Theme - "Fear Itself"
Word Limit: 2222
Submission Deadline: Friday, October 3rd by 11:59 PM Pacific.
Voting begins Saturday, October 4th and goes until Monday, October 6th at 11:59 PM Pacific.
Grace Periods: Each of the above deadlines will be followed by a 6-hour grace period. Submissions made after the end of the grace period will be ineligible, and votes cast after the end of the grace period will not be counted. Remember that these are grace periods, not extensions of the deadline--you should still submit your work or cast your vote by the deadline set above.
Optional Secondary Objective: Overcome Resistance!
"Resistance is experienced as fear; the degree of fear equates to the strength of Resistance. ... If it meant nothing to us, there'd be no Resistance."
-Steven Pressfield, The War of Art
I read Pressfield's War of Art last week, and really appreciated his rejiggering of procrastination or writer's block or whatever else you want to call it as the simple and evocative Resistance. Resistance pushes back when we try to do something creative and cool. Resistance tells us we suck and shouldn't bother. Resistance convinces us we can do it later, tomorrow, next week, and that right now we really need to be checking Facebook. Resistance is a cunning, multifarious enemy.
Let's push back on that. If you're a regular and usually wait til the last minute to write and then submit during the grace period on Friday (hi, that's me!), get your story written early--let's say we'll aim for done in draft form by the prior Sunday (for extra incentive, report in on your progress!). Just sit down and bang it out regardless of how you feel about the quality. That's what revision is for.
If you've joined us before but are wavering on writing anything and aren't sure you're any good, write! Post in the thread a bit and commit to getting something done, to pushing back on that internal voice that says you shouldn't bother and it's a waste of time.
If you're a lurker, watching from the outside and considering maybe someday writing something for one of the challenges... then let this be the time! Jump in, we'd be glad to have you. No time like the present and all that.
Note that Resistance also works on a meta-level. If you read the above and think "well great, now I'm just going to feel guilty when I don't have anything done, thanks Cyan," surprise! That's Resistance again, trying to convince you ahead of time that you don't have what it takes. Don't worry about feeling guilty or not, or whether it's actually possible to get a draft done early given your busy life, or anything really except letting go of all that and just doing some writing.
Whew!
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.
NeoGAF Creative Writing Challenge FAQ
Previous Challenge Threads and Themes
Word Limit: 2222
Submission Deadline: Friday, October 3rd by 11:59 PM Pacific.
Voting begins Saturday, October 4th and goes until Monday, October 6th at 11:59 PM Pacific.
Grace Periods: Each of the above deadlines will be followed by a 6-hour grace period. Submissions made after the end of the grace period will be ineligible, and votes cast after the end of the grace period will not be counted. Remember that these are grace periods, not extensions of the deadline--you should still submit your work or cast your vote by the deadline set above.
Optional Secondary Objective: Overcome Resistance!
"Resistance is experienced as fear; the degree of fear equates to the strength of Resistance. ... If it meant nothing to us, there'd be no Resistance."
-Steven Pressfield, The War of Art
I read Pressfield's War of Art last week, and really appreciated his rejiggering of procrastination or writer's block or whatever else you want to call it as the simple and evocative Resistance. Resistance pushes back when we try to do something creative and cool. Resistance tells us we suck and shouldn't bother. Resistance convinces us we can do it later, tomorrow, next week, and that right now we really need to be checking Facebook. Resistance is a cunning, multifarious enemy.
Let's push back on that. If you're a regular and usually wait til the last minute to write and then submit during the grace period on Friday (hi, that's me!), get your story written early--let's say we'll aim for done in draft form by the prior Sunday (for extra incentive, report in on your progress!). Just sit down and bang it out regardless of how you feel about the quality. That's what revision is for.
If you've joined us before but are wavering on writing anything and aren't sure you're any good, write! Post in the thread a bit and commit to getting something done, to pushing back on that internal voice that says you shouldn't bother and it's a waste of time.
If you're a lurker, watching from the outside and considering maybe someday writing something for one of the challenges... then let this be the time! Jump in, we'd be glad to have you. No time like the present and all that.
Note that Resistance also works on a meta-level. If you read the above and think "well great, now I'm just going to feel guilty when I don't have anything done, thanks Cyan," surprise! That's Resistance again, trying to convince you ahead of time that you don't have what it takes. Don't worry about feeling guilty or not, or whether it's actually possible to get a draft done early given your busy life, or anything really except letting go of all that and just doing some writing.
Whew!
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.
NeoGAF Creative Writing Challenge FAQ
Previous Challenge Threads and Themes
