tisoz
Nov 23 2005, 03:40 PM
Announcing
The First tisoz Shadowrun Fiction Contest.Submission guidelines:*
SR setting - not the impossible by SR rules
*
Pre 2065*
Multiple entries accepted - though I have plans for 2 more contests with more specific topics, and plan to do this a few times if there is much enthusiasm.
*
Length - long enough to tell the story, short enough to withstand ADD
*
Deadline -
December 31, 2005 There was some initial complaint about this being a busy time of year, so the deadline was moved to
Wednesday, January 25, 2006 Friday, January 27, 2006.
*
Format - txt, doc, pdf, rtf, wps, lit - if you have to use another, tell me how to open it. If I can't open it, I can't read it and you limit your chances of winning.
*
Send to: tisoz80@aol.com
* Please include within the submission a
Title, and an
email address to contact you. You may want to include your name or Dumpshock handle within also, but it is optional.
A word of advice:
I would like to see fresh fiction. If it was posted somewhere already there is a chance I saw it, which may hurt your prospects for winning.The prizes. I'll be letting the winner(s) choose from a group of older SR RPG books. Hopefully the quality of the submissions will induce me to include some rare titles in the pool. The Winner(s) will be responsible for shipping costs. (This way I won't limit contestants to the US.) Just actual shipping cost, not handling or packaging fees.
The First tisoz Shadowrun Fiction Contest.
Stuffer Shack Stocking Stuffers.
Backgammon
Nov 23 2005, 04:10 PM
Cool, that's a really nice innitiative tisoz!
It's Horribly Busy Season for me right now, but if I find the time I'll try to submit something!
tisoz
Nov 23 2005, 04:20 PM
Does everyone want another deadline? Or other changes?
I asked for suggestions and didn't get any. It's not carved in stone as long as the edit button works.
Aku
Nov 23 2005, 04:48 PM
although i dont know if i'll write anything, i'd say mid-late january would make a better deadline.
Critias
Nov 23 2005, 05:49 PM
If someone can't spit a story out in five and a half weeks, are they really working on "short fiction" anymore?
Velocity
Nov 23 2005, 06:00 PM
The last short story I wrote for Shadowrun ran about twelve pages and I'd be hard-pressed to write that much now, what with the holidays coming. Some people also have children, final exams, travel plans, etc. I'd suggest January 31st.
Kagetenshi
Nov 23 2005, 06:29 PM
| QUOTE (Critias) |
| If someone can't spit a story out in fine and a half weeks, are they really working on "short fiction" anymore? |
Spoken like someone without writer's block
~J
Critias
Nov 23 2005, 06:38 PM
...
If I get two months to write, what's the, hypothetically speaking, maximum number of stories I can submit to this thing?
EDIT - and I get writer's block. I just get it for one genre at a time. I've been on a Warmachine (fantasy, plus steamjacks) kick for several months, though, and I'm beginning to think I'm all dried up in that genre, for the moment. Some good old Shadowrun fiction might be just what I need to jar things loose (until I get tired of Shadowrun/Cyperpunk, and go back to Warmachine stories, then back to Shadowrun, etc, etc, etc).
Jrayjoker
Nov 23 2005, 07:19 PM
I'm in. But with 4 kids and the holidays coming on fast I wold prefer mid-January as a deadline.
tisoz
Nov 23 2005, 08:33 PM
Ok, now that we have some feedback...
How about Wednesday, January 25, 2006?
Hypothetical maximum number of submissions? I would rather see one great story than 144 mediocre ones. There are going to be more contests if this goes well, so polish them and submit them later.
In the interim, for those that have time, here is one of the other ideas I had for a contest tied to the season.
*Deadline is going to be December 21st.
*Prize will be a selection from some of the more readily available modules.
Topic: write a Food Fight type story set between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Many of us, if not all of us are familiar with the scenario, and the holiday flavor should be an early present under everyone's tree.
*See note about S&H in first post
ShadowDragon8685
Nov 23 2005, 08:46 PM
Hmmmmmm....
That sounds interesting...
Jrayjoker
Nov 24 2005, 02:51 AM
No promises, but I will try.
