Write a story in which another story is central to the plot or characters.
Thank you, Wobbles, for a wonderful prompt. So, now that you all have read the good news, here is some more good news:
WWYP7 begins now
Due date: Black Sunday, 11:59, 2/10/08
Word limit: 6000
Judges: Virgilijus, Scav, Cort
Prizes:
1st - Writers group access, custom title, custom avatar, Broom access
2nd - Writers group access, custom title
3rd - Writers group access
You read that right. First place now gets Broom access. No decision yet on if this is a permanent addition, but I thought it'd be a fun thing to add for this round.
And yep, you read that right. Scav is judging again. That's the "bad news." But, Virg is under strict orders to do some... unpleasant things to me if I miss the deadline. So either way, everybody wins!
-----
THE PROMPT
Write a story that involves another story. This can be a legend, a myth, a tale as old as time passed down from generation to generation. Or, it could be a piece of gossip that leads to murder amongst sexy college co-eds. It can be a prophesy, a history, a tragedy, or a lie.
Stripped to its bone, this prompt lies at the heart of every story. Each and every one of your characters should have a story behind them that guides their action. Why did they get up the morning before they heard about the Maltese Falcon? This is your chance to truly dig into your characters' past.
I'd tell you to read up on Motive Backstory, but apparently no material exists about it. Motive Backstory uses a dual plotline to reveal two stories at once. There's the "top level" plot (A man is arguing with his divorced wife over taking his son to a baseball game during school) and a slowly revealed "sub level" plot (The man's own father was killed in a tragic 7th Inning Stretch incident). This is hard to pull off. You must keep both plotlines going simultaneously, switching between the two, and end up tying them together at the end.
As always, there are infinitely many ways to tackle this. Maybe you'd rather write about a traveling vagabond about to have his hand cut off for stealing, who was once, unbeknownst to the captors, a legendary warrior. Why isn't he fighting back? (Hmm, sounds a bit like a certain Bluezaft's story, now that I think about it.)
What the judges are looking for: two distinct stories, intertwined. How you intertwine them is up to you.
---
JUDGING SYSTEM
The grand debut of Scurvy.
In effect, there is only one change. And it's a doozy.
No more public numeric scores.
1) Judges will provide a critique of every story.
2) Each judge will select 5 favorites, and rank them according to the following:
* Adherence to Prompt
* Style
* Mechanics
* Enjoyment
The head judge (Virgilijus) will tally the scores. The top 3 will be ranked, followed by the remaining honorable mentions (likely between 2 and 4, determined by who each judge's 5 favorites are.)
There are more details to come. For now, I'll let Virgilijus add his thoughts, and we'll answer any questions. Expect more detailed writeups of what judges are looking for in the coming days.
Good luck! (And everyone congratulate Virg on his modship!)
Thank you, Wobbles, for a wonderful prompt. So, now that you all have read the good news, here is some more good news:
WWYP7 begins now
Due date: Black Sunday, 11:59, 2/10/08
Word limit: 6000
Judges: Virgilijus, Scav, Cort
Prizes:
1st - Writers group access, custom title, custom avatar, Broom access
2nd - Writers group access, custom title
3rd - Writers group access
You read that right. First place now gets Broom access. No decision yet on if this is a permanent addition, but I thought it'd be a fun thing to add for this round.
And yep, you read that right. Scav is judging again. That's the "bad news." But, Virg is under strict orders to do some... unpleasant things to me if I miss the deadline. So either way, everybody wins!
-----
THE PROMPT
Write a story that involves another story. This can be a legend, a myth, a tale as old as time passed down from generation to generation. Or, it could be a piece of gossip that leads to murder amongst sexy college co-eds. It can be a prophesy, a history, a tragedy, or a lie.
Stripped to its bone, this prompt lies at the heart of every story. Each and every one of your characters should have a story behind them that guides their action. Why did they get up the morning before they heard about the Maltese Falcon? This is your chance to truly dig into your characters' past.
I'd tell you to read up on Motive Backstory, but apparently no material exists about it. Motive Backstory uses a dual plotline to reveal two stories at once. There's the "top level" plot (A man is arguing with his divorced wife over taking his son to a baseball game during school) and a slowly revealed "sub level" plot (The man's own father was killed in a tragic 7th Inning Stretch incident). This is hard to pull off. You must keep both plotlines going simultaneously, switching between the two, and end up tying them together at the end.
As always, there are infinitely many ways to tackle this. Maybe you'd rather write about a traveling vagabond about to have his hand cut off for stealing, who was once, unbeknownst to the captors, a legendary warrior. Why isn't he fighting back? (Hmm, sounds a bit like a certain Bluezaft's story, now that I think about it.)
What the judges are looking for: two distinct stories, intertwined. How you intertwine them is up to you.
---
JUDGING SYSTEM
The grand debut of Scurvy.
In effect, there is only one change. And it's a doozy.
No more public numeric scores.
1) Judges will provide a critique of every story.
2) Each judge will select 5 favorites, and rank them according to the following:
* Adherence to Prompt
* Style
* Mechanics
* Enjoyment
The head judge (Virgilijus) will tally the scores. The top 3 will be ranked, followed by the remaining honorable mentions (likely between 2 and 4, determined by who each judge's 5 favorites are.)
There are more details to come. For now, I'll let Virgilijus add his thoughts, and we'll answer any questions. Expect more detailed writeups of what judges are looking for in the coming days.
Good luck! (And everyone congratulate Virg on his modship!)
