CgTalk:Unofficial Writing Challenge:2 -The Souk

#10

I am starting to feel left out.
I’m sure my POS laptop will fry itself next. I don’t trust computers at all. I email each draft to myself, at one of my online addresses, just to be safe.

Good luck mate.

Glad to hear the accident was minor.

#11

Wow… what a terrible week this was… Hope you have had the worst few days of the year Kadetkebab, just so that the rest of the year is going to get better. All compassion here mate!
Looking forward to your take on the souq.

I am afraid I am going to take a bit longer than one day… since workdays and weekends aren’t the same where it comes to time I can spend on personal projects.

#12

Can you post the winning screenplay? I’d like to see it. Had to miss out on this one due to lots of work to do, but I plan on trying to compete in one of these competitions soon in my free time. Thanks and congrats to all who entered!

#13

matsman and katedkabob have yet to post theirs on account of car accidents and exploding computers. Since I’m the only one who has submitted so far, I suggested extending the deadline until next Monday at noon (considering the week those two guys have had).

The extention hasn’t been confirmed by them, but I’m assuming they’ve accepted it because of the ‘it’s coming’ posts shown above.

So, to answer your question - in the spirit of competition, no winner has been chosen because we are waiting on the other entries.

By that rationale, if you’d like to do a story of your own, you’d have until Monday at noon to post it here. And it doesn’t have to be a screenplay, it can be a story. Mine is more of a novel format.

Cheers!

#14

Hmmm… That’s tempting, but just getting home from SIGGRAPH 2009 and back into the swing of things will probably keep me from writing something that great. Thanks for the offer though!

I just bought a book about screenwriting and am trying to learn how to get my ideas out of my head and onto paper/the computer. Haha! I will definitely try and keep tabs on the next competition if it comes along anytime soon. :slight_smile:

#15

What screenwriting book did you buy?

#16

It’s called How to Write: A Screenplay by Mark Evan Schwartz. I bought it because it’s different than the others. Instead of being like a normal book, it is written in the form of a screenplay.

#17

Hej!
Sorry for the radio silence… just finalising my entry. But I noticed the chat going on…

First… I have edited the opening post with the new deadline (should have done that last week, still learning the ropes)

Second… Hi JCork, looking forward to seeing you compete in our next challenge… which I will try to start before the next weekend.

And third… the book looks interesting, they have it scanned over at google so we can have a peek at its contents (—Read: How to Write: A Screenplay, by Mark Evan Schwartz—)
I’m always looking for that small part I still don’t understand… so maybe I’ll find it here.

#18

Hey there!

And of course, right after I buy the book, I hear that it’s on Google. Arg! :banghead:

#19

it’s not all for nothing jcork, google only has 22 pages… and ebooks are rather hard reading material I find. So your money was well spend I think.

Today a new personal insight: I am a weak willed failure and a lazy ass!
Basicly I had still 2/3rds to write of my 1001 night inspired sci-fi script. And I was completely set to write it till the end yesterday.
Then… Unannounced company appeared. And as things go I completely lost momentum and spend my weekend playing playstation games, cleaning and generally feeling hot and tired. Then this morning I was trying to get myself to writing but basicly I couldn’t be bothered.

So I am a failure and accept all flaming. If you want I’ll post what I have plus a few sentences on the rest of the story. And yes I feel like I let everyone down. :frowning:

I will however make something of a rating system tomorrow… just for the sake of having it. And showing what my idea was.
I will try again for the next challenge. Sorry!

#20

FAIL!.. Lol

just kidding, considering your week, I think you shouldn’t feel bad.
Now kadetkabab REALLY has to deliver… Lol

Let’s get past this one and onto the next asap. I had fun writing, but I need more than 2 days a month of task oriented writing. The sooner we’re onto the next one, the better.

Cheers!

#21

That’s good to hear my money wasn’t wasted. I will have to agree with you that reading off of a computer screen and a book are very different. Books being my preference.

I wouldn’t consider myself a failure if something came up like that and I missed a somewhat flexible deadline such as this. Maybe a class project of some sort, but I wouldn’t sweat it. There’s always another one that will come up! :slight_smile:

#22

Thanks for your understanding guys.
But the thing is, I could have done it… if I not waited until the weekend. And since I am the guy pulling this thing, if I can’t even do it, then more people will fail harder. At least in my opinion.

But you are right of course, there is always a new one… I am just a bit disappointed in my own capabilities. Sure it was not a story I needed to tell, but that shouldn’t matter I think.

