The 2021 Sekrit Solstice Sci-Fi/Fantasy Story Swap!

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Norman Mjadwesch

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I have said before that Jurassic Park is the only dinosaur movie in the entire franchise, all the others are monster movies that happen to have some dinosaurs. Fairly entertaining monster movies, mind but falling mighty short of the gloriousness of actual dinosaur movies. (I has Opinions. Many, many Opinions.) Still watch them sometimes when they come on TV, even though I critique them mercilessly...

The critiques are valid and I never tire of voicing them! But here does not seem the place, because the choir is already present! :)


I guess I shouldn't be mentioning Beasts of the Mesozoic then with their scientifically researched, interestingly coloured, poseable collection of dinosaur figures, nor their wildly successful kickstarters, I take it... Would take less room then lifesized Utahraptor skeletons, is all I'm not saying. ;)

And yet there is something oddly compelling about the idea of a lifesized Utahraptor skeleton.
 
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CobraMisfit

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Hey, gang. Looks like folks are understandably struggling. Just remember this event is about fostering the bond between us writers and less about making word-magic. Life happens and we flex as needed. If you’re having a tough time, it’s okay. The real world exists and the demands often take precedent. The Sisyphus is, at its core, a fun bonding experience. It’s the port in the storm where we can socialize and cope through our affection for the written word. But it IS a port in the storm. If we have to extend, or if we have to help carry one another’s load, we will.

We have your back.

No matter what.
 

Brightdreamer

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Urgh... have a vague idea and quick-sketch story spine, and have just started a zero draft to feel it out. (I know it's going to have to be completely rewritten, but I need to get words down to figure out some plot and character points that just aren't coming together.)

Keep hoping for a better idea to drop into the brain bucket, but for now I'm gonna try running with the one I got and see how far it gets me.
 

Albedo

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I got past the first scene, and am making some progress now I know where this is going. Sort of. Good luck to everyone else who needs it. And here's to flexibility. Yet again the muse has interpreted "SHORT STORY, manageable length, a few scenes, nothing special" to mean "yeah lets create a whole 'nother world and cosmology for this one with a host of characters and multiple viewpoints, maybe a conglang or two, and then blow it all up".
*hugs* for all those who find it slowgoing. I'm in the same boat. Will keep that in mind if the dinosaurs make it to the final plot. :) I have said before that Jurassic Park is the only dinosaur movie in the entire franchise, all the others are monster movies that happen to have some dinosaurs. Fairly entertaining monster movies, mind but falling mighty short of the gloriousness of actual dinosaur movies. (I has Opinions. Many, many Opinions.) Still watch them sometimes when they come on TV, even though I critique them mercilessly... I guess I shouldn't be mentioning Beasts of the Mesozoic then with their scientifically researched, interestingly coloured, poseable collection of dinosaur figures, nor their wildly successful kickstarters, I take it... Would take less room then lifesized Utahraptor skeletons, is all I'm not saying. ;)
Haha. My house is full of those tiny dinos (safe to say I heard of that Kickstarter back in 2016). The skeleton, though I want it, is a bit impractical, as it would take up half my living room. They weren't small animals.
 
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Jaymz Connelly

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Morning all. I'm making very slow progress on my story, but feeling pretty exited about the idea. However I'm a little distracted right now because... I GOT A PUPPY! Today is our third day together. He's a pug x shih tzu x maltese and his name is Arlo. And yes, he's a very good boi. I'm typing one-handed at the moment because he had a bit of a fall this morning and he wants his morning nap cuddled up with his head under my chin. *g*
 

Jaymz Connelly

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You ask, I deliver. He's just the cutest thing ever!

Say hello to Arlo.



AND, I was able to get my very basic outline completed today, because Arlo is a good boy and had a nice long snooze after brekkie.
 

E.F.B.

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PUPPEH! <33333333333


I personally have a beagle on my foot and *had* a lab mix on the chair next to me until mom said their was a squirrel in the backyard and da pup went to chase it.



Starting yesterday, some online writer friends used Slack to put together a mini Camp Nano-esque camp for our friend group. It's mini because it's only going to last one week. I'm already glad I decided to join in because the word sprints I joined yesterday helped me get focused and write 400+ words on my Sisyphus, which is the most I've written in one sitting so far this month. I'm hoping this mini camp will continue being helpful and that I'll continue making better progress.
 

Friendly Frog

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Still working on the bare plot I have. I have a vague ending and an idea where to start but everything in between is still eluding me. Working out how many characters I'd need and what role. I do have the idea I can make this work. Still don't hate it. We're getting there.

The critiques are valid and I never tire of voicing them! But here does not seem the place, because the choir is already present! :)
*sobs* My people!

