Competition - Total Write-Off

pickarooney

No, anyone and everyone with a registered boards account can vote.

Lensbaby89

Will you be doing another one?
I'd love to play?

Doluc

Same, if there is another one... I Love the idea, would love to play.

pickarooney

I'll draft you in as replacements. We'll see how this all turns out before deciding on doing it again

Mr E

Finished my story, just editing to do now. Very happy with how it turned out.

Antilles

Damn you, Mr. E! :eek:

pickarooney

2/16 entries so far. I'm still mulling over whether to release all 16 on the one day or stagger them. What say ye?

Mr E

Good question.... when you have a pair (like both Black and Gold for example), you could post them together?

Have you decided on the conditions for getting to the next round? A poll, or 'thanks' count?

I should be able to submit mine next week....

pickarooney

A visible poll seems like the best option as they can be time-limited.

Still deciding if I should give new names for round two or let people follow stories from the same entrants.

Watch Ryder

EDIT

Antilles

Watch Ryder:

A) I'm fairly sure we're not all adults here.

The themes have already been selected and they're not the ones in the first post

Oryx

Watch Ryder wrote: »

I second that.
Assuming that we're all adult's here then maybe the theme's should reflect that.
Kid's story's are not my thing...

The given themes are not childish, but even if they were, you could make them into an axe murder/gang bang if your mind worked that way.

I like the idea of releasing each pair for voting as soon as they are sent in, but noone should say if they have submitted *looks at Mr E*

Turtyturd

I think a good idea would be one match up each day after the deadline, it would help focus peoples attention on the two stories competeing against each other.

Down side though is one day might get a lot of votes, next day only a small few. Also it means at least an eight day turn around between rounds.

As for codenames, I think keeping them is a good idea it could allow for continuations of the story or for reppearance of characters.

Antilles

pickarooney wrote: »

A visible poll seems like the best option as they can be time-limited.

Still deciding if I should give new names for round two or let people follow stories from the same entrants.

Different code names every round. Even in this forum, I tend to pay more attention to writers I know I'll enjoy. You can remove that bias by not keeping the same names for every round.

Also: I've spent the past week tweeking and reworking my story. I finally got it how I want it tonight, and only then realised that I'd tweeked the specified theme right out of the plot. D'oh!

Slow Show

I'll send mine in a few days, it's been written up for a few days but I'd rather not send it too soon or I'll regret it, especially as I'm not all that happy with it.

smcgiff

I've mine sent in a couple of days ago, but will probably make changes before May 11th. I knew if I didn't do it last weekend it would never be done. Pretty sure pickarooney said we could resubmit.

pickarooney

Just to be clear, I'm not planning on posting anything up until the closing date as resubmissions are allowed right up until then. I'm just considering posting one or two pairs per day thereafter, a kind of advent calendar of stories rather than an avalanche of prose.

Blush_01

Perhaps posting 2 each day over four days and putting a timed poll (say 7 days) on it? You'd have two finalists finishing per day, so you have a bit of flexibility yourself (assuming you have the time to post daily for the four days) and everyone gets an equal amount of exposure over peak and non-peak times of the week? We'd all have a monday - sunday, even if that 7 day period started on a different day for the different themes (or groups of themes)?

There would still be a 3 day period where all 8 groups were up at the same time - catering both for people not wishing to read daily and people who felt 16 stories at once was overwhelming. A phased rollout might be easier in terms of the fact you'd be starting a set number of threads over an extended period rather than 8 at once (which will be time consuming enough as it is!) and as it's two against each other across 8 themes it might make things more focused?

Procrastinating again. Eek! The brain - hand communication thing isn't going so well... working on it! Delighted for everyone who's doing so well at this stage though.

pickarooney

That's pretty much exactly what I was thinking. Might have saved some time if I was able to express myself adequately from the off

pickarooney

Only eight days left now!

Insect Overlord

I have the story-board, but I don't have the story. Should have it done by the end of the weekend, with a few days spare for revisions.

Oryx

Write off is a good name, because my story is a bit of a car crash. But will bang out a few dents, submit and be damned.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

I really like this head to head competition format pickarooney and looking forward to seeing how it pans out and reading the entries.

Couldn't enter myself this time around unfortunately, as I'm in the middle of a career change, which leaves me with little time until I've settled into the new job...
But hopefully this comp is successful and I'll be first in line to sign up for the next one...

Antilles

Someone else tell me they're having a really hard time of this too so I don't feel as bad

Oryx

Im having a really hard time of this.

