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NeoGAF Creative Writing Challenge #57 - "Time"

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C

Cyan

Banned
Theme - "Time"

Word Limit: 1800

Submission Deadline: Wednesday, 8/11 by 11:59 PM Pacific

Voting begins Thursday, 8/12, and goes until Saturday, 8/14 at 11:59 PM Pacific.

Optional Secondary Objective: Seat o' the Pants vs. Meticulous Planning

Do you carefully plan your stories, jot down notes on what's going to happen, maybe outline them? Your assignment is to go by the seat of your pants: create a character, put them in some sort of situation, and then let them off the leash and see what happens (and relax--you can always go back and add motivations, foreshadowing, etc via editing if need be).

Do you avoid planning, and write whatever pops into your head while you're in front of the keyboard? Your assignment is to meticulously plan your story: work out the beginning, the ending, and the main events in between. Know what characters you're going to introduce and what they'll be doing. Once you've completed your outline, you can start writing.

If you aren't sure which category you fall into, pick the one that sounds more difficult. :)

Submission Guidelines:

- One entry per poster.
- All submissions must be written during the time of the challenge.
- Using the topic as the title of your piece is discouraged.
- Keep to the word count!

Voting Guidelines:

- Three votes per voter. Please denote in your voting your 1st (3 pts), 2nd (2 pts), and 3rd (1 pt) place votes.
- Please read all submissions before voting.
- YOU MUST VOTE in order to be eligible to win the challenge.
- When voting ends, the winner gets a collective pat on the back, and starts the new challenge.

Writing Challenge FAQ


The Entries:
John Dunbar - "Painted Toenails"
ZephyrFate - "There Are Differences [All Ephemera]"
Dresden - "Melt"
Aaron - "Where the Sea Meets the Stars"
Ashes1396 - "Reflection"
crowphoenix - "The Stolen Gift"
Trip Warhawkins - "Shiloh"
Timedog - "A Burglar in the House"
Snowman Prophet of Doom - "Ernie"
Iceman - "Robbery"
Cyan - "A Quiet Room"
 
Z

ZephyrFate

Banned
Fits in entirely with the idea I have for the piece. Also, I'm gonna bitchslap Ashes if he dares to say Timedog and I are similar again for no reason. :lol
 
C

Cyan

Banned
ZephyrFate said:
Fits in entirely with the idea I have for the piece. Also, I'm gonna bitchslap Ashes if he dares to say Timedog and I are similar again for no reason. :lol
Click to expand...
Hrm. Well, I don't think I'm likely to confuse a Timedog story for one of yours or vice versa, but you guys do use imagery in similar ways. At least, sometimes. :O
 
I

Irish

Member
Exactly, you guys use similar, brilliant imagery. (Ashes was mainly talking about you posting stories for him though.)

Also, I plan in my head, but end up adding all of the little details and the ending as I'm sitting in front of the keyboard 3-hours before the deadline. So, should I start writing now and editing throughout the week to create a 'masterpiece'? Hm, I've tried, but I haven't been able to do it as of yet.

(Btw, screw this theme. I asked for something awesome. :p Actually, what I would have wrote for this is something I ended up doing for 'Deception'. It didn't go very well because of how I laid it out.)
 
C

Cyan

Banned
Irish said:
Also, I plan in my head, but end up adding all of the little details and the ending as I'm sitting in front of the keyboard 3-hours before the deadline. So, should I start writing now and editing throughout the week to create a 'masterpiece'? Hm, I've tried, but I haven't been able to do it as of yet.
Click to expand...
Do it!

I will totally be checking up on you through the week, now.

(Btw, screw this theme. I asked for something awesome. :p Actually, what I would have wrote for this is something I ended up doing for 'Deception'. It didn't go very well because of how I laid it out.)
Click to expand...
It is awesome o'clock in the afternoon, and it is time for you to step up and write something awesome!

"Something Awesome" would be a fun theme, one of these days. :p
 
A

Ashes

Banned
ZephyrFate said:
Fits in entirely with the idea I have for the piece. Also, I'm gonna bitchslap Ashes if he dares to say Timedog and I are similar again for no reason. :lol
Click to expand...

OK.

putting it in capitals makes it feel like I'm angry. :) I'm actually too tired to think properly. I'm so glad I'm going to the south east coast for a few days. I'm just going to take my time and not think about anything.
 
