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View Full Version : The Winner - And a Contest


Hastur
07-08-2002, 08:31 PM
The final count was

7 - Lumiere
4 - Seward
1 - Meiles Point
2 - Chudsmouth

Gee, I bet you know which ones won. *grin*

Now that the town has a name, Lumiere, I'm adding the Seward river as one of the Landmarks. Seward River has a lovely ring to it. And Meiles Point has to be a landmark - maybe the local lovers lane? I don't know. Chudsmouth might be a subdivision or a seriously popular local hangout or the name of the mines or…. You guys will have to figure it out.

So, now that we have a name, we really should start evolving a history. I was thinking about a book that was edited by Isaac Azimov, "1000 Worlds Greatest Short-Shorts", and having a nightmare about one of my all time favorite horror stories, "Taking Care of Michael" by J.L. Comeau when the idea hit. It's possible to write some brilliant fiction within a very short space. After all, "Taking Care of Michael" is only about 350 words long, and still gives me the shivers.

You all need a good challenge (not really, but the line sounds cool in my ears), so.....

Rules:

1) Story cannot be any longer than 500 words. Period. I will be running the stories through my word processor for word count just to be sure.
2) All stories should be e-mailed to me so I can collect them for posting.
2) Stories must actually be a story. No descriptives or slice of day things unless there is an actual story there. By story, I mean a beginning, a middle, and an end, with plots and stuff. Or at least something that pretends to be.
3) Stories must center around one of the Lumiere landmarks in some way. A list of some of the landmarks is in the first reply to this post. If you want to write about a landmark that isn't there, feel free.
4) In order to keep something vaguely like order, and to keep the same landmark from experiencing a blizzard at the same time that it gets hit by a solar flare (although....never mind), you must let us all know what landmark you are going to write about. If two people want to write about the same landmark, OK, no problem. But by knowing what everyone is doing, then it will be easier to synch up any continuity that needs to be chased down. You will be able to announce what landmark you are writing about in this thread.
5) Stories can be any flavour you chose: Horror, comedy, drama, history, etc.
6) You can submit more than one story, if you like. Just send each one under a separate e-mail.
7) All stories are to be submitted to me so that I can run them through the checker. I will edit them at the same time, unless you tell you do NOT want me to touch your craft in any way. Please feel free to go in either direction. I won’t change any stories without your permission (and that includes basic spelling/grammar, too), anyway, but I felt you should know that I will edit if allowed. If you decide you don’t want me to touch your story(s), I won’t be insulted, either. Every artist has his/her own approach to editors.
8) I will be collecting stories until July 27. I will get them posted periodically, in batches, so that you can all see stuff as it happens. However, the contest ends at Midnight of July 27, 2002. Anything received after that will not be a part of this exercise.

The prize? Well, that’s a little bit problematical. I don’t have any prizes to offer for this except that you will have the (dubious) glory of being one of the first to lead the evolution of our town. What, you think I’ve got money or something? (Well I do, but you’re not getting it – at least not until the statute of limitations runs out. Note to self: edit this before posting.)

So have fun and lets see what evolves.

Hastur
07-08-2002, 08:32 PM
Here's a sugggested landmark list so far - without the commentary.

A Summer camp (known to the locals as Camp Stab)
Ancient indian burial ground
Abandoned sawmill
Derelict insane asylum
Sinister Amusement park
Bikini Cheerleader College
A high school.
A historical society/library with lots of gory details in the back pages
A lover's lane with monsters
A sinister chemical plant.
An evil chrome corporation building.
A coffee shop
A strip club named Heaven's Ecstacy.
A comic book/video store
A Lyon's Park
A morturary with corpses in barrels.
You'll need a big, gnarly tree.
A large, abandoned building.
Hookers.
A vaguely sinister local holiday or day of observance.
Wild dogs.
A faint chewing sound coming from every direction....
A cemetery
A book store called 'The Grim Reader'
An abandoned public swimming pool
A statue in the city park that reads 'Our Founder'
A large, black cathedral style church... with no crosses or other 'Christian' symbols, there is, however, a bell tower
A large city dump
Woods. There needs to be a forest of some type relatively near the town. In that woods is a creek. Over that creek is a bridge...
A 'dark' carnival that comes through town every autumn

Blofeld
07-08-2002, 08:43 PM
You're going to get one from me. It will be about a landmark that isn't on this list. If you need me to reveal, I will ... but I'd rather not ... at this point.

