duff and write!
Unfortunately, it's a rather large duff, and sometimes it takes quite a lot to force me to get off it and put words to paper... Or fingers to keyboard rather... O.o
Ah, but you see, my problem isn't lack of story ideas or synopsis's (Synopses?)... It's a lck of ambition to actually get down and drty and write the damned stories!
Which is why I enjoy these competitions so much. they force me to get off my duff and write!
Unfortunately, it's a rather large duff, and sometimes it takes quite a lot to force me to get off it and put words to paper... Or fingers to keyboard rather... O.o
Whelp.
My story's done... Though I've gone way beyond the word limit. Thankfully, I still have ~20 hours to get rid of the superfluous...
Uh...
Three thousand words.
Yeah, I can do this.
My story's done... Though I've gone way beyond the word limit. Thankfully, I still have ~20 hours to get rid of the superfluous...
Uh...
Three thousand words.
Yeah, I can do this.
>>ZaidValRoa
Perhaps, rather than rid yourself of so much, you could keep it for publication?
If you want it to be part of the writeoff, I'd at least recommend not permanently deleting those additional words. Keep them for reference.
Perhaps, rather than rid yourself of so much, you could keep it for publication?
If you want it to be part of the writeoff, I'd at least recommend not permanently deleting those additional words. Keep them for reference.
>>Everyday
Yeah, I'm making a copy and see what can I trim down.
I hope I can end up with something I can submit, I'd hate to sit out of yet another writeoff. This is the first one I've actually had time for which to write since May.
Yeah, I'm making a copy and see what can I trim down.
I hope I can end up with something I can submit, I'd hate to sit out of yet another writeoff. This is the first one I've actually had time for which to write since May.
Finished my first draft. Given my tendency to overwrite things, I'm pleasantly surprised to announce that it's only fifteen words above the maximum!
I'll be spending the rest of the weekend revising it for submission. Staying up late writing My Little Pony fanfiction is a socially acceptable way of spending one's Sunday, right?
I'll be spending the rest of the weekend revising it for submission. Staying up late writing My Little Pony fanfiction is a socially acceptable way of spending one's Sunday, right?
BWHAHAHAHA! It is DONE!
Now all I need to do it format it, fix all the formatting errors, and edit it properly.
All in about fifteen minutes. Because I need to work tomorrow, and I need sleep if I'm going to remain awake through pointless meetings. O.o
This.. this is not good.
Now all I need to do it format it, fix all the formatting errors, and edit it properly.
All in about fifteen minutes. Because I need to work tomorrow, and I need sleep if I'm going to remain awake through pointless meetings. O.o
This.. this is not good.
It's funny; I've had a fantastic weekend IRL, but I've managed no writing time whatsoever. Now choosing between sleep or a last minute suicide-push...
Nah. Go well, friends. See you in 3 weeks!
Nah. Go well, friends. See you in 3 weeks!
Ok, I decided to do just one good story this time instead of two 'meh' ones, so it's loaded and ready to go. Unfortunately, my Alicorn Pon Farr story did not get finished in time, so it will have to wait until later.
Princess Twilight Sparkle stared up into the alien's dark brown eyes, caught up in the rush of hormones as her heart hammered fiercely and the scent of his musky sweat washed over her.
"Pheromones from the alien being," she gasped, scribbling furiously in her notebook. "Too strong to resist. Fascinating. Must investigate further."
Princess Twilight Sparkle stared up into the alien's dark brown eyes, caught up in the rush of hormones as her heart hammered fiercely and the scent of his musky sweat washed over her.
"Pheromones from the alien being," she gasped, scribbling furiously in her notebook. "Too strong to resist. Fascinating. Must investigate further."
Hello Everyone. If you are reading this, this means that, and I quote, "I'm back!" :D
I already had story in the works and I believe it worked really well with this prompt. I already submitted it and I can't wait for you all to read it. I know it might not get views but I hope that I will get a good response for it. Took me all three days to make it and I am happy with the result. Take care everyone and I will see you again soon.
~Broman.
I already had story in the works and I believe it worked really well with this prompt. I already submitted it and I can't wait for you all to read it. I know it might not get views but I hope that I will get a good response for it. Took me all three days to make it and I am happy with the result. Take care everyone and I will see you again soon.
