The 2016-2017 Sekrit Solstice Sci-Fi Fantasy Story Swap

J. A. Rama · Mar 21, 2017

griffins said:
It got to the point I was pretty sure my prompt was single-handedly giving Bobo writer's block

Nope. I had writer's block due to circumstances beyond my control and pretty much constant stress factors in my life that had nothing to do with anyone else here. I actually got the perfect prompt. I only wish I could have done it justice! So much didn't make it in this time. :-/

griffins said:
(thankfully not the case, Bobo just strives for perfect prose... and very often reaches it--go read "Water").

Haha, thank you!

Damoclian said:
The Sisyfean blog postean is donean! HERE read and experience my joy

I gots shoutout? Awwww, thanks Dammy! That was a great post!

shortstorymachinist said:
Ahhh, what a good post, it made me feel all warm and full of fondness for Sisyphus. Now I can't wait until NEXT year!

I really liked this line in particular: Not famous well edited, thoroughly proofed stories put out in print and ebook by publishing houses in multi-million dollar deals, but raw, wriggling stories still warm from the brains of their creators.

Seconding this. My favorite sentence too. I've done 4 Sisyphuses (Sisyphi?) now, and it's the only time I don't feel completely alone as a writer, with other people who Get It because they're right there with me. I love that I can not only be myself, but also talk about my stories before they're perfect, without fear of judgement, and without having to do a long explanation of why it's imperfect.

All of you who are busy and want to take time to request stories, that's perfectly fine! There's a chance I might take longer to respond, since I'm not so active on AW during non-Sisyphus times. You can always get in touch with me via Twitter (@Bobo_the_Bard) or email me at bobtheexistentialistmongoose AT gmail DOT com.

My name is not Bob.

I have now requested ALL 51 stories! Whoo!

I probably won't be quite as fast at reading them though!

Hey, this is Sisyphus's 5th year! And what a year it has been!

J. A. Rama · Mar 21, 2017

Sorry for the double post.

Like I Need a Hole in the Head by Maggie Maxwell: Best. Llama. Ever. I've known about Maxwell's story all along, but I only got to read the whole thing right before Sisyphus. This is a really creative and cool concept! Love the snark and sassery from multiple characters, which afforded several giggles. I do have to say, I am terrified of bugs (shudder - I can't even watch certain documentaries) and even reenactments of messy proddy pokey medical things tend to make me queasy, so for me certain descriptions were nightmare fuel. I think people who aren't me won't have a problem though. I'm certainly glad I read it, and definitely recommend if you like biology-based SF! Hell, put it on your must list! Read it! Read it!

Six Strangers by smokymountainlvr: Wow. There is so much to love about this story. LIFE as the twin of DEATH! Why didn't anyone think of this before!? Six Strangers immediately hooks you with a dilemma that, let's say, involves both twins, and the words, clearly carefully chosen, for they drip with the darkness the MC faces, rush past like a shadow. Gripping! Absolutely love the twist at the end.

Caitlin Black · Mar 21, 2017

Richard White said:
Glad you enjoyed the prompt, Cliff.

Definitely! And I still have an outline for a massive, aborted story idea that could be novel length. Just got to figure out a few little problems with the concept... (And find time among all my other WIPs, ideas, music, looking for work, and family commitments...)

Friendly Frog said:
Which I actually noticed! Belatedly. About the second after Cobra dinged it. Then it seemed as obvious as EFB's elves.

Ha! Yeah, I had that happen with the very last story guessed, actually... (I wasn't around at the time, so it wasn't like, "Oh, that's the only remaining option.") From my interactions with Anna Hedley, as soon as I saw she wrote "Master Forsythe's Legacy" I was all, "Ohhhh, that makes sense!" Alas, too late, too late.

E.F.B. said:
It's all about reverse psychology.

Mwuahahahaha! *evil psychologist high-five*

AnnieColleen said:
The guitar was why I guessed it -- though admittedly fairly late in the guessing.

Aha! So if I'd had a different prompt, I might've lasted a bit longer! Next year I'm definitely considering asking Cobra for a prompt that is dark and serious and not about music in the slightest. Not only because it'll make me harder to guess, but because I definitely fall back on comedy too often. Definitely need to write serious stuff a bit more often.

