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Candyfloss &Vinegar
NYC Midnight Addict Joined: 16 Jun 2022 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 891 |
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I am one of those awkward people that just needs to write or I won't get anywhere. I need to put pen to paper and get words out. Half the time I have nothing more than a vague concept or a character when I start. Then, once the words dry up I go back and start pulling a story out of the chaos . Then I pad out that story to give it life.
Writing shorter things such as flash is helping me channel that need to just let words flow by giving a goal to hit. A finish point to aim for before I start editing. The prompts also narrow the target as I have a tendency to get distracted and write a tangent... Titles was something I got from my round 1 flash feedback. Hadnt even considered them as part of the narrative until then. Beta readers and a writing community are also things I am learning are invaluable. Especially when I'm outside my comfort zone.
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Deschain
NYC Midnight Addict Joined: 18 Nov 2022 Location: Baltimore, MD Status: Offline Points: 689 |
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I think my biggest mistake was staying up until midnight to get my prompt and start my story. I tried falling asleep around 3:00 a.m. but I kept getting ideas in my head and would have to wake up and drop them down. next time around I'm going to check my prompt first thing in the morning, after a good night of sleep.
The other thing I really wanted to push myself to do was to write a complete story, not the first 250 words of a longer story. but I'm new to micro fiction, so I have no idea if that matters to other people, but for me that was something I strived for. along those lines, I also wanted to write a story that didn't feel rushed. I didn't want to write a 400 word story that I crammed into 250 words by over-editing. Even if everything is grammatically correct, at some point writing just becomes too claustrophobic when I over-edit. I was happy with how my story worked out on this point, because I was able to employ parallel structure in a couple places and had an extended metaphor in there as well. The biggest challenge for me was that the story just went in this direction that was really uncomfortable for me (in terms of disturbing subject matter), and with the time constraints there wasn't enough time to scrap it and start over. I feel like I grew from that experience, and hopefully it will help me in the future. I just have to let the story go where it wants to go instead of always trying to bend it to my will.
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Zero11
NYC Midnight Black Belt Joined: 29 Mar 2022 Status: Offline Points: 2914 |
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THIS is expert advice, and your entry in the 250 illustrated its application. Amazing!
Edited by Zero11 - 25 Nov 2022 at 12:28am |
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jakz404
NYC Midnight Newbie Joined: 23 Nov 2022 Location: Melbourne, AU Status: Offline Points: 33 |
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I think this is great advice! I feel it would be hard to do do justice to the characters and their development to try and cram much more in, especially with a tight word limit. Thanks for your response
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jakz404
NYC Midnight Newbie Joined: 23 Nov 2022 Location: Melbourne, AU Status: Offline Points: 33 |
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That makes me feel better, and a great idea to also keep naming characters simple!
Will keep this in mind if I try the other challenges!
Getting any you feel good about I think is definitely a win! I'm not 100% with mine but currently working on a major redraft. I did a mini-redraft, but life got in the way from being able to really take time to step away and return which is why I'm doing that now.
I thought this might make for an interesting alternative to external feedback, allows a bit more introspection with less risk of hurt feelings. Also it works as a great resource for newer writers/competitors (like myself). Thank you so much for contributing!!
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jakz404
NYC Midnight Newbie Joined: 23 Nov 2022 Location: Melbourne, AU Status: Offline Points: 33 |
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Its hard to be original & engaging with such a short timeline and (potentially) odd prompts. Having seen some of the other groups, I know I would have had major issues with some of the others. And remember getting anything in is an achievement (finishing a race can for many be a greater achievement than winning it). I didn't know whether there was an option of not progressing to Round 2. That makes me a little more nervous now. Fingers crossed for us both!
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jakz404
NYC Midnight Newbie Joined: 23 Nov 2022 Location: Melbourne, AU Status: Offline Points: 33 |
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I'm curious to see what the feedback is like, which is also why I created this post - to try and offset what I think they'll mention about my submission. I wrote my sub with Grammarly open, which I usually hate as it takes my voice out of the style, but wanted to have some live copyediting regarding my spelling and phrasing so I could really focus on concept. I called my sub "In Media Res" to remind myself that it should start in the heart of the action. But now in retrospect, it seems very pandering to call it that and have already retitled my redraft!
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jakz404
NYC Midnight Newbie Joined: 23 Nov 2022 Location: Melbourne, AU Status: Offline Points: 33 |
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Totally! Having reviewed some of the other submissions on this forum, I can see how much impact a good title can have on setting the scene. Can really feel the difference when its working for you, vs when it doesn't. My submission was definitely the latter - and have already retitled my redraft.
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jakz404
NYC Midnight Newbie Joined: 23 Nov 2022 Location: Melbourne, AU Status: Offline Points: 33 |
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Great redrafting advice. I submitted mine really early, then life got in the way and I couldn't get back to redraft. I've been mulling it over for the last week and can see to many gaps, so now I'm planning a redraft. If I get into round 2 I really hope to use more of the time to bash out a 2nd/3rd or major redraft. Definitely agree about starting in the action - not enough time for a major build up in the action. unless you plan for 50-75 words for Intro - Action - Ending
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jakz404
NYC Midnight Newbie Joined: 23 Nov 2022 Location: Melbourne, AU Status: Offline Points: 33 |
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Thanks so much! I was hoping it would get people to be engaged, and introspection is just as valid form of feedback as any other! Particularly when you can learn from what others consider to be their mistakes. Great advice about keeping it punchy - with such a limited word count, you need to make sure each one is working for you.
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