Author Topic: Pod Castle Flash Contest - Rules  (Read 100081 times)

Scattercat

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Reply #25 on: July 13, 2013, 06:26:32 AM
There.  Second story done and away.  I expect to be viciously bounced from round one on both counts.



Fenrix

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Reply #26 on: July 13, 2013, 02:45:16 PM

Thanks for that, it is somewhat what I was looking for, I don't listen to Podcastle nearly as much. 


Hey Lowky, I suggest you check out the stories in this thread. A little curating for you.

All cat stories start with this statement: “My mother, who was the first cat, told me this...”


Schrodingrr

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Reply #27 on: July 20, 2013, 10:52:21 PM
Just submitted my two for this one, and I can't wait for the games to begin. Good luck all!  :)

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flintknapper

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Reply #28 on: July 22, 2013, 05:52:20 PM
Seeing people get their stories in has me a little nervous. I have written 4 stories so far and will write probably another 2 or 3 before the contest deadline. However, none of them speak to me as podcastle pieces.... I told myself that I wanted to be inspired by the mythologies of the world, but I keep coming back to writing pieces about one specific location. It isn't really writer's block... I can write... it is more like writer stagnation where I end up writing about the same topics over and over again. Anyone have any suggestions about how to push past something like that?   



DKT

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Reply #29 on: July 22, 2013, 08:18:11 PM
FWIW, I think most authors have themes, mythologies, or whatnot that they can't help but keep scratching at.

As a writer (Note: Generic Writer, not anyone specifically) you can (and probably should) challenge yourself to identify what those similar characteristics, and then to write at least one story avoiding them. That story may or may not suck, but it will stretch you in different ways, and I suspect only strengthen you as a writer. It may show you a different, better way to write about some of the stuff you're passionate about.

Whatever you do, put the stories you think are the most successful in the contest (so long as they're fantasy).


DoWhileNot

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Reply #30 on: July 23, 2013, 03:11:41 PM
And hey, it's never a bad thing to have more stories or rough drafts of stories waiting in the wings to send out.



Seraphim

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Reply #31 on: July 24, 2013, 04:00:45 AM
Having the a recurring set of tropes to tell one's stories is not in itself a bad thing. They are part of our mental vocabulary, our great metaphors for the big ideas we wrestle with or want to explore.  Consider Stephen King. How many of his stories are built around some child/young person that has become the focus/incarnation of terror. Just off the top of my head…and I really don't read King: Firestarter, Carrie, Pet Cemetery, Cujo, Christine, etc. Think about all the movies made by Humphrey Bogart or John Wayne. With rare exception they played practically the same character in every movie…change the costumes, change the names, change the situation/time, but these guys were always essentially the same in every role.

Not that I am famous, but I see similar things in my own writing…certain character types and certain tropes are bound to reappear. With me there are a lot of youth/mentor, and "magic" tree tropes even in my more literary non magical non sf stuff…and without them the stories I want to tell just don't seem to gel, as a rule...at least in longer works.

So, I would say be aware of your own common tropes/character types, but be smart about them. Once they show up, put them to work…some you emphasize, some you deemphasize, some you hide and hint at, according to the needs of the story.  Some you may even find a way to keep as part of your backstory that never makes it to the page of your short story.

And in other news: Two away. Here's to hoping.
« Last Edit: July 24, 2013, 04:47:18 AM by Seraphim »



Seraphim

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Reply #32 on: July 24, 2013, 05:05:35 AM
Note to editors: I had a miffed submission (formatting error) on one of my stories. I resubmitted it correctly followed up by an email explaining myself asking to you delete the misformatted one…I don't know if the scrubbers will dump the explanatory email before you see it (I sent it to the eaflash contest submission email address). So, this note is making assurance double sure.  Thank you.



Talia

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Reply #33 on: July 24, 2013, 01:28:21 PM
Note to editors: I had a miffed submission (formatting error) on one of my stories. I resubmitted it correctly followed up by an email explaining myself asking to you delete the misformatted one…I don't know if the scrubbers will dump the explanatory email before you see it (I sent it to the eaflash contest submission email address). So, this note is making assurance double sure.  Thank you.