(Of course, saying this now, I just know someone out there is copying this comment into a "Guessing Thread Hints" file, which will automatically activate in March 2018...)

CobraMisfit · Mar 22, 2017

Really nice write-up on the Sisyphus, Dammy, and thanks for the shout-out. The Story Elves appreciate it.

Cliff Face said:
*evil psychologist high-five*

Evil Psychologist High-Five is the name of my next band.

Aha! So if I'd had a different prompt, I might've lasted a bit longer! Next year I'm definitely considering asking Cobra for a prompt that is dark and serious and not about music in the slightest. Not only because it'll make me harder to guess, but because I definitely fall back on comedy too often. Definitely need to write serious stuff a bit more often. (Of course, saying this now, I just know someone out there is copying this comment into a "Guessing Thread Hints" file, which will automatically activate in March 2018...)

I hear ya'. I absolutely default to a comfort zone and the Sisyphus has helped me expand the perimeter of that zone. One of the great byproducts of the event is that operating in a safe writing environment allows us to experiment with genres, POVs, or even topics that we might not otherwise.

Caitlin Black · Mar 22, 2017

Actually, the experience this year has given me an idea. Basically, a while back I had the thought that for Camp NaNo in April, I could try to write a short story per day. (Ambitious, I know. Likely what would happen is I would wind up with the first chunk of a story, that I could come back to after April if I thought it had promise, most days, and only a few shorter complete ones. But still - seems worthwhile.) Anyway, the idea I had due to Sisyphus is to find a list of prompts to choose from each day.

I'm not saying I would use the actual Sisyphus prompts. That's one option, but another option would be to find a website that gives out prompts. I'm sure there are plenty out there. Not sold on the idea just yet, but it does have several advantages. I wouldn't have to think of a new story out of thin air each day, for starters, but I'd also likely be pushed to try something new, or write a plot/characters I never would've come up with on my own, like with this event.

If anyone thinks that's an awesome idea they'd like to try themselves, then I guess I'll see you in Camp.

Maggie Maxwell · Mar 22, 2017

That's an awesome idea, Cliff! It's definitely possible to do a short story a day. Along with the Sisyphus prompts, you could also scour zanz's Flash Fiction Challenge archives for prompts.

Caitlin Black · Mar 22, 2017

Mmm. I have been kind of curious about the flash fiction prompts, but never really checked them out before. Excellent idea! Though knowing me, a prompt meant for a flash-length piece would wind up being short-story length if written by me, anyway. :tongue

I mean, my first ever novel idea wound up becoming an 8-book outline just to tell that single story. (Not the first novel I wrote, though. Lost the 8-book outline to a computer death... Which is when I learned to back things up.

)

And I must admit, it does sound appealing to take all my prompts from AW. That way, if any of those stories ever gets published, I'll know exactly who to thank in the acknowledgements!

Sue77 · Mar 22, 2017

I have submitted my story. I feel very nervous!

:gone:

Maggie Maxwell · Mar 22, 2017

Good luck, Sue!

E.F.B. · Mar 22, 2017

CobraMisfit said:
I hear ya'. I absolutely default to a comfort zone and the Sisyphus has helped me expand the perimeter of that zone. One of the great byproducts of the event is that operating in a safe writing environment allows us to experiment with genres, POVs, or even topics that we might not otherwise.

I've never touched sci-fi before, but that's what I ended up writing. It was a huge stretch for me and I often found myself missing the ability to ask the Cantinaites for their collective intelligence (well, I could have asked them, but then I would have gotten guessed way sooner!) but my betas pulled through and helped me navigate the new genre and fix stuff up and make it more factually accurate and so on and so forth, and it turned out to be an excellent learning experience.

paddismac · Mar 22, 2017

<sniff> Can't believe it's over!

I think everything has already been said about the awesomeness that is CobraMisfit and the entire Sisyphus experience, so I'll just add my "+1 to all of the above!"

