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Final Round Strategy?

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BJR View Drop Down
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    Posted: 19 May 2018 at 7:52pm
I'm curious to hear how other people approached their Final Round story.

It's an open ended question, but I have in mind things like:
Did you go into it planning to write a specific genre or did you let the prompts guide you?
Did you start writing at midnight when we got the prompts or wait to think about it?
Did you take into account what might play well with the judges or just write how you felt it should be?
(And anything else like that - just interested to hear other people's strategic choices)

For myself, I was hyper aware that the previous time I did this competition (and also made the Final Round) I made a then-less-well-known pop culture reference that at least one judge (based on the comments I received) did not understand at all. I tried to provide some explanatory words (which always hurts with the word count cap) so that even if someone didn't know what it was, they'd at least understand it was some type of show. But, I guess it didn't register for that judge. And, unfortunately, that reference, and the fact that my characters knew it, was a repeated element of the story. I finished between 11 and 20, but it bugged me afterwards that perhaps I'd have done better if not for that. I pretty much went into this Final Round determined not to make any pop culture references, since they can be so hit or miss that way. Confused

Would love to hear about other people's experiences!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote NYCNewbie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 May 2018 at 8:29pm

Hi,

In my hopes and dreams to reach the final, in my head I planned always to try to write something really dramatic that would pull at the heart strings.

I spent Friday evening before the prompts were released just brainstorming ideas along that line: 'A Wonderful Life', Biblical tales like the book of Esther and the story of Abraham and Isaac, redemption stories re: a person undeserving of redemption.... looked into loads of films like 'Grave of the Fireflies', 'A Dog's Purpose'....then films that have moved me like 'Mona Lisa Smile', 'Good Will Hunting', 'Goodbye Mr Chips' etc. etc. Then looked at current issues like mental health, bullying etc.

Eventually, when the prompts dropped, I just researched for half the day around the two main ideas that struck me from the prompts......read the book of Esther fully again and then settled on the idea I ran with and needed to research it at length....hence my limbo dance under the wire re: submitting a first unedited draft!!

The genre being 'open' frightened me at first, but I realise now I wrote a HF piece with mystery, suspense and drama mashed in.

I couldn't have predicted what was to come, but was glad I did that brain storming session.

Living in the UK, I barely slept Friday night before prompts were released, in my anxiety. Got up and on with it at 5am and did the whole 24 hour stint until uploaded....which I needed!!


One week later........maybe just about now feeling human again!?

Thanks for a really interesting post and one I hope previous finalists from all competitions will contribute to, as their experiences of a final round, or indeed any round (as all are pressured time-wise) are valid for this and every competition!

Paula x




Edited by NYCNewbie - 19 May 2018 at 8:52pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (3) Thanks(3)   Quote chrissie0707 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 May 2018 at 8:43pm
I went into the final round the same way I did the second round: getting in a good night's sleep and not staying awake to wait for the prompts to drop. I wanted as clear a head as I could have when I saw the prompts, so I didn't try to think about the judges, or possible genres, or ANYTHING, really, going into Saturday morning. I got up at 6AM, checked out the prompts, and spent about thirty minutes brainstorming a simple idea (actress is playing an altruistic character but is in reality an awful human being) while I cleaned the house and ate a quick breakfast, and then just got to it, adding more depth and whatnot as the day went on. (There was, of course, a mini-breakdown there in late afternoon, and I took a second shower just to clear my head. Which worked.)

I know our entire success with this competition depends on what the judges think of what we've written, but I honestly didn't give them a thought while writing. I've thought about them plenty since I submitted the story, but while writing, no. I guess I just figured that I got this far without worrying about catering to the judges, with just writing ME and my way, and I wasn't going to change that now.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BJR Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 May 2018 at 11:03pm
Paula,

A 24 hour grind! Impressive!

The brainstorming session is an interesting approach - a lot of us probably do that in the earlier rounds after the prompts drop, but there isn't the time for it in the last round, so makes sense to get your thoughts in motion early. :)

(Also, that was a great reminder that I really need to watch Grave of the Fireflies - keep meaning to and haven't yet)

Glad to hear you've recovered and hope you're feeling even better come June - good luck!

-BJR
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote BJR Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 May 2018 at 11:13pm
Chrissie,

Hahaha, I think you hit on the REAL winning strategy: mid-competition shower.