A

Alfarif

This picture? uhh I can explain really!
What if... neither one sounds difficult? :(
I do both... it all depends on the story.
Oh, screw it. I'm going to do another random thing like last time.

And congrats, Cyan!
 
Y

Yeef

Member
I leave for a little while and everyone gets new avatars! I don't know who you people are anymore!

Except for Hobbes, of course.
 
C

Cyan

Banned
Yeef said:
I leave for a little while and everyone gets new avatars! I don't know who you people are anymore!

Except for Hobbes, of course.
Click to expand...
Of course. :D

I don't know why other people insist on changing avatars all the time. Fickle as the moon!
 
A

AnkitT

Member
I'm in. Meticulous planning is gonna be a bitch though. Of all the stories I have written so far, only one was planned and it shows. :(
 
C

Carlisle

Member
I've been wanting to do a GAF CWC forever now. I think I'm gonna try to jump in on this one. I enjoy writing, but haven't really taken it too seriously... and certainly haven't had time for it recently. This is a good opportunity to force myself to see what I can churn out thanks to the deadline.
 
C

Cyan

Banned
Carlisle said:
I've been wanting to do a GAF CWC forever now. I think I'm gonna try to jump in on this one. I enjoy writing, but haven't really taken it too seriously... and certainly haven't had time for it recently. This is a good opportunity to force myself to see what I can churn out thanks to the deadline.
Click to expand...
Glad to hear it! And yes, the deadline definitely helps. As do the expectations of fellow Writing-GAFers that you'll submit something. So it's a good thing you mentioned it--now we're all counting on you. :O

crowphoenix said:
This one has been my avatar for the longest time, and I really don't think I'll be changing it. Ever.
Click to expand...
Good man. It is indeed a perfectly suited avatar for you.
 
I

Irish

Member
Yes, it's always nice to have more people contributing to these threads. That way, for every terrible story I submit, there will be a dozen good ones to read so nobody loses their minds.

I changed my avatar, but it's pretty much the same. I'm still rocking Johnny Depp as William Blake in Dead Man. (not the poet)

I have to say, I'm having trouble coming up with something for this theme. This is really going to be challenging.
 
Y

Yeef

Member
Irish said:
I changed my avatar, but it's pretty much the same. I'm still rocking Johnny Depp as William Blake in Dead Man. (not the poet)
Click to expand...
Stupid white man.

I'm also having trouble coming up with any ideas, though I haven't really dedicated any time to it. Still, usually one or two ideas come to me as soon as I see the assignment even if I end up deciding they're no good.
 
C

crowphoenix

Banned
Meticulously planning out a piece isn't something I do all that often. Oh, I usually have a few vague ideas about what's going to happen, but I've never actually made an outline. I generally feel like it restricts the flow of the piece, the life of the characters. This'll be a good time to learn something new.

Cyan said:
Good man. It is indeed a perfectly suited avatar for you.
Click to expand...
Same to you, friend.
 
I

Irish

Member
Ha, I haven't even come up with a single idea yet. Actually, that's pretty unusual considering I usually have at least three pop into my head as I first see the new theme. I don't even know how I'm supposed to start at the moment. Oh well, hopefully something will come to me within the next day so I can begin the writing process.
 
A

Aaron

Member
Skipped the last one since I couldn't come up with a single idea. Got something in the works for this one, but it was difficult to resist the temptation to do a time travel story. Too obvious.
 
A

AnkitT

Member
Aaron said:
Skipped the last one since I couldn't come up with a single idea. Got something in the works for this one, but it was difficult to resist the temptation to do a time travel story. Too obvious.
Click to expand...
Fuuuuuuu-

I actually have several ideas i'm working on, but this was the one on top. :lol
 
C

Cyan

Banned
AnkitT said:
Fuuuuuuu-

I actually have several ideas i'm working on, but this was the one on top. :lol
Click to expand...
You can still write it, just don't expect to surprise us! :p

I'm resisting the temptation, but only because I don't think I could do a decent time travel story with zero planning.

Alfarif said:
I have an idea that might make you guys proud.
Click to expand...
Excellent! Although... I'm not sure what that means?

Should we be worried?
 
C

crowphoenix

Banned
I'd actually love to see everyone's take on time travel. Might be a good idea for a secondary challenge sometime.

