Monthly Writing Project: March

[LGM]

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

Basically, it will be much 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 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 send them to this email address: writing_project@fbc-bettendorf.com

If all goes well, the stories will be uploaded to my server. If there is good response to the first competition, I will create a site to list all the stories written through the course of the project.

Stories should be from 2-10 pages in length. Paragraph, sentence, or one word submissions will be deleted. 1 page is acceptable, but not reccomended. Please use a standard font (Times New Roman, Arial, Georgia, etc.) and single spaced.

Understandable?

Okay.. So, let's get this party started. The topic (randomly generated) for the month of March:

Setting: Alternate Reality
Theme: Reality-is-a-dream/Drama story
Elements: During the story, there is a dramatic revelation. A character will send a package. There has to be a female with a physical disability. One character must be named Ben Kroden. Any type of office supply (Paperclip, pen, pencil, post-it, etc.) must be a crucial part of the story.

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

Good Luck!  

[Evil]

I'm in. Just be sure to bitch at me on instant messanger about it because I will most likely forget. Its a good idea, maybe have subtexts (Ie: breifs for game play or puzles in the side margnes). Maybe it would help to get more of a visual of gameplay, or maybe write it more like a movie script?

[LGM]

I think you're missing the point.. This isn't for a game.. This is just for a short fiction story.

[Evil]

"Basically, it will be much like the MAGS comptetition. Except, instead of making a game in AGS, you'll be writing a short story"

I thought it was in reference to game plots. Like what it would be if it was a game cutscene or movie. We are here to make games you know, but I'm not going to discourage personal writing.

[Migs]

Perhaps that would be a good idea.  Instead of just writing short stories, we should write stories adapted for an adventure game, perhaps even organized into a screenplay with dialogue options and such.

[LGM]

Well.. That would be a different competition..

I want to support the growth of creative writing.. Harry, you can start the script idea if you want.. But I want short stories here.

Sorry for the confusion.. Initial post is now updated to avoid any further misunderstanding.

And yes.. AGS is to make games.. But the whole forum doesn't have to be about.. Are the MSPaint or Pixel Jam game oriented? no.. Why else would we have the general forums? :-p

[Evil]

Heh, I was just a little confused. But along with Migs, I think it either way it sounds fun.

[Minimi]

You will not wrtiting a game.

what is wrtiting? I don't understand  :

Setting: Alternate Reality
Theme: Reality-is-a-dream/Drama story
Element: During the story, there is a dramatic revelation. A character will send a package.

Could you explain this further, please? What do you excactly mean with Alternate Reality, and Reality-is-a-dream??? WTF?? Real is real, right? are you paranoid or something? Go read http://www.johntitor.com !

[Bluke4x4]

I awake. The sounds of birds chirping, the smell of fresh dew, it dampens my heart, freezes my soul. Yet I get up. I slowly yawn, scratch my buttocks. I walk to the window and shut it, annoyed by the fact I haven't gotten enough money to buy a manservant to do my work as I slumber. No sound, the 'empty' sound, it brings a small smirk to my face. The alarm clock radio rings, startling me and my subtleness, my happiness. "It's a beautiful day in Vera, Northsouthhamptonburg. " said the radio announcer, Rip Grudge. "Hey-ey-ey, what do you get when you cross a mailbox with an orange?" "I give up." said the female announcer, Sally Goodwell. "A hamster that lights up when you eat it." said Rip, and the 'live studio audience' laughed, while in the nightclub that is my mind, I heard a cricket chirp. Sally laughed. "That's pretty good, Rip." I glared at the clock radio. I then walked up to it, and threw it out the window, forgetting that I had just closed it. The window broke. Again more chirping, dew, and the neighbor was mowing. "I hate Mondays." I mumbled, and began to curl up in my covers on my bed. Suddenly a thought hit me, and this thought was the very thought that would change mankind and very well the universe, a dramatic revelation: I'm obviously the only sane man on Earth. Just to check, I looked out of the broken window. My neighbor, Marvin Hitowskiwits, was out in his lone boxers, mowing with his eyes blankly shut. Absentmindedly, he mowed straight into the fence countless times during this encounter of mine. He was sleep-mowing. Yep, I'm the only sane man here. Suddenly the doorbell rang. It was the postman, with a package in hand. He then left after leaving it on my doorstep. I picked it up, opened it. It was a watch. I had on one, so I placed it back and scribbled RETURN TO SENDER on the box. I placed on a jacket and some slippers. I began to walk to the mailbox. I had just put it in when I noticed two men in three piece suits walking to me. Soon it was three, and four, and five. I began to back away, then I turned and ran. The men were all the same. Like clones, they looked all the same. I was like some horrible movie, a horrible metaphor-filled movie. Men and women all around me, they were turning into this man. I fell in a desperate fit of horror. On the ground I noticed two pills, a red one and a blue one. My last meal, I thought, and gulped the red one. And I realized something. I am in a horrible movie, I thought. I looked up. I was in a black room, and credits were rolling above me. When they were over, they showed the title. I cried.

