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Sonia Prudan View Drop Down
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    Posted: 20 Jan 2023 at 2:44am
Hello!
Are some of you already part of groups (or some other organised thing) where you do similar contests but without prize, pressure, cost? Like a cooperative where authors would voluntarily enter a similar thing than the (for instance) 250-word microfiction? And then you would sort of agree to review 2-3 other stories, and that is that. I understand it is a lot of work, and I think the NYC midnight challenges are really worth it. But I am looking for some sort of "training arena" for those of us who would like to keep practicing in between actual challenges and, well, just improving our writing skills...? Does that exist?
Thanks!

Edited by Sonia Prudan - 31 Jan 2023 at 8:22pm
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CamsynClair View Drop Down
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Points: 2247 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote CamsynClair Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jan 2023 at 7:39am
The 11:59 Discord is an amazing place for workshopping! Totally at your own pace; you can workshop as much or as little as you want, though like with NYCM betas, the general expectation is that you’re active in workshopping other stories if you want your story workshopped, which sounds exactly like what you described! Any length of story is accepted, including micros, and it’s totally free Smile http://discord.gg/YhyM4K8Hyy
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Deschain View Drop Down
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i'd be up for cycling through the genres in a group workshop setting for MF250. i'm thinking...
  • maximum 6 people per group (if there's additional interest then other people could form additional groups).
  • everyone reviews everyone else's story, so you're reviewing 5 and getting 5 reviews.
  • cycle through the genres based on previous prompts from NYCM. i'd put all the previous prompts  into a spreadsheet (except ones the group already had, i.e. we won't include R1 G112 cause i already did that prompt) and set it up to pick a random one. (that keeps me from getting a head start)
  • use a similar format to NYCM, 24hrs to write. maybe find a way to make the deadline matter, like your story doesn't get reviewed that round if you're late.
  • use Google Drive/Docs/Group to store the writing and all that.
  • i'm thinking we do a new round every two weeks. 13 genres, 26 weeks, half a year.
any of these bullet points are negotiable, i was just trying to put together a starting point.
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Pages View Drop Down
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Points: 669 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote Pages Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jan 2023 at 12:34pm
I like this idea :)

I've copy/pasted a couple of years' worth of NYCM 250 word and 100 word prompts so I could write stories as practice. I'd pick one at random by the super-high-tech method of....(drum roll please)...picking a number out of a baggie of bits of paper with numbers on them. Then I'd commit myself to writing the story as I would if it was the official challenge.

If anyone sets this up as a group activity, please count me in!
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Deschain View Drop Down
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Points: 484 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Deschain Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jan 2023 at 2:08pm
Originally posted by Pages Pages wrote:

I like this idea :)

I've copy/pasted a couple of years' worth of NYCM 250 word and 100 word prompts so I could write stories as practice. I'd pick one at random by the super-high-tech method of....(drum roll please)...picking a number out of a baggie of bits of paper with numbers on them. Then I'd commit myself to writing the story as I would if it was the official challenge.

If anyone sets this up as a group activity, please count me in!

i'm willing to put the google drive/docs/group part of it together (assuming everyone has a gmail account or can create one) and address any technical issues.

if we keep the scope to roughly what i outlined above i don't think there's a need for much else in terms of organizing and decision-making. i think we can set up the schedule to avoid conflicts with any of the NYCM contests, and maybe put in place a simple agreement about skipping sessions (maybe we let people skip 2 consecutive rounds, but after the 3rd they're out).


@Sonia, if this isn't what you had in mind please say so. i'm not trying to take over your idea/thread. this is just my suggestion on how we could implement what you're talking about, but i defer to you if this isn't what you had in mind
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Sonia Prudan View Drop Down
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Points: 62 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sonia Prudan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jan 2023 at 2:40am
Hello everyone! Thanks for all the interest here.

Yes, what you are describing Deschain is very much what I had in mind. And I wouldn't mind you doing all the Google magic (sounds like you know what you are talking about).

But, I just joined the Discord group which you mention, CamsynClair, and that also sounds amazing. I don't want to reinvent the wheeel, so I am going to check how the Discord group works and see if they have something similar first (?). I like the idea of having a one-day (or two-day) deadline, and I am not sure yet that the Discord group organises these types of events? But maybe they do, so who knows.

Maybe we can do both...? At first sight, it looks like the Discord group can be used to work on a writing, and get feedback, and share tips and news, these things. And that is great. But I don't think it would help keeping all the writer emails together, drawing the random prompt, etc. So maybe the Discord group can be used to tell people that they can join a fake low-pressure challenge and that they should email so-and-so...? I don't know, really. I am just thinking aloud here. I don't want either to sound rude and start there with random ideas that they have already had many times... :)
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Sonia Prudan View Drop Down
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Points: 62 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sonia Prudan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jan 2023 at 6:46am
Well, I did ask and there doesn't seem to be anything like it on the Discord group (?).

There apparently wasn't much uptake, so that is something we should take into account.

If this thread here doesn't attract too much attention, then I guess we too would find it hard to have enough participants for our coop low-key 24h challenge.

Anyway, I am counting three persons here... Any others?
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My blog https://www.facebook.com/Sonia.Prudan/
My stories www.amazon.fr/Sonia-Prudan/e/B085M5CFTD
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Nimhathuna View Drop Down
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Points: 3916 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Nimhathuna Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jan 2023 at 9:14am
Hi there,

This sounds like a good idea. If it goes ahead, count me in. I'm part of the Discord group mentioned above, but we enter free/paying competitions, offer feedback etc., to flex our literary muscles rather than promote a "training arena." So if you get it up and running, feel free to DM me.




Edited by Nimhathuna - 21 Jan 2023 at 9:15am
250M R1: GR 68 ‘Human Female Salad Intake: A Study’ Sci-Fi
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Sonia Prudan View Drop Down
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Points: 62 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sonia Prudan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jan 2023 at 4:58am
Hello everyone! That makes five of us for this round.

Simple rules. I agree with max 5-6 authors per group. I don't think we need to worry about skipping sessions for now. There might be only one round, after all. Natural consequences: you don't review, you don't get your reviews. I don't know if people want to review all other stories, it might be a big job? I don't know. I think if we all review two-three other stories, we are good. Author A reviews stories B, C, D ; Author B reviews stories C, D, E ; Author C reviews stories D, E, A ; Author D reviews stories E, A, B ; Author E reviews stories A, B, C. Authors are sorted by timestamp or any random method. But I am totally up to review another five or ten stories, so I am just being mindful, not opposed to review-them-all.

Also, with or without a winner? I said no prize, no cost, no pressure. It might have meant no winner (only prize is the feedback we receive), or you might prefer an honorary unrewarded winner (no rounds, each reviewer chooses their best story and if there is no clear winner among all the winners we share the glory). Not sure how you want it.

What do you think: reviewing all other stories or only 2-3? electing a winner or not?
Or I could make a decision about it all too.


Edited by Sonia Prudan - 24 Jan 2023 at 4:59am
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My blog https://www.facebook.com/Sonia.Prudan/
My stories www.amazon.fr/Sonia-Prudan/e/B085M5CFTD
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nobodyowens View Drop Down
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Points: 182 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote nobodyowens Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jan 2023 at 2:30pm
Hi New person here i was following this thread but didn't comment much 😂 I think the idea sounds great if it works out I would very much be interested in joining, I'm not currently part of a writing community other than here during the contests and would like something to do in the breaks as a way to connect and learn from other writers. 
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