~Broman.
>>ZaidValRoa
Whelp...
Managed to get it down to 8.6k words, bu it wasn't the same. The flow was choppy, and some parts felt rushed.
Guess I won't be taking part on this round.
...
Again.
...
Dang it...
Whelp...
Managed to get it down to 8.6k words, bu it wasn't the same. The flow was choppy, and some parts felt rushed.
Guess I won't be taking part on this round.
...
Again.
...
Dang it...
I have produced what I am certain is a brilliant entry in the wake of Trotcon. Now I can sleep guilt-free. Good night!
I admit, I found the prompt initially only lead me to sad and disheartening ideas. I have this sense that our fandom itself, such as it is, is winding down. That's the way of the world of course, but still sad. So "End of an Era" felt particularly depressing to me, as I turn to Pony to cheer myself up.
That said, I rallied and just managed to get one in under the wire. Kind of proud of it, more so than I thought when writing the first parts, as things really only came together in the last bit, but did so better than expected. Wish I had more time to really rewrite the middle though. Oh well. Let's see how it fares!
Best of luck to all!
That said, I rallied and just managed to get one in under the wire. Kind of proud of it, more so than I thought when writing the first parts, as things really only came together in the last bit, but did so better than expected. Wish I had more time to really rewrite the middle though. Oh well. Let's see how it fares!
Best of luck to all!
I know I'm not gonna finish my entry within the next 40 minutes, so I must admit defeat.
But I fell in love with my story idea, and really wanted to get some good feedback, so I'll finish it as soon as I can anyway. I guess I'll post it in this thread and hope it doesn't get lost (like last time). reviews plz?
also:
I don't know what the contest's turnout will be, but since many people are predicting we'll mostly get stories about doom and gloom.... I have to apologize, because my story was exactly the opposite. and now I can't add to that (assumed) minority.
But I fell in love with my story idea, and really wanted to get some good feedback, so I'll finish it as soon as I can anyway. I guess I'll post it in this thread and hope it doesn't get lost (like last time). reviews plz?
also:
I don't know what the contest's turnout will be, but since many people are predicting we'll mostly get stories about doom and gloom.... I have to apologize, because my story was exactly the opposite. and now I can't add to that (assumed) minority.
I completely and totally chickened out. Ugh. The idea I had when I voted for the prompt ended up seeming either too cheesy or too Lost Cities-ish (which I know I would NOT have done justice to) and the other idea I thought about.... I thought it was kind of interesting, to me, but I am a total coward and am too sure it would be WAYYYYY sub-par to writeoff standards to even try putting it on paper (er...screen). argh. Sorry guys. I really thought I'd do it this time.
So the bad news is ... I lost Friday to working on a story that was going absolutely nowhere (a shitty political rant about Donald Trump, because I didn't learn my lesson last round apparently). Then I lost Saturday to tabletop role-playing, and I had another RP session earlier today. With the time remaining, there's pretty much no possible way that I should have been able to pull together anything above trollfic quality.
The good news is, somehow I did anyway.
And for the first time in like six months, I'm actively happy with the result.
I'm not gonna jinx this with predictions (I'm not! I'm not!), but anyone who's been here for long enough knows how critical I am on my own stuff. For me to turn out something I'm happy with ... well, that's a big deal.
(/Braces for incoming critiques)
The good news is, somehow I did anyway.
And for the first time in like six months, I'm actively happy with the result.
I'm not gonna jinx this with predictions (I'm not! I'm not!), but anyone who's been here for long enough knows how critical I am on my own stuff. For me to turn out something I'm happy with ... well, that's a big deal.
(/Braces for incoming critiques)
>>Xepher
With respect: There may be fewer people at the party than there used to be, and not everyone who was there at the beginning is still there, but the party ain't over yet.
Heck, I didn't even know there was a party until a year and a half ago. :-p
With respect: There may be fewer people at the party than there used to be, and not everyone who was there at the beginning is still there, but the party ain't over yet.
Heck, I didn't even know there was a party until a year and a half ago. :-p
Shoot, I found me a little continuity snarl in my entry--a minor little editing mistake that I'm going to be kicking myself over.
