Competition: Variations on a theme 1 (Kim)

pickarooney

I had an idea for a thread, based loosely on a book by a French author whose name I've forgotten and work I've never read (if anyone can guess who it is from the idea, please put me out of my misery).

The idea is that we come up with some basic skeleton of a (very short) story and everyone writes a version of the same story, about 300-500 words or so, maybe a little longer but definitely not over 1000.

Anyone interested in trying it? If so, throw out a few ideas, character names, situations etc.

Insect Overlord

I'm up for it, but I probably won't be able to post my contribution for at least a week.

I'll leave the skeleton design up to more capable creators than myself, but I'll put some proper effort into the story.

Antilles

Sounds great. We could have a closing date, a thread for submissions and then a poll for people to vote for their favourite

dcmu

I'd be on for giving this a go.

What should the idea, or skeleton, be based around? Any ideas?

Being the seemingly lone active mod, I nominate Pickarooney

ToasterSparks

Ooh, this sounds like fun.

Yep, we need a good story 'shell'. I guess since you suggested the idea, you should pick that Pickarooney.

The sooner we get it started the better.

Antilles

ToasterSparks wrote: »

The sooner we get it started the better.

Definitely this! Good suggestions tend to be forgotten if not acted on quickly.

pickarooney

TED: My God!

DOUGAL: What?

TED: That's a good idea!

DOUGAL: No it isn't.

TED: It is Dougal, it is!

DOUGAL: No Ted there's probably something wrong with it. You just haven't thought it through.

TED: No no Dougal, you've had a brilliant idea. Hah! But break it down for me a bit more. What would an event celebrating all the different cultures in Craggy Island actually be like?

DOUGAL: What?

TED: What would it involve? I mean, celebration yes but what form could it take?

DOUGAL: Ted I want out.

TED: What do you mean?

Ok then, first thing that came into my head...
---
There's a medical student, Kim, queueing at the post office when a middle-aged man with a green jacket collapses in a heap in front of one of the counters. Kim has failed four second year exams and is just about ready to drop out completely. Somebody asks if there's a doctor in the house. Kim hesitates about going to help or waiting for an ambulance.
---

If you hate it, feel free to throw something else out there.

For submissions, to keep it fair, I suggest either posting anonymoulsy with an easily recongisable variation of your user name and I'll validate all entries at once, or else PM your story to me and I'll copy them into the thread for voting. I say we give it 4 weeks from Monday to try and get a good few entries together.

Let me know what you prefer.

ToasterSparks

Cool. I like the idea - it's random enough anyways, and not something mainstream.

I think probably PM'ing you with the entries would be the best idea. Then they can all be posted after the end-date and we (I) won't be subconciously influenced by other entries!

And we need a prize. Even just a virtual one. For the heck of it!

af_thefragile

I'ld be up for this...
Haven't writing a story since school days. So should be good to get back to it!
Should also warm me up for the novel(s) i've been putting off to writing over the past months/years!


Being a second year medical student myself (and having done my fair share of failing exams), I feel intrigued to go with Kim's story...
But something tells me Ted and Dougal's could make a pretty exciting one too...

So how are you supposed to do this? Or when does this start?

Antilles

Well four weeks from Monday was 22nd March. We've agreed the theme, so I guess we start whenever we want and submit our stuff via PM by that deadline

I assume we're all happy with a 1000 word upper limit?

pickarooney

Might as well make it the 31st of March starting from yesterday. I'll post the entries without the authors' names for voting if that's OK, just to rule out any suspicion of bias, nepotism, simony or blackmail.

ToasterSparks

Blackmail? Hadn't thought of that.

*sets up virtual spycam focused on Pickarooney*

BrandonFlowers

this sounds like the best idea ever!

used to love writing stories in school but have stopped since, lookin forward to the challenge!

are we defo goin with kim the medical student so?

af_thefragile

So which plot are we going with??

pickarooney

Yes, the plot in post 7 is the skeleton. I've already got three entries in, so there's no chance of it being changed now!

I tried to get an announcement but there are a lot of big things going on on boards just now so it'll be some time before that goes up> In the meantime, if you want to spread the word somehow (in sigs or whatever), please do.

af_thefragile

pickarooney wrote: »

Yes, the plot in post 7 is the skeleton. I've already got three entries in, so there's no chance of it being changed now!

I tried to get an announcement but there are a lot of big things going on on boards just now so it'll be some time before that goes up> In the meantime, if you want to spread the word somehow (in sigs or whatever), please do.

So is the plot the one with Ted and Dougal or is it the one with Kim, the medical student??
Or are they both part of the same plot?

Sorry but i'm a little confused...

pickarooney

af_thefragile wrote: »

So is the plot the one with Ted and Dougal or is it the one with Kim, the medical student??
Or are they both part of the same plot?

Sorry but i'm a little confused...

Sorry! It's the medical student one. The Father Ted quote was just a joke.

af_thefragile

pickarooney wrote: »

Sorry! It's the medical student one. The Father Ted quote was just a joke.

Aww... thanks...!
I'll get writing on my story soon!

Bonito

I have an idea. Why don't you give us the spine of a story and then we take turns to construct it. Chapter by chapter and everyone takes a turn. Then see what we end up with?