You're good, no worries.



flintknapper

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Reply #34 on: July 24, 2013, 06:04:40 PM
Hey,

I wanted to thank you guys for the feedback. I get what DKT is saying as a means to push myself as a writer and I see the converse with Seraphim saying I should revel in what I find success in. I will probably take both sets of advice to heart and spend some more time writing this weekend.

I took a long hard look at two of the stories I knew for sure I was not going to submit. They were both more horror pieces. I posted them on the Drabblecast forums. I still really like Ogre of the Ojito Wilderness, but I think it is too similar to Piedras Marcadas which I submitted to the Pseudopod contest. The other one, Managing the Zombie Apocalypse, was a piece of World War Z fan fiction. If you ever end up going over to the drabblecast, I would love feedback.

Looking forward to reading all the submissions. It is hard to believe we are still a month out from the contest.



FireTurtle

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Reply #35 on: July 25, 2013, 03:41:10 PM
When do submissions close? I'm working hard on my two pieces but life is being uncooperative. And, I'm taking my time with editing so that I don't twig Cutter's radar this time.  ;D How long until there no sand in the top half?


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Talia

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Reply #36 on: July 25, 2013, 03:43:52 PM
When do submissions close? I'm working hard on my two pieces but life is being uncooperative. And, I'm taking my time with editing so that I don't twig Cutter's radar this time.  ;D How long until there no sand in the top half?



August 31. :)



FireTurtle

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Reply #37 on: July 25, 2013, 04:58:35 PM
K. Thx.

That's what I thought but then one of Dave's most recent intro/outros mentioned the contest ending "some time" in August and I got the collywobbles that submissions would end while I wasn't looking.


“My imagination makes me human and makes me a fool; it gives me all the world and exiles me from it.”
Ursula K. LeGuin


Cutter McKay

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Reply #38 on: July 25, 2013, 09:08:28 PM
And, I'm taking my time with editing so that I don't twig Cutter's radar this time.  ;D

Cue "Jaws" Music...  :P

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FireTurtle

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Reply #39 on: July 25, 2013, 09:38:14 PM
And, I'm taking my time with editing so that I don't twig Cutter's radar this time.  ;D

Cue "Jaws" Music...  :P

My goal in life: get Cutter to vote for one of my stories on the basis of its awesome error-free content. I originally wrote "short term goal" but, realistically, this might be a sort of bucket list thing.  ::)

“My imagination makes me human and makes me a fool; it gives me all the world and exiles me from it.”
Ursula K. LeGuin


Windup

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Reply #40 on: July 26, 2013, 01:33:37 AM

Is it OK if I provide a link to this thread to Duotrope?  I note that PodCastle is listed, but this contest is not.

"My whole job is in the space between 'should be' and 'is.' It's a big space."


Talia

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Reply #41 on: July 26, 2013, 02:21:28 AM

Is it OK if I provide a link to this thread to Duotrope?  I note that PodCastle is listed, but this contest is not.

If they list contests (I can't tell from the website..) go for it.



kibitzer

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Reply #42 on: July 26, 2013, 03:03:30 AM
Every time one o' these contests comes up I tell myself I'll submit. I'm sure I'll submit to this one.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

(man, I crack myself up)


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Reply #43 on: July 26, 2013, 08:12:01 AM
Ugh. I have a really neat idea, but it's not really a story.
At least, I haven't been able to turn it into story form in my head.
Well, make that a good story. Something with a plot and a climax and stuff. Mostly it's just infodump.

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Windup

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Reply #44 on: July 27, 2013, 09:03:01 PM

Is it OK if I provide a link to this thread to Duotrope?  I note that PodCastle is listed, but this contest is not.

If they list contests (I can't tell from the website..) go for it.

They do list contests, and send deadlines out as a monthly newsletter. 

Unfortunately, there seems to be a misunderstanding about the contest -- Duotrope believes the entries will be visible in a way that may effect First Rights.  Unfortunately, I think it will take communication from an EA staff member to straighten this out, rather than a random Duotrope subscriber (i.e. me).

Currently, the contest is listed as a "Project related to Podcastle" (link below the title in the PodCastle main entry) but is described as "Does Not Qualify" for a full listing:
"Reason for disqualification: All submissions are posted publicly, which adversely affects the authors' First Rights.
If you believe this market currently meets our listing criteria, please contact us to request that the listing be reinstated."

