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How exact on the action???

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ashleythunt View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ashleythunt Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Nov 2020 at 10:10pm
Originally posted by TelepathicTeaTime TelepathicTeaTime wrote:

Originally posted by steph9289 steph9289 wrote:

Originally posted by TelepathicTeaTime TelepathicTeaTime wrote:

I was just wondering this about my action too! I was assigned "putting on gloves", which my character does in fact do, but I wrote it as "snapping them on" because the gloves are the vinyl kind that make that satisfying snapping noise around your wrist when you put them on.

I don't wanna change it, not really, but I do feel a little worried about being disqualified over it too...

I hope you at least fixed your word though! 😂 

No worries on that front! After getting everyone's advice on that in the other thread, I went back and made the necessary changes. Already resubmitted my story too. It was a berry close call!!

I see what you did there 😂
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HHCrippen Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Nov 2020 at 12:07am
Similar story ... "baking a pie." I discussed the contents of the pie, and the characters who ate it, but not the actual baking process. One would infer that it was baked, but feeling a little paranoid I sneaked in a mention of his "bakery." Still not sure it was enough.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Anansi Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Nov 2020 at 7:13am
I may be courting trouble here too. 

I've got 'telling the time'

But I describe a timepiece elsewhere - somewhere other than the location the story is taking place in - as if in the mind / imagination of the MC. 

"the sundial would be telling the end of day"

Is wot I wrote. 

Hopefully I should be ok because according to the rules.... 

"The action can be physically performed by the characters, but it can also take place in other ways such as a flashback or flash-forward, a memory, a hallucination, a dream, or in a character’s imagination, as long as it happens within the story."

But we shall see. At least I got in the actual word 'telling'.


Edited by Anansi - 22 Nov 2020 at 7:14am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lowens Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Nov 2020 at 8:09am
I wondered about that as well. I had "chewing gum" and initially wrote "smacking gum" and changed it to chewing. It would be good to know the rule on this. The rule on the word usage was clear. I got "grip" and used "gripped." This was so much fun. I do a monthly 100-word photo prompt challenge so getting to used 250-words was a treat!
Happy writing!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote terrilynn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Nov 2020 at 12:44pm
Mine was "dyeing hair." 

I never used those words. Instead, I showed the results and the mess she had to clean up. 

As for the word "lower," it became "Lower Manhattan glowed around the rooftop bar." 

If they don't like it, they don't like it. 

Terri
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Paul Bee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Nov 2020 at 12:44pm
The action is very open to interpretation as long as it's clear.
You dont even have to take it literally. 
250 round 1

https://forums.nycmidnight.com
/topic50789_post534861.html#534861

250 R2

https://forums.nycmidnight.com/r2-gr-21-drama-losing-keys-vest_topic51497.html
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote steph9289 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Nov 2020 at 12:57pm
I wrote about "driving over the speed limit" from the perspective of squirrels. LOL
#amrevising
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sgspeed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Nov 2020 at 1:13pm
It was certainly an interesting new twist to be so specific with the directions. I stayed with "tossing," although I really wanted to say "placing" as this was a Civil War era lady and I couldn't envision her throwing or tossing logs into the fireplace.  That was another fine detail - fireplace instead of fire.  When I read "throwing a log in a fireplace" I was tempted to have tiny people playing caber inside the fireplace. If I'd had fantasy, I would have gone for it!! I'm in the if they don't like it camp. 
MF250 The Mother
250 MF RD.2 Hush Little Baby
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ashford Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Nov 2020 at 3:42pm
Yeah, I think I'm in trouble here as well as with combining two genres. But for this action, I was assigned 'climbing a ladder' which my character, nor any other character actually did. The closest I got was a 'flash forward' which would be allowed except, I only referenced 'climbing a ladder' could be dangerous.

THE END

If I did get disqualified, the one good thing is a have a 250 word synopsis for a bigger work of fiction. Best to look at the bright side..
"You must never be afraid to go there." ~Harlan Ellison
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote JoService Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Nov 2020 at 3:49pm
I wrote 3 stories with 3 totally different ways "turning on a sprinkler". But it definitely happened in each of them. The one I submitted was the one with the most mundane version of that action but it was the funniest and most memorable one also. 

I did not use the fire sprinklers getting set off, or the club dance. They were unique ways to interpret the action, but mundane stories. So I went with the mundane action and unique story. Hopefully it works
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