It looks as though I've bitten off way more than I can comfortably chew with all the requests I've thrown out there, but, like the tenacious goat I am, I will read every one and get back to you to let you know how mouth-watering your story-morsel was! (and then dive back in for more requests!)

I just want to say thanks to everyone for the support, encouragement and commeraderie over the past few months. It has been invaluable to me, and I can't wait for December to come around again!

LONG LIVE SISYPHUS!

KateSmash · Mar 22, 2017

CobraMisfit said:
I hear ya'. I absolutely default to a comfort zone and the Sisyphus has helped me expand the perimeter of that zone. One of the great byproducts of the event is that operating in a safe writing environment allows us to experiment with genres, POVs, or even topics that we might not otherwise.

While I wasn't taken entirely out of my comfort zone this year, I did learn something about myself. I never knew just how much I resort to writing fight scenes until I got a prompt that stipulated no violence. Half of the stories I started and abandoned were largely because they all had action-y protagonists that like to solve problems with punching.

Richard White · Mar 22, 2017

I reinforced something I already knew about me. I just can't seem to write short, which is why Hunters started out to be a short story and grew to 11000+ words.

So far in my career, I have sold one (1) story that was less than 7,000 words and it felt like I was gutting the story to get it down to 3500 words.

Even my short story collection runs from 7,900 words to 17,000 words. (Yeah, I know. 17000 words isn't a short story - the story called for three balls and a rogue turned into a fairy godfather. It grew.)

paddismac · Mar 22, 2017

Hmm... What I have learned about me as a writer is that it's impossible for me to keep a straight face, regardless of what it is I'm writing about.

And that is hella frustrating when I don't set out to be funny, or even realize I'm doing it...

Damoclian · Mar 22, 2017

Cliff Face said:
Mwuahahahaha! *evil psychologist high-five*

CobraMisfit said:
Evil Psychologist High-Five is the name of my next band.

Yeah? YEAAAH!? :O Well MY next band is gonna be Morally-Ambiguous Psychiatrist Handshake!!! How'd you like them apples, marketing team???

CobraMisfit said:
Really nice write-up on the Sisyphus, Dammy, and thanks for the shout-out. The Story Elves appreciate it.

Thank you, thank you! I will be here forever.

Richard White said:
I reinforced something I already knew about me. I just can't seem to write short, which is why Hunters started out to be a short story and grew to 11000+ words.

So far in my career, I have sold one (1) story that was less than 7,000 words and it felt like I was gutting the story to get it down to 3500 words.

Even my short story collection runs from 7,900 words to 17,000 words. (Yeah, I know. 17000 words isn't a short story - the story called for three balls and a rogue turned into a fairy godfather. It grew.)

Ha! I remember that one...

At least your story didn't transmogrify itself into a Trilogy of One Book(s)! At least your story hasn't doubled in size since the end of Sisyphus! At least... AT LEAST you've sold stories!!!

:O

Richard White · Mar 22, 2017

Damoclian said:
Ha! I remember that one... At least your story didn't transmogrify itself into a Trilogy of One Book(s)! At least your story hasn't doubled in size since the end of Sisyphus! At least... AT LEAST you've sold stories!!! :O

Trust me, I've started out to write a story and had it morph into a series before.

No, my story has not doubled since Sisyphus, but that's because I started working on The Mermaid's Mirror Affair since it is part of a collection coming out next year (hopefully).

And as far as selling stories, how I wound up getting published is so "not the way to ever try and get published", all I can do is use myself as a bad example when I talk to new writers. I was the antithesis of how one normally gets published.

Sue77 · Mar 22, 2017

Richard White said:
And as far as selling stories, how I wound up getting published is so "not the way to ever try and get published", all I can do is use myself as a bad example when I talk to new writers. I was the antithesis of how one normally gets published.

Oooh! Now I'm curious. Do tell more.....

zanzjan · Mar 22, 2017

Maggie Maxwell said:
That's an awesome idea, Cliff! It's definitely possible to do a short story a day. Along with the Sisyphus prompts, you could also scour zanz's Flash Fiction Challenge archives for prompts.

And there's a shiny new prompt posted every week...

