This is topic Flash Challenge #21 in forum Open Discussions About Writing at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.


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Posted by mikemunsil (Member # 2109) on :
 
Thanks to Kathleen for allowing us to post these notices here.

Flash Challenge #21 is open. You must be registered at Liberty Hall to participate. http://www.munsil.net/phpBB2/index.php

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Trigger Request and Story Submittal and Formatting
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1) Please go to http://munsil.net/mike/lhfc.html and click on Trigger Login to log in to see the trigger. When you do, the clock starts.

You will have 90 minutes total to return your story by submitting it.

2) Please go to http://munsil.net/mike/lhfc.html and click on Submittal Login to log in to the submittal page. When you submit, the clock stops.

3) Please include the title and a word count at the start of your submittal, in the following format: Story Title - ### words

You will not receive a separate response that we have your submittal.

If you have any problems, please email mikemunsil. I'll get to you when I can. If you cannot log in to submit, email me the story.
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Please use bbcode in the text of your submittal to have italics, bold or underlined text show up in your story when it is posted.
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Go to http://www.munsil.net/phpBB2/faq.php?mode=bbcode to learn how.

 


Posted by Keeley (Member # 2088) on :
 
Forgot to stick in the word count and title. Sorry. Can I send it separately and, if so, who do I send it to?
 
Posted by mikemunsil (Member # 2109) on :
 
yep. send them to me.
 
Posted by Keeley (Member # 2088) on :
 
Thanks.
 
Posted by pogozorro (Member # 2805) on :
 
Don't be like me and charge in without reading the rules. I nearly gagged when I logged in and saw the 90 minute rule.
 
Posted by mikemunsil (Member # 2109) on :
 
It's better than what I wanted! I wanted 60 minutes, but I let the members decide, and they chose 90. As always, I think they made a good choice. As I've watched how they do things over that last 20 weeks, I've seen people start to think more about what they're going to write, and write in less time. 90 minutes total gives them time to do a little bit of thinking, sometimes a little bit of research, and upon occasion a trifle of editing.

[This message has been edited by mikemunsil (edited August 22, 2005).]
 


Posted by mikemunsil (Member # 2109) on :
 
By the way, we're at 21 uninterrupted weekly challenges, and the writers have generated 498 stories.


 


Posted by pogozorro (Member # 2805) on :
 
Ninety minutes isn't bad on the whole, so I am thankful you deferred to their group judgement.
 
Posted by onepktjoe (Member # 2352) on :
 
Man, am I glad you didn't go with that 60 minute rule. I can't remember how many times my sub started with the note: "I know this is a few minutes late (this with 90 min.), but could you please..."

I'd never get out of the _D_airy _Q_ueen with only 60. As is I'm a coin flip to make it.

I'm so slow.
 


Posted by Minister (Member # 2213) on :
 
You and me both. I can only think of a couple of flashes (and I've done almost every one) that I finished comfortably with enough time at the end to go back over the story carefully. Usually, it takes me a (relatively) long time to get my idea and develop it into a plot. Then the story always, always, ends up taking more words and more time to tell than I expect. And then I'm looking at the clock with eight minutes left, sweating bullets, and trying to hammer out my ending before time runs out (which makes the story even longer, because I don't have the time to think of lean, efficient ways to say what I want to say). What a rush!
 
Posted by Beth (Member # 2192) on :
 
If it was 60 minutes, you'd adapt. You certainly wouldn't be writing 2k stories! But I think the extra half hour really helps.
 
Posted by Varishta (Member # 2789) on :
 
Wow, I don't know if I could write something of any worth in 90 minutes. Scenes, yes. Entire stories? Never. (But then, I've never tried something like this before.)

Is there a way to see some of the resulting stories online?
 


Posted by TheoPhileo (Member # 1914) on :
 
Once you join the forum, all of the current week's stories are visible (monday through friday, I think, or whenever mike cleans off the old ones)
 
Posted by mikemunsil (Member # 2109) on :
 
quote:
Is there a way to see some of the resulting stories online?

http://www.munsil.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1863

You are not required to join in the challenges to register at Liberty Hall.

You are invited. If you wish to read the stories, go register and make sure to use the same username you use here, otherwise I won't admit you.

mike
 


Posted by Minister (Member # 2213) on :
 
Beth, I just wish I could crank out 2000 coherent words of brand-new story in 90 minutes. I don't think I've ever been within a couple hundred words of that number. I'm still in awe of the person who produced the 2400 word story quite a few challenges back. Of course, I'm sure some critters wish that I couldn't crank out more than, say, 800 coherent words of brand-new story in 90 minutes. Actually, I think it takes me longer to produce the shorter material sometimes. It takes more work to narrow my concept down to the splinter width of a truly flash sized story (and story it must be! no slice of life for me), and then to tighten my writing up (I'll often trim upwards of 10% or more if I have time to go back through and edit/rewrite -- takes an 1100 word story to under 1000).
 
Posted by djvdakota (Member # 2002) on :
 
WAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

I DQ-ed! I can't believe I DQ-ed!!

I have an excuse, but it's too late to use it. This was my first flash since the changes in the trigger/submission format. It took me a few minutes to figure it out. If only, if only...

But I'll get you all next time!!!
 




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