Blofeld
07-08-2002, 08:44 PM
Ooops... well I took a look at the list, and it's "sort of" on it. But if someone takes the one that's similar, it really won't be a big deal, as one of the details in the landmark description above WILL NOT be part of the story...

Hastur, if you want some elucidation, email me: EStavro@aol.com

Coyote
07-08-2002, 09:28 PM
Damnit, Blofeld, I wanted to do the necrophiliac petting zoo.....

Richard Dickson
07-08-2002, 09:29 PM
I am writing about the gallows next to the courthouse -- at least, at a time when the courthouse would still have a gallows.

Richard Dickson
07-08-2002, 10:08 PM
You should have the story now, Hastur.

Oh, and it also touches on the "big gnarly tree" concept.

Hastur
07-08-2002, 10:11 PM
Good, good, good! Keep it up guys!

And don't forget that if you can do it, you can write as many stories as you like.

Waco
07-08-2002, 10:12 PM
Got one cooking that is taking place in a (the?) local diner.

Hastur
07-08-2002, 10:22 PM
Poxy, I love you. Oooo-ooo-ooo-oooh. That's sweet. I'll send it back with my suggested edits (small stuff, naturally). Whether you take the suggestions or not, it's a yum!

Richard Dickson
07-08-2002, 10:32 PM
Cool, thanks. I'd had the basic idea of the story for a while, which is why I finished it so quickly, but any advice or comments would be cool.

Dan Whitehead
07-09-2002, 04:27 AM
Is there a deadline for this batch of short but sweet story goodness? I'm definitely up for some, but it may take me a few days to get round to it!

jw hart
07-09-2002, 07:12 AM
Just sent the first draft of mine, about the abandoned sawmill.

Hastur
07-09-2002, 08:44 AM
"8) I will be collecting stories until July 27. I will get them posted periodically, in batches, so that you can all see stuff as it happens. However, the contest ends at Midnight of July 27, 2002. Anything received after that will not be a part of this exercise."

Sorry about how long the starting post was for this. I didn't mean to lose anything in it.

I'm now up to four short-shorts. Keep them coming guys. I'll be contacting each of the people who submit privately as well as keeping you guys posted on what's going on.

Rath/Brendan
07-09-2002, 11:25 AM
I'm writing about Melies Point, the cliff edge that over looks the town in the tony section built above the abandoned mines.

Richard Dickson
07-09-2002, 11:31 AM
RathBandu Hits NYC In 6 Weeks:
I'm writing about Melies Point, the cliff edge that over looks the town in the tony section built above the abandoned mines.Will there be Oscar, Grammy, and Emmy sections as well? wink

Burke
07-09-2002, 08:23 PM
I'm hoping to do a story on hookers or a hooker. Is anyone else working on that angle of the city?

Hastur,

Do you want me to email a proposal to you before I start writing or just write it, send it to you, you hate it, at which point you start sending me nasty private messages and then Nick bans me from the board? Of the two, which one?

Richard Dickson
07-10-2002, 12:39 AM
I have a story for the town mortician -- and it's not at all what you'd expect.

Unbreathless
07-10-2002, 12:47 AM
I've got one in the works... I don't know which landmarks it touches yet. Should be too inconvenient for anyone, continuity-wise anyways.

I guess we send them directly to you Hastur by way of your e-mail in your info?

Unbreathless
07-10-2002, 02:07 AM
ug, SHOULDN'T I mean...
Wow... that only took half an hour to write, but an hour to edit down to 500 words.... give or take like... 4 I think... Please don't kill me!

*curses the limitation*
Oh well, it's on its way.

Richard Dickson
07-10-2002, 02:01 PM
Hastur, you should have the mortician story waiting for you.

Hastur
07-10-2002, 06:38 PM
Sorry if this post is a little spacy, but I'm running on very little sleep and fighting the quarterly taxes. Someone really needs to audit the government.

Here goes:

Carter: No problem either way, although, personally, I would prefer that you stay on the boards until you do something so heinous that you become the victim of the Creature Corner and we all get to have nightmares about your end. If you want to throw a paragraph at me for a proposal, go for it. Or, since this is a short-short thing, go for it if you like. The only way I will hate it enough to send you nasty grams is if it's about me personally -- and I don't think you know me that well. wink

Johnny: Yep. Send them to my e-mail. I'm saving a copy so that I can post them as soon as either I learn how, or get permission, or whatever. You will, of course retain all rights and such to your work, and are free to do with it what you wish after publication here. I'm just keeping a copy as a double back up.

