WWYP4 -- One Man's Treasure (Deadline Feb 19th at Noon and Scav sucks again!)

[Scav]

what holiday is that Monday? I'm ok with giving you guys the weekend, because that's how I write too. Usually I'm awake all night the night before a deadline, which means that really sucks when I have to work the next day.

So, it's due on Monday at Noon. One last weekend for our burgeoning writers plus Mashad.

 

[Virgilijus]

Thanks for the extension; with my birthday this weekend I probably wasn't going to get much done

 

[Zephyr]

Swweeet. Now I can breathe again. Thanks Scav.

 

[demoncaterpie]

The holiday is President's Day.

And thanks for the extension.

 

[Kragen]

19) STAY OUT OF CAVES!

20) Hey guys, I found this great cave we can hide in.

21) That was subtle foreshadowing about the nature of the magical object in my story.

22) Judges probably shouldn't read this:

Spoiler

It's a time machine.

23) Also, the genre of my story is

Spoiler

Romantic Comedy/Sci-Fi/Historical/Self-Help/Green World Comedy/Renaissance Literature/Sports Underdog Story/Bildungsroman.

24) Please sir Massa Scav, extend da deadline to like never oh my god.

>_>

I noticed that the color for Debaters changed back to pink again, nice.

So the new deadline is February 19th? Good.

 

[Jazzy Jinx]

Excellence! Now I have more time for MUCH needed improvments.

Oh, and don't even start with perfectionism. My stories NEVER turn out the way I want them. Before I discovered the wonders of typing I used to write my stories on paper and I could write about 100-200 PAGES of stuff just to become disappointed and drop it altogether. I had NO illustrations and didn't do anything in paragraph form so it was from line to line all the way down. No spacing, no indenting, no nothing.

I have done this more than a few times. In fact, my entry for this contest has been changed about 5 times already and I finally have the style I like.

My HUGEST literary project is constructing a book entitled "The Invincible Suit" and I have restarted that SEVERAL times and still haven't found a storyline/style I want to use.

The long and short of my situation is that I need more training. These contests are going to be a healthy contribution to improving my literary styles.

 

[demoncaterpie]

Excellence! Now I have more time for MUCH needed improvments.

Oh, and don't even start with perfectionism. My stories NEVER turn out the way I want them. Before I discovered the wonders of typing I used to write my stories on paper and I could write about 100-200 PAGES of stuff just to become disappointed and drop it altogether. I had NO illustrations and didn't do anything in paragraph form so it was from line to line all the way down. No spacing, no indenting, no nothing.

I have done this more than a few times. In fact, my entry for this contest has been changed about 5 times already and I finally have the style I like.

My HUGEST literary project is constructing a book entitled "The Invincible Suit" and I have restarted that SEVERAL times and still haven't found a storyline/style I want to use.

The long and short of my situation is that I need more training. These contests are going to be a healthy contribution to improving my literary styles.

Hey, just keep working at it and I'm sure you'll figure everything out.

If you ever get frustrated with a piece of work and don't like it, instead of deleting it, step away from the computer, relax, take a walk maybe, then come back to the project. I guarantee you'll like your work a lot better once you calmed down. I started doing this, and I feel a lot better. I'm even getting things done!

 

[Jazzy Jinx]

I'm actually liking how my entry is turning out. Yeah I needs improvment but what I mean is that I am thinking about expanding it once the contest closes. Maybe I will turn it into a full-fledged story...

Yeah... Look forward to that.

 

[Virgilijus]

In three and a half hours tonight I finished about one fifth or sixth of the story. I'm at a little over 1000 words, so I guess I may be fast approaching the max word limit. Hopefully when I revise it I'll cut it down quite a bit.

 

[Ami]

If I'm not asking too much from you, do you mind making me one as well? Whatever will do, as long as it alludes to WWYP4.

Sorry, I've been working too much this week so I couldn't reply.

Errr, I suck at making sigs, and especially for other people, but if you really want one, I can make you one. And you have no preference as to what goes on it or the text? It might make it easier if you knew what you wanted, but I do like creative freedom, so it doesn't matter.

