2012 BD Fall Horror Write-Off Discussion Thread

[Robcbh]

Originally Posted by prettyscary

Is there only going to be one opening sentance?

Im not sure about this year, but usually there is 3 to choose from.

[Willowfang]

I'm we'll still use 3 opening sentences as normal, but in addition, we'll see how a full scene and an location works out too.

We'll have to go by feel as to how that works out prolly since if we only get like 5-7 stories, it'll be hard to see how popular it was.

As you all know, we use a 2-3 specific genre/themes in the Spring, and in the Fall, we try to be a lot more open. We still try to use an jumping off point of some sort tho. The location and opening scene options we trying to meant to be just as open.

A story in the Congo or Amazon could have any monster whatsoever even a vampire or werewolf whereas, as a theme, vampire/werewolf is just that.

In any case, HMG put forth the idea, some peeps were intrigued, so I thought we'd give it a shot. We'll have to see how it works out, but in any case, we'll still have the 3 sentences as usual.

[Erebus Dirge]

Originally Posted by Willowfang

I'm we'll still use 3 opening sentences as normal, but in addition, we'll see how a full scene and an location works out too.

We'll have to go by feel as to how that works out prolly since if we only get like 5-7 stories, it'll be hard to see how popular it was.

As you all know, we use a 2-3 specific genre/themes in the Spring, and in the Fall, we try to be a lot more open. We still try to use an jumping off point of some sort tho. The location and opening scene options we trying to meant to be just as open.

A story in the Congo or Amazon could have any monster whatsoever even a vampire or werewolf whereas, as a theme, vampire/werewolf is just that.

In any case, HMG put forth the idea, some peeps were intrigued, so I thought we'd give it a shot. We'll have to see how it works out, but in any case, we'll still have the 3 sentences as usual.

To be honest writing to spec is a great challenge and I've come up with some of my best stuff when I've been given a frame work to work within.

Another idea for the Amazon/Congo is undiscovered species as well as "real" monsters such as the fish that flies up your piss stream into your urethra.
There's also the lost tribes thing as well.

Here's a resource that I find interesting if I'm looking for more "exotic" folklore. I hope it comes in useful...
http://www.monstropedia.org/index.ph...ican_mythology
or
http://www.monstropedia.org/index.ph...nian_mythology
maybe
http://www.monstropedia.org/index.ph...egendary_races

[yoxodo]

If we go with the whole "Dark Continent" thing, is it okay if l make prodigious use of the word "negroid"?

Just kidding, don't answer that.

Btw, lf anyone is interested, the man in my avatar, the great Robert E. Howard, wrote a string of stories that took place in wild and unexplored Africa. Many of his Solomon Kane tales are set there, and in other untamed regions of the world as well, circa 1700s...But be warned, they make prodigious use of the word "negroid".

[prettyscary]

How about if I just write a story and if it doesn't fit, disqualify me, but enjoy the story anyway. Seriously, it's going to be a location and a sentence? Are there photographs involved? LOL! I do my best with less, even just setting the genre drives me nuts in the spring.

[Willowfang]

Originally Posted by prettyscary

How about if I just write a story and if it doesn't fit, disqualify me, but enjoy the story anyway. Seriously, it's going to be a location and a sentence? Are there photographs involved? LOL! I do my best with less, even just setting the genre drives me nuts in the spring.

No, no. There's no "AND"

You can use a starting sentence, OR the scene, OR the location.

Each one has it's different freedoms.

With the sentence, you got your opening text and you can go 180* with it if you wish.

With the scene, you first paragraph/scene is rather guided, but you could then step out into a desert a do a 180*

With the location, you have other freedoms, you could do a normally urban horror like a vampire in Africa or something.

[Erebus Dirge]

Originally Posted by Willowfang

No, no. There's no "AND"

You can use a starting sentence, OR the scene, OR the location.

Each one has it's different freedoms.

With the sentence, you got your opening text and you can go 180* with it if you wish.

With the scene, you first paragraph/scene is rather guided, but you could then step out into a desert a do a 180*

With the location, you have other freedoms, you could do a normally urban horror like a vampire in Africa or something.

I agree. Having either a genre, location or scene setter is'nt a handicap but rather an aid to writing a decent story, makes you work that little harder too. It's like been given some basic materials and making something unexpected from it.

[Willowfang]

Yeah, and sure, "darkness" is theme-ish when you think of the genre style set-up we use in the Spring. The sentence set-up I expect we'll always use in the Fall, and this "Full Scene" and location ideas we're trying out...

Well, I'm not trying to force a theme as specific as we use in the Spring, but more of a common thread of a starting point, otherwise the set of three sentences we'd have gotten in any case would just be all over the place.

I tried looking up verbs and adverb, but I just use them, not name them.

The concept we use in the Fall, isolated last year, darkness this year, by these I mean to give a "quality" for stories to start with that people can also go 180* if they so chose.

[prettyscary]

Originally Posted by Willowfang

No, no. There's no "AND"

You can use a starting sentence, OR the scene, OR the location.

Each one has it's different freedoms.

With the sentence, you got your opening text and you can go 180* with it if you wish.

With the scene, you first paragraph/scene is rather guided, but you could then step out into a desert a do a 180*

With the location, you have other freedoms, you could do a normally urban horror like a vampire in Africa or something.

Thank you for clearing this all up! NOW I understand what's going on!

[Mr. Monkey]

I'm in. I will hopefully have a better working computer...my phone went into the wash which made up the majority of my internet traversing lately so I am pretty much without internet for awhile. But I will definitely try.