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Post by Kat on Jul 17, 2021 21:59:16 GMT -5
Honestly, same, Riel. Since starting storytelling again last year up until this year, only two of my wins were for non-beginning entries. The rest of my wins were beginnings because I get to lay the foundation and then sit back and watch others continue it. And sometimes I really just have no idea how to continue a story.
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Post by Rabbit ♠ on Jul 17, 2021 23:15:44 GMT -5
I also agree, the STC is getting harder and harder, with the shorter entries and one winner per day thing going on. It's hard to build up a story, at least for me. I've always enjoyed writing beginnings, but when I try for a mid week spot, it's usually a lot harder.
Thank you to Riel for naming the iconic Techo Fanatic Archibald, though. It's a weirdly fitting name.
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Post by Kat on Jul 19, 2021 20:38:13 GMT -5
I feel like Aesop heard us here because this week's beginning is a very long entry.
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Post by RielCZ on Jul 19, 2021 22:34:35 GMT -5
Thank you to Riel for naming the iconic Techo Fanatic Archibald, though. It's a weirdly fitting name. You're welcome. I move that all future references to the Techo Fanatic in Creative Contest matters refer to him as Archibald.I don't think any of my winning entries since Aesop became the judge were beginnings, actually. Though, for me, I've always found it more fun to continue or end the story. In the "before times" my favourite slots were Tuesday evening (which in terms of pacing would usually be just after the initiating incident), Friday morning (resolving any loose ends and setting up the climax for the ultimate resolution), or the ending (resolving all remaining disparate story pieces). Of course, as I mentioned, I find the pacing for a lot of recent stories... odd, sometimes, I suppose. You'd think with less and shorter entries it would be more fast-paced, and that all selected pieces would really advance the plot -- but not always so, heh. In Week 888, I submitted for the third slot, and brought in the Snowager as the culprit behind the cold weather; the winning slot didn't really further the plot, but the winner of the subsequent slot brought in the Snowager. *shrug* (Note that I have nothing against the winning authors, just expressing my views on the oft unpredictable story pacing.) I feel like Aesop heard us here because this week's beginning is a very long entry. Haha, yeah, I thought the same thing too! I really liked the premise of this beginning, and I did enter for the next slot. For the gist: The judges and especially Uni actually LOVE the designs? And now Meredith is promoted to the finals and has to figure out what she can do.
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Post by Kat on Jul 20, 2021 9:45:45 GMT -5
I thought I wouldn't have an idea for this one, but I wound up submitting an entry just before bedtime. I went with "actually we set you up so you can show us what you can do with those clothes we gave you, good luck!"
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Post by Rasaiu on Jul 20, 2021 10:07:33 GMT -5
I also entered with the second part but my part kills the pacing. :D It is a weak and short entry (nothing really happens), so chances are low but that wasn't the point for this comment.
I'm still newbie to STC but I have observed that parts usually end with three dots. Like last weeks the 1st, 2nd, 4th parts. I find it weird when the previous author leaves the thought half finished. It feels like they weren't sure about the part, about the story and left it nowhere. However they still get picked. So today I thought to try writing my own 'unfinished, unsure, three dots' part. The beginning left me with unsure feeling with all shiny, glamorous details cause, in my opinion, the plot asks for something dark. >:3
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Post by Kat on Jul 21, 2021 0:59:26 GMT -5
I'm still newbie to STC but I have observed that parts usually end with three dots. Like last weeks the 1st, 2nd, 4th parts. I find it weird when the previous author leaves the thought half finished. It feels like they weren't sure about the part, about the story and left it nowhere. However they still get picked. So today I thought to try writing my own 'unfinished, unsure, three dots' part. The beginning left me with unsure feeling with all shiny, glamorous details cause, in my opinion, the plot asks for something dark. >:3 I feel like that carried over from when the judge did storytelling beginnings and left them hanging that way for people to continue, but it's not really a requirement from what I see, it's merely a way of leaving the story at a cliffhanger for someone to finish it and say what happens right afterward. Everyone just followed the judge and how things were done years ago. Anyway, everyone I knew who entered for the second part didn't make it. I'm likely to get a last-minute idea before I go to bed AGAIN but we'll see.
