Inspired by an article from http://deanwesleysmith.com/index.php/page/2/ , the challenge is as follows: Beginning each Sunday, write an original story and submit it to a pro market.
"What??" you say. "Submit it without getting any crits??"
That's the idea. The theory is that you can learn a lot just by writing a story. Many of us (myself included) sit on stories forever, either tinkering with them or wringing our hands wondering how the heck to revise them. So the point of this exercise is to get you writing and to get you submitting.
To that end, I'm going to make the rules a little flexible. Here's how it will work officially:
Each week I'll post something in the Writing Challenges section.
Sign up in the Writing Challenge section at the beginning of the week by saying you're in the challenge.
Go write your story.
At the end of the week, sign in again with the title of your story and where you submitted it to.
Rinse and repeat for as long as this works for you.
At the end of the week we'll applaud those who kept their commitments with a smilie face. I'll keep a running list of people who maintain this pace over a length of time.
The unofficial rules: If you absolutely can't stand the thought of submitting a story without having someone look over it, then slow the pace to every two weeks, or a month, maximum.
If this sounds more like something you can do, then sign in and put "two weeks" or whatever your chosen cycle is by your name. You will then have that alloted time to write your story.
However... the key is to do this regularly. So even if you choose a month for your time period, you should try to maintain that pace. This is not a challenge for occasional submittals. Stories that have been languishing on your shelf for the past few months that you feel like brushing off don't count for this challenge. You must write new material.
How's this sound, folks?
(and I'm thinking now, oh boy, what the heck have i gotten myself into??)
Edited to fix list thingie.
[This message has been edited by annepin (edited August 04, 2008).]
Posted by JeanneT (Member # 5709) on :
Sounds good to me, Annepin. Thanks!
Posted by Grijalva (Member # 3295) on :
I like it, do I sign up here?
Posted by Bent Tree (Member # 7777) on :
cool
Posted by marywillow (Member # 8101) on :
I'd like to give it a shot. Count me in.
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
I wish I were up to it, but the energy just isn't there in me anymore. I'm hoping to get back to a more prolific schedule when I retire, but that's, mmm, ten years away, maybe...
Posted by annepin (Member # 5952) on :
Look for similarly named challenges in the future.
Posted by Rhaythe (Member # 7857) on :
Submit a draft story for professional publication? That seems a bit counter-intuitive to me. What am I missing here?
Posted by annepin (Member # 5952) on :
The article I linked to explains the philosophy behind this experiment. It won't be right for everybody.
Posted by Zero (Member # 3619) on :
I think it's a great idea and wish you the best. Perhaps soon I will have the free time to get on board myelf. Great idea anne!
Posted by JeanneT (Member # 5709) on :
No, it shouldn't be a "draft" story. It assumes that you can write a finished story without workshopping it.
Posted by bakerjw (Member # 8103) on :
I may have to hit myself in the head with a brick to see if I can get a story idea to pop out. Maybe space aliens really are using a brain neutralizer on my creativity. JK. If may jump in late if I have a good idea pop into the noggin.
Posted by annepin (Member # 5952) on :
Anyone should feel free to drop in whenever, even if a week is all you can do. The idea is to encourage people to write more and submit.
I've made allowances for longer cycles--up to a month. The only requirements I've put is that the story be written within the time frame you commit to (rather than dusting off an old story).
Posted by Zero (Member # 3619) on :
quote:Maybe space aliens really are using a brain neutralizer on my creativity.
That sounds like an idea for a story.
Posted by cklabyrinth (Member # 2454) on :
Think I'll try this out, especially since everything I've rewritten so far seems to be less cohesive than the first draft... which isn't saying much.
Posted by TaleSpinner (Member # 5638) on :
This is a great idea, but I don't want to ignore my little pile of stories that patiently await polishing and finishing. So what I'd like to do is this: first and third weeks of the month, a story a week. Second and fourth weeks of the month, polish and submit something from the languishing pile. When the pile is empty, switch to one-story-per-week mode until published.
If that's okay, I'll sign up this week to finish by Sunday, then again for the third week.
Cheers, Pat
Posted by annepin (Member # 5952) on :
Pat, absolutely. I encourage people to adapt the schedule to something that works for them. The only core tenets are that you write the story and submit it within the time frame you commit to. Sticking to a regular schedule will get you more virtual brownie points!
Posted by TaleSpinner (Member # 5638) on :
Thank Anne. I'm all signed up and ready to rock 'n write!
Pat
Posted by annepin (Member # 5952) on :
Hey guys, thought I'd check in and see how y'all are doing. I got about halfway through my draft and then decided I needed to mull some more. So that's what I'm doing now. Mulling. I might have to put myself on a two-week schedule. Posted by TaleSpinner (Member # 5638) on :
I have the story mapped out in my mind and a sheaf of note cards. I'm telling myself that's normal, I start slow and finish quick. Zac (my imaginary artificial intelligence) tells me I'm a delusional idiot.
I might delay too, we'll see how the first draft goes.
