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A CHALLENGE!

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What should be my first writing "etude"?

2 votes
500 words narrative, Horror, with an unusual moral (0 votes) 0%
50 funny poem, all words strting with same letter (0 votes) 0%
400 half poem half narrative, waking up in morning (0 votes) 0%
300 conversation between historical figures (2 votes) 100%
Darean51
Rookie Scribe
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Hi everyone!

I'm new to this site, and hoping to get my feet wet as a writer, I'm a musician-in-training but before I was interested in music I wanted to be a writer, I used to spend hours thinking up huge stories then full of enthusiasm I would sit down at the keyboard and write...

Then, once I got through the first page or so and my creative energies started to ebb I would start to edit and all the issues and options, grammar and details would torment me until I realised "No way, this is only the first page of 10,000 and it's already this hard? F*&% this!"

Ah, Youth!

So anyway, over the past couple years my focus has been almost exclusively on music, but writing was always there in the back of my mind and my favourite epic fantasies would not go away... So recently I decided to not be so passive in the realm of active creativity, I should compose and write now, not in some comfortable imagined future because developing the skills to create are probably more difficult than the skills to recreate and I should start working on those skills sooner rather than later. So, in the same way that one should first write single melody pieces then short piano pieces, quartets, symphonies THEN Wagnerian style multi part operas (Yes, I do wish to write a challenge to the Ring Cycle, so sue me!) and as one works on scales with hands seperately, then together, then arpeggios, basic pieces, the Chopin Etudes and THEN the crazy university grade pieces...

Well...

So too should one start small in the field of writing!

For those who care to see what I have done so far I've posted a couple 100 word creations, not much but it's a start, but now I'm looking for something a little meatier, (just a little) so, seeing as I believe art (I hate that word actually, but it's the only way you'll know what I mean) should be a communal and interrelating thing and also given the fact the only writing skill I am particularly proficient at is daydreaming I put forth a challenge!

What should I write?!?!?F

First, I think I should write a set of "written etudes" little studies in writing, each one working on different skills and requiring a different approach, sort of a literary rip-off of the Chopin etudes, made for the purpose of learning the method but (hopefully) also standing as good creative writing in themselves.

I would appreciate all manner of suggestions but to give you some idea of what I'm after please keep the following in mind:


1. Challenge: One of my favourite books (Stanslaw Lem's Cyberiad) contains a delightful story about an electronic bard, a manufactured poet so to speak, created by simulating all the history of existence and then condensing it into a giant thinking machine, though at first it didn't work so well... ("...Mockles, fent on a silpen tree...") and only improves a little in its next attempt, uttering only one line with any semblence of sense ("...In thy pantry dreaming...") but once treated to some russian-style technical ingenuity (violence) and thus able to speak with functional grammar and semantics the machine was challenged to write a poem... about a haircut... but lofty! noble! tragic! vengeful! heroic! and full of love! in 6 lines and with every word beginning with "S"... The machine rose to the challenge marvellously, ("Seduced! Shaggy Samson Sheared... Silently Scheming, Sightlessly Seeking, Some Savage, Spectacular Suicide!") or should I say the author rose to the challenge? (I have a feeling that he solved the conundrum the same way one solves the kiddy mazes on resturant placemats, by working backwards) so please, if a mere machine can accomplish this give me something challenging! But not so hard that I can't make anything decent out of it (remember I'm just a beginner!)

2. Purpose: A Poem to cheer? A story to provide warm company in a dark place? A tale to win hearts and minds? A Philosophical observation? An anatomical dissection of a given topic? Variations on a theme to find new meaning? The presence of purpose is what might raise mere curiosities and studies to actually meaningful works.

3. Originality:They (who anyway?) say everything has been done but it's very enjoyable to try and prove them wrong! all ideas on how to make something original are welcome, but don't just consider premise, often it is the limitations that have made the best stuff, structure, characters, writing style, anything that could make it unique, but preferably tempered by the 2nd and not too much of the 1st (hmmm, how Asimovian...)

So please, put forward whatever you please! A complete and thorough challenge or just a fragment of a concept, I'll mix them together submit the story and you can tell me what you think!

To start I have put forward my own ideas, please vote and make further suggestions and hopefully I'll have something for you all soon!
Louise
Active Ink Slinger
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Can I vote for conversations between historical characters but between historical characters of different eras...I'd like to see the misunderstandings and feelings being ruffled which could occur as a result of miscommunication e.g. a conversation between Rasputin and Neil Armstrong. Imagine a man of god vs a man of science, not to mention the moral differences between both characters
New Poem out

The Observer
Sherzahd
Administration
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Quote by Louise
Can I vote for conversations between historical characters but between historical characters of different eras...I'd like to see the misunderstandings and feelings being ruffled which could occur as a result of miscommunication e.g. a conversation between Rasputin and Neil Armstrong. Imagine a man of god vs a man of science, not to mention the moral differences between both characters


Absolutely... that would indeed be interesting. Wish I was allowed more than one vote, it all sounds good to me.

“Many people hear voices when no one is there. Some of them are called mad and are shut up in rooms where they stare at the walls all day. Others are called writers and they do pretty much the same thing.”

Darean51
Rookie Scribe
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Hey Guys

Sorry it's been a little while, my internet has been down.

Well we have a clear winner! I'll try and get that story posted soon, I like the idea particularly myself as I'm a big fan of dialogue/converstation based writing.

Given how few characters can be entered into those poll options I couldn't add enough limitations to make the challenge interesting, I like the idea of people not only giving feedback and general concepts but also suggesting extra things the writing must accomplish, such as must include x Action (a gun being fired) or Y character (a hardened criminal), must not use any adjectives, 50% of words must begin with "S" etc. etc. But I'll think of my own from time to time, I'll list all the story limitations and criteria along with the story so you understand what's going on and can judge how well I succeeded.

For this first story hmmm... I'm thinking Beethoven... FDR... Napoleon and Andy Warhol...

We'll see though lol.
Darean51
Rookie Scribe
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Hey guys, just an update (in case anyone is still interested, it seems this conversation has been a little bit abandoned) I have started writing the first story/etude and hope to post it in about two weeks or less.

It is going to be significantly longer than anticipated but I realised its virtue as a study isn't from any limitations in length but as an opportunity to practice my researching skills which are important to develop in order to have deep realism in my writing. Obviously it is impossible for me to really embody the exact speaking and behavioural traits of the characters (forget Warhol, a much tighter and better story can be told with just Beethoven, FDR and Napoleon, you'll see) but I will do my best and have been looking at old speeches and letters of these men to glean what I can. I have also tried to build a narrative out of their personal and professional history rather than contrive a disembodied conversation, this ought to bring out the personalities more, though the story still does revolve around their discussion.

The story will be titled:

"An Old Argument"

Hope you all read it smile see ya and please feel free to put forward more ideas for future stories, I have a pretty clear idea of what to do with this one, thanks for helping me choose!
Guest
Lurker
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Only just spotted this so I know I am a bit late re the voting, but I would have gone with the historical one as well.

Look forward to reading your story.