We have your back.
Much appreciated, Cobra. :)

Haha. My house is full of those tiny dinos (safe to say I heard of that Kickstarter back in 2016). The skeleton, though I want it, is a bit impractical, as it would take up half my living room. They weren't small animals.
I contributed to the crowdfunding for the purchase of a plateosaurus for the national history museum, which is the closest I'll ever come to buying a real full-size skeleton myself. As tempting as a life-size cast is, space is indeed in short supply. Filling the house with tiny dinosaurs is a better alternative. Also, it would need to be a cast as I also have Opinions on the fossil trade.

(Ah, then I won't need to NOT mention the 2019 triceratopsidae kickstarter and the future tyrannosauridae kickstarter. Dude knows the way to my wallet too well.)


I GOT A PUPPY!
Puppy! Cute!
 
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Sage

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Puppy!

I wrote a beginning. I really just need some characters to connect to.

I spent all morning thinking about past stories, and maybe that'll provide inspiration.
 

Ari Meermans

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Got a nice, straightforward prompt, which should yield a nice little straightforward story. Yay!

er . . . nope; in my own idiotic way, I'm taking it on a meandering journey to who knows where. Why do I do this? :gaah
 

Albedo

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The dog tax has been paid. You may all continue.
I contributed to the crowdfunding for the purchase of a plateosaurus for the national history museum, which is the closest I'll ever come to buying a real full-size skeleton myself. As tempting as a life-size cast is, space is indeed in short supply. Filling the house with tiny dinosaurs is a better alternative. Also, it would need to be a cast as I also have Opinions on the fossil trade.

(Ah, then I won't need to NOT mention the 2019 triceratopsidae kickstarter and the future tyrannosauridae kickstarter. Dude knows the way to my wallet too well.)
:tongue I only ordered three of the ceratopsians. I'm proud of my self-control. Please don't mention the tyrannosaurs, or David Silva will work his wallet-emptying juju on me again. Agree on the fossil trade, btw. The only real fossils I own are various marine invertebrates that are usually sold by the bucketload. Everyone else should be satisfied with life-sized T. rex skeleton replicas in their backyards.

Got a nice, straightforward prompt, which should yield a nice little straightforward story. Yay!

er . . . nope; in my own idiotic way, I'm taking it on a meandering journey to who knows where. Why do I do this? :gaah
I dunno. Probably the same reason that my max 3000 word short story to this year's prompt now has a 3,800 word first chapter. My muse is like NO SHORT, ONLY NOVELLA.
 
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CobraMisfit

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Are we supposed to be checking in? I've got an outline, and I'm on my second scene. : )

Heh. No mandate to check in regularly, but good to know you’re chugging away. The Story Elves only begin to panic when we get close to deadlines and radios go silent.

Or when someone drinks the last of the tea and doesn’t tell anyone.
 

Norman Mjadwesch

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Sometimes I want the tea and other times I don't. But I would never finish it without telling anyone. :)

I'm working on an idea for another story. It's coming along!
 
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E.F.B.

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Funny how my subconscious seems to know when I've gone down a wrong path with my story. I get super stuck and can't get unstuck until I go back and find the wrong turn, then go down the right path and the words flow again.* Thankfully, I'm pretty quick about realizing what's happened and fixing it, but boy, I do seem to be going down the wrong paths a lot with this story. It is feeling better now, though, after two days of mulling over what was wrong with the previous path, so maaaaaaybe forward progress can happen a little faster? Please?

In related news, if story speed doesn't pick up, I am churning other story ideas in the back of my mind so that if I need to make an emergency pivot and do something that really, truly is a short story (unlike this one) maybe I'll be able to do that. But until that time, I shall continue pushing forward on this one.






*Ironically, back before I even started writing (but was becoming interested in it, thus the reason the memory stuck) I saw an interview with Nicholas Sparks who said his writing process looks like this, too. It's actually been very helpful to me over the years to know a professional, successful author writes a similar way as me, even if we do write totally different genres.
 

AnnieColleen

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Funny how my subconscious seems to know when I've gone down a wrong path with my story.
Yeah, I’ve run into a couple of those. Lots of notebook-thinking seems to be the answer so far, so, I’ve just ordered another notebook... The what-if and figuring out are definitely fun to play with, anyway.
 

Jaymz Connelly

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And we're back! Woo hoo! Thanks to the admins for all the hard work getting the forum transferred over. I'm sure it was a cow of a job, but your efforts are much appreciated.
 

Kjbartolotta

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!!!

How is everyone, btw? I have been...not writing, but I *really* wanna talk about the stories I was gifted.
 
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Brightdreamer

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I have been poking at writing, but not like I need to be. I have been slowly organizing my unfinished stories into "mostly polished", "needs work", and "burn, then shoot ashes into the sun".
 
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