I apologize in advance.
EDIT: I have found several tiny continuity snarls.
Dear Princess Celestia, today I learned that there's no such thing as overediting.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go breathe into a paper bag for the next week.
I apologize in advance.
EDIT: I have found several tiny continuity snarls.
Dear Princess Celestia, today I learned that there's no such thing as overediting.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go breathe into a paper bag for the next week.
>>Posh
The good news is that, having discovered them, you can fix them before FIMFiction publication. A goal that a lot of authors have here is to put the written-in-a-weekend story through the crucible so you can improve it before posting the "final" version.
It might add noise to the reviewing signals, because being told about problems you're aware of is not nearly as helpful as being told about problems you don't see. And it might drag the story down a bit in the rankings, depending on whether readers catch the goofs too. But we all realize (or should realize) that the deadline is tight and what's posted here suffers from that. A flawed Writeoff draft is definitely not a reflection of your skill as an author.
The good news is that, having discovered them, you can fix them before FIMFiction publication. A goal that a lot of authors have here is to put the written-in-a-weekend story through the crucible so you can improve it before posting the "final" version.
It might add noise to the reviewing signals, because being told about problems you're aware of is not nearly as helpful as being told about problems you don't see. And it might drag the story down a bit in the rankings, depending on whether readers catch the goofs too. But we all realize (or should realize) that the deadline is tight and what's posted here suffers from that. A flawed Writeoff draft is definitely not a reflection of your skill as an author.
Wow:
One story per author this round? I can't even remember the last time that happened!
Mike
One story per author this round? I can't even remember the last time that happened!
Mike
apparently everyone who uses "well-written" in their reviews is going to be called out and shamed at the end of the event.
isn't that fun?
isn't that fun?
>>Haze
haze made his point well, imo, and I agree with him.
In general, if you'd like to point something out as constructive criticism for reviews, great! Personally, I appreciate hearing how my reviews could be better or more helpful. There's limits to my skills as an amateur writer, of course, but I'll do my best.
However, the suggested implementation sounded more like a shaming thing than a constructive thing. All I ask is that people please be constructive if you'd like to see something more or better out of reviews, but not demanding. For me, working up the self-confidence to think I'd have something helpful to say in a review is already a challenge.
/twocents
isn't that fun?
haze made his point well, imo, and I agree with him.
In general, if you'd like to point something out as constructive criticism for reviews, great! Personally, I appreciate hearing how my reviews could be better or more helpful. There's limits to my skills as an amateur writer, of course, but I'll do my best.
However, the suggested implementation sounded more like a shaming thing than a constructive thing. All I ask is that people please be constructive if you'd like to see something more or better out of reviews, but not demanding. For me, working up the self-confidence to think I'd have something helpful to say in a review is already a challenge.
/twocents
>>FrontSevens
Could you please elaborate what this is all about? Did someone call for a way to rate reviews in the chat or something?
Could you please elaborate what this is all about? Did someone call for a way to rate reviews in the chat or something?
>>wYvern
Someone brought up that they'd like to see the phrase "well-written" used less in reviews, and they had a fair point. "Well-written" is a complement, but sort of a vague term--does it mean technical competence, or does it mean the prose flowed well, or does it mean it evoked the story's intended emotion/tone through word choice, etc. I've used "well-written" before and I'm starting to see its vagueness.
A suggestion was made that at the end of the round, all reviews using the phrase "well-written" would be compiled into one comment to point them all out. It didn't seem like a constructive method to me. Again, it's a fair point, but it's the method I disagree with, is all.
Someone brought up that they'd like to see the phrase "well-written" used less in reviews, and they had a fair point. "Well-written" is a complement, but sort of a vague term--does it mean technical competence, or does it mean the prose flowed well, or does it mean it evoked the story's intended emotion/tone through word choice, etc. I've used "well-written" before and I'm starting to see its vagueness.
A suggestion was made that at the end of the round, all reviews using the phrase "well-written" would be compiled into one comment to point them all out. It didn't seem like a constructive method to me. Again, it's a fair point, but it's the method I disagree with, is all.
>>FrontSevens
Thanks for clearing that up.
