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First time experiences

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SLemere View Drop Down
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    Posted: 17 Jul 2017 at 9:00am
Susan from Massachusetts here. I am in Group 28, and this is my first time. When I received my assignment, I felt instantly defeated-- I couldn't imagine putting my three components together in any way, never mind within a thousand-word frame. Wayyyyy outside my writer comfort zone. But I did it, and ultimately, once I got past my initial feeling of doom, the challenge level really energized me. I think I grew as a writer in 48 hours!

I am interested to hear what other newbies thought of this experience. What led you to do it? How did it match up with your expectations? Would you do it again?

Glad for the Forum in addition to the contest, as I'm eager to connect with other writers.

Edited by SLemere - 17 Jul 2017 at 12:57pm
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number13 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote number13 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Jul 2017 at 9:06am
First time for me, too.

Trickiest part for me was getting my head around the timezone difference (as I'm in the UK) which means the prompts come out in the middle of the night, so others get a wee bit of a head start.

The cost is a little daunting as well, but I'm looking forward to getting feedback on my work. 

The prompts themselves, well, I was expecting a mixed bag, so wasn't horrified with what I got, although it (suspense) was a genre I've never even read much in, never mind written.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Alexis_H Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Jul 2017 at 9:19am
Last year was my first year. I couldn't resist the lure to come back and from the sounds of it, we will see you again too.

the challenge is incredible and you will tackle writing in a way that you don't normally or in areas you aren't usually comfortable with. In all honesty, the thing that helped me most the last time was the forum. Judges comments are great, I want to learn, but critiques by my peers and doing the same for them, it changed my whole game by round 2 and I still use those comments when I write now.

Once we're allowed to post our stories I heartily recommend it.
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Joni View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Joni Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Jul 2017 at 11:58am
First timer here too, and have never written flash fiction. When I saw drama as my genre I was excited as I'm comfortable with that. But then I scrolled over and saw my location and object...a sweatshop and an automotive battery - what??? I almost threw in the towel then, lol. Honestly, without the entry fee as it is, I might have done just that. Having money invested made me go ahead and tackle it. I just kept telling myself that even if it was horrible, I was going to turn something in. I ended up with what I thought was a decent story by last night but then had to cut out about 1/3 of it to meet the word count, which was so hard to do! 

It was definitely a challenge and I'm excited to see what others came up with in the same heat. Even if I don't make it past the second round, I know I will be back for more of these competitions. Nothing like a tight deadline to get the creative juices flowing. 


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lord Xoon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Jul 2017 at 12:03pm
First timer here too. The idea sounded fun and I wanted something to ignite that creative fire.

My concern with story 1A is that I played it too safe. It's pretty tropey. So I guess I'll see what the critique feedback looks like and hopefully adjust for Round 1B.

I got fantasy, which I think is too easy and didn't really force me out of my comfort zone, so I think I put out a pretty milquetoast product.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Archon1995 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Jul 2017 at 2:08pm
Originally posted by Joni Joni wrote:

First timer here too, and have never written flash fiction. When I saw drama as my genre I was excited as I'm comfortable with that. But then I scrolled over and saw my location and object...a sweatshop and an automotive battery - what???

Not a first timer, but this ^^^ resonates with my experience. I'd never done flash fiction before, or entered a time limit contest, or worked from prompts...  My very first set of prompts was RomCom (yet another thing I'd never tried before) / A Recording Studio / A Cactus. I tell ya, some of the prompt combos are whack.

I managed to pull out a few points with it, so you could, too.  Thumbs Up
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tazenhani Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Jul 2017 at 2:58pm
Hey all!

Thanks for starting this thread. It's encouraging to hear from other first timers and their experiences!

This is my first time doing Flash Fiction, and I have to admit I was really nervous all day about getting our assignments. I tend to be a lengthy writer with issues on selective editing, so I already knew the word count was going to be a challenge.

What I found as the biggest and most unexpected challenge, however, was selecting one idea and going with it ... and having any confidence in it. I had a world of a time worrying over originality and creativity and cliché avoidances. I'm still not sure if I succeeded >.o

Really hoping to be able to relax a bit more on Round 2, and have a bit of fun.

Best of luck to everyone! Can't wait to read some of the stories! :)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Zblugg Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Jul 2017 at 3:16pm
I was a first timer in the (still ongoing) Screenwriting challenge. Round 2 results are coming this Wednesday, and I CAN'T WAIT. ;)

So in the meantime, I figured Flash Fiction was the way to go... I guess you could say I'm hooked, yes. Totally and irreparably so.

It's a challenging process, yet it challenges in just the right way. Play with the cards you're dealt, basically, and learn to adapt. Yes, the costs are fairly high (Canadian, here, so pretty much 5,000 CAD...), but them judges aren't doing this just for the fun of it...

In short: welcome to the party, and keep on keepin' on!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote djkfdm Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Jul 2017 at 3:17pm
I was a first-timer last year and I felt the cost was worth it. It gave me two stories I could edit and polish to submit for publication elsewhere. Plus, the feedback and critiques were great. The only thing mistake I made was not submitting my second story to the forum for critique. I didn't do that one, because I felt it was terrible and I would never pick it up again to revise. I was wrong. That story got 3 points where the first one scored 0. My first story was a horror, which I never read or watch so it was really out of my wheelhouse. But in the end, I loved the story. I highly recommend submitting your stories to the forum for critiques, no matter how great or crappy you think they are.
2107 FF Challenge #1: A FOOL'S COURAGE
2017 FF Challenge #2: HAUNTED LOVE
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Balabean Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Jul 2017 at 3:34pm
I'm a super duper first timer times a thousand. The entirety of my post high school writing has been done in comp 1 and 2 at a community college this past year. I had some success publishing one of my comp 1 essays and want to write a book. I have zero experience with fiction but am trying to "fictionalize" some of my real experiences for said book. I thought this would be a good way to practice. In my first story the two main occurrences are things that really happened to me, so I think it was a good experience.
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