[LGM]

Very good, blue.. That's more of a poem..

Minimi: If I become any more specific, there wouldn't be any room for creativity.. The point is that you can take this in any direction you want..

Reality-is-a-dream.. I think that's pretty fair.. Just think Matrix.. The existance as the character knows it is false.. Could be someone elses dream, could be a simulated world.. I dunno.. Go crazy! Have fun

[Tarison]

I like the idea of this comp, but I think the subject matter is very vague. It's akin to having a MAGS comp with "Make a game with rooms and a puzzle. There must be a character."

[Evil]

This thread is going to hell.

[LGM]

Okay.. Made it more specific.. Is that better? (dummies, check initial thread)

[Tarison]

Okay.. Made it more specific.. Is that better? (dummies, check initial thread)

Excellent! Much more in line with the spirit of MAGS and all that. I think I'll give it a go

[Evil]

Yes, yes. Much better.

[LGM]

Okay, good.. I expect thousands of entries!

[Peter Thomas]

I LOVE THIS COMPETITION!!!!!!
YAYYY!!!


I was thinking about starting one of these competitions myself, but I wasn't sure what kind of reaction there would be, so I didn't say anything.

But now I owe my life to LGM for making my dreams come true. *sigh*. This makes me smile so much!

I shall get started right away

[Peter Thomas]

Incidentally, how many people have entered so far (or are 100% determined to enter)?

The double post is to give this thing a friendly bump.

[Evil]

If LGM would stop hitting me in the hallway maybe I might.

[AGA]

Hitting on you, you mean surely?

[Evil]

Lgm has a thing about feeling up little boys in the halls of our school. As you know, he's huge, every kid is smaller then he is, which makes us "little".

[rtf]

I'm definatly in!

I may even get some Extra Credit for english, too!  

[LGM]

Evil.. Quit being an ass. You HIT me! Idiot.

As for how many people, so far only Evil, peter, tarison and releasethefrogs have comfirmed their participation.

[goldenmonkey]

If I can finish in time, I'm in,
I have a habit of never finishing anything I start

[LGM]

You must know m0ds then. :-p

[LGM]

Alright everyone.. Finish up what your writing! You've got three days left. I expect many emails in my folder at writing_project@fbc-bettendorf.com

I hope to read some good entries!

[Akumayo]

Okay, here is my story for all to enjoy!!!