On topic: I use well-written exactly because it is vague. I use it as a term to mean everything I do not criticize. If something really stood out, I might mention what I loved in particular, but I try to concentrate on finding things to point out where the story could improve. I don't feel obliged to provide already competent writers with fancier compliments.
Thanks for clearing that up.
On topic: I use well-written exactly because it is vague. I use it as a term to mean everything I do not criticize. If something really stood out, I might mention what I loved in particular, but I try to concentrate on finding things to point out where the story could improve. I don't feel obliged to provide already competent writers with fancier compliments.
>>FrontSevens
>>Haze
>>wYvern
>>FrontSevens
>>RogerDodger
>>Haze
I'd like to nip this in the bud before it becomes any more of an issue than it is currently and is unnecessarily blown out of proportion.
>>FrontSevens
This is me and my opinion on the usage of "well-written" in reviews. I don't really see any conversation discussing the relative validity of this opinion to be particularly germane to the Write Off, which is why I choose to discuss it informally as a particular commentary on trends of reviewing I've noticed in the Write Off Discord chat.
>>FrontSevens
This refers to an offhand comment Roger made in response to me noting the use of "well-written" in the reviews so far. Essentially he said that I should make a list and point out the frequency of the usage. I assume this was not a particularly serious recommendation, and it is not in my interest to "shame" anyone, nor do I think it is Roger's intention that anyone be "shamed" as well. I didn't respond to that comment Roger made or make any indication that I was planning to do anything of the sort.
>>Haze
I like Haze. But I can't help but feel a bit disrespected in being called out for something that I never intended to do as if I were plotting some sort of reviewer-bashing conspiracy, and on behalf of Roger, who is a friend of mine that I've known for years now, who was not given the benefit of the assuming good intentions when he was making that kind of wry joke. I think it is a case of irony that a post claiming to be against calling people out and shaming them essentially was written for that end, especially when it is not truthful. But I don't think Haze wrote his post with poor intentions either. He was being protective of a community he values, in perhaps a slightly abrasive way, but nonetheless the concern is there.
I don't want this discussion to continue. I don't see the point of stirring up drama on this board.
>>Haze
>>wYvern
>>FrontSevens
>>RogerDodger
>>Haze
I'd like to nip this in the bud before it becomes any more of an issue than it is currently and is unnecessarily blown out of proportion.
>>FrontSevens
Someone brought up that they'd like to see the phrase "well-written" used less in reviews, and they had a fair point.
This is me and my opinion on the usage of "well-written" in reviews. I don't really see any conversation discussing the relative validity of this opinion to be particularly germane to the Write Off, which is why I choose to discuss it informally as a particular commentary on trends of reviewing I've noticed in the Write Off Discord chat.
>>FrontSevens
A suggestion was made that at the end of the round, all reviews using the phrase "well-written" would be compiled into one comment to point them all out. It didn't seem like a constructive method to me. Again, it's a fair point, but it's the method I disagree with, is all.
This refers to an offhand comment Roger made in response to me noting the use of "well-written" in the reviews so far. Essentially he said that I should make a list and point out the frequency of the usage. I assume this was not a particularly serious recommendation, and it is not in my interest to "shame" anyone, nor do I think it is Roger's intention that anyone be "shamed" as well. I didn't respond to that comment Roger made or make any indication that I was planning to do anything of the sort.
>>Haze
apparently everyone who uses "well-written" in their reviews is going to be called out and shamed at the end of the event.
isn't that fun?
I like Haze. But I can't help but feel a bit disrespected in being called out for something that I never intended to do as if I were plotting some sort of reviewer-bashing conspiracy, and on behalf of Roger, who is a friend of mine that I've known for years now, who was not given the benefit of the assuming good intentions when he was making that kind of wry joke. I think it is a case of irony that a post claiming to be against calling people out and shaming them essentially was written for that end, especially when it is not truthful. But I don't think Haze wrote his post with poor intentions either. He was being protective of a community he values, in perhaps a slightly abrasive way, but nonetheless the concern is there.
I don't want this discussion to continue. I don't see the point of stirring up drama on this board.
