Monthly Writing Project: April (Read the Rules!)

LGM · Thu 01/04/2004 17:13:22

Okay, so here it is again. The Monthly Writing Project (Anyone who wants to think up a cool acronym will be my hero)

Basically, this is sorta like the MAGS comptetition. Except, instead of making a game in AGS, you'll be writing a short story. Now, to avoid confusion, you will not be writing a game. You will be writing a short story just like you would find in a collection or in a magazine. There also won't be any voting or any winners. The project will start the first of every month. You will have exactly 25 days (till the 25th) to write and complete a short story based off the topic or theme that will be given each month.

DEADLINES WILL ALWAYS BE THE 25th OF THE MONTH!

Once the deadline is reached, the submissions will be emailed to me. DO NOT UPLOAD THEM. Please email them to this address: writing_project@fbc-bettendorf.com

PDF or RTF formats are perferred. TXT is acceptable only if you don't have any specific formatting.

If all goes well, the stories will be uploaded to my server. I will eventually create a site to list all the stories written through the course of the project once I become less lazy.

Stories should be from 2-10 pages in length. Paragraph, sentence, or one word submissions will be deleted. One-page submissions are *acceptable*, but I don't reccomended them as it is most likely they will not have enough depth to be entertaining. But, if you're very talented and can write an awesome story within one page, be my guest. Please use a standard font (Times New Roman, Arial, Georgia, etc.) and single spaced.

Also, please be sure to include your full name and forum alias in the document aswell.

Okay.. So, let's get this party started. The topic for the month of April is:

Setting: A suburb of a major American city. (Chicago, New York, Los Angeles)
Theme: Life is...
Elements: A man will either commit suicide, rob a house/bank/business, or save a group of kids/people from an accident. A suitcase must be an important part of the plot. The main character must be a woman. A character's first name must be Alex(ander) or Alexandria.

Alright.. I know it's not very good topic.. But let's see what we can come up with.

Good Luck! Have lots and lots of fun, and as always.. ROCK ON

DragonRose · Thu 01/04/2004 20:29:10

Is it all right if

a) there's swearing?
b) we have someone do all three things (commit suicide, commit a robbery and save people's lives)?

Eggie · Thu 01/04/2004 23:27:57

And don't kids count as people?

Ben · Fri 02/04/2004 00:11:08

Evil, self-centered people..

Fecking Bill Cosby

Peter Thomas · Fri 02/04/2004 02:24:16

When you say a setting in America, does it have to contain relevant information? Because, living in Australia, I wouldn't have a clue about what happens in which city. So can I just say "yup - it's in New York" and then continue the story so that it could really be set in 'any' big city?

Akumayo · Fri 02/04/2004 04:03:12

I think I'm going to sit this one out... I can't really relate to real reality, I write to much fantasy/gothic. Besides, Theme: Life Is... doesn't really make sense to me, so, good luck to everyone who wants to enter this thing!!! I be back next month!!!

BruisedWeasel · Fri 02/04/2004 04:26:00

I'm going to give it a go. I've not sat and written anything for ages, and I'm probably rusty as the bolt in LGM's unused cranium.

Peter Thomas · Fri 02/04/2004 12:55:25

I'd watch my adjectives, if I were you, Bruised.

LGM's avatar is PROOF that you don't want to mess with his peanut butter. It will get you when you least expect it...

LGM · Sat 03/04/2004 04:32:37

I'm not gonna be anal about rules.. As long as you follow them as close as your knowledge takes you, go for it..

Just write something good and I'll be happy.. But please stay within the rules as best you can

BruisedWeasel · Sat 03/04/2004 04:36:22

Peter, LGM is a genius, ergo he keeps a spare cranium in his lab for emergencies. He hasn't used it yet. Think, boy!

Peter Thomas · Sat 03/04/2004 07:16:30

Of course....

*looks nervously around*

...I knew that....

*runs*

BruisedWeasel · Wed 07/04/2004 03:30:46

Started page two today. It's looking pretty decent. Not good, but decent.