Perssek
Nov 24 2005, 05:31 AM
Count me on, too! I already have 3 to 5 short fiction in SR, placed around 2050, and all I need to do is translate it into *good* english (portuguese is my native language). Letīs see what I can do in the time given. Oh, and expect my food fight story to be there too - thereīs one - no, wait: make that three possibilities burning right now in the back of my brain.
What greed does to a manīs imagination, huh? And all that for some useless old books...
[SLAP]myself for saying silly stuff[/SLAP]
Critias
Nov 24 2005, 02:49 PM
So, just to double check, here -- the only guy who gets to read all these is Tisoz (the lucky bastich)?
Or are you planning on starting up a thread once you start getting stories, and posting them for general public consumption with some sort of score (or just a quick edit-job as needed, or whatever), or opinion, or...?
'Cause I'd like for my writing to be made available to more than just one person. People seem to have enjoyed my stuff in the past, and I love to get feedback (positive or negative, as needed).
John Campbell
Nov 24 2005, 06:20 PM
| QUOTE (Critias) |
| If someone can't spit a story out in five and a half weeks, are they really working on "short fiction" anymore? |
Five and a half weeks is just about enough time to recover from what I'm
currently writing. I'm in the midst of the last-week-of-
NaNoWriMo scramble, and 10,000 words behind the curve.
Mid-January would be good. I'm not doing it with a December deadline. I like a break between my frantic scrambles to finish a story in time. (Though after NaNoWriMo, a short story in a month is a casual stroll in the park.)
tisoz
Nov 25 2005, 07:15 AM
| QUOTE (Critias) |
So, just to double check, here -- the only guy who gets to read all these is Tisoz (the lucky bastich)?
Or are you planning on starting up a thread once you start getting stories, and posting them for general public consumption with some sort of score (or just a quick edit-job as needed, or whatever), or opinion, or...?
'Cause I'd like for my writing to be made available to more than just one person. People seem to have enjoyed my stuff in the past, and I love to get feedback (positive or negative, as needed). |
I know I was not real clear but
| QUOTE (tisoz) |
| the holiday flavor should be an early present under everyone's tree. |
I plan to share with everyone. I am thinking about starting a site to host all the stories, or maybe someone with a site would like to volunteer to host them.
I am also debating sharing judging duties. I like control and have a little distrust of someone with a lot of friends having those friends tilt the judging. I might let folks nominate the finalists, then I (and anyone else who would like to volunteer prizes) can pick the winner(s).
Kagetenshi
Nov 25 2005, 08:41 AM
| QUOTE (tisoz) |
| or maybe someone with a site would like to volunteer to host them. |
j0.
~J
Jrayjoker
Nov 25 2005, 01:14 PM
Shadowrunner13
Nov 25 2005, 02:23 PM
I'll see if I can come up with something for the contest...
No promises though...
SR13
dog_xinu
Nov 25 2005, 04:02 PM
| QUOTE (tisoz) |
I plan to share with everyone. I am thinking about starting a site to host all the stories, or maybe someone with a site would like to volunteer to host them.
|
If you still need a sight I can set one up at my webhosting server. I dont think people reading these stories will put me over my bandwith limit.
Just let me know.
dx
tisoz
Nov 30 2005, 07:24 PM
A whole week and not a single submission.
On hosting, I looked at starting a Yahoo group. Also, is anyone against the idea of letting all the volunteers host them simultaneously?
Critias
Nov 30 2005, 07:32 PM
I've got a few ready to go, but thought I'd get the Food Fight one polished off before sending you anything (and, naturally, it's the Food Fight one that I'm having trouble coming up with anything good for).
warrior_allanon
Dec 2 2005, 10:58 AM
i'm working on it tiz, actually refining the food fight one and another for the general contest
tisoz
Dec 9 2005, 06:08 PM
Week 2 - Submissions 0
warrior_allanon
Dec 9 2005, 06:15 PM
i'm working on it tis, putting it in my comp and tweaking the story....
Taran
Dec 10 2005, 08:41 PM
I wouldn't expect any submissions until right before the deadline. Even if I had something finished now, why submit right away when I can wait a few weeks and smooth off a few more rough edges?