Contact link is: https://duotrope.com/contact_update.aspx?id=13188

Sorry this turned out to be complicated...   :-[

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Portrait in Flesh

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Reply #45 on: July 31, 2013, 04:05:13 AM
I've had a horrendous past couple of months, including the loss of three dear cats to illness (hyperthyroidism, diabetes, and complications from FIV) over a period of 6 weeks, followed by my falling and breaking my nose earlier this month.  I'd never broken a bone in my life before, and this happened a scant week and a half after losing my FIV kitty...he had allergies and had been having increasingly bad respiratory problems, and the doc told us the day before we had to say goodbye to him that he had FIV.  I lost my little diabetic girl two weeks after she was diagnosed.  My Old Man Cat had been fighting hyperthyroidism for about a year, but his body just couldn't fight it anymore.

Following my pummeling in the earlier Escape Pod and Pseudopod flash contests...I wish I was in a better frame of mind to write at this time.  But the puzzle pieces just won't fit.

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Talia

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Reply #46 on: July 31, 2013, 04:10:35 AM
I've had a horrendous past couple of months, including the loss of three dear cats to illness (hyperthyroidism, diabetes, and complications from FIV) over a period of 6 weeks, followed by my falling and breaking my nose earlier this month.  I'd never broken a bone in my life before, and this happened a scant week and a half after losing my FIV kitty...he had allergies and had been having increasingly bad respiratory problems, and the doc told us the day before we had to say goodbye to him that he had FIV.  I lost my little diabetic girl two weeks after she was diagnosed.  My Old Man Cat had been fighting hyperthyroidism for about a year, but his body just couldn't fight it anymore.

Following my pummeling in the earlier Escape Pod and Pseudopod flash contests...I wish I was in a better frame of mind to write at this time.  But the puzzle pieces just won't fit.

Aw so sorry. Hope the rest of 2013 treats you more kindly.



Varda

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Reply #47 on: July 31, 2013, 04:51:05 AM
Crawling out of the shadows after years of lurking the EA forums to say I'm really excited about this contest. Podcastle was my "gateway podcast", and if I can work up anything that's anywhere near worthy, I'll send it in and join in the fun. Happy writing, everyone!

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DKT

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Reply #48 on: July 31, 2013, 02:07:44 PM
I've had a horrendous past couple of months, including the loss of three dear cats to illness (hyperthyroidism, diabetes, and complications from FIV) over a period of 6 weeks, followed by my falling and breaking my nose earlier this month.  I'd never broken a bone in my life before, and this happened a scant week and a half after losing my FIV kitty...he had allergies and had been having increasingly bad respiratory problems, and the doc told us the day before we had to say goodbye to him that he had FIV.  I lost my little diabetic girl two weeks after she was diagnosed.  My Old Man Cat had been fighting hyperthyroidism for about a year, but his body just couldn't fight it anymore.

Following my pummeling in the earlier Escape Pod and Pseudopod flash contests...I wish I was in a better frame of mind to write at this time.  But the puzzle pieces just won't fit.

That's awful. I'm so sorry to hear it.


DKT

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Reply #49 on: July 31, 2013, 02:37:47 PM

Is it OK if I provide a link to this thread to Duotrope?  I note that PodCastle is listed, but this contest is not.

If they list contests (I can't tell from the website..) go for it.

They do list contests, and send deadlines out as a monthly newsletter. 

Unfortunately, there seems to be a misunderstanding about the contest -- Duotrope believes the entries will be visible in a way that may effect First Rights.  Unfortunately, I think it will take communication from an EA staff member to straighten this out, rather than a random Duotrope subscriber (i.e. me).

Currently, the contest is listed as a "Project related to Podcastle" (link below the title in the PodCastle main entry) but is described as "Does Not Qualify" for a full listing:
"Reason for disqualification: All submissions are posted publicly, which adversely affects the authors' First Rights.
If you believe this market currently meets our listing criteria, please contact us to request that the listing be reinstated."

Contact link is: https://duotrope.com/contact_update.aspx?id=13188

Sorry this turned out to be complicated...   :-[


Thanks, Windup! I just emailed Duotrope and tried to explain the situation. We'll see what happens.