Since I'm new here, I want to ask: What's considered an appropriate number of stories to read and comment on? Is it left to individual discretion? Is there an etiquette related to the number of stories you can read and vote on?
I exhausted the original set of stories on my slate a while ago, and it occurred to me that I might be violating some kind of tacit rule..
I exhausted the original set of stories on my slate a while ago, and it occurred to me that I might be violating some kind of tacit rule..
>>Posh
Oh dear sweet yes, what >>Syeekoh said. The slate is simply provided as a gentle minimum suggestion for reading and ranking, in order to get enough data to sort finalist and non-finalist stories out. You can always keep clicking "Add Another" to keep plowing through stories until you run out or get tired, and we'll love you for it.
Readers willing to provide feedback on lots and lots of entries are precious gems to be nurtured and praised.
Oh dear sweet yes, what >>Syeekoh said. The slate is simply provided as a gentle minimum suggestion for reading and ranking, in order to get enough data to sort finalist and non-finalist stories out. You can always keep clicking "Add Another" to keep plowing through stories until you run out or get tired, and we'll love you for it.
Readers willing to provide feedback on lots and lots of entries are precious gems to be nurtured and praised.
Georg’s first Round Micro Reviews for the new stories on my slate End Of An Era: Scores are letter grades for Plot, Technical Work, and Characterization mushed together, with an E for stories I find particularly Enjoyable. Ranked by how I like them, not necessarily how perfect they are on the score. (and posted all at once, from top to bottom so they line up on the chat.) It’s the last minute (again), so I need to get reading. (Darned real world)
And with that that comes to the end of my entries. I hope they were fair and balanced and that everyone understood what I had said. I hope my story gets the same common courtesy and gets reviewed based on content and story instead of the critical grammar issues within. I believe I did well with my work and actually writing more into my own draft from the suggestions that have been made and I hope it gets up there in the polls.
Otherwise, if it doesn't, I can still send it to anyone who is an editor here and can dissect it and cross stitch it back up and make it better once again.
Good luck to the rest of you and I can't wait for the end result. :)
Otherwise, if it doesn't, I can still send it to anyone who is an editor here and can dissect it and cross stitch it back up and make it better once again.
Good luck to the rest of you and I can't wait for the end result. :)
>>Broman
Don't forget, you can review more than just what's on your initial slate.
On that note, with the weekend upon us, let's break down the least reviewed stories:
Historical Gaps (#8), Permission to Land (#20), and The Next Dawn (#27) each have only three comments.
A New Home (#9), Bonitatem Doce Me (#15), and The Rainbow Crossing (#19) each have only four comments, and A New Home has only three unique commenters.
Remember, authors can't improve if they don't know what they did wrong, and they won't know what parts worked best without an outside perspective.
Don't forget, you can review more than just what's on your initial slate.
On that note, with the weekend upon us, let's break down the least reviewed stories:
Historical Gaps (#8), Permission to Land (#20), and The Next Dawn (#27) each have only three comments.
A New Home (#9), Bonitatem Doce Me (#15), and The Rainbow Crossing (#19) each have only four comments, and A New Home has only three unique commenters.
Remember, authors can't improve if they don't know what they did wrong, and they won't know what parts worked best without an outside perspective.
>>FanOfMostEverything
On this note, I would also like to point out Fire in the Promised Land (#26), which only has four unique commenters.
Let's bring 'em all up to five, everybody! :o :>
On this note, I would also like to point out Fire in the Promised Land (#26), which only has four unique commenters.
Let's bring 'em all up to five, everybody! :o :>
In order to help Horizon with mash-up time (because of his tight schedule), I'm going to try my own here
The Sin of a Writer's New Beginning - Twilight struggles to start an original story without borrowing/stealing the plot out of one of Spike's comic books.
The Next Dawn in the Promised Land - A victorious Celestia raises the sun after her sister's defeat, only to cause a wave of frost and snow that all of ponykind must flee.
My Little Fentsie's Slingshot - A cute abandoned little dracofelinequus foal decides that Equestria is too far away, and develops an Interstellar KK-drive to move Earth into their solar system in time for tea with Princess Celestia. With sugar.