There's also the Write 1 Sub 1 group here on AW, which is less about genre and more about setting concrete goals for writing & subbing a certain number of stories over a set period of time, everything from people trying to write a new flash piece every day to those cranking out one novel a year, and everything in between. It's a really good group, very supportive, although much less boisterous than this crowd.

paddismac · Mar 22, 2017

zanzjan said:
And there's a shiny new prompt posted every week...

There's also the Write 1 Sub 1 group here on AW, which is less about genre and more about setting concrete goals for writing & subbing a certain number of stories over a set period of time, everything from people trying to write a new flash piece every day to those cranking out one novel a year, and everything in between. It's a really good group, very supportive, although much less boisterous than this crowd.

Well, from just a cursory glance at some of the threads there, it clearly lacks the presence of Lil! *Lillian Blair... clean up on aisle W1S1!!!*

CobraMisfit · Mar 22, 2017

Richard White said:
And as far as selling stories, how I wound up getting published is so "not the way to ever try and get published", all I can do is use myself as a bad example when I talk to new writers. I was the antithesis of how one normally gets published.

This.

Richard White · Mar 22, 2017

How to get published the incorrect way:

I started out doing small press comics back in the 1990s (digest-sized first and then full-sized) just in time for the Great B&W Implosion (aka the Comic Distributor Wars). By the time the dust settled, I had five issues out, no reasonable expectations I'd ever make back the money I'd already sunk into my comic company, so I shelved it as a great idea that didn't work and moved on.

Five years later, I get a call from the guy who used to be my letterer/editor. He was now working as an editor for a small packager who happened to have the license for short stories/novels based on Marvel characters. Well, since I had worked with him in comics and since he had a person drop out of the anthology, would I be interested in pitching for a story?

(Insert pantomime of one's arm being twisted)

Now, even though my friend was the editor, Marvel still had the final say on my pitch (actually they rejected the first one, because they'd already approved one similar, but they liked mine enough to ask me to do the Hulk as an Avenger, since they didn't have any stories set during that time). So, I had to pitch - the editor had to approve and then Marvel Creative had to approve, then I wrote the story and the editor had to approve and then Marvel Creative had to approve, then any edits I made had to go through the whole process again. At any time, Marvel Creative could have rejected my story, so even though I got a break to actually pitch, I still had to win on the story's merits.

Well, I had my Hulk story, which led to me getting a Star Trek novella, then publisher I had worked for secured the license for the Gauntlet Dark Legacy video game. My friend called me and said, "Hey, aren't you a history major? Would you be interested in writing some fantasy?"

(more arm-twisting pantomime)

Well, that was my first novel, then more Star Trek, then the second Gauntlet novel (which never got published), then Doctor Who, and THEN, I finally sold my first original fiction.

Why this is abnormal -- normally you have to prove yourself as an author before you're ever allowed to do media tie-in writing. Licensors tend to be VERY touchy about their properties and not just anyone gets to write for them, mainly because of all the hoops a story goes through before it sees print. While I'm sure I'm not the only one who broke in doing licensed work, it's rare. Honestly, while my writing had to stand on its own and I had to get edited just like any other person, a lot of me getting into writing had to do with right place, right time, right skill set, and the fact that I had proven I could write to my editor back in my small press days.

So, unlike what everyone says is the typical way to get into publishing (write a book, get an agent, get a publisher, write next book, etc.), my path has been quite different. So, even though I've been writing since 1989 and I have been published by the Big Five as well as small presses, I'm still looking for an agent, I'm still trying to sell my first novel, and I'm still trying to get ahead just like everyone else.

shortstorymachinist · Mar 22, 2017

Richard White said:
How to get published the incorrect way:

I started out doing small press comics back in the 1990s (digest-sized first and then full-sized) just in time for the Great B&W Implosion (aka the Comic Distributor Wars). By the time the dust settled, I had five issues out, no reasonable expectations I'd ever make back the money I'd already sunk into my comic company, so I shelved it as a great idea that didn't work and moved on.

Five years later, I get a call from the guy who used to be my letterer/editor. He was now working as an editor for a small packager who happened to have the license for short stories/novels based on Marvel characters. Well, since I had worked with him in comics and since he had a person drop out of the anthology, would I be interested in pitching for a story?