Johnny (again): You really, really, really, really need to read "Taking Care of Michael" sometime. It's only about 350 words. This is not to say that fighting the limitation is bad. It's just that it's fun to play with it too. I'll get to your story soon.

Poxy: Got it. Haven't read it yet, but I'll do with it like I did the last one, if I feel there are any changes that might help.

Everyone: I'm going to see what I can do as soon as I get a chance to talk to Nick. I'm also making this an open invitation to him: Please IM me. I have a few questions that I would like to ask, when you get a chance. Please? Please? Pretty Please with sugar on top?

voltes5
07-11-2002, 02:05 AM
I just sent my story about the:

large, abandoned building

It's a horror tale. wink

Hastur,

Please ignore that second email. My third email should have the correct file. I am SO sorry. Thanks.

Dan Whitehead
07-11-2002, 03:40 AM
Can I bagsy the derelict insane asylum? Or does that interfere with other peoples plans? If so, I'll just have to make up another derelict medical institution wink

Also, did we ever decide where Lumiere is? Which state, what sort of geographical features are nearby etc?

Unbreathless
07-11-2002, 01:06 PM
this is why a map is needed...
someone should put one together.
shouldn't be too hard.

If no one minds I'd like to give it a shot... though i have no experience in mapmaking.

subtle johnny... subtle
thanks johnny, now stop talking to yourself

that is if no one else is already working on it

Unbreathless
07-11-2002, 01:11 PM
oh, with a map image we could-
(this might get confusing for those who don't know html) -MAP the image (make parts of it clickable), so that you could click on each landmark and it could pull up stories that take place there.

Rath/Brendan
07-11-2002, 05:08 PM
Hastur, you should have my story.

I have a mac so I just sent it as an e-mail. Dinnt know if you were compatible.

caustic
07-13-2002, 12:22 AM
Hey, I'm uh...new meat...but this contest sounds pretty damn interesting, so if you don't mind, I'd like to throw my hat into the ring and write about...

...a field. Just a great, big, grassy field that happens to be in/near/adjacent to Lumiere.

Yes, I'm going somewhere with this, but if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it? :D

Unbreathless
07-13-2002, 02:29 AM
sounds good to me Caustic

on another note, I kinda wanna see what everyone has written, so as to compare notes and such.
any timeframe on edits and final posts?
does this all depend on whether Nick ever gets around to giving Hastur Access or whatever? Or are we not going to see anything untill the end?

Capt. Eucalyptus
07-26-2002, 04:48 PM
Got an idea for a story that takes place in The Grim Reader (I love that!!!). Hope to get it to you by tomorrow. This is a great exercise!!

Capt. Eucalyptus
07-26-2002, 05:27 PM
Well that went a bit quicker than expected. You should have it. Feel free to edit it. Hope it doesn't suck too bad.

Blofeld
07-27-2002, 12:36 AM
Claudia, I'm now emailing you mine. I trust it'll be your shortest...

I look forward to your editorial comments, and will mention my "concerns" in the email to which it is attached.

voltes5
07-27-2002, 02:49 AM
Claudia, I just emailed 2 more in your way. That is a total of 9 stories from me -- which are all about the old, abandoned building.

I'll list them here just in case there were problems with email delivery:

1) Cuts
2) Tele-Visions
3) Of Skins And Bones
4) Curiosity
5) A Friend's Story
6) Esrever
7) A Dog's Tale
8) Linda
9) Dance Away

My one story, "Linda," actually crossed-over with "Tele-Visions" with the character of Ronnie. Just to let you know.

Coyote
07-27-2002, 03:18 AM
You know, Hastur, you could set your version of Ravens in this town, as individual stories wink

voltes5
07-27-2002, 03:27 AM
Coyote, do you also read our stories? How does this work with you and Hastur?

Coyote
07-27-2002, 04:09 AM
Hastur's in charge. Theoretically, she wants me to read them, but ...AHEM...hasn't forwarded them on yet wink
Myabe she's waiting til the 28th.
But she's in charge, I'm just helping out by being another brain and set of eyes to catch any problems, work on wordings, etc.

Rath/Brendan
07-27-2002, 09:06 AM
Voltes, I hate you. :D