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I wasn't going to sign up for short story

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nod1v1ng View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote nod1v1ng Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jan 2021 at 10:55am
Originally posted by timmytimtimothy timmytimtimothy wrote:

How's everyone planning on approaching it? 

If I get HistFic, which I did R1 in 2018, I'll spend the first half of the week researching and then start writing Thursday and hopefully have a draft for beta by Friday so I can spend Saturday editing.

Last year I got comedy in R1. I spent most of the week being salty and pouting, then punched out something ridiculous at the last minute. 

I think my favorite SS R1 piece was a thriller in 2019. I had an idea for that one early and puttered with it right from the get go. It was an odd piece, switching back and forth between a dream and reality, so I was glad I had a lot of time to refine it, sending it out to beta multiple times.

All that to say, it probably depends on the prompts. 

This year submission day is on my birthday, so if it were a normal year I'd consider starting early so as to give myself free time to go out or whatever. But reality check, it's still a pandemic and I'm not going anywhere, so I guess no big deal to stay in and write! LOL


Edited by nod1v1ng - 21 Jan 2021 at 10:57am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote amlewi08 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jan 2021 at 11:27am
Originally posted by timmytimtimothy timmytimtimothy wrote:

Can't believe we've gotta muster up the brainpower to write another story this weekend – 10x as long (as the MF)!

How's everyone planning on approaching it? Ideally want to come up with an idea and start writing on Saturday. In reality - given my track record of last-ditching it - I won't do anything until late in the week and will be writing right down to the wire LOL



I'm a hopelessly intuitive plotter, so the approach will very likely be:

1. Create outline
2. Begin writing
3. Get 25% in and realize the characters want to do something else
4. Re-outline
5. Adjust what I've already written to match the new ideas I came up with during the second outline
6. repeat steps 3-5 at the 50%, 75%, 85%, and 95% mark.

It's a joy. haha.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dashesndots2 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jan 2021 at 11:27am
I actually took the entire week off this year because I needed a break from work (one of our busiest times is mid-November through mid-January and I'm burnt out), and it also is my birthday week (28th).

That said, despite having zero work or social obligations all week, but knowing my typical patterns, I will probably spend large chunks of that time procrastinating. I hope to get something down in the first 3-4 days and spend the remainder sending it out for beta-ing and editing.  We'll see if that actually happens.

Fingers crossed for a set of prompts that speak to me.  My R2 ones in Flash this year I found incredibly boring, and had a really hard time getting into the process.   
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote nod1v1ng Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jan 2021 at 12:15pm
Originally posted by dashesndots2 dashesndots2 wrote:

That said, despite having zero work or social obligations all week, but knowing my typical patterns, I will probably spend large chunks of that time procrastinating. 

Typical Aquarian, distracted by all the other shiny things. Wink
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote chrissie0707 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jan 2021 at 2:11pm
Originally posted by timmytimtimothy timmytimtimothy wrote:


How's everyone planning on approaching it? 


As Nod said, depends heavily on the genre. In the past when I've gotten something I'm personally unfamiliar with, I've spent some time researching and getting a feel for the genre, like with Fairy Tale in my first ever comp. With some more experience under my belt, I plan on using a bit less time planning and a bit more time writing. Last year, I pulled Spy in the first round, and while I still love the idea I came up with, it really wasn't well-suited to 2500 words, and I froze, and could not make it work. I spent so much time mentally rolling the story over, I didn't even try to seriously WRITE anything until Thursday, and my anxiety over making the story work took me down, and I bowed out of the round. (Also had a friend tell me that the MC's motivations made no sense at all, after working on the plot for six days, and I didn't have the mental capacity to bounce back from that.)

All that said - I am planning on approaching this round with a bit more grace and calm, and spend the weekend nailing down an idea, then the week writing and polishing. 


Edited by chrissie0707 - 21 Jan 2021 at 2:12pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lisafox10800 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jan 2021 at 2:35pm
Originally posted by amlewi08 amlewi08 wrote:

Originally posted by timmytimtimothy timmytimtimothy wrote:

Can't believe we've gotta muster up the brainpower to write another story this weekend – 10x as long (as the MF)!

How's everyone planning on approaching it? Ideally want to come up with an idea and start writing on Saturday. In reality - given my track record of last-ditching it - I won't do anything until late in the week and will be writing right down to the wire LOL



I'm a hopelessly intuitive plotter, so the approach will very likely be:

1. Create outline
2. Begin writing
3. Get 25% in and realize the characters want to do something else
4. Re-outline
5. Adjust what I've already written to match the new ideas I came up with during the second outline
6. repeat steps 3-5 at the 50%, 75%, 85%, and 95% mark.

It's a joy. haha.



Ugly draft by Tuesday. Wednesday through Friday through several beta iterations. Saturday panic, panic panic, put the final polish on it and beat myself up for days after about the story I "should have" written.

I'm such a creature of habit.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Random Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jan 2021 at 4:26pm
Originally posted by lisafox10800 lisafox10800 wrote:


Ugly draft by Tuesday. Wednesday through Friday through several beta iterations. Saturday panic, panic panic, put the final polish on it and beat myself up for days after about the story I "should have" written.

I'm such a creature of habit.


You people are so inefficient.  I generally go into panic mode right after the prompts drop.  That gives me a good head start on depression, disenchantment, and self-loathing.

It's all downhill from there.

The worst possible outcome would be prompts I like.  At that point the excuses evaporate and I have to produce a piece that meets my standards.  That's true horror.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dias Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jan 2021 at 4:46pm
Signed up just now, incredibly last minute because this is the contest that causes me the most stress LOLEven figuring out the Paypal form was painful!

The longer the deadline, the harder I find it to commit to an idea. My usual process is: wake up early to get the prompts, cycle through four or five different plot ideas over the next week, make a few false starts and forget to turn off my inner editor, panic on the last day and finally complete my first draft, submitting it in the last few seconds of the deadline (5am UK time). I wish I was exaggerating...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote amlewi08 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jan 2021 at 5:07pm
Originally posted by Random Random wrote:

Originally posted by lisafox10800 lisafox10800 wrote:


Ugly draft by Tuesday. Wednesday through Friday through several beta iterations. Saturday panic, panic panic, put the final polish on it and beat myself up for days after about the story I "should have" written.

I'm such a creature of habit.


You people are so inefficient.  I generally go into panic mode right after the prompts drop.  That gives me a good head start on depression, disenchantment, and self-loathing.

It's all downhill from there.

The worst possible outcome would be prompts I like.  At that point the excuses evaporate and I have to produce a piece that meets my standards.  That's true horror.


Y'all are my people.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jennifer.quail Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jan 2021 at 5:13pm
Originally posted by timmytimtimothy timmytimtimothy wrote:

Can't believe we've gotta muster up the brainpower to write another story this weekend – 10x as long (as the MF)!

How's everyone planning on approaching it? Ideally want to come up with an idea and start writing on Saturday. In reality - given my track record of last-ditching it - I won't do anything until late in the week and will be writing right down to the wire LOL



I'm assuming I'll do what I always do: gripe about what I got, put it off until the last possible minute, and throw something together that I submit shortly before the midnight deadline. 

Seriously. That's usually what I do. Unless LaurieH sees an incomplete draft it's never beta'd because I don't have time to do more than skim for typos.  When I did a microfic contest I finished a lot sooner and did a lot more editing and I didn't get out of round one, so forget that. 
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