LGM · Fri 09/04/2004 04:03:53

Awesome.. Anyone else making progress?

Peter Thomas · Fri 09/04/2004 10:13:51

nope. I have not started yet.

But that is my habit.

The last contest I only wrote it the night before...

I will enter, though, I promise......

LGM · Fri 09/04/2004 22:34:19

Slacker!! :-p

Anyone else participating??

Ginny · Sat 10/04/2004 20:10:56

Could you clear up the theme for me? I want to participate, it's quite a somber, moody topic that goes well with my mood lately... Life is... Does this refer to the meaning of life?
Also, by suicide, does it have to mean physical suicide, or could it be mental/psychological? A physical suicide would make my story quite extreme and depressing.

I might aswell get some creative writing practise since there aren't any game design courses I know of.. Meh, I'm babbling nonesense.

LGM · Sat 10/04/2004 22:59:51

Life is... Is just a very open interpretation.. it can be anything you want..

Life is perfect
Life is terrible
Life is beautiful (haha)
Life is me! :-p

Anything, really.

Physical suicide, yes.. As mental suicide is a bit iffy.. Some might not get it.

DragonRose · Sun 11/04/2004 20:10:40

LGM- I'm all finished and I sent mine in. Did you actually get it?

goldenmonkey · Wed 14/04/2004 00:33:32

Siting this one out, my brain still hurts from last month.
No, actually I tried and I can't think of anything good.

Peter Thomas: I'm in Australia to and no nothing about american cities. (They're really big?)

BerserkerTails · Wed 14/04/2004 05:32:34

I'm trying my luck at this. Hopefully I'll get something done. I've already got a rough idea of plot, and a good opening.

LGM · Fri 23/04/2004 14:27:36

2 more days! Get finished my friends!

DragonRose: Story is recieved and will be uploaded.. I have yet to read it, though.. Cause I'm a lazy bum.

Peter Thomas · Sun 25/04/2004 08:14:01

argh! crap! I totally forgot about this comp...

I will write a story soon!! Maybe in the next half hour or so?!?! geez... I wish I could remember these things...

Hold tight.

EDIT: Just a thought, but is there some way of organzing it so that a different person chooses the topic or something? I know there's no 'winner' as such, so you can't say winner picks next idea, but I think it would be interesting if different people got a go, so we can see what each person's 'flair' is...

EDITEDIT: WooHoo! Story finished and submitted. Who's the man, eh?! Why you pointing at my Dad...?

Peter Thomas · Thu 29/04/2004 09:16:25

and...

LGM · Thu 29/04/2004 22:37:52

It's not April 30th yet..

Anyways.. You can do the next one if you would like, Peter.. I've got no beef with that.. Just as long as I still get the emails so I can upload the stories.

tomorrow I will upload teh storiesh!

Peter Thomas · Fri 30/04/2004 01:30:33

ooh! duh! I forgot about April 30

I just thought 'all stories in by 25th'...*sigh*

I can be very pretentious...

(and thanks for the offer of topic! I hope you don't feel pressured into giving it to me... as long as no one else has any qualms about it, I'd be honoured

)

N.B - if I were to set the rules, could I still have the entries sent to your address, seeing as you have the server space, as well as all the previous entries? Just to keep things nice and tidy...

LGM · Fri 30/04/2004 01:37:00

Yup.. That's what I wanted

Anyways.. Think you could email me your story again? I seem to have misplaced it.

Peter Thomas · Fri 30/04/2004 01:49:26

done.

LGM · Fri 30/04/2004 12:31:18

Okay.. Well.. They're all uploaded now.. Only have 2.. Bruised, where's yours??

http://www.fbc-bettendorf.com/writing_project/

Congrats

Peter Thomas · Fri 30/04/2004 13:29:56

wow! Fantastic Job, Dragonrose.

Loved the bomber. (well, not really. But at least he had some sort of conscience)