(Insert pantomime of one's arm being twisted)

Now, even though my friend was the editor, Marvel still had the final say on my pitch (actually they rejected the first one, because they'd already approved one similar, but they liked mine enough to ask me to do the Hulk as an Avenger, since they didn't have any stories set during that time). So, I had to pitch - the editor had to approve and then Marvel Creative had to approve, then I wrote the story and the editor had to approve and then Marvel Creative had to approve, then any edits I made had to go through the whole process again. At any time, Marvel Creative could have rejected my story, so even though I got a break to actually pitch, I still had to win on the story's merits.

Well, I had my Hulk story, which led to me getting a Star Trek novella, then publisher I had worked for secured the license for the Gauntlet Dark Legacy video game. My friend called me and said, "Hey, aren't you a history major? Would you be interested in writing some fantasy?"

(more arm-twisting pantomime)

Well, that was my first novel, then more Star Trek, then the second Gauntlet novel (which never got published), then Doctor Who, and THEN, I finally sold my first original fiction.

Why this is abnormal -- normally you have to prove yourself as an author before you're ever allowed to do media tie-in writing. Licensors tend to be VERY touchy about their properties and not just anyone gets to write for them, mainly because of all the hoops a story goes through before it sees print. While I'm sure I'm not the only one who broke in doing licensed work, it's rare. Honestly, while my writing had to stand on its own and I had to get edited just like any other person, a lot of me getting into writing had to do with right place, right time, right skill set, and the fact that I had proven I could write to my editor back in my small press days.

So, unlike what everyone says is the typical way to get into publishing (write a book, get an agent, get a publisher, write next book, etc.), my path has been quite different. So, even though I've been writing since 1989 and I have been published by the Big Five as well as small presses, I'm still looking for an agent, I'm still trying to sell my first novel, and I'm still trying to get ahead just like everyone else.

Whoa. Reading that was like watching a rube goldberg machine of publishing. :popcorn:

Thanks for sharing, it's always nice to be reminded that there are sooo many ways to break in, even if those ways aren't exactly what you plan.

Shadowflame · Mar 22, 2017

Richard,
That really is a kind of backwards way of being published. I've heard other odd stories, but that one is probably the most unique.

Goes to show you, folks, there's no right way to get published. Everyone takes different paths. Their process is different. Their goals are different. Don't worry so much about how and why of it. Just do it as you can and as well as you can.

Sue77 · Mar 22, 2017

Thank you Richard - fascinating and informative.

I have a friend who self-publishes on Amazon and does fairly well out of it, but media tie-in-writing sounds a whole new pathway of writer's experience. Do you draw any of the illustrations?

Richard White · Mar 22, 2017

Not much of a market for stick figures.

No, I've been a writer all along. Even when I was doing comics, I hired pencillers/inkers/colorists. I have minimal to no talent, esp. drawing the human form.

I have had the great experience of working with some fantastic artists in my career. My novel was illustrated by Bob Larkin, my short story collection I have out now was illustrated by Shane Braithwaite, and my novella homage to the Golden Age of Comics was illustrated by Rock Baker, just to name a few.

Sue77 said:
Thank you Richard - fascinating and informative.

I have a friend who self-publishes on Amazon and does fairly well out of it, but media tie-in-writing sounds a whole new pathway of writer's experience. Do you draw any of the illustrations?

The 2016-2017 Sekrit Solstice Sci-Fi Fantasy Story Swap

Master Plot Hydra Conqueror

Master Plot Hydra Conqueror

Wild one

I want to be Comic Sans.

Wild one

Making Einstein cry since 1994

Wild one

Making Einstein cry since 1994

Stories, stories everywhere

Parasite free since '09

this was a triumph

Stealthy Plot Bunny Peddler

Parasite free since '09

Fragile Bunny

Stealthy Plot Bunny Peddler

killin' all teh werds

Parasite free since '09

I want to be Comic Sans.

Stealthy Plot Bunny Peddler

The score is still Q to 12!

Gametrovert

Stealthy Plot Bunny Peddler