Wednesday, February 6, 2013

What Writing's All About

This is going to be shorter than I want it to be... it's late. I'm tired. I'll have to come back to this topic another day. But...

See, here is why you need to learn your own voice when you write:

I held this contest, the Great Chocolate Contest, for people to write stories based upon the Imagination Room from The House on the Corner. It's hard to know what you'll get when you do something like that. But, see, that's part of the cool of doing it. Seeing what you get. How will someone else interpret what you've done, and how will that be different from what the next person does. Seeing the different voices of the different stories that all come from the same place. It's cool.

I had hoped for better participation, of course, but I'm learning I'm not really very good at hosting the contests. I mean, if the BEST chocolate in the world (that I've ever tasted) can only get two people to enter, then I don't know what else to offer. Well, I suppose there's cash, but, man, that's so... uninteresting. Or something.

So, yeah, two entries:
You can find Briane Pagel's entry here. Okay, you can't actually find it there, but you can find his link to it there along with an introduction. I have to say that Briane's story is so Epic. It's nothing I ever would have thought of. And I'm completely saddened over the fact that I did not think of Seal Team i, because that idea is just awesome. You should go read it; you might recognize some of the characters.

You can find Rusty Webb's entry here. He really gave it the full on horror movie kind of treatment, and darn if I don't want to know what's gonna happen with Ricky and Dale. He has another take that I never would have thought of, because he steps backward with the story of the Imagination Room rather than forward, and, now, I want to know how that interweaves with my story.

Seriously, it's really cool to see what people will come up with when you let them, and now I really do understand why Lucas let's all those people write books in the Star Wars universe.

Because there were only two entries, I was able to pick a winner rather more quickly than I thought I would. They both get to win... the chocolate. Well, Rusty will get a proof copy of Shadow Spinner, anyway, since he's doing the cover, and he's already let me know that he wants one with the cover, not the proof cover I have on them at the moment, so he gets chocolate. And Briane doesn't like "real" books; he just likes those new-fangled e-doodads, so he gets to have chocolate, too. The BEST chocolate in the entire world (that I've ever tasted)!

Go read their stories. You won't be sorry you did.

16 comments:

  1. Congratulations to both Briane and Rusty!

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  2. Congrats to both of them! I'm very envious of them both getting to try the BEST chocolate in the world. It's true, it's hard hosting a contest, but at the same time, it's also true that I suck. Sorry about that.

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  3. Congrats to both. And I was tempted by the chocolate, but it was just bad timing for me to enter the contest. I had already signed up to write something for the Overcoming Adversity bloghop, and there's the novel, and blog posts...and I'm not a writing machine!! :P

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  4. Congrats to both winners.

    What, in your opinion, is the best chocolate in the world?

    JO ON FOOD, MY TRAVELS AND A SCENT OF CHOCOLATE

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  5. I'm not a writer, so I don't feel guilty about not participating. Strange for a Catholic to get a pass on guilt :)

    In my experience, it is difficult to get fellow bloggers to do more than comment. And often times it's hard to get more than a half-assed comment from some people. Ultimately people are really more interested in themselves.

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  6. I better check those out. And shoot! Where was I when this contest was going down? I could have made some room on my plate for chocolate. *sigh* I seriously need to get back into a regular blogging groove. Been missing out on too much lately. :)

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  7. I wanted to enter, but I just don't have the time right now. Aside from blogging, I've been very busy at the day job and spending evenings looking at houses with a real estate agent. I'm taking the plunge very soon, and getting all those mortgage papers filed for pre-approval and things like that just leave no time for writing :( Sorry.

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  8. I'm impressed that almost NOBODY promised to go read the stories. Even Michael! And HE IS IN MINE.

    I'm going to go revise it and make him The Disappointer.

    So I DID win by default. Excellent. Since I put almost no effort into it and cribbed from more or less every single sci-fi story ever written.

    Seriously, though, this was fun. I always liked comics where they did crossovers or otherwise monkeyed with the worlds, and I especially liked Crisis on Infinite Earths where all the heroes met each other. That and "Number of the Beast" by Heinlein were most of what I stole... er... used as inspiration.

    And it's always fun to see what people do with your characters or ideas, because, like you said, it can be surprising. I just went and got through about 1/4 of Rusty's story and found it intriguing that he did go in a totally different direction.

    Keep hosting contests. Almost nobody took part in my Xmas Of Doom thing, but it was still fun. I'll enter as many as I can.

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  9. Dang andrew, that's a long post for being tired! Congrats to the winners....

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  10. Alex: I agree!

    ABftS: Nah, don't worry about it. Maybe there will be another opportunity for the best chocolate ever.

    L.G.: What do you mean you're not a writing machine? I think you're supposed to be a writing machine.

    Jo: It's from this local place. Hand made and everything.

    Anne: Well, yeah, that's true. That goes along with the stuff I've been saying in my "thinking" series.

    PT: Yep, we're all special. heh

    David: Well, I don't know what to say about that. It lasted three weeks, and I posted a reminder several times during those three weeks. Maybe there will be more chocolate?

    Michael: Well, I know what house hunting is like, and that sucks. And just eats your time. I do hope you can find something, though.

    Briane: LOL The Disappointer sounds like an interesting character.

    If I think of something else interesting, I'll host another one. IF...

    Tammy: What? No... That was short.

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  11. DE-FAULT! DE-FAULT! DE FAULT!

    Awesome. I'm looking forward to the bliss that comes with great chocolate! A victory not earned is still a victory!

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  12. @Briane: I'll go and read your story. Sorry if I didn't swear an oath that I would do so. Sheesh.

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  13. Rusty: I'd say you earned it. You wrote something thereby earning it.

    Michael: heh

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  14. I saw it after it was about over I think; at Rusty's blog. Sorry Andrew, it sounded neat. Maybe you can do it again some time?

    Congrats Rusty. I know how hard you worked at it.

    ......

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  15. Donna: Well, if I run short on stories once I'm ready to begin putting together the collection, maybe I will.

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