Kagetenshi
Dec 10 2005, 09:01 PM
Pretty much. I've got one mostly done, but even when I finish it if I have the time I'll let it sit for a week and then reread/reedit.
~J
tisoz
Dec 11 2005, 09:52 AM
| QUOTE (Taran) |
| I wouldn't expect any submissions until right before the deadline. Even if I had something finished now, why submit right away when I can wait a few weeks and smooth off a few more rough edges? |
I was hoping to get them out there for people to see, get nominations, then make my final decision. If we are waiting to the last minute, that is a lot of reading (hopefully) in a couple of days and not much time for people to say what they like, argue about which is the best, and for me to take it all in to influence my decision.
Maybe now that I have revealed my thoughts on the matter, people can see a reason to submit before the last minute? Do we need to change the deadline? (The general fiction contest is not time relevant, so I see no reason to alter its deadline.) What about future seasonal contests? (Halloween, hint, hint.)
Also, depending on length and number of submissions, is it that bad an idea to start a thread here and post the entries? A title like
Christmas SR Fiction Contest 2005. I could take the submissions, post each individually and ananymously then implement a poll.
Ideas, comments?
[edit] I have been posting the no submission update to keep the thread somewhat current for any who have happened to miss it. [edit]
[edit] Reset to original deadline due to backlash and Kage's sage advice.
[/edit]
SL James
Dec 11 2005, 09:50 PM
Some of us also have other things to worry about besides a fiction contest, like our own campaigns, work and a finals period that ends on the 17th.
Gerald Fitzgerald
Dec 12 2005, 02:28 AM
I'm working on a submission. There was an established deadline.
I'm sorry if I didn't keep you updated on my progress and I didn't realize you actually wanted the submissions a week or two BEFORE the deadline (which what's the deadline for then?)
Give me a deadline and let me write. If you're going to move the deadlines around because you're not getting submissions when you really wanted them, I'm certainly not going to bother writing.
Kagetenshi
Dec 12 2005, 03:11 AM
I kept quiet about it since I'm almost done anyway, but I really do have to second the sentiment. There was a deadline, switching it around while things are in progress is just jerking people's chains.
~J
SL James
Dec 12 2005, 07:34 AM
And with that, I have to echo Gerald and Kagetenshi.
Critias
Dec 12 2005, 11:17 AM
Deadline-moving is for corpse-humpers. Once you give a deadline, let it lie there, don't go fucking with it.
Jrayjoker
Dec 12 2005, 01:55 PM
No need to be pissy. You can get your points across without being mean.
Critias
Dec 12 2005, 01:59 PM
I was actually quoting a friend of mine. It was some funny hah-hah.
Jrayjoker
Dec 12 2005, 05:06 PM
Well, if it had been attributed as a quote it may have been less harsh. Tizos is doing this out of the goodness of tizos' heart. Let's not stomp on it.
Taran
Dec 12 2005, 11:27 PM
You are of course free to do what you like, tisoz. But I can have a submission ready for the 25th; I can't have one ready for the 16th. Especially since what planning I've done has been around a Christmas deadline.
tisoz
Dec 13 2005, 12:50 AM
| QUOTE (Taran) |
| But I can have a submission ready for the 25th; I can't have one ready for the 16th. Especially since what planning I've done has been around a Christmas deadline. |
I do not recall there ever being a December 25th deadline.
| QUOTE (SL James) |
| Some of us also have other things to worry about besides a fiction contest, like our own campaigns, work and a finals period that ends on the 17th. |
But this is more important. First, it involves me. Second, it involves free stuff.
| QUOTE (Critias) |
| Deadline-moving is for corpse-humpers. Once you give a deadline, let it lie there, don't go fucking with it. |
Way to sweet talk the judge. Necrophilia, don't knock it 'til you've tried it, and I wish some of the women I've humped would have just laid there and kept their f'in' mouths shut.
| QUOTE (Jrayjoker) |
No need to be pissy. You can get your points across without being mean.
...
Well, if it had been attributed as a quote it may have been less harsh. Tizos is doing this out of the goodness of tizos' heart. Let's not stomp on it.
|
See, now this is sweet talking the judge.
