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Popsicle Crows View Drop Down
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Points: 2359 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Popsicle Crows Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jan 2023 at 11:16pm
Totally wrote that in the wrong thread..

 - Dazed and Confused



Edited by Popsicle Crows - 22 Jan 2023 at 9:31am
SS R1 G20 Lead Him into Temptation
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justmel View Drop Down
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Points: 2083 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote justmel Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jan 2023 at 11:28pm
Originally posted by WhistlerCrowe WhistlerCrowe wrote:

Hey y'all! My prompts are Mystery - Summer School - A boyfriend. The boyfriend is tripping me up. Leaning towards going the magical realism route with this, but I don't know how broad the character of a "boyfriend" can be... Could he be a minor character? Or the boyfriend of a secondary character who is mentioned within the story? Help, please. 

He doesn't need to be the MC, but he needs to be significant enough to the story that it can't exist without him. Even if he never appears, something he did or said has to drive the plot. (But I personally think it's safer if he actually appears.)
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Interesting that it's still banned.

I spent a summer in Russia (Altai Republic). Good thing I didn't take any Orwell with me!
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Originally posted by Random Random wrote:

Originally posted by Deschain Deschain wrote:

Originally posted by nod1v1ng nod1v1ng wrote:

What I do know about this contest is that creativity is often rewarded. Don’t play it safe. Think outside the box. 

I'm nervous about that though. My only other entry was a ghost story and I wrote about an incubus and the judges really hammered me for including non-consensual content...but that is literally what an incubus does. One judge didn't buy the main character's yearning for the incubus afterwards, even though the story said she was possessed. One judge thought that the encounter was supposed to be consensual and I'd erred by making it sound non-consensual. One judge thought it was supposed to be a fantasy and thought the language I used was too coarse. Three different takes, but the overall message seemed to be that you can't write about an incubus in a ghost story.

I guess I'll take your advice because I don't want to play it safe. I just hope I don't get booted again because I didn't choose one of the hackneyed paths like "ghost can see the action but is powerless to stop it" or "person doesn't know they're a ghost until the very end" or "ghost has unfinished business" or "ghost teaches main character a moral lesson"...


Don't let your imagination get the best of you.  Write the story and let the judges fall where they may.  Judging is improving anyway.  Always room for more, but if the story is good and you made the attempt to check the boxes...

In your example I might have pitched a fit to feedback.  Wouldn't have changed anything, but if the story stands the story stands, even if the judges don't know the difference between a succubus and a city bus.

thanks for this. i think i will follow the advice you and nodiving gave me. just needed that extra boost of confidence. good to hear that the judging is improving.
SS R1 G23 Haunted by the Truth *TW*

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Points: 2248 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote CamsynClair Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Jan 2023 at 2:24pm
Originally posted by Perri Winkle Perri Winkle wrote:

Nice.

I also received political satire, but I'm in group 106 -- petition (subject) and chairperson (character).

Are you experienced in political satire? What do you recommend I do for research, etc.? I usually write fantasy :)

My SS entry last year had some magical realism, and it got HM1! It was my first ever NYCM and not the best entry by any means (it was also 500 words under count because I'd never written something so long before haha), but being a total newbie to PolSat, I was pretty happy with it! Feel free to check it out if you'd like, but no pressure, of course! https://forums.nycmidnight.com/r1-gr143-man-overboard-polsat-hm1-fb_topic45745.html
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Originally posted by Deschain Deschain wrote:

I'm nervous about that though. My only other entry was a ghost story and I wrote about an incubus and the judges really hammered me for including non-consensual content...

Is there a rule about non-consensual content? If so, I need to scrap the one lone idea that I have...
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CamsynClair View Drop Down
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Originally posted by Annk Annk wrote:

Originally posted by Deschain Deschain wrote:

I'm nervous about that though. My only other entry was a ghost story and I wrote about an incubus and the judges really hammered me for including non-consensual content...

Is there a rule about non-consensual content? If so, I need to scrap the one lone idea that I have...
No rule; however, different judges often vary in how they receive content like that, so how your story does may highly depend on your particular judges. If you post your story on the forum, just make sure you share with a CW! I've seen stories that mention non-consent do well, but from experience, I haven't seen stories that show it explicitly "on-screen" so to speak do quite as well outside of the horror genre, where I figure judges expect more explicit content
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Originally posted by CamsynClair CamsynClair wrote:

Originally posted by Annk Annk wrote:

Originally posted by Deschain Deschain wrote:

I'm nervous about that though. My only other entry was a ghost story and I wrote about an incubus and the judges really hammered me for including non-consensual content...

Is there a rule about non-consensual content? If so, I need to scrap the one lone idea that I have...
No rule; however, different judges often vary in how they receive content like that, so how your story does may highly depend on your particular judges. If you post your story on the forum, just make sure you share with a CW! I've seen stories that mention non-consent do well, but from experience, I haven't seen stories that show it explicitly "on-screen" so to speak do quite as well outside of the horror genre, where I figure judges expect more explicit content

Thank you. If I go this direction, it will have happened in the past and be mostly alluded to.
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I'm really at a loss here - Political Satire, Insider Trading, Anchorman - I could not be less inspired.  Any thoughts on interpretation of insider trading?  Anyone think this could be anything other than stock market related? Snoooooze.  All thoughts welcome!
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Points: 5312 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Random Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Jan 2023 at 8:03pm
Originally posted by Prinkles123 Prinkles123 wrote:

I'm really at a loss here - Political Satire, Insider Trading, Anchorman - I could not be less inspired.  Any thoughts on interpretation of insider trading?  Anyone think this could be anything other than stock market related? Snoooooze.  All thoughts welcome!


A few things pop into my head, actually.  Anything can be traded.  Votes.  Appointments.  Positive press.  Board seats.  As long as the public thinks these things are done one way, above board, but some people get an advantage by going behind the scenes and using underhanded means to get what they want.

Anchorman, so I'm thinking positive press for candidates.  The 'insider trading' is politicians buying that press, and getting their opponents smeared, because they are 'insiders'.

This is about fifteen seconds thinking about it, actually, but I think it's the right track.  At least for me.
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