NYC Midnight : Creative Writing & Screenwriting Homepage
Forum Home Forum Home > GENERAL DISCUSSION > Creative Writing Corner
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Titles and Synopses?
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Titles and Synopses?

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1 89101112>
Author
Message
IReen View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Newbie
NYC Midnight Newbie
Avatar

Joined: 29 Jan 2017
Location: California
Status: Offline
Points: 38
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote IReen Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Mar 2017 at 12:30pm
Originally posted by aerolissa aerolissa wrote:

Originally posted by IReen IReen wrote:

Originally posted by plkphoto plkphoto wrote:

Originally posted by IReen IReen wrote:

Hi fellow fairy tale writers!  Your fairy tales sound amazing!  I can't wait to read them.  

I'm a bit nervous actually.  I mainlined fairy tales on Friday trying to get a feel for the genre and found it to be a far more challenging one than I'd expected.  Throw in the prompts we got... and I'm a little worried I didn't use them as effectively as I should have.  Oh well!  Too late to fret now.  (Technically it's not to late to fret, I've been fretting a lot... but too late to do anything about it.)  Smile

I hope to be around more for Round 2.  I wasn't very active in forums Round 1 due to my work schedule.  I have some catching up to do.  Anyhow - good luck, guys!!  



Heat 3 / Fairy Tale / Migrant Worker / A Delivery


The Tale of the Two Sisters

Through hard work and great skill Rufus has acquired his fortune, but that is not enough to satisfy his greed.  He seeks to make a magical woman his wife, one who can grant him everlasting life.   


Ditto, ditto, ditto, ditto!

Happy to see another from heat 3, looking forward to reading your story, wasn't able to be around much during round 1 (dying computer), and prompts were... eh... Confused

 

I don't know about you but I really grappled with the quality of the writing in classic fairy tale styles.  That, or maybe it's the quality of the translation.  Could also be the fact that they went from a spoken medium to a written one, and for kids (generally speaking).  Writing this one, I really felt like I could attempt to mimic a fairy tale tone and lose detail/quality/character motivations -- because seriously, in fairy tales the characters typically don't need an actual motivation.  They do things because they are: A) GOOD and DESERVING, or B) EVIL and UNDESERVING.  

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I felt like I could write a well written short story with fairy tale elements that wouldn't read like a fairy tale but probably qualify... or I could write what felt like a fairy tale (to me) and hope the judges understood my intention and didn't just mark me down for bad writing.  I'm still spinning over it.  

I mean - I think either is fine, but from what I've managed to pick up on forums, the judges can be unpredictable when it comes to stuff like this.    

If it makes you feel any better (though not to give false hope), I had Fairy Tale as a genre last round and made similar observations about writing the genre as you. My judges didn't seem to mind the more "spoken tradition/bedtime story" voice, which was a relief! They did take issue, however, with what they considered plot holes such as things that weren't fully explained or given motivation for... which is a fair argument, in a way, but I think it could be excused (which might have helped me get 3rd - in another genre, such plot holes might not have been so easily forgiven).

 I think what separates fairy tale from fantasy, however, is that these things don't need to be fleshed out or explained in too great of detail. Why do mermaids exist? Why do fairies live where they do? They just do in fairy tales. It doesn't make sense to me to dwell on those things when it might take away from the story's moral.

I decided afterwards, though, that I had a lot of fun writing a fairy tale! Best of luck to you all! Thumbs Up

HA!  I came to the exact conclusion you did, regarding what separates a fairy tale from fantasy.  I actually thought about it a LOT as I was writing, because I have dabbled a bit in fantasy before and that writing experience was so different for me than fairy tale writing.  Overall, I guess I'm glad I got this genre because I learned and grew, but I don't know if I'll be moving on.  And that's okay.  I think that's the cool thing about this contest so far--it's not just competing.  

I found your story and your feedback on the forums (only after I submitted, which may have been a blessing because my head was already in knots) and reading it, I really felt that the judges were pointing out things that could have been explored in a longer tale, but weren't critical for the movement of the piece given the word limit and genre.  Yes, it would be fun to explore all these motivations and details, but is the story depending upon us doing so?  I didnt feel that way reading your fairy tale, for what it's worth.  Smile

Good luck to you too!  
Round 2: H03 - The Tale of the Two Sisters (Fairy Tale)
Round 1: H81 - Dad Flies His Dragon (Comedy)
Back to Top
aerolissa View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Groupie
NYC Midnight Groupie
Avatar

Joined: 22 Mar 2017
Status: Offline
Points: 128
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote aerolissa Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Mar 2017 at 12:57pm
Originally posted by IReen IReen wrote:

HA!  I came to the exact conclusion you did, regarding what separates a fairy tale from fantasy.  I actually thought about it a LOT as I was writing, because I have dabbled a bit in fantasy before and that writing experience was so different for me than fairy tale writing.  Overall, I guess I'm glad I got this genre because I learned and grew, but I don't know if I'll be moving on.  And that's okay.  I think that's the cool thing about this contest so far--it's not just competing.