Seriously, I reinstated the previous deadline. Hopefully people will have time to read them between the 22nd and when they are still in the holiday spirit.
The general contest still has the January 25th deadline, unless people want it set back to the original Dec. 31st. Just kidding. It will remain Jan. 25th.
I would
like to hear who intends to submit to any contest, just to get an idea of what to expect. Or even who is really looking forward to reading some holiday fiction, maybe the urging of the fans will inspire some great performances.
Aku
Dec 13 2005, 01:54 AM
against my best judgement, i'll try and get something in For the General contest. I'm thinking about something to do with a decker, I need to go back and re-read the initial guidlines, i'm not sure if something after Crash 2.0 is acceptable or not.
Mind you, I am, by no means, a professional writer, and i doubt I'll win anything from this, but hopefully, it'll be a good read, none the less.
EDUT: and having gone back over the guidlines, crash 2.0 seems to be out, so much for a story about the fancy new stuff (that i havent even read the official rules for yer heheh)
Critias
Dec 13 2005, 03:33 PM
I'll likely have 2, maybe 3, submission for the "general" contest. I'm really just havin' trouble with the Food Fight one (it's hard to write it up without it feeling like a Steven Seagal flick). Just not feelin' it -- but I may still toss something together. Mostly, though, I'm good for a couple general submissions.
Corpse humper.
warrior_allanon
Dec 13 2005, 07:01 PM
the thing is critas, it is the setting for a segal flick, i mean look at the begining of "Hard to kill", thats a hand to hand phys ad in food fight right off
on another note, mines done
tisoz
Dec 19 2005, 01:01 AM
So far I have received one submission for the holiday contest from warrior_allanon. If any one else tried, I did not get it yet.
Just a few days left.
Kagetenshi
Dec 21 2005, 04:40 AM
When during the 21st does the deadline fall?
~J
SL James
Dec 21 2005, 09:22 AM
Wait, you mean it's not the opening of Cobra?
Mr.Platinum
Dec 21 2005, 11:49 AM
Hmmm maybe.
warrior_allanon
Dec 21 2005, 08:24 PM
well i would agree that too to a point, unfortunately "Cobra" hits me more of the hard core street sam taking food fight. "Hard to kill" had Segal in buying some wine when gang members came in and try to shake the place down.
(Segal to cashier) call 911
violence ensues and someone catches a shotgun blast from the double barrel the perps brouht in to rob the place. I think this happens also in "Above the Law" at one point but i'm not certain.
tisoz
Dec 21 2005, 08:33 PM
| QUOTE (Kagetenshi @ Dec 20 2005, 10:40 PM) |
When during the 21st does the deadline fall?
~J |
If I say anytime before midnight, I'll probably get called a rotten corpse humper. Then people will start arguing about midnight in what time zone, then...
Deadline for holiday fic submission is 10 hours from time of this post. That should translate universally.
tisoz
Dec 30 2005, 01:16 AM
I received the first submission for the First, hopefully periodic, tisoz Shadowrun Fiction Contest.
Is everyone ok with the way the holiday fiction contest was posted? The poll was helpful to me in a small way, but comments would have been nice. Just saying you liked a piece was about all the poll did. Pointing out to me why may have helped me reconsider a point I overlooked or did not weigh too heavily.
Feedback for submissions: within the submission
* Please include a title
* Please include a way to contact you
* inclusion of name or DS handle is optional and can be added later.
Beta reading/editing is encouraged. I have refrained from the compulsion to edit unless instructed by the author. Should I edit spelling and grammar errors? (Though a couple of last minute submissions were not read until posted to the thread.)
Holiday winner will be announced/posted late Friday or Saturday.
Aku
Dec 30 2005, 01:48 AM
i would think that a seperate comment thread would be nice, but thats just me, i'm strange like that.
tisoz
Dec 30 2005, 02:14 AM
I thought keeping it all together would be tidier. I can (and thought I did) let posters know when the entries were all posted and available for comment. If no one is posting comments to the Submission thread, it will need bumped or get buried.
I appreciate the feedback, but trying to point out/work out problems.
If I get more than 10 submissions, either I won't be able to use a poll, or the poll will only include the top 10 entries, IMO.
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