I've got a bit of an idea percolating, but it's not fleshed out and will probably end up being too big. But, I like the idea a lot, so lets see what I can plan up.
 
J

John Dunbar

correct about everything
Painted Toenails
770 words

Here I am again, waiting for the bus, with a mind as sunken as my chest. And people actually said college was going to be the best days of my life. As far as I can tell, things have been getting progressively worse ever since day care. First elementary school, then junior high, then high school, and now university, each one worse than the last.

I hate time.

Oh, look, a girl sat next to me. She's pretty, her golden hair cascading down her shoulders. I should try talking to her. And say what? Want to go to my place and watch me play some Space Quest, original, not the AVG remake? Stop looking at her, she'll think you're staring. Eyes on the ground, the ground.

She's wearing sandals, I see. I'd wear them too if I wasn't so ashamed of my veiny feet. Why do women paint their toenails? Has anyone ever seen a beautiful woman walk past and then elbowed their friend on the side and say "hey, check out the toenails on that bitch"? It's a nice colour, though. Sort of red, maybe purple. Or is it violet? Is there a difference?

I really want to know what shade that is. I should Google it. But what if I forget what it looks like before I get home? Should I ask her? "Excuse me, but could you tell me what colour your toenails are?" Yeah, I bet that would go over real well.

I should take a picture. I'm sure she won't mind, she probably won't even notice. It'll look like I'm just playing with my cell phone. I can pretend I got a text message, make her think I have friends.

Damn, this camera's awful. It's all blurry and grainy, and there's no zoom. I can't see the colour. I knew I should have gotten one of those iPhones everyone's raving about, but I don't want people thinking I'm a hipster. I'll just try to lean in closer and then...

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"Wh-what?"

"You're taking pictures of my feet!"

"N-no, I was just taking, taking pictures of the ground, to test my camera..."

"You fucking pervert!"

*SLAP*

*

Well, that was embarrassing. And now I'm walking home, no way I'm sharing a bus with her after that display. If I were Roger Wilco in Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers, I'd know what I'd change in the past. My cheek hurts.

There goes the bus. Oh crap, she's in the window. Is she looking at me? She looks pissed. Why is she angry, she wasn't the one who got assaulted. Could I sue her for battery? You can't just attack people. Such brutality cannot be tolerated in modern society.

Her toenails sure were pretty, though. I still want to know what colour that is. Didn't get a good picture, but her palm probably imprinted it in my memory. Not that there's anything wrong with regular nails. I like the purplish hue they have, and the way they turn white when you press them and the blood escapes.

I think I remember reading something about people painting their toenails in ancient Egypt. I bet that's why everything has gone downhill. First people paint their nails, and before you know it nothing's sacred anymore. People have no respect for anything natural anymore, it's all about artificiality and progress. Like discarded cigarette butts lying on the ground next to a trash can or the graceful rustle of wind in the trees overpowered by the roar of a passing automobile.

Painted toenails have ruined everything.

*

Home at last. God, that took forever. Now to enjoy my Space Quest Collection.

I should probably check my e-mail first, not that I get anything but spam, but I like typing in passwords. Oh, and that colour. I better look for it before I forget it. Let's see, "shades of red", this shouldn't take long.

Magenta, Amaranth, Lust? Brown is a shade of red? What is this madness? What about purple? Orchid, Heliotrope, Mauve? Now I'm confused, do I have to be an artist just to identify a colour? I knew I needed a picture. This is why life needs quick saves.

What I wouldn't give to get to be a janitor on a space ship. Oh Roger, you're the only one who understands me.
 
J

John Dunbar

correct about everything
This secondary objective suited me pretty well. I wouldn't say I "meticulously" plan my stories, but I take a bunch of notes and write stuff down, and then try to put it together as a story close to the deadline. Being a bit busy with stuff, it was good to have to try to write something without planning. Might be considered a bit of a non-story, but oh well.
 
I

Irish

Member
crowphoenix said:
I'd actually love to see everyone's take on time travel. Might be a good idea for a secondary challenge sometime.
Click to expand...

I already know how I would do it. Of course, it probably couldn't technically be considered time-travel.

Cyan, you have me absolutely stumped. I just don't see how I'm going to come up with something. If I don't find anything at first, I may just go completely from the seat of my pants on the last day, which is still pretty unusual for me.
 
