[Dec 2019] - Tardiness - Discussion Thread

[xiagan]

Tardiness



Clock by etwoo

Being (too) late can be something absolutely awful or something extremely lucky, depending on the circumstances. This time we want stories where something isn't happening (to somebody) as it should because somebody was late for something because of reasons. Happy, sad, science fiction, fantasy, ... write what your story needs and your mind wants.

Rules:

1. This must be prose or poetry.
2. The main character(s) must be too late for something.
3. Prose must be 500-1500 words long.
4. Poetry must be 100-750 words long.
5. One story per person or writing team (not per account).
6. You will be disqualified if you exceed the limits, full stop. That's why they're called limits.
7. Your entry can't be published somewhere else before.
8. This is a writing contest, not a "I have written something like this ten years ago" contest. So if you happen to have a story that fits one of the themes, I'd like it to have a mayor overhaul/edit. Work for it.
9. Please add your story's word count and, if you have, your twitter handle.
10. Please put your story in [ spoiler ] tags to make the thread easier to handle. You can find them above the smileys under the B.
Bonus rule: We consider voting in a contest you're taking part in a given. Others take time and effort to read the stories - you should do the same. A small community like ours lives from reciprocity and this contest needs stories as much as votes. 

If you want so submit your story anonymously you can do so by sending it in a personal message to @xiagan.

Entry will close December 31st/January 1st, 2019 and voting will begin somewhere around the same time too.

All members are eligible to join. If you are not a member you can join here. Sign up is free and all are welcome!

The winner will have their piece displayed on the main Fantasy Faction website sometime in the next months.
Submitting a story counts as published. The author retains all rights to their work.

Please post your entry here.

Note: This thread is only for questions or discussing this month's writing contest. Good luck!

[ScarletBea]

So adequate
And guys and girls, don't be late submitting

[ScarletBea]

@hexa should get the medal for non-tardiness

[J.R. Darewood]

hahahahah this theme.
Just when I was thinking I might possibly write up the arch enemy idea I had in the back of my head all month . 

Speaking of tardiness it's been what 6 months since they've posted any story winners to the main site?

[JMack]

I’m on word count 973 of my 1,500 word story, and maybe a third of the way through.
Rats.

[ScarletBea]

Speaking of tardiness it's been what 6 months since they've posted any story winners to the main site?

Wait no more just a little bit more, @J.R. Darewood!
I've been "hired" as main site editor and I hope to start posting them soon - well, at least once I get my access and instructions, which I've been waiting for a while now, hehe

I’m on word count 973 of my 1,500 word story, and maybe a third of the way through.
Rats.

Oh, I thought that only once you were finished did you look closely at the word count, and then start cutting stuff. If you haven't finished, how do you know it's really one third in?

[Nora]

I assume he has clear beats, with a chunk being the final confrontation and resolution. If he hasn't even reached writing that, then yeah he's not even halfway in.

Time to make tough choices 

[JMack]

Possibility #1: Write the thing with as many words as it takes, and it’s a story. Just not one I can use for the contest.
Possibility #1a: Then do a different version that restructures the plot (pretty heavily) and use that. Two stories.
Possibility #2: Start re-writing now.
Possibility #3: Drink a lot of hard cider and see what happens.

[J.R. Darewood]

Possibility #1: Write the thing with as many words as it takes, and it’s a story. Just not one I can use for the contest.
Possibility #1a: Then do a different version that restructures the plot (pretty heavily) and use that. Two stories.
Possibility #2: Start re-writing now.
Possibility #3: Drink a lot of hard cider and see what happens.

These do not sound like mutually exclusive possibilities...

I always go for #1. If it's too short I'm fucked and post it to the discussion thread, but 99% of the time it's too long and then spend the bulk of my time trying to cut the damn thing down. I have never written a story for this that I didn't have to butcher before entering

[Alex Hormann]

I may have failed in my plan to write something more optimistic, but at least I'm not late. 

[hexa]

I've been "hired" as main site editor and I hope to start posting them soon - well, at least once I get my access and instructions, which I've been waiting for a while now, hehe

Overlord is busy with the election on Thursday

[ScarletBea]

Are you writing?
Being tardy?

[xiagan]

Are you writing?
Being tardy?

New theme will be tardy too, the way this looks.

[hexa]

May I suggest lowering the word count from 500 to 400

[JMack]

I’m quite happy to have a it more time to write my tardy story, since I’m, er, late with it. I have two stories started, and neither finished.