 

[Scav]

Actually, designwise that's not bad at all. I'd recommend lowering the black bar, and having "treasure" inside of it instead of "man".

Of course, if it were me with my minimalist tendancies, I'd probably remove the text all together, and just have "WWYP4" and "unlock it."

But that's me -- I love seeing what people come up with for blurbs.

 

[Ami]

Yeah, I put "treasure" inside at first, but it looked really bad, 'cause "One Man ... " became squashed at the top, and I didn't want to move anything else. Most of what you said is true, and I appreciate your input, Scav.

I like minimalism, too, but I'm really horrible at making things look simple and attractive (for example, your WWYP 3 (?) signature). Maybe that's something I'll have to work on for next WWYP sig.

Anyway, stories look great out there, people.

 

[Xsyven]

0% done.

I'm amazing.

I got to 10% at least six times, though.



PS: My banner is simple and attractive.

...except that it's green. Don't know why I did that.

 

[tmw_redcell]

The deadline extension doesn't help me as I have an important mandatory ski vacation that weekend. Put it back to Friday now! Or even change it to Monday at Midnight. It's better because it's alliterative. The fact that the deadline is Monday but I'll need it completed and posted by Friday is going to create some supermassive vortex in the procrastination centre of my brain. My blood will be on your hands.

 

[OnYourMark]

Mandatory ski vacation?
oxymoron?

 

[demoncaterpie]

The deadline extension doesn't help me as I have an important mandatory ski vacation that weekend. Put it back to Friday now! Or even change it to Monday at Midnight. It's better because it's alliterative. The fact that the deadline is Monday but I'll need it completed and posted by Friday is going to create some supermassive vortex in the procrastination centre of my brain. My blood will be on your hands.

And my hands to if you don't take back that comment!!!

But seriously, pushing back the deadline to Monday was a great decision. And it will probably be due Monday at midnight (so I guess that means the first second of Tuesday).

 

[Revolutions]

The deadline extension doesn't help me as I have an important mandatory ski vacation that weekend. Put it back to Friday now! Or even change it to Monday at Midnight. It's better because it's alliterative. The fact that the deadline is Monday but I'll need it completed and posted by Friday is going to create some supermassive vortex in the procrastination centre of my brain. My blood will be on your hands.

Okay, but only if you turn it in exactly at midnight. According to my watch.

 

[sheepyman]

Hey Ami can I borrow your treasure chest render?

 

[Scav]

Nope, I'm sticking with Noon on monday, so I can close the topics.

 

[Ami]

Hey Ami can I borrow your treasure chest render?

This, nyo? http://download.101com.com/pub/adtmag/images/0510_dc3.jpg

Yeah, sure, you don't have to ask me! But thanks for doing so. Can't wait to see your sig if you're making one soon!

 

[Eor]

I'm still at 0%, which makes me sad

I don't know why. I want to write, and I like what I have planned out. It's just..not happening.

I think I have writing ED.

 

[Jazzy Jinx]

While writing my story, the race of the main character and the setting changed...

I must be either really creative or completely spontaneous. The story is a lot better now but I haven't updated and I refuse to until I finish it.

For like the tenth time, good luck everyone! Tell me good luck as well, I'll need it.

 

[demoncaterpie]

Good luck dude. You better wish me good luck to make up for it.

 

[Jazzy Jinx]

Good luck demon! As if you even need it...

 

[Virgilijus]

I told myself I was going to get some of my story done today but found myself continually getting side tracked. Oh well, atleast I got some cards and money in the mail for my Birthday Although I also got a "Merry Christmas" letter from some woman named Virginia and became very confused...

 

[Eor]

I wrote a paragraph!

 

[Jazzy Jinx]

I wrote a paragraph!

Huzzah! Rejoice!

But in all seriousness. Good luck on your story Eor.

 

[Zephyr]

I wrote a paragraph!

Well, I wrote...


Wait for it...

Wait for it...

TWO PARAGRAPHS. And that's without any of that cheap dialogue line skipping. WHAT NOW.

 

[Jazzy Jinx]

I wrote a bunch of paragraphs that were all crap! Huzzah!

 

[demoncaterpie]

I've got a bunch of paragraphs done, some I even like.