Dublin141

I sent my attempt in and am already regretting it I can't wait to see everyone else's though!

pickarooney

Dublin141 wrote: »

I sent my attempt in and am already regretting it I can't wait to see everyone else's though!

If you want to change anything and resubmit, that's fine up until 31st March.

pickarooney

Just a quick note for anyone submitting:

Where there are swear words in the original, remember they get asterisked if you copy/paste into PM or a post, so if you'd prefer they remain intact maybe re-spell them or use whatever tricks you need to get around the filter (not that I'm recommended that sort of thing outside of an artistic context, you understand).

Oryx

pickarooney wrote: »

If you want to change anything and resubmit, that's fine up until 31st March.

Ha, cue a total rewrite then...

Dublin141, Im the same. Thinking wtf did I do that for?

landsleaving

Might get involved if I can drag myself away from my thesis. Seems like a fun idea.

How loose an attachment to that spine should it be though? Are you just after a quite literal story about what happens next/what she decides to do, or can it be a more creative interpretation, where Kim turns into a monkey and the post office is the zoo and it's all an existential dystopian nightmare? (May not be a real idea)

Memnoch

So is there a 1000 word limit? Or any word limit for that matter? Just wanna check before I start writing.

pickarooney

1000 word limit. 1100 is no problem, but 1500 might be stretching it. Feel free to base your story as loosely on any interpretation of the plot as you can manage.

Memnoch

Thanks for the info.

Dublin141

Oryx wrote: »

Ha, cue a total rewrite then...

Dublin141, Im the same. Thinking wtf did I do that for?

That was literally the first thing that popped into my head when I woke up this morning

Pablo_

great! just what i needed ... nice skeleton to work with... i feel like jimmy from Supermans' Metropolis Daily going out getting a scoop ..... except i'm writing it .... from my mind ..... and its not for a paper ..and i live in a real place :rolleyes:

pickarooney

Someone has very kindly given me the name of the book and author, so for the sake of having some kind of tangible recompense for his/her efforts, the winner will receive a copy of Raymond Queneau's Exercises in Style (English translation).

Spiritoftheseventies

pickarooney wrote: »

Ok then, first thing that came into my head...
---
There's a medical student, Kim, queueing at the post office when a middle-aged man with a green jacket collapses in a heap in front of one of the counters. Kim has failed four second year exams and is just about ready to drop out completely. Somebody asks if there's a doctor in the house. Kim hesitates about going to help or waiting for an ambulance.
---

If you hate it, feel free to throw something else out there.

For submissions, to keep it fair, I suggest either posting anonymoulsy with an easily recongisable variation of your user name and I'll validate all entries at once, or else PM your story to me and I'll copy them into the thread for voting. I say we give it 4 weeks from Monday to try and get a good few entries together.

Let me know what you prefer.

Im guessing we dont have to be too up on Medical jargon for this.

dawvee

I didn't worry about that too much. She is just a student, after all. If you've ever watched ER or House you're probably good to go.

Spiritoftheseventies

I watch scrubs

Pablo_

I have written a story, but the man who falls is another person in the PO, not an elderly man wearing a green jacket. Is this still ok to submit, everything else fits the skeleton ?

pickarooney

The following exceptions are allowed

Turquoise or teal jackets (waistcoats and anoraks at a push)
Slightly older than middle aged man
Middle aged hermpahrodite

ToasterSparks

Lol.

What I think pickarooney is trying to say is ... anything close to the story outline is fine. I think everyone is more interested in how all us writers interpret the outline, rather than if we stick to the outline 100%. Just write something, try something new, and submit for all of us to read and enjoy.

Looking forward to seeing all the entries!

dawvee

Yeah, I've got mine in now and I'm really curious to see other people's takes on it!

HalloweenJack

I'd love to have a stab at this.

The deadline's the 31st, yeah?

pickarooney

Yep, 31st at midnight, Irish time, to be precise but there's one hour less on the 28th because of the clock change.

Memnoch

pickarooney wrote: »

Yep, 31st at midnight, Irish time, to be precise but there's one hour less on the 28th because of the clock change.

That's me undone then. I'd timed my submission by the hour to be pm'd at 1 minute to midnight. Now there is an hour less you tell me. This is sabotage, purposefully designed to thwart me. There will be consequences... mark my words... someone will pay (usually the Irish tax payer hovering above the poverty line).

pickarooney

If you fly to Greece you can benefit from an extra two hours due to the time difference or else South Africa - they don't do the clock switcheroo.

pickarooney

Eight entries in now and 23 days left. tick tock.

Insect Overlord

The skeleton under this story doesn't suit me, but I'm hoping to get involved if there's ever a repeat of this idea.

pickarooney

Ah now, you had a chance to suggest one on page one

Daemos

Are multiple entries allowed or is it one entry per poster?

pickarooney

One per poster and no multiple accounts if you please. Remember you can resubmit right up to the closing date if you want to change or rewrite your story.

Antilles

Hey Pickarooney, how many submissions have you got so far

Just finishing up the outline for mine now!

pickarooney

Just 10 for the moment, bit of a drop-off towards the end of last week.

pickarooney

Anyone else want in? Still ten days to submit.

Antilles

Mine is a work in progress - expect delivery moments before the cutoff!

ToasterSparks

Is anyone else wishing March would hurry the hell up so we can see the submissions?