I found your story and your feedback on the forums (only after I submitted, which may have been a blessing because my head was already in knots) and reading it, I really felt that the judges were pointing out things that could have been explored in a longer tale, but weren't critical for the movement of the piece given the word limit and genre.  Yes, it would be fun to explore all these motivations and details, but is the story depending upon us doing so?  I didnt feel that way reading your fairy tale, for what it's worth.  Smile

Good luck to you too!  

Right! I feel like I'm learning a lot, as well as making myself actually write. Smile I struggle so hard without a deadline, and, without being given different prompts/genres, I would probably play it safe and only rarely go outside of my comfort zone when writing. Getting to talk to other writers has also been a treat - people who understand me! Heart
 
Thanks!! I was cutting it pretty close on the word count in round 1 :x Definitely would be fun to expand upon it someday with no word limit, so I appreciated them pointing out some valid areas where that could happen! As someone who doesn't always like to go into detail on things, the fairy tale genre somewhat allowed me to get by and I appreciated that for my first NYC Midnight experience! LOL

EDITED to say, I just realized that we flip-flopped genres in Round 1 and 2! Kind of funny - I should have read yours for inspiration! Shocked I was just so flustered.


Edited by aerolissa - 28 Mar 2017 at 1:00pm
SSC Ch1 - Simplicity
SSC Ch2 - Trojan Horses
Back to Top
SEHBicycle View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Addict
NYC Midnight Addict
Avatar

Joined: 26 Jan 2015
Location: Westerville, OH
Status: Offline
Points: 813
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SEHBicycle Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Mar 2017 at 5:17pm
Originally posted by JanesDragon JanesDragon wrote:

Fellow Heat 12er!  I'm glad to see I'm not the only person who was disappointed to get historical fiction!  

Your synopsis sounds great! I look forward to reading it Smile


Here's my title and synopsis: 
<p style="text-align: center; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;">The Debt of Matthew Sutton

Cowardly Matthew Sutton goes into debt paying a substitute to take his place in the American Civil War. Now it’s time for him to pay the price.



Thank you! 
I'm still getting over the crazy amount of research I did in a day. 
Your story sounds fantastic. I will try to get over the lack of confidence I have in my story and post it.

Good luck!
[/QUOTE]

Cool, 3 of us heat 12rs have posted our synopsis. Thesula, you and I both chose Civil War! I had the benefit of Ken Burns' Civil War on DVD, which I'd bought for research for the novel stalled for more than a decade.

Edited by SEHBicycle - 28 Mar 2017 at 5:19pm
Back to Top
plkphoto View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt
Avatar

Joined: 14 Jan 2015
Location: AliceSprings OZ
Status: Offline
Points: 3153
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote plkphoto Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Mar 2017 at 5:50pm
Originally posted by IReen IReen wrote:


I mean - I think either is fine, but from what I've managed to pick up on forums, the judges can be unpredictable when it comes to stuff like this.    

You're not wrong... Tongue

I got Fairytale in Flash a couple years ago and wrote it in the traditional style (MC's daughter was magically enchanted then magically saved/snapped out of it). One judge thought it was the epitome of fairytales and praised it thoroughly... the other wanted Disney and the enchanted character as the POV because she was the one who snapped out of it first... which would have been very boring as she just went about life enchanted until she ate something the magic-woman had prepared that snapped her out of it... And totally missed the point. It squeaked by with enough points (probably all from the first judge) to get me into the following round, but it was interesting to see completely opposite reactions to the same story.

Here's their actual feedback (which will also demonstrate how much better feedback has gotten since then, at least in general) -- note that in my story Cara's "decision" was just her waking from magic enchantment:

WHAT THE JUDGE(S) LIKED ABOUT YOUR STORY - ............Good story -- and I like the ending very much. Often in fairy tales the endings are overdone or predictable. I like the soft tone of this one, how it feels just right. .......................................The depth of Vito's love for his daughter shines through...............................…...........................…………………………   WHAT THE JUDGES FEEL NEEDS WORK - ............No real suggestions -- this writer has a good feel for the fairy tale -- the magic, the tragedy, the longing that characters feel… .................................…...The story feels like a summary and not like a real story that is lived in. Time transitions are clunky. There are too many characters and no real villain -- except for death ...and death was not much of a challenge. It could even be argued that Vito is a villain because he is somewhat selfish. I wonder if Cara should be the main character because of her decision at the end.

If you want to see the story, it's still posted here: 

I went for the traditional fairytale style this time too... Hopefully all three judges will be more like the first one here... Tongue

Here's hoping we'll win the judge lottery this time, and get people that know what fairytales are... Beer

FFC 2018

Ch1 Gr62 -- The Other Side of the Coin (Thriller)
Back to Top
Josh View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Addict
NYC Midnight Addict
Avatar

Joined: 23 Jul 2016
Location: Chicago
Status: Offline
Points: 861
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Josh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Mar 2017 at 6:09pm
Originally posted by KieraLesley KieraLesley wrote:

I think I'm the only one here for heat 16 so far!