Anyway… life goes on:
This was my idea to rate the different stories on different parameters:

  • edit… text box didn’t take my formatting so I changed it around a bit

Story Title and Name of Author

You have one X for each line, 4= good 1=bad, use it well.

    Story arc,

1 [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 4

Dialog,
1 [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 4

Characters/personality,
1 [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 4

Flow,
1 [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 4

Logic/Consistency
1 [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 4

You basicly just fill in an X in the appropriate box… the parameters can change per story, I just filled in some basic ones. The good thing about having only 4 points is that there is no neutral position and you are forced to make a better or worse decision. Plus that because there are only 4 (not 10 for instance) is that most of the time you have to use your full range to accurately rate something. What do you think?

In other news: For the next one I was thinking a comic book script, now I still have to find some images to be inspired with… but I wanted to check if it tickles your fancy. Because it is a comic script you also get to play with framing and camera angles if you like since it is usually written per panel. Or you can let yourself go and get the crayons and copy paper to draw it out if you will.

Greetings!

#23

For the next one, and all of the ones that follow, let the writer choose. If they want to write for a comic, fine… For a script, fine… For a children’s book, fine… Adult novel, fine… Ad on the side of a city bus, fine.

If their writing tells a story, then they’ve completed the task. Why should we impose such restrictions?

This competition should be about making original stories. If we’re tired of Hollywood’s recycling and remake’s, this challenge should be creating stories that could become something beyond the competition. I want to finish out this year with a bunch of scifi short stories and/or scripts. If you want a bunch of comic books at the end of the year, then submit all of your stories as comic books. This competition shouldn’t be making that decision for the writers, leave it up to them.

So, did nobody else submit anything for this one?

Re: matrix
Good. Rate my story.

.

#24

wait. give me one more day please.

I’m beginning to wonder if you and I, matsman are connected at the hip. I found it so hard to get on with writing this script these few weeks. i find myself with writer’s block every time i sit to write. so i go drown myself in video games and TV. and beofre you realise it, the deadline is up. im forcing myself to finish this cause I don’t want to give up. This was a big challenge and I was glad to see someone else take an interest and really put out a good story. So I don’t want to disappoint.

just one more day! Please!!!

#25

Fine by me. :thumbsup:

But next time, firm deadlines all around.

Is anyone going to be reading these? Or is it just for us? I’d like to get some actual feedback… there’s a bunch of stuff in mine that would be cool for the VFX guys to work on. If that’s still something in the plans.

#26

I’ll try to read them, although some personal struggles have come up, so I apologize ahead of time if I can’t.

#27

Sure… take the day… I’m curious. and a little freaked out by the lifeswap thing…

I promis to read both and comment on them too… was planning that anyway, but I haven’t found time yet (got some translations to get through for a project)

Also I will try to find some cool images and ask the creators if we can use it here. I will try to go for stylised art this time… think cartoony mosters and happy colours. I will try to keep the theme/atmosphere rather mature when I can. (and while yes a friend om mine has been working on fairytale fights (upcoming xbox) that was not my inspiration. I just try to do different things. For creativity sake.

Also: Pixanaut I do believe in the fact that being restricted brings out the best in people. We crossed dagger about that in the other thread already, so I won’t start anew… But will try for a happy medium between freedom and challenge. (meaning I won’t just do what you proposed but pull it a little bit more towards restricted)
I haven’t exactly thought about where that happy medium lies yet… but I will speak it through first. Note that in my world comicbook also incorporates graphic novel… so you don’t have to do anything remotely tied to superheros or quick action packed hollywood crap :d, Okej? Its just that there are panels involved, how you fill them, I won’t put any restrictions on that.

Can’t wait to see your story Kadetkebab

#28

Right… lol… how quickly I forget (sorry).

I do agree that restrictions force people to be more creative in some instances. But, I consider the fact that I’m writing based on someone else’s images (rather than something of my own design) a restriction… I consider the page count, a restriction (I had to edit this story down to 12 pages in the end). Adding more restrictions isn’t going to make me more creative, it’s going to compromise the final product.

If the competition dictates everything, where’s the fun in participating?

JM*O

#29

I’m sorry for the delay guys. I really had to force myself to try to finish this. I was going to submit an unfinished script but thought I should at least complete it. Anyways, next challenge I’m sure we’re all going to be dedicated to.

I’ll be sure to post my feedback on Pixanaut’s story.