Literary Fiction vs. Sci Fi

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Mr. Anonymous

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Thought you guys might enjoy this. I'm sorry if it was posted before.



"Below is the result of a writing assignment given by an English professor from the University of Colorado. A “tandem story” was to be written by two students, one male, one female.

The story was to be compiled in alternating paragraphs via email, with CC’s to the professor. There was to be no communication between the writers aside from each successive email. The story would end when both participants agreed a successful conclusion had been achieved.

With thanks to my brother-in-law Rob.



Rebecca (PINK)
Gerry (BLUE).

THE STORY:

(first paragraph by Rebecca)
At first, Laurie couldn't decide which kind of tea she wanted. The chamomile, which used to be her favorite for lazy evenings at home, now reminded her too much of Carl, who once said, in happier times, that he liked chamomile. But she felt she must now, at all costs, keep her mind off Carl. His possessiveness was suffocating, and if she thought about him too much her asthma started acting up again. So chamomile was out of the question.


(second paragraph by Gerry)
Meanwhile, Advance Sergeant Carl Harris, leader of the attack squadron now in orbit over Skylon 4, had more important things to think about than the neuroses of an air-headed asthmatic, tea-drenched bimbo named Laurie with whom he had spent one sweaty night over a year ago. "A.S. Harris to GeoStation 17," he said into his transgalactic communicator. "Polar orbit established. No sign of resistance so far..." But before he could sign off a bluish particle beam flashed out of nowhere and blasted a hole through his ship's cargo bay. The jolt from the direct hit sent him flying out of his seat and across the cockpit.


(Rebecca)
He died almost immediately. But not before he felt one last pang of regret for psychically brutalizing the one woman who ever had feelings for him. Soon afterward, Earth stopped pointless hostilities toward the peaceful farmers of Skylon 4. "Congress Passes Law Permanently Abolishing War and Space Travel," Laurie read online one morning. The news simultaneously excited and bored her. She stared out the window, dreaming of her youth, when the days had passed unhurriedly and carefree, with no cell phones, no Internet to distract her from her sense of innocent wonder at the beauty around her. "Why must one lose one's innocence to become a woman?" she pondered wistfully.


(Gerry)
Little did she know she had less than 10 seconds to live. The wimpy peaceniks who’d pushed the Unilateral Aerospace Disarmament Treaty through Congress had left Earth a defenseless target for hostile empires determined to destroy the human race. Just hours after the passage of the treaty, alien ships were on course for Earth with enough firepower to pulverize the entire planet. Their lithium fusion missiles entered the atmosphere unimpeded. The President, in his top-secret mobile submarine headquarters on the ocean floor off the coast of Guam, was rocked by the inconceivably massive explosion which vaporized poor, stupid Laurie.


(Rebecca)
This is absurd. I refuse to continue this mockery of literature. My writing partner is a violent, chauvinistic, semi-literate adolescent geek.


(Gerry)
Yeah? Well, my writing partner is a self-centered tedious neurotic whose attempts at writing are the literary equivalent of Valium. "Oh, shall I have chamomile tea? Or shall I have some other FUKING TEA??? Oh no, what am I to do? I'm an air headed bimbo who reads too many romance novels!"

(Rebecca)
Asshole.

(Gerry)
Bitch!


(Rebecca)
FUCK YOU - YOU NEANDERTHAL!!


(Gerry)
In your dreams, ‘Ho. Go drink some more fucking tea.



(Rebecca)
I hate you. Don’t ever talk to me again.



(TEACHER)
A+ I really liked this one."



http://open.salon.com/blog/sally_swift/2009/10/14/men_are_from_mars_women_are_from_colorado
 

Phaeal

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Becky, Gere, both your stories are teh suxxor. Prepare to be vaporized.
 

kuwisdelu

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I remember reading that one. Hilarious. But it is more like romance vs sci-fi. No one in literary fiction drinks chamomile tea.
 

leahzero

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Yeah, the pink isn't literary fiction. It's more like romance, chick lit, or something else. Whatever it is, it's bad.

This sounds like the setup of a hee-LARIOUS romcom!
 

Dawnstorm

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Advance Seargent Carl Harris, leader of the attack squadron now in orbit over Skylon 4, could not decide which kind of tea he wanted...
 

Mr. Anonymous

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Yeah, you guys are probably right, probably not literary...

What cracks me up even more is when I think about how awkward their next class together must've been. lol!
 

EclipsesMuse

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Yeah, you guys are probably right, probably not literary...

What cracks me up even more is when I think about how awkward their next class together must've been. lol!

If those two are as self-absorbed as their writing makes me think they are, then I'm not sure if awkward would be the right word.
 

SPMiller

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It's all fake, of course, but the Gerry character has the better idea about how to go about writing a story. Unfortunately, his subject is dreadful.

I'm afraid there's no hope for Rebecca. She has no ear for story.
 

Celia Cyanide

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It's all fake, of course, but the Gerry character has the better idea about how to go about writing a story. Unfortunately, his subject is dreadful.

I'm afraid there's no hope for Rebecca. She has no ear for story.

I think they're both pretty hopeless. His characters are non-existant.
 

Celia Cyanide

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The funny thing is, I did this to a friend once. She wrote the first part of the story, and wanted me to write more, so I just started having fun with it. I think you SHOULD have fun with something like this. But she decided it was too crazy!
 
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