I've done some of my best story development that way too!

The only downside is there's no way to bring a notepad in there so I can remember everything. :)

-BJR
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote baheds Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 May 2018 at 11:26pm
I straight up forgot the final round was happening... was all ready to cozy up with my dog and a movie when I got the email at 9 pm (I'm on the West Coast) and remembered, oh right... that thing I'm doing is now. LOL

Went into it with no plan. Started a story that night and got out about 700 words, but knew it wasn't right so abandoned it. Brainstormed a little in my sleep, went to work in the morning and then came home and wrote a new story from about 3-7. Shocking how painless it was tbh. Didn't think about the judges, just wrote what felt right for the characters. I actually submitted it before the deadline because I knew if I kept staring at it I'd go nuts so I just released it and didn't look back. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote chrissie0707 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 May 2018 at 6:58am
Originally posted by BJR BJR wrote:

Chrissie,

Hahaha, I think you hit on the REAL winning strategy: mid-competition shower.

I've done some of my best story development that way too!

The only downside is there's no way to bring a notepad in there so I can remember everything. :)

-BJR

More than once, I dried my hands and reached for my phone to write out a few notes so I didn't risk forgetting something. The second shower is a writer's best friend. Tongue
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote td333777 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 May 2018 at 10:54am
This was my second final in a row for NYC Midnight, and I approached both the same way initially:

1. Don't write anything the night the prompts drop (in my area, 11PM).  Just consider the subject and character for a bit, then get a good night's sleep.
2. Saturday morning, start winnowing down to a plot, and try to disregard all of the "easy" ideas that come to mind first.  Because everyone in the final is a talented writer, you can't just rely on technical skill--originality and creativity will be more important than they were in earlier rounds.

But, for this final round (as opposed to the FF final), my plotting differed because of the altruism prompt.  I assumed a lot of stories would take the idea of self-sacrifice to the limit--that there'd be at least 20-30 stories about people dying or sacrificing themselves to save others.  Raw emotional stuff often plays well with judges in writing contests, I've found, but it's not typically my strongest suit...and I didn't want to be in a position where I'm trying to "out-emotion" writers who, quite frankly, are better at it than I am.  So I decided to go more O. Henry, and come up with a story with humor and character that appears to be one thing and is really something else.  By doing that, I essentially cap my chances of winning (I truly think you've got to make people tear up in order to win one of these) but boost my chances of placing in the top ten.  Plus, it was just more fun for me to write. ;)

So I guess in the end, I did consider the judges but also wrote a story I loved, and probably the best, most original one I could invent in only a single day.  No regrets here...just one more month of nervous waiting.


Edited by td333777 - 20 May 2018 at 12:09pm
FF '17 - 1st, SSC '18 - 2nd, FF '20 - 7th
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote td333777 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 May 2018 at 12:08pm
Also, (because I forgot to mention it earlier) I LOVE open genre.  It gives you a far greater ability to surprise readers, because they don't already know at the start what kind of story they'll be reading.  That's probably what excites me most about making it to the final round, because that's the only round they offer that genre option.  I wish they'd throw one or two of those in the earlier rounds, just for fun.


Edited by td333777 - 20 May 2018 at 12:09pm
FF '17 - 1st, SSC '18 - 2nd, FF '20 - 7th
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Meggles Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 May 2018 at 1:13pm
Originally posted by td333777 td333777 wrote:

Also, (because I forgot to mention it earlier) I LOVE open genre.  It gives you a far greater ability to surprise readers, because they don't already know at the start what kind of story they'll be reading.  That's probably what excites me most about making it to the final round, because that's the only round they offer that genre option.  I wish they'd throw one or two of those in the earlier rounds, just for fun.

I have a love/hate relationship with open genre. On one hand, I didn’t have to worry about getting assigned a genre that I had no idea how to handle, but on the other, I kept thinking about how if I chose a genre the judges hate, I’d automatically shoot my half in the foot! Haha. I’m sure I was overthinking it. Good writing is good writing.

As for me- I’m on eastern time so I woke up at midnight to check the prompt and then went back to sleep. I always do better if I sleep ok things. I brainstorm a lot while I sleep. I toyed around with several ideas that morning, but it was 3pm before I finally felt like I had something that would work.
FF 2021: C1
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