Insect Overlord

I wrote two poems instead.

pickarooney

Insect Overlord wrote: »

I wrote two poems instead.

That's a whole new level of procrastination :pac:

Anyone who even starts before Wednesday evening is practically cheating in any case.

Aoibheann

pickarooney wrote: »

Anyone who even starts before Wednesday evening is practically cheating in any case.

I feel much, MUCH better now. I thought that my topic was perfect for me, but it's not happening at the moment. I will make it work somehow!

Phantasos

This is HARD. I cannot think of any ideas at all for my topic. It's not helping that another topic on the list couldn't be more perfect for an idea I have rattling around in my head.

I'm hoping one of my ''Think, goddammit, think...'' moments will provide a moment of inspiration real soon!

Antilles

I finally came up with a workable story this morning. Just need to work it out!

azzeretti

I have something but it is terrible. There are loads of the other options I would love on that list but I'm really having trouble with the one I got. Ah well.....

pickarooney

Still waiting on the bulk of submissions. Don't forget that anyone who misses the deadline is banned for a year.

Insect Overlord

I'll PM you Thursday morning. :pac:

D'Agger

CaptainNegative wrote: »

Couldn't enter myself this time around unfortunately, as I'm in the middle of a career change, which leaves me with little time until I've settled into the new job...
But hopefully this comp is successful and I'll be first in line to sign up for the next one...

Hope that pans out well for you

angelll

Haven't even an idea yet , moved house in the last week so up to my eyeballs with unpacking etc. I'll try to fling something out tomorrow night...

Aoibheann

Oh god, this is not going well at all. I've been horribly sick all day and may just drag myself to the doctor in the morning. Must write this though!

smcgiff

I blame Pickarooney if people don't submit. He simply didn't give enough time!

pickarooney

Aoibheann wrote: »

Oh god, this is not going well at all. I've been horribly sick all day and may just drag myself to the doctor in the morning. Must write this though!

You should have more than enough time to do it in the waiting room, otherwise I'll need a note from the doctor.

Turtyturd

Sent. First attempt at non college writing, so aint expecting too much but it was fun to do. I think I have a good idea which is poorly executed . Best of luck to everyone and thanks to Pickarooney for organizing it.

Aoibheann

pickarooney wrote: »

You should have more than enough time to do it in the waiting room, otherwise I'll need a note from the doctor.

You're getting something! It'll be crap, half because I feel atrocious and half because I'm talentless. :P But you'll get your entry!

azzeretti

Just got mine in........it's a bit rough but it was fun.

Best of luck!

Insect Overlord

790 words to go...

pickarooney

Entries coming in thick and fast now but still waiting for half of you to finish.

Aoibheann

On second thoughts, I probably shouldn't have been so insistent that you were getting something.. I have one crocked shoulder/arm/hand and another that's almost as bad from a bad blood donation the other day. So now writing is painful in two ways. >.<

This is bad, so so bad. :P

EDIT: This sucks, but it'll have to do! Apologies all! :P

Insect Overlord

PM sent. How strict is the word-count..?

>_>

<_<

Aoibheann

Dear pickarooney,

Curse you and your encouraging me to write again with this competition!

Sincerely,

Pathetic excuse for a writer. :P

Antilles

Douglas Adams wrote:

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.

<-- Appropriate

Blush_01

Went to see Hanna tonight. Really enjoyed it. Then got out of the cinema at quarter past 11 and remembered the deadline was tonight. Tore home, sent my pathetic excuse for an entry, and then realised I'd made a n00b error. Serves me right, I guess.

Hanna was totally worth it though (although the plot was a bit flaccid towards the end) and I'd probably go to see it again. Will definitely rent it anyway. Saoirse Ronan's amazing.

Killer_banana

Haven't checked in here in ages. so happy to see I'm not the only one who left this late and ending up submitting a pile of crap. Writing competions, exams and quitting smoking really do not mix.

Blush_01

Killer_banana wrote: »

Haven't checked in here in ages. so happy to see I'm not the only one who left this late and ending up submitting a pile of crap. Writing competions, exams and quitting smoking really do not mix.

Oh hon, that sounds like a barrel of laughs! Just think of all the inspiration it'll generate, focus on the positives. (I've heard writing is better than chocolate and biscuits when you quit smoking, but be careful of the pens you choose to chew on.)

Aoibheann, hope the arms are feeling better!

Shorter deadline next time maybe? Since we're all going to procrastinate until the last minute anyway, why not make it less time consuming for Picka, hanging around waiting for the lot of us to get the lead out??