I'll take the other thing.

[in_the_blue]

I miss the days when I used to host writing challenges right here in this very journal.

So. Now that the seventh Harry Potter book has been written... I think it's time for a different kind of writing challenge. I used to host the short-short ficlets, 300 words or less, open fandom.

Today, I'm going OC. And that doesn't stand for Orange County: it stands for original character.

Ready? 3, 2, 1, let's... get inspired to write original fiction, folks. The theme for the challenge is change: take 500 words to introduce an original character and demonstrate some measure of change for him, for her, for it.

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Rules:

• Fandom: original only


• Word count: 500 or less


• Main theme: change


• Ratings: No restrictions.


• Duration: Challenge opens now (August 30) and closes at 11:59 p.m. in whatever time zone you inhabit on Wednesday, September 5.

Post your ficlets as comments to this entry. Feel free to do as few or as many as you want, and if you see one you really like, be sure to leave a review or a comment. Remember, original fic only. I'll crack my knuckles and get going as soon as I get a few hours' sleep.

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NOTE: All ficlets in comments here are the property of their respective writers. Consider them copywritten with all rights reserved. If you want to quote, copy, or redistribute, please get the author's permission first. Otherwise, I'll have to lock this down. Thanks.

Comments

[erised1810.livejournal.com]

just like i said in the wrong comment *hiss* i'm glad you quit writing hp fic. you'vebecome too good to play around there.
i think i want to read your books when i am big enough. i like this. it'sclear you've seen lots of scifi, space rocketship etc stuff and know how the crew works and the dynamics etc. notthat i know much about it but it feels good to read something and know the author is familiar enough with the stuff to make me feel sure it' soudns real. did that make sense? i just sometimes feel lke well i don't know neough to make sure someone is painting the right picture and so forth. And with you i don't need to wonder about that.
And it all sounds so easy. It just flows. Like that one story of yours i read that i forgot to beta because it was so good...well i don't want to be your editor. I'd forget my job and just get the book to printing without even asking you.
fuck. why is everyone on my flist so good withthis stuff.

[in-the-blue.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Here's my little secret: I don't know how the ship works. I have no idea. I just made it up so it made sense to me, and that's what I'm going with. If I have confidence as an author that it makes sense (I know a fair few scifi writers/editors so I know what's expected in terms of explanation and workability), then it will make sense to the readers. Besides, I don't really give a rat's ass about the mechanics of space travel. I care about what the characters are doing; the backdrop of deep space is just the setting, the gravy, the little carrot I'm holding out.

The best compliment I've gotten on this story so far was from my husband, who's read almost all of it so far - some 88 pages - and he said "This is cool because it's set in the future but that almost doesn't matter. It could be anywhere or any time." And that's what I like to hear: the fine detailed mechanics of things don't matter but the scene I set does. Plus, you know me: the characters matter the most.

[erised1810.livejournal.com]

i meantthe crew, notthe ship itself .i meant what it's liek to be on a ship. to sort of knw how they interact etc. and your husband is right .for what it's worhtthey coudl be in a car oen fothem sayign 'e have to go back for that dog' adn it'd still work. and i dind'teven care when it'sset. it's just well.
i wnt t owrite liek that when i grow up. I'd liek to have peoel drawn to the chracters adn knowign instantly where the yare and jsut picturingthe thingin their head without me having to do a lot. adn with your stuff teh image doesn't matter so much. i'm hearing the dialogue in m hedaand i'm just paying attention t othe prose. heh. this is one o thoe styels whrey ou jsut need to read the words and real yread the words to gethe story.

[in-the-blue.livejournal.com]

Thank you. :)

With a crew of two, there's not much beyond pilot and copilot, and that can apply in an airplane or on a spaceship or in a car or on a cruise liner or walking down the street, really. And I love that it's all incidental.