Saved by the Concubinus or How Luna Got Her Groovy Stallion Back - Princess Luna decides she needs a male companion, so she travels to the human realm to bring back the English teacher at a school. Unfortunately, the Luna there already has first dibs on him. They decide to share. He helps correct their grammar.
The Day The God Of Time Stopped By For Pokemon - When the God of Time drops by Fluttershy's house with a proposition, the human Luna captures him in a Pokeball, jubilant that she has 'caught them all' and can now return to her job as vice principal at Canterlot High. In appreciation, she gives Fluttershy a replacement rabbit with a much nicer personality.
The Sin of a Writer's New Beginning - Twilight struggles to start an original story without borrowing/stealing the plot out of one of Spike's comic books.
The Next Dawn in the Promised Land - A victorious Celestia raises the sun after her sister's defeat, only to cause a wave of frost and snow that all of ponykind must flee.
My Little Fentsie's Slingshot - A cute abandoned little dracofelinequus foal decides that Equestria is too far away, and develops an Interstellar KK-drive to move Earth into their solar system in time for tea with Princess Celestia. With sugar.
Saved by the Concubinus or How Luna Got Her Groovy Stallion Back - Princess Luna decides she needs a male companion, so she travels to the human realm to bring back the English teacher at a school. Unfortunately, the Luna there already has first dibs on him. They decide to share. He helps correct their grammar.
The Day The God Of Time Stopped By For Pokemon - When the God of Time drops by Fluttershy's house with a proposition, the human Luna captures him in a Pokeball, jubilant that she has 'caught them all' and can now return to her job as vice principal at Canterlot High. In appreciation, she gives Fluttershy a replacement rabbit with a much nicer personality.
The Sin of a Writer's New Beginning - Twilight struggles to start an original story without borrowing/stealing the plot out of one of Spike's comic books.
The Next Dawn in the Promised Land - A victorious Celestia raises the sun after her sister's defeat, only to cause a wave of frost and snow that all of ponykind must flee.
My Little Fentsie's Slingshot - A cute abandoned little dracofelinequus foal decides that Equestria is too far away, and develops an Interstellar KK-drive to move Earth into their solar system in time for tea with Princess Celestia. With sugar.
Saved by the Concubinus or How Luna Got Her Groovy Stallion Back - Princess Luna decides she needs a male companion, so she travels to the human realm to bring back the English teacher at a school. Unfortunately, the Luna there already has first dibs on him. They decide to share. He helps correct their grammar.
The Day The God Of Time Stopped By For Pokemon - When the God of Time drops by Fluttershy's house with a proposition, the human Luna captures him in a Pokeball, jubilant that she has 'caught them all' and can now return to her job as vice principal at Canterlot High. In appreciation, she gives Fluttershy a replacement rabbit with a much nicer personality.
Holy hell's bells, those all sound like synopses to stories I'd either want to read or write.
>>georg
Wait, "help Horizon" with mash-up time? Are mash-ups a Horizon thing now? D: I remember back when they were a huge collaborative effort! I've just been posting them to keep the tradition alive.
In other words, thank you! And these were great. I'll add a few modest contributions from among the ones I've read, but I hope that everyone feels comfortable chipping in:
Permission to Throne - After Princess Luna comes to the reluctant decision that being possessed by a demon of darkness and banished on the moon means she can no longer lead Equestria, Celestia and the Royal Council give her a heartwarming and tear-filled sendoff.
A Soul Falls From A Sentenced Mare - A history class learns about how, when Princess Twilight was imprisoned and her friends were tortured, she snapped and started listening to a voice in her head called Vengeance, and then went on a rampage and slaughtered Tirek and brought peace back to the land.
Yo Mama Is Clockwork - When the scholar Quiet Time is called before Pegasus Lord Radiant Beam to investigate a long-sealed legendary clock, he cracks the titular joke. His adventure ends abruptly when he's put in prison, because Beam's mother literally is a steampunk automaton and he's very sensitive about it.
Wait, "help Horizon" with mash-up time? Are mash-ups a Horizon thing now? D: I remember back when they were a huge collaborative effort! I've just been posting them to keep the tradition alive.