My story's gonna be ****ing weird, just to warn you guys.

 

[Virgilijus]

Scav, would it be plagiarism to have a character introduce herself with almost the exact words of a famous Percy Shelley coupling?

 

[demoncaterpie]

Scav, would it be plagiarism to have a character introduce herself with almost the exact words of a famous Percy Shelley coupling?

People do that all the time in movie's, so I don't see why not in a story. As long as it's just one line.

Scav may think differently though.

 

[tmw_redcell]

Scav, would it be plagiarism to have a character introduce herself with almost the exact words of a famous Percy Shelley coupling?

Nah, that's a regular literary reference, especially if it's something famous. Just like about a million characters have beein introduced with the whole "I come not to bring peace, but to bring a sword" thing and nobody screams OH MY GOD THAT WAS IN THE BIBLE YOU HACK. Well, they might, but for different reasons. And you get bonus points if the poem you're referencing has some sort of thematic tie to your story. Just some good ol' intertextuality. Now, if you were writing a poem that was very similar to PBS's and kept some lines very similar you'd be in trouble. And there's certainly no worry about copyright violation because he's been drowned for so long his work is public domain, though copyright violation and plagiarism are different things.

 

[Virgilijus]

And you get bonus points if the poem you're referencing has some sort of thematic tie to your story.

Oh does it ever, although one may not see it at first.

Thanks. I didn't think it would be plagiarism, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

 

[Scav]

It just depends how you pull it off. My current story, Found Wanting, is a mash of literary and mythological references, sometimes pretty explicit and unsubtle (such as when one of the characters yells "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings!" or references to the Unreal City or "I think we're in Rat's Alley where the dead men lost their bones"). Even the title is taken from the Bible, "You have been measured and found wanting."

So yes, you can do it, so long as the clever reader is able to see that you're doing it. It works best if your character is knowingly doing it (such as the wise old man in Children of Men going "Shantih Shantih Shantih"), but that isn't necessarily required.

Edit: It's an interesting question, though, of how far you can go. Or even if you should. I want to start one of my stories with "I am a sick man... I am a broken man." Which is a blatant ripoff of "Notes from Underground." But, this could always be seen as quite a copout, relying on prepackaged material to get my point across. Some writers refer to it as "used furniture."

 

[Virgilijus]

Well, now I feel torn

Hopefully I'm good enough and you are clever enough to catch it.

"Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair". I always loved that line.

 

[demoncaterpie]

Well, now I feel torn

Hopefully I'm good enough and you are clever enough to catch it.

"Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair". I always loved that line.

I think if it's a pretty creative use of the line, then you're fine.

For instance, the line "All the world's a stage" is pretty corny. But, in the right context, it can be amazing.

 

[tmw_redcell]

Bad news: I was having some vicious hardware problems this morning. They're all fixed now though and my hard drive and everything is fine.

Why is it bad news? Because I can't blame my failure to finish my entry on it. It's my laziness. Sloth. Lethargy. Lackadaisicalness. It's all me! Now you all know! I am lazy! Lazy as a dead clam!

I do want to post the story eventually though. I will at least disclose the concept now: It's about William Shakespeare. Everyone makes fun of him for being a *** poet, and he can't the girl of his dreams, Anne Hathaway, to like him because he's not cool enough. He can't even impress her with his prodigal sonnets. After threatening to give up poetry forever, his only friend, Leonardo Da Vinci, talks him out of it and gives him a time machine that can take him to the future. Meanwhile, in the future, Shaquille O'Neal is very cool and a total player, but he is deeply in love with one girl who won't take his feelings seriously. In this heartwarming tale, you see two men teach each other, illuminating the world...and themselves.

The reason it will take so long is because I want to include like one hundred references to Shakespeare, as well as having all of the dialogue in Iambic Pentameter. And yes, I was not kidding when I listed all of those genres in my other post. Though I guess it's not totally a Bildingsroman.

 

[demoncaterpie]

Literary brilliance .

Yeah, it's a shame your hard drive didn't wipe out. Now you have to keep working.

 

[Scav]

So how's that writing going, everyone time is ticking!