Happy writing! Pat
Posted by annepin (Member # 5952) on :
Hm... maybe I need an I.A.I of my own...
Posted by JeanneT (Member # 5709) on :
Finished my first draft this morning. I'm going to put off a clean up until tomorrow and get it in the mail Monday. I'm not sure that that quite makes my 1 week goal but it's close at least. Posted by arriki (Member # 3079) on :
So, how's this going? I notice not much activity. I did 8 stories a while ago, writing each one within a week. I found none of them ready to send out immediately. However, two of them I've already spent a couple of weeks on and am now preparing to kiss and say good luck to. I discovered that I needed a cooling off period to derive the most from the stories. They needed to simmer deep down in my subconscious before polishing.
Anyone else find that true?
Posted by tchernabyelo (Member # 2651) on :
I don't wish to come across as a wet blanket, but writing a story a week and expecting to send them to pro markets is something most established pros wouldn't dream of doing.
Stories take time to polish and tighten, even if they aren't being externally critiqued (and frankly, again, even if you're an established pro you should still have readers, if not full critiquers, before you submit; an external sense check nebver hurts).
It's good to set yourself targets, certainly, but quantity does NOT trump quality. Targeting a story a month to a pro market, that's fine.
I speak as someone with 20 story subs out at the moment, 10 of which are at pro markets. But some of those stories are two or three years old.
Posted by Zero (Member # 3619) on :
While you're being totally realist, pragmatic, and absolutely sensible, I think the idea here is just to motivate people to write on a regular basis, and develop the habit. My greatest enemy is my own lethargia.
Posted by Rhaythe (Member # 7857) on :
If nothing else, the challenge could get a respective writer in the habit of actually submitting his or her work, something I've always found mind-numbingly difficult. The downside being that an editor may grow accustomed to receiving half-baked stories from said writer.
Maybe instead of submitting to a professional market, participators in this exercise should pair up and submit to one another as though that person was an editor. Just a thought.
Posted by Zero (Member # 3619) on :
I think that's a fantastic idea.
Posted by annepin (Member # 5952) on :
Well, it was an experiment; perhaps it has failed. I for one decided that I couldn't crank out a story a week. More like a story a month. As for submitting them without critiques... it's not _that_ terrible an idea. Many authors have done so in the past, including the author I linked to above, as well as Stephen King, even OSC, I believe. Of course, it is a different market now than it was then. Much more competitive, etc. etc. It comes down to choices. I firmly believe there are many paths to success; the trick is finding what works for you, and what you are comfortable with, while experimenting.
Posted by Zero (Member # 3619) on :
Well I use the term "failure" rarely because few things are ever a failure. The Challenger launch was a failure. But this exercise wasn't, not in my opinion. It motivated writers to write more, develop frequent writing patterns, and become comfortable knowing how to make submissions.
That's a success in my book.
If we call anything that doesn't result in publishing a failure, then, well, all I have done is fail. And I've been failing a long time.
But I don't see it that way.
Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :
I'm glad we can provide a place for such experiments, and I hope they will be learning opportunities more than they may be failures.
Posted by arriki (Member # 3079) on :
Yes, when I was writing a story a week, I found the pace draining. I think two weeks is a more reasonable goal. Push out three or four and let them rest. Come back later and do the polishing.
Anyone here finish any stories in a week?
Posted by Rhaythe (Member # 7857) on :
Anyone ever think of starting a weekly/monthly/bi-monthly whatever newsletter composed of stories from the Hatrack group? Get a few moderators every issue that take submissions from Hatrack members, sort out those worthy, and then email out PDF compilations of these stories?
Mailing lists online are pretty effective and are normally free. It shouldn't be hard to get one sponsored somewhere. I think even Yahoo will host something like this.
If one cannot be found, let me know and I might be able to set something up.
Posted by philocinemas (Member # 8108) on :
I "finished" a story - my first since college (20 years ago). I made my first submittal (ever) - and I look forward to framing my first rejection letter. But it did help me to actually complete something - so thanks.
Posted by Zero (Member # 3619) on :
And I forgot to mention annepin, I wrote my story for the WotF contest in only a week, as per your guidelines. I did think of the idea beforehand, and I had a two page false start first draft from awhile back. But this latest fresh start clear through to the ending and two revisions all happened within a week. So yes, I think it was a success.
Posted by annepin (Member # 5952) on :
Well, I'm glad some people found it helpful. I considered it a failure in that it fizzled out, but if it's helped anyone write something, maybe that is enough to call it a success.
Writing stories and submitting without critique is a time honored tradition, used by authors including Stephen King, Jane Austen, and, I believe, OSC. Is it the best way? Who can say? One could argue both ways. Maybe they would have had more stuff published earlier if they had gotten people to critique their stuff. On the other hand, maybe they wouldn't have developed into the writers they did if they had had it critiqued. Maybe they wouldn't have developed the voice that they had. I might be better; it might be worse.
I firmly believe that there are many paths to success, and there are many ways to define success (ironic I guess given my take on this challenge). Find the ones that work for you. That's all that matters.