In other words, thank you! And these were great. I'll add a few modest contributions from among the ones I've read, but I hope that everyone feels comfortable chipping in:
Permission to Throne - After Princess Luna comes to the reluctant decision that being possessed by a demon of darkness and banished on the moon means she can no longer lead Equestria, Celestia and the Royal Council give her a heartwarming and tear-filled sendoff.
A Soul Falls From A Sentenced Mare - A history class learns about how, when Princess Twilight was imprisoned and her friends were tortured, she snapped and started listening to a voice in her head called Vengeance, and then went on a rampage and slaughtered Tirek and brought peace back to the land.
Yo Mama Is Clockwork - When the scholar Quiet Time is called before Pegasus Lord Radiant Beam to investigate a long-sealed legendary clock, he cracks the titular joke. His adventure ends abruptly when he's put in prison, because Beam's mother literally is a steampunk automaton and he's very sensitive about it.
>>horizon Can anyone get in on this?
Solitude Doce Me for the Modern Stratospheric Council - Diamond Tiara is sent as a diplomatic envoy to treat with a bunch of bellicose pegasus separatists. After a tearful farewell in which Cheerilee writes her a letter and gives her some hard cider, she arrives in Fillydelphia only to find that the pegasi have ditched her - and on Hearts and Hooves Day too! Ms. Harshwhinney finds her, and together the two get drunk off of Cheerilee's cider, and Diamond Tiara learns valuable lessons about using alcohol to cope with loneliness.
He Come to Catch At Least One Childhood's End - A decommissioned secret agent named Brave Heart steals his son Button Mash's cell phone and becomes addicted to Pokemon Go. His wife, seeing this as the last straw, divorces him and begins holding auditions for a new husband. All the interviewees flop except for one, a barely-legal colt named Firecracker whom Wifehorse cannot help being attracted to.
Solitude Doce Me for the Modern Stratospheric Council - Diamond Tiara is sent as a diplomatic envoy to treat with a bunch of bellicose pegasus separatists. After a tearful farewell in which Cheerilee writes her a letter and gives her some hard cider, she arrives in Fillydelphia only to find that the pegasi have ditched her - and on Hearts and Hooves Day too! Ms. Harshwhinney finds her, and together the two get drunk off of Cheerilee's cider, and Diamond Tiara learns valuable lessons about using alcohol to cope with loneliness.
He Come to Catch At Least One Childhood's End - A decommissioned secret agent named Brave Heart steals his son Button Mash's cell phone and becomes addicted to Pokemon Go. His wife, seeing this as the last straw, divorces him and begins holding auditions for a new husband. All the interviewees flop except for one, a barely-legal colt named Firecracker whom Wifehorse cannot help being attracted to.
>>georg
The Last Days of Yo Mama: In an effort to take over Equestria, Tirek tries to bribe Celestia's and Luna's mum with cake. After three days of binging, she experiences gravitational collapse and turns into a black hole.
The Concubine or How Luna Got to Shut Up: After her attempts to reestablish the royal harem got shut down by Celestia, Luna decides to never leave the palace again and instead live in escapist fantasies.
Wow, that last one actually sounds kinda depressing. I'd better stop.
The Last Days of Yo Mama: In an effort to take over Equestria, Tirek tries to bribe Celestia's and Luna's mum with cake. After three days of binging, she experiences gravitational collapse and turns into a black hole.
The Concubine or How Luna Got to Shut Up: After her attempts to reestablish the royal harem got shut down by Celestia, Luna decides to never leave the palace again and instead live in escapist fantasies.
Wow, that last one actually sounds kinda depressing. I'd better stop.
Just a brief alert before I go to bed here: there's only one more story with four reviews left, and that's A New Home. All it needs is one more to bring it up to five.
If you're feeling charitable, go for it! :o
If you're feeling charitable, go for it! :o
>>georg >>horizon >>Posh >>Bad Horse >>wYvern
Better late than never; I love doing these.
Fairy Slingshot: After far too long, Celestia returns home.
Opal, Gemstones, Salt, Wood, Crystal, and Solitude for the Modern Businessmare: Ms. Harshwhinny looks back on her past conquests.