C

Cyan

Banned
John Dunbar said:
This secondary objective suited me pretty well. I wouldn't say I "meticulously" plan my stories, but I take a bunch of notes and write stuff down, and then try to put it together as a story close to the deadline. Being a bit busy with stuff, it was good to have to try to write something without planning. Might be considered a bit of a non-story, but oh well.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm pretty much the same. Having a bit of a hard time thinking what to do here, as every idea I think of also suggests and ending and a middle. Hmm.

Irish said:
I already know how I would do it. Of course, it probably couldn't technically be considered time-travel.

Cyan, you have me absolutely stumped. I just don't see how I'm going to come up with something. If I don't find anything at first, I may just go completely from the seat of my pants on the last day, which is still pretty unusual for me.
Click to expand...
Why not do whatever your time travel idea is?
 
I

Iceman

Member
Might actually be able to make this one..

seat o my pants is the challenge for me. But I find I'm already planning, without even committing to a story yet... I'm already thinking about some complex heist/inception type of story.. but then again, I've written something like that before.

Maybe I'll cheat a little and just focus on developing a single character.. then I'll drop him/her into a volcano and see what happens.

Might be a very short story.
 
C

Cyan

Banned
Iceman said:
seat o my pants is the challenge for me. But I find I'm already planning, without even committing to a story yet...
Click to expand...
Yeah, that's my problem too. :/

I'm already thinking about some complex heist/inception type of story.. but then again, I've written something like that before.
Click to expand...
Man, I wonder how it'd turn out to set up something like that and then seat-o'-the-pants it? Sure, it probably wouldn't work, exactly. But it might be fun!
 
A

Ashes

Banned
I played Alan Wake just before I left for Bournemouth, and I think the whole writer-included-in-the-story angle was interesting enough to pursue for this week's challenge. I'll probably write about writing stories for the challenges as well.
I'm thinking that by the end of it, it'll be half non-fictional and three-quarters fictional. < yes, I watched Alice in Wonderland as well and was being inspired by inception. :D
Sometimes I start planning and go overboard brainstorming wise, so I end up including ideas like shoots off of a tree. I also like mixing up different ideas like you would with colours if you are drawing something. And off the top of my head, the other big thing I like doing is having everything fit together in the end like in a well made watch.
At other times I write as if I'm setting my self on the road on a new adventure, soon enough my mind somehow or the other spins a nice enough adventure for me. :)
So I'll try and replicate this in the story that I'm writing. Should be a decent enough challenge.
 
C

Cyan

Banned
Only one entry so far... let's step it up, gents! (and ladies!)

There's still plenty of... time.
 
G

Gattsu25

Banned
Was wondering when this thread would be made and now I see that its been here for a week and I just kept missing it.

Meticulous planning, huh?
 
C

crowphoenix

Banned
Ashes1396 said:
I played Alan Wake just before I left for Bournemouth, and I think the whole writer-included-in-the-story angle was interesting enough to pursue for this week's challenge. I'll probably write about writing stories for the challenges as well.
Click to expand...
Well, I hope you do it better than Remedy did. By the end of Alan Wake, I felt like the game was proof of why writing about writing or writers doesn't work.
 
A

Ashes

Banned
I'm finding it pretty difficult going... I may meet interesting enough people, but my own life isn't too interesting it seems. :) Perhaps thats why i like stories in the first place. Maybe if i borrow more from the other person's pockets i can blend fiction enough to make it seem non-fictional in a fargo style way... Remind me if i forget to leave a disclaimer at the end.
As regards alan wake i don't know whether we agree or disgree so i'll leave my opinion here as is. My opinion on alan wake is this. The concept was interesting, it was actually the story that was bland and basically shit.
 
I

Irish

Member
Alright, um... how about something new? I'm writing about whatever I see posted in this thread next.
 
A

Ashes

Banned
Irish said:
Alright, um... how about something new? I'm writing about whatever I see posted in this thread next.
Click to expand...
35858_135979599753342_100000239087184_298189_4551949_n.jpg
 
A

Alfarif

This picture? uhh I can explain really!
No, John, we're all just waiting until the last minute. Gives it that extra umph. :lol
 
A

Ashes

Banned
I've done my first draft. I think I'm gradually deleting myself from the story and taking on the person I'm basing the story on.
 
I

Irish

Member
More talk, less writing.

I've decided to go back in time to the type of writing I used to do. Yup, y'all are about to see some shitty RP in story form.
 
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