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Asalis · Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2006 10:36 pm Post subject:

I was jsut wondering when the next leg of the contest will begin? sorry i'm jsut being curious. I havent heard anything about it in a while.

Nadan · Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2006 10:49 pm Post subject: 1 Year anneversary & New Season

Well, here it is, a year after I created this contest off the top of my head. Did I hope it would continue successful this long? Yes, and longer. Did I think it would? Well, to be honest, I wasn't sure. You authors and voters have made this thing a success, so thank you everybody. I know you're wanting the details of the new season, so I'll spare you the entire thank you letter I prepared (which was sent out on the mailing list. If you want to be a part of our mailing list, please email me or send me a PM message here on planetfurry.) Several changes have been made this season, including a little change as to how stories are judged. For details, check out the contest page.

You might see that the deadline for stories this season has been extended. Two full months for writing. Why would I do such a thing? Because I'm evil. (See, sentence fragments! Evil! Just kidding.) Last year all our themes were tangible: butterflies, beaches/oceans, apples. This season the theme is much harder to pin down and might take a little research. What is it? "Foreigners."

"What!?" you ask with double punctuation.

Yes, foreigners. Everyone has a culture. What is the culture of your anthros like? Does a single race have many cultures, like humans do? Or are they more uniform? How does their biology and history affect their way of thinking and way of life? Now, pick them up and put them in a strange place, or put a stranger in their midst. How do they react? That's what the theme is this season. That's why you have two months.

Still, the word limit is 3500. I found it very hard not to go over on the sample story. It just goes to show that even if you do all the background thinking and planning, it doesn't all have to be in the story (it won't fit anyway.) If you make it real to you, it will show in your writing. The cultures you create will be strange, but strangely familiar. With effort you can convince us that these races are plausible, and make your reader willingly suspend disbelief. This, as one writer said, is the mark of truly great fiction. And, as I said, is hard and so worth it. Tips on how you might get started are featured both on the contest page (linked above) and in the mailing list newsletter.

So welcome to the Spring '06 season, everybody. I know that, as usual, you will dazzle and excite your readers here.

No_Idea_What_I'm_Doing · Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2006 3:35 pm Post subject:

Hmm... Good, very good. I've been waiting for a while. Foreigners, eh? I've had one in just about every story I'ver written to date, and I think I might be able to do something. Hopefully Yahoo! will be good enough to work this time...

Good luck to all!

Nadan · Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 5:14 pm Post subject: Bad News

Hey everyone. I have some bad news. The WatchingStone writing contest is going to come to a close. I had been working with others in an attempt to keep things running. I really appreciate the willingness of people like Mike, Amber, Scotty, and others to keep things going. Unfortunately, the issues on my end are proving even more difficult to clear up than I had thought. This means that the contest will not continue.

Although that saddens me, what I really regret is what I have to announce now: I have to cancel even this season’s contest. I know that several of you have already worked on stories, even one having been submitted. If I could finish this one off, I would. All of you deserve not to be left in the lurch. However, I cannot. The problems are manifold. There are the few I thought I could overcome (not having an internet connection, difficulty keeping up with advertising). Now there are several family and personal issues, which are proving to be longstanding.

I hope that you all can forgive me for not finishing what I’ve started this season. I hope that you have enjoyed this last year of contests and that you have seen your writing grow. I know that I read a lot of wonderful stories on your part. It really was a privilege for me and I thank you for sharing with me.

PrincessB · Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 5:37 pm Post subject:

That bites. Check your pms and let me know if theres anyway I could help.

Asalis · Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 8:19 pm Post subject:

Do what you have to do. I wish you the best.

ScottyDM · Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 5:07 am Post subject:

Is there something we can do to continue with this contest? I know Mike Regan, PrincessB, and myself have been involved in discussions with Nadan on the future of the contest. Both Mike and I have servers and plenty of space and bandwidth and I'm fixing to add a third soon and I just got a fatter pipe.

"Son of Watchingstone" perhaps? Okay, that's a lame name.

What do we (everyone) want in a writing contest? Fun, certainly. Encouragement as a writer, sure. Feedback, maybe better feedback? How about the promotion of anthro-fiction as a genre. Can we attract more readers? Can we attract readers outside of the fandom? Here's a good one: who is the contest for, the writers or the readers (or both)? Cash prizes are always nice, but I'm flat busted so... Crying or Very sad

Oh, and I've managed to interest another writer for this season's contest with a post I left on the message board over at Fur Will Fly.

Last season the Princess and I exchanged stories for a bit of critiquing before the contest deadline, which helped me to focus on some things (I made improvements) and I noticed she incorporated some of my suggestions as well. In the past I've been involved with an online critique group which has helped my writing. How do the writers here on PlanetFurry feel about a pre-contest critique that is only held writer-to-writer? The service I was on had an automated system for uploading stories and doing critiques under an "give a critique get a critique" system. Unfortunately, I doubt if I can whip up something that fancy in only a week or two.