   I awoke to the doorbell.  I answered to a mail carrier.  He gave me a box and I had to sign some papers.  After that I put the box on the couch and went back to sleep.
   I awoke again, now the phone was ringing.  I answered it.  It was my mother who had paralyses in her left arm.  "Something is wrong," she said.  "Use the purple pen, not the paper clip," she said.  Then the line went dead, she had hung up on me.  I fell asleep again with the phone in my hands.
   I awoke again to, "Beep, beep, beep, we're sorry, but your call cannot be completed as dialed.  Please hang up and try again, or dial your opera-," I hung up.  I must have pressed call while sleeping.  I opened the box I received earlier.  Within were:  A notepad, some sticky notes, a paper clip, a jar of pens, and a lamp.  Also, a note.  I realized that these things were from my desk at work.  The note read, "Dear Mr. Kroden, you, along with three others, have been fired.  In this box are your personnel belongings.  Our company is being downsized, and are are no longer needed.  Smith Wilson, Executive."  I cursed Mr. Wilson and threw the note in the trash.
   While placing the contents of the box in different places, I got to the jar of pens.  There was a purple pen there; I had never seen it before.  I remembered what my mother had said, "Use the purple pen, not the paper clip."  It made no sense.  Of course, she was senile; she had Alzheimer's disease.
   I picked the pen up and examined it.  It was perfectly normal, just colored purple.  I scribbled on a sticky note to see if it had any ink left.  Purple ink, why was I not surprised.  Then something strange happened, the ink on the sticky note moved together and read, "illegible statement".
   I dropped the pen.  It shattered.  Ink spilled all over the floor.  It grouped together to form, "incomplete statement".  I was curious.  I got a cup and put all the purple ink off the wood floor I could get into it.  I put the pen back together, (minus the cartridge) and dabbed the pen's head in the ink.  Much like a quill, and wrote, "What is this?" on a sticky note.  After about three seconds it blurred and changed into, "The ink of answers".  I couldn't believe this.  "What is my name?"  I wrote.  The ink changed and read, "Ben Kroden".  I was totally freaked out.  How could this be possible?
   I wrote, "Why did I get this pen?"  The ink transformed and read, “You were given the pen by an evil force who stole it.”  I then wrote, "Why did my mother tell me not to use the paperclip?"  It then read, "The paperclip is cursed, if it leaves the box, it will destroy your reality so the evil force can enslave you in the real world."  I wrote, "What do you mean, 'real world'?"  It read, "The real world, you know it as 'fairy tales‘.  Long ago humans became arrogant, so they were locked in the reality you know, to prevent overtake of the real world."  "What does the paper clip do?"  I wrote.  The sticky note read,” It will destroy your reality; do not remove it from the box.
   I continued to write and be answered.  I found out that the "evil force" stole the pen from a king who used its power to rule his kingdom.  I found that receiving the pen was an accident of the "evil force".  Eventually I only had one question, but this one was personnel.  How did my mother know about the pen and paper clip?
   I walked toward the phone and my elbow bumped the box.  It fell, and the paper clip landed on the floor.  The world around me... melted.  It rippled and sank. Until I was just in some dirt.  People were all around me.  I saw the pen.  Someone's foot landed on it.  They melted together, I looked up fast enough only to see my mothers face.  A large shadow was what she became.  "Mother?" I said.  "Yes, I am the evil force, I am the pen, and I am your 'mother'.  Don't worry about your real mother.  She died quickly.  So will you, but first I would like to thank you for destroying your reality.  Using your inflamed population I will become very wealthy selling slaves as food and work.  The dwarves will pay highly for workers.  As will the dragons for feast.  You, Ben Kroden, will die.  This is my gift to you for destroying your reality and starting my being wealthy.  Even if I did plan the whole thing, oh well.  You won't be eaten or enslaved, but your body will be of use to me.  Goodbye."  The shadow engulfed me and I thought a last thought, "why?"

by, Akumayo Oyamuka

[LGM]

I said EMAIL it to me, genius..

It's nice, though

[goldenmonkey]

Just sent off my entry, Hooray!
Hope you like it, You'd better or else I'll just keep entering until you like one.  

[LGM]

Alright.. So far, these are the releases I have recieved.. I will make a sight sooner or later.. They're pretty good!

I'm glad we've had this many participants.

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

[Peter Thomas]

Those stories are teh goodness!

I'm going to be transplanted now.....

ooh... how freaky was THAT!! That idea was very cool...

[Akumayo]

Whew, I know I'm out of the comp. now.  Really good stories, I like the one about the crazy girl.  Very good authors you people are.  What a sad story that was...

[goldenmonkey]

You guys are good, I agree, with Akumayo, Peter Thomas' story was great.

What happens now? When do we get our next topic?

[Akumayo]

So, Lil Gligh Master, when are you going to announce winner???

[LGM]

Peter Thomas "wins" I suppose.. As it's general consensus.. Good job, guys!!

New topic will be annouynced as soon as I get off my fat ass and do it.