Heat 16: Comedy/Overstaying one's welcome/A cake decorator

God Save The Cake

A 90-year-old nanna is eliminated from Britain’s Best Cake Decorator, but refuses to accept the judges’ verdict.

I haven't done comedy before - it's tough!


Well, Now you are not :) 

Bored to Death

What does Death do when bored? Get a new hobby of course!
Back to Top
KieraLesley View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Newbie
NYC Midnight Newbie


Joined: 19 Jan 2017
Location: Melbourne
Status: Offline
Points: 53
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote KieraLesley Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Mar 2017 at 6:32pm
Originally posted by Josh Josh wrote:

Originally posted by KieraLesley KieraLesley wrote:

I think I'm the only one here for heat 16 so far!

Heat 16: Comedy/Overstaying one's welcome/A cake decorator

God Save The Cake

A 90-year-old nanna is eliminated from Britain’s Best Cake Decorator, but refuses to accept the judges’ verdict.

I haven't done comedy before - it's tough!


Well, Now you are not :) 

Bored to Death

What does Death do when bored? Get a new hobby of course!

Yay, friends! I'm always fascinated to see the different directions people take the prompts and I love anthropomorphised Death in pretty much anything. Really looking forward to reading it! :)
Back to Top
Vernacula View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt
Avatar

Joined: 21 Jan 2016
Location: West Coast
Status: Offline
Points: 3729
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vernacula Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Mar 2017 at 7:29pm
This is the most I've ever seen people post from a heat I'm in! Excited to read your stories, Heat 4. Smile
Back to Top
patsy View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt
Avatar

Joined: 28 Aug 2011
Location: Ohio, USA
Status: Offline
Points: 4709
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote patsy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Mar 2017 at 8:32pm
Originally posted by stephenmatlock stephenmatlock wrote:

Originally posted by patsy patsy wrote:

Originally posted by stephenmatlock stephenmatlock wrote:

There are *four* winners from our heat. We will just need to worry about getting in to those top positions. I look forward to competing with you in the third round!

Curious how we both went sci-fi, though.

I was not planning to. It just came out that way. I'll discuss more in the private forum where we can post our story-links and comment about them.
Even funnier, I almost set mine on a ship too, lol.  


Now I'm worried we'll cancel ourselves out and some thriller about Smokey the Bear and Ranger Will is gonna win.

That would be my luck LOL
Back to Top
awayatpost View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Groupie
NYC Midnight Groupie
Avatar

Joined: 05 Feb 2017
Location: Virginia
Status: Offline
Points: 121
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote awayatpost Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Mar 2017 at 8:53pm
Heat 2: suspense/a funeral/a tutor

IT’S YOUR FUNERAL!

In the year 2030, Nora is devastated to receive a funeral notice. Still, there’s a ten percent chance
she won’t be the one in the coffin.


It ended up being a *rather* dark near-term dystopia/political satire-ish thing (though hopefully suspenseful) about population control in a post-health insurance world. I didn't intend that; I think that's just what was available in my brain. Also, after I submitted it, I read something on the forum about different word counts between Google Docs and MS Word. In a panic, I logged into my work account, which is my only access to MS Word, and double-checked, and, sure enough: my erstwhile 1995-word story was now 2025 words. I did some frantic cutting and resubmitted (before midnight) -- that's allowed, right? Please say that's allowed.
Back to Top
aerolissa View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Groupie
NYC Midnight Groupie
Avatar

Joined: 22 Mar 2017
Status: Offline
Points: 128
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote aerolissa Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Mar 2017 at 9:02pm
Originally posted by awayatpost awayatpost wrote:

Also, after I submitted it, I read something on the forum about different word counts between Google Docs and MS Word. In a panic, I logged into my work account, which is my only access to MS Word, and double-checked, and, sure enough: my erstwhile 1995-word story was now 2025 words. I did some frantic cutting and resubmitted (before midnight) -- that's allowed, right? Please say that's allowed.


Haha I hope so, because I resubmitted twice before the deadline! Submitted early just to make sure I had SOMETHING in and that the deadline wouldn't get away from me as I made edits. Sure enough, I found some things that needed to be changed and, upon someone's suggestion here, I withdrew my other submissions and uploaded my final one... guess we'll see :0 I have a feeling they would take your latest entry so long as it was before midnight. Someone can correct me, though, if I'm wrong!


Edited by aerolissa - 28 Mar 2017 at 9:03pm
SSC Ch1 - Simplicity
SSC Ch2 - Trojan Horses
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1 89101112>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 12.05
Copyright ©2001-2022 Web Wiz Ltd.

This page was generated in 0.266 seconds.