Shall we keep on with it? What do you all think?

Scotty

Nadan · Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 2:25 pm Post subject:

If there is an underlying drive to push this season through to completion, or even continue it after that in someone else's hands, I would have no problem with that. In that case, it should probably be renamed -- but that's just cosmetic.

PrincessB · Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 3:52 pm Post subject:

Well what is needed to make this season continue to happen?
Everyone knows Mike has room to put the entries and Scotty also say he has room. We already have me and Mike lined up to be the judging panel, maybe Scotty would be willing to fill in for the third person? Unless I am mistaken you already have the award picture done just needs to be sent to the winner. You could give one of us a list of all the spots you post notices about the story to and we could take over posting reminders and such.
If, when it comes time for the next season, you are still unable to rejoin us then maybe we could convince Scotty to write a short sample story on a subject that Scotty, Mike and I all discuss and agree upon. If you are able to rejoin then great one of us can step down and let you take back over. And could keep it named Nadans Watchingstone Writting Contest because it was your idea and you will always be welcome to rejoin whenever you have the ability to do so.
I personally would really like to see this season finished at least, and then we can disscuss everyones interest in continuing from there.

Asalis · Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 8:52 pm Post subject:

I would love to see the contest continue if at all possible.

Kayngi · Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 12:05 am Post subject:

I was very saddened to see that Nadan could no longer keep up the WritingStone competition (particularly since I just finished my entry, teehee.) What I enjoyed about these contests was the challenge it presented to me as a writer. I like these exercises that get me outside of my own comfort realm, as that is where I grow. I write because I enjoy it, I think I have a decent story to tell, and I want others to enjoy my story. I've exchanged stories with another writer friend of mine and we've helped each other quite a bit. I finally managed to talk her into doing this contest this season (you say short story to her and she thinks 40 pages.)

I would love to see the contests continue, but I also fully understand the pitfalls of "real life." Real life must always come first. Nadan, you take care of what you need to take care of. If it is possible to work this contest out among us, brilliant! If not...then we can hope to ressurect the contest at a later date.

ScottyDM · Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 12:31 am Post subject:

I remember seeing this juggling act on TV where the guy juggled a butcher knife, a cleever, and a hatchet. He had a 4 1/2 minute lead in that was really quite funny, followed by 30 seconds of juggling.

In his lead in he "introduced" the three objects he would be juggling: Mack the Knife, Beaver the Cleaver, and George the Hatchet. He claimed that at one time the hatchet belonged to George Washington and was, in fact, the very hatchet he used to chop down the cherry tree. Of course people in the audience are skeptical of that claim (they murmur). The juggler then says, "Of course I had to replace the handle... and the head... but it occupies the same space."

The ________ Writing Contest, it occupies the same space.

That seems so much more, uhh... whatever... than saying "Foremerly known as the Watchingstone Writing Contest."

Scotty

ScottyDM · Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 12:45 am Post subject:

ScottyDM · Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 1:23 am Post subject:

While I'm here blathering about the contest....

I had an idea for a story, but I've not written anything yet. Which has now become a moot point.

But I have a question: Is therianthropy a good subject for the contest? You know, weres. Real weres, not the pretend kind. My plan was for one scene with two vârcolacs (one domestic, one foreign) who were to remain in two-legged form the entire scene. Or is something like that getting too far from "anthros, furries, or morphs" for this contest.

In the past I've been the only author to include humans as important characters in my stories, but that doesn't seem to have been a problem. Now I'm thinking, "No tail, no fur, no muzzle, how will people react?"

So I'm no longer asking this for myself, but perhaps someone else wants to dip into the rich tradition of shape shifters to find their characters.

So what do you think?

Shape shifters have no place in a furry/anthro story. They’re only wannabe furries anyway.
Shape shifters are great, but only if we see them in their animal form for at least part of the story.
Shape shifters are great and they can remain in human form, but only if the writer can convince me they are not human and that there is something distinctly feral about the character(s).
Shape shifters are great (in fact, I'm one). I don't care how the story is written as long as you use a shape shifter, I'm cool with it.

Maybe I should create a poll in Everyday blither-blather. <edit> That poll is setup now.

Scotty

Nadan · Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2006 12:09 pm Post subject:

There have been some questions about the procedures I had followed or established for the future. Because I am no longer running the contest, you all may proceed in any way you like. In case you were wondering, I will tell you what i was planning:

The new panel system, which I have never tested, was to be via both reader input and pannel input. The panel members would each score each story in the same way as the readers, but would commit to brief comments on each story, so as to provide the writers with some feedback. These were to be practical comments geared toward helping the writer improve. The scores from the readership were to be averaged together. Thus there would be 4 scores (Readership, Panelist 1, 2, and 3.) These four scores would then be averaged to find a winner. In the event that the winner of the contest was not the same one the readers chose, a new award (the Reader's Choice award) was to be awarded to that story.

As far as what counts as 'anthropomorphic' or 'furry', that's your call.