The Empty Throne's Historical Gaps: Daring Do discovers what seems to be deliberately quashed archeological evidence of a second princess. Celestia realizes she was so busy doing the work of two diarchs that she kind of botched the whole "don't let Luna be forgotten" thing and asks Daring to keep it under wraps for another decade or so.
The End of One Era: Two changelings try to instigate a coup in Canterlot but are defeated by their own mental latency issues.
Heartbreak's End: Cadence's nightmarish madness ends when she's comes up against the overwhelming titan of charisma that is Firecracker.
My Little Fentsie's Sin: Celestia cruelly takes the adorable little zebra-dragon from her father, not willing to put up with yet another My Little Dashie parody.
Better late than never; I love doing these.
Fairy Slingshot: After far too long, Celestia returns home.
Opal, Gemstones, Salt, Wood, Crystal, and Solitude for the Modern Businessmare: Ms. Harshwhinny looks back on her past conquests.
The Empty Throne's Historical Gaps: Daring Do discovers what seems to be deliberately quashed archeological evidence of a second princess. Celestia realizes she was so busy doing the work of two diarchs that she kind of botched the whole "don't let Luna be forgotten" thing and asks Daring to keep it under wraps for another decade or so.
The End of One Era: Two changelings try to instigate a coup in Canterlot but are defeated by their own mental latency issues.
Heartbreak's End: Cadence's nightmarish madness ends when she's comes up against the overwhelming titan of charisma that is Firecracker.
My Little Fentsie's Sin: Celestia cruelly takes the adorable little zebra-dragon from her father, not willing to put up with yet another My Little Dashie parody.
Hello Everyone. So I guess it shows that I am the one who made the story, A New Beginning. When I was making it I was watching that video that everyone has been talking about. I was inspired by it and I thought doing it like this would have worked. I guess now that it didn't do so well in the polling but at least I gave it try. I know it was better then the time I made that story that was the Heineken James Bond reenactment that I did. Anyway I thought I did good, maybe my writing needs more tuning or I need to slow down and flesh out the details, even though I had three days to get the idea in my head and write it done. Well anyway my story is done and now it shall be shipped off to a worthy editor.
I like to thank everyone that had reviewed my story and gave it there honest opinion, which a lot of it was on the construction of the story and the technical side of things; seems I would never win on that front. Though I would like to thank Cold In Gardez for praising me on that part, the having the idea and going with it plan. I really appreciate that and that really helped me out because I really believe the story to be a winner if not at least get into the second half of the competition. I will try to flesh out this story and try to get some editors to look into this.
That is all everyone and good luck to you all in the second half of the finals. I got a story to edit.
~Broman
I like to thank everyone that had reviewed my story and gave it there honest opinion, which a lot of it was on the construction of the story and the technical side of things; seems I would never win on that front. Though I would like to thank Cold In Gardez for praising me on that part, the having the idea and going with it plan. I really appreciate that and that really helped me out because I really believe the story to be a winner if not at least get into the second half of the competition. I will try to flesh out this story and try to get some editors to look into this.
That is all everyone and good luck to you all in the second half of the finals. I got a story to edit.
~Broman
>>The_Letter_J
Re mashups spanning multiple rounds: I can't imagine why they couldn't. Though I would extend a word of caution if you want to try it — since a lot of the fun of mashups is seeing people reinterpret stories you've read, and not every participant is here every round, so the chance of someone recognizing both source stories starts dropping significantly as you dig into the past.
Re mashups spanning multiple rounds: I can't imagine why they couldn't. Though I would extend a word of caution if you want to try it — since a lot of the fun of mashups is seeing people reinterpret stories you've read, and not every participant is here every round, so the chance of someone recognizing both source stories starts dropping significantly as you dig into the past.
By the way, I did get a folder for this event created in the FIMFiction Writeoff group. Add your story there if you've edited and published it!
(If you're not able to add your story, make sure you're a member of the Fimfiction Writeoff group, and bug me so I can make you a group contributor. We had to lock down submissions a while back because we were getting spammed with story additions that weren't written for the Writeoff prompts.)
(If you're not able to add your story, make sure you're a member of the Fimfiction Writeoff group, and bug me so I can make you a group contributor. We had to lock down submissions a while back because we were getting spammed with story additions that weren't written for the Writeoff prompts.)