Here is a link to a cool flash contest (max 750 wds)that challenges us to untrope the tropes. Strange Horizons published an article about stories they've seen too often and don't want to see anymore, Brainharvest challenges us to use the banished tropes to create art:
Sorry, I don't know how to make these links more UBB friendly.
Posted by Cheyne (Member # 7710) on :
OOPS! upon further reading, I noticed that there is a $5.00 'reading fee' per entry. That kind of puts a different spin on the 'contest', doesn't it. Might be a good idea to have our own version on HatRack in the challenges.
Posted by aspirit (Member # 7974) on :
Thanks. This inspired me. I combined two tropes, first-person-POV, and present tense to write what might win a Most Annoying award here at Hatrack.
Posted by Jeff M (Member # 7828) on :
quote:I combined two tropes, first-person-POV, and present tense to write what might win a Most Annoying award here at Hatrack
Just don't submit it for the contest -- I don't think brain harvest would consider that a trope. Their main page has 9 stories, 6 of which are first person (and two of those are present tense).
I agree with most of Strange Horizon's tropes, but there are a few that make me go "hmmm...". Like 35. Twee little fairies with wings fly around being twee. Really?
Posted by Natej11 (Member # 8547) on :
How about that movie "Battle for Terra"? That's a perfect example of "twee little fairies fly around being twee". It also delves into "Evil humans destroy their own world and come to another one to live and (probably) destroy", another common plot you see in movies and stories these days.
On a different subject, I'd be interested in having a contest like that for Hatrackers. Looking down that list at one point or another I did a mental scene or full-blown story about at least half those tropes.
Posted by aspirit (Member # 7974) on :
I used the tropes from the Strange Horizons list: 1. Creative person is having trouble creating. 2. Visitor to alien planet ignores information about local rules, inadvertantly [SH's spelling] violates them, is punished.
I'd thought first-person-POV and present tense were a particularly loathsome combination, but maybe not. An offline critique group praised my story.
(Sidenote for Cheyne: The UBB codes are explained here. Simply posting the urls works.)
[This message has been edited by aspirit (edited June 22, 2009).]
Posted by Cheyne (Member # 7710) on :
Thanks aspirit. I will definitely study that page. I've never really checked into it before; just too lazy I guess.
Just don't submit it for the contest -- I don't think brain harvest would consider that a trope. Their main page has 9 stories, 6 of which are first person (and two of those are present tense).