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Post by RielCZ on Jul 21, 2021 15:16:25 GMT -5
I feel like that carried over from when the judge did storytelling beginnings and left them hanging that way for people to continue, but it's not really a requirement from what I see, it's merely a way of leaving the story at a cliffhanger for someone to finish it and say what happens right afterward. Everyone just followed the judge and how things were done years ago. This. Honestly, it just makes sense to me; after all, an entry is not meant to exist as a standalone piece, but part of a larger collaborative work that will be continued or is the continuation of something else. Frankly, I don't like it when the ellipses are left out. Yeah, none of us won the second slot, heh. I did resubmit the latter half of my second slot entry, as well as a version with an altered cliffhanger... but no luck. Noticing the trend in the continuing entries this week, maybe I'll submit a few concise paragraphs for the next part, but I won't have time to try for an ending this week. I also noticed the winners this week have only like 1-2 trophies; we should invite the newbies.
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Post by Kat on Jul 21, 2021 20:40:48 GMT -5
Yeah, none of us won the second slot, heh. I did resubmit the latter half of my second slot entry, as well as a version with an altered cliffhanger... but no luck. Noticing the trend in the continuing entries this week, maybe I'll submit a few concise paragraphs for the next part, but I won't have time to try for an ending this week. I also noticed the winners this week have only like 1-2 trophies; we should invite the newbies.I wrote my Surreal poem last night instead oops hahaha. Better get my rear in gear. I'd love to invite the newbies! More of them are getting in lately and it would be nice to have a discussion going on.
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Post by Rasaiu on Jul 22, 2021 15:13:44 GMT -5
it's merely a way of leaving the story at a cliffhanger for someone to finish it and say what happens right afterward. Ok, maybe for me it's just a language issue or something. Most of the times I fail to grasp where the previous author(s) is(are) going. In my opinion the details which every author puts in the story, builds up the plot, the characters, the space. If author didn't put anything, didn't connect any of previous dots, then the part turns out as a plain and dull text. This week the story had potential. The first part gave a lot of details which could have evolved further. The second part continued, added a bit more, but the third and the forth part, well, in my opinion, are the same. Nothing really happens. It should have been the climax. I wonder how it will end. Probably the ending will be hasty. Well, I hope someone will manage to save this story by combining tiny plot twist and conclusion. It's great that new authors enter the contest and I hope winning once or twice will encourage them to participate furthermore.
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Post by Kat on Jul 22, 2021 21:55:37 GMT -5
I'm wondering if not a lot of people entered this week, not giving a lot of choice for the third and fourth parts.
I dropped the ball here so maybe now I'll try to do an ending.
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Post by Rasaiu on Jul 23, 2021 10:02:04 GMT -5
This week I submitted for 2nd, 4th and 5th parts. On Wednesday I was too busy. I ignored, as RielCZ said, the trend of concise parts. Today was no exception. Long parts, nerve wracking conflicts, nasty plot twists, he he. :D
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Post by RielCZ on Jul 24, 2021 11:22:03 GMT -5
I'd written for each part but the ending. So... I'm not sure if it was necessarily a lack of entries. This said, I actually quite enjoyed the selected ending. It managed to give the story a tiny plot twist and even a nice moral. Kat, did you write an ending? I think inviting new STCers could be fun, and it might help to accomplish a camaraderie of sorts through the weekly story discussion. However, I think fostering that atmosphere would be easier with more opportunities to write/win per week, and/or if the new felt the old had something to teach them. Regardless, we could still invite some (maybe those who get their second or third trophy) and see who might stick around. With the NT now officially biweekly, I'd like to hope that that means Aesop can give more attention to the STC, probably via selection of more/longer entries per week -- not necessarily 10, though some fixed schedule of 1 or 2 entries a day. Though, I would be pleasantly surprised should this occur, heh. Anyway, I am starting a new job next week which will have my focus for about a month, so I probably won't have time to write until at least the start of September.
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Post by Rasaiu on Jul 26, 2021 6:33:23 GMT -5
I also liked the ending because I wrote the same thing. Well, I mean, the idea was exactly the same but I wrote a bit longer conversation between Meredith and Uni. I also implicated a small detail which was mentioned in part 2 where someone was peeking at the end of hallway.
I sent the beginnings already few weeks in row. This week I will take a break from that and try to concentrate on continuing the story.
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Post by Kat on Jul 26, 2021 9:01:38 GMT -5
Yeah, I wrote an ending with the same premise, though I added that the Skeith briefly mentioned in the beginning was in on the whole thing and was the one who swapped away Meredith's clothes, and included a mention of Meredith's mom as the reason why she told the truth.
I'm not sure what advice I can impart to newbies although I've been toying with the idea of writing an article about coming up with STC beginning entries specifically.
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