• 🏆 Texturing Contest #33 is OPEN! Contestants must re-texture a SD unit model found in-game (Warcraft 3 Classic), recreating the unit into a peaceful NPC version. 🔗Click here to enter!
  • It's time for the first HD Modeling Contest of 2024. Join the theme discussion for Hive's HD Modeling Contest #6! Click here to post your idea!

Short Story Contest #9: Theme Discussion

Status
Not open for further replies.
Level 35
Joined
Nov 24, 2007
Messages
4,367
Disclaimer: I am not taking it upon myself to host this contest.

That said, since we've all pretty much agreed (some more reluctantly than
others) that "Lore" is a pretty dumb idea for the (speculatively) next short
story contest, should it ever happen, we need some fresh themes on the
table. So come all, come to my counter, where wares are not sold but
accepted for astounding textual insight.

Some ideas:

- Ancient Architecture.
- Evolution.
- Ascension.
- Arrangement.
- Mountain (Swamp, Island, Forest and Plains).
- Wedding cake in the middle of the road.
- Manipulation.

Actually, come to think about it, I'd love "Island" as a theme, think of all
the various ways that word can be interpreted into various intriguing plots.
 
Last edited:
Level 19
Joined
Sep 14, 2007
Messages
1,538
One prompt I've worked with before is, "center a story around a wedding cake in the middle of the road" which is nice on many levels. I'd enjoy some ideas that are more specific like that instead of the more vague. Even with a specific theme there is tons of room for diversity. I'll post when I have some decent ideas.
 

Kyrbi0

Arena Moderator
Level 44
Joined
Jul 29, 2008
Messages
9,487
Is this a poll, or a preliminary-to-poll Ideas submission thread?

Either way, I've already submitted mine. I think the ideas are fine, but in general I want to steer clear of generic, wishy-washy buzz-words (e.g. "Despair", "Eloquence", "Transcend") and come up with simple (but deep) one-or-two-word concepts (e.g. some of the ones already submitted (e.g. "Mountain", "Ruins", "Island", etc). The "Wedding Cake in Street" kind of concept sounds weird, but interesting I guess.
 
Level 35
Joined
Nov 24, 2007
Messages
4,367
I don't know that I agree that "it will naturally produce cliché works"
is a valid argument against a theme. What stories are produced by a
contest is up to the contestants, not necessarily the theme.

Following that logic, you could say any theme could produce a cliché story.

A theme should merely be a guideline, I say, to channel the creativity
in the contestants. And in that sense, I honestly don't see the absolute
problem with "Last Stand".

Personally, I don't like too restrictive themes, but seeing as I probably won't
enter the contest myself, I won't voice too badly against it.
 
Level 19
Joined
Sep 14, 2007
Messages
1,538
I'm not saying you can't take a cliche theme like "Last Stand" and produce something new and interesting; I'm just saying that with a cliche theme it is easier to fall into a cliche scenario. For example, the idea of Beowulf's lone survivor that has been rehashed out over and over to ad nauseam.

I will also say that specific over vague tends to produce more interesting results, as opposed to the over-expansive possibility of something vague. With something vague you may as well just have a theme that is completely open seeing as the limitations are virtually limitless.
 
Level 25
Joined
Jul 30, 2013
Messages
2,678
What about "Cliché" where you need to use LOTS of clichés and use them in a nice way that your story still feel unique.

And also a story where you will base it upon a fairy tale/nursery rhyme but a different plot and different characters.

Or maybe Plot Twist where you make a story with a MAJOR plot twist in the end.
 
Level 6
Joined
Feb 6, 2015
Messages
266
"Story around an object" theme sounds promising. I vote for that. Shows how creative people can be. Altho, the top suggestions aren't so bad either.
 

Kyrbi0

Arena Moderator
Level 44
Joined
Jul 29, 2008
Messages
9,487
Or maybe Plot Twist where you make a story with a MAJOR plot twist in the end.
Again, that's what every story should contain. If you have a Plot without any Twists... What are you telling a children's-book story? There's a place for that, but not (IMO) a creative story-telling Contest.

One of ideas for earlier story contest that was supposed to be hosted but people dropped out, was Macabre Classic, where people were required to transform a standard fairy tale into a more dark world.
Hmm... Interesting, although to be fair, that's pretty much just reversing what Disney did to the classic Grimm fairy tales (i.e. all the 'standard' fairy tales had dark settings & occurrences).
 
Level 19
Joined
Sep 14, 2007
Messages
1,538
One idea also might be fables. A story with a strong message with it we're supposed to learn from.

For those who don't know what they are, http://www.aesopfables.com/aesopsel.html

most stories tend to have a didactic aspect to them. Including it is good, but I think making it the theme will force out an "in your face" representation of a teachable moment.
 
Last edited:
Level 25
Joined
Jul 30, 2013
Messages
2,678
I'd love to drop back to some fundamentals. Why don't we do a story set in a Blizzard IP. Like a story set during the events of Warcraft III, its expansion, or any novels released before World of Warcraft?

Well this sounds cool and I feel making an Overwatch story. Though there may be stuff life copyright stuff but we aren't publishing this so I think it's safe. Not sure how mods can decide though.
 
Level 25
Joined
Jul 30, 2013
Messages
2,678
Exactly, and as far as I know, none of the Overwatch characters have a back-story yet,
so basically, you don't have to reinvent it either.

Oh well, there are shorts coming about in 2016 on march somehow but we could as well write for Warcraft, Starcraft(maybe to add epilogues to characters since Starcraft 2 story already ended as of yesterday) or maybe Diablo with it lack of stories and what I'm interested at is Blackthorne, RnRR and Lost Vikings.
 
Level 30
Joined
Jan 31, 2010
Messages
3,551
I wouldn't like a SC2 specifically only theme tho. I thought Overwatch was a title, not a pre-defined set of chars to pick from. For one, because I never played, and prolly never will, anything from SC series.

I do like the idea to write a random sidekick's story from Wc3 universe. We could expand that to sc2 universe too I guess.
 
Level 24
Joined
Jul 9, 2009
Messages
4,097
I'd have to agree too, firstly I think it would be a great concept and secondly I think it's easier for people to get sucked into a story if they know the characters. Don't get me wrong if you sit down and read something like the Inheritance Cycle you're going to get great attachement to Eragon, Solembum and Arya. But the amount of attachment that people feel toward a newly made up short-story character is always going to be limited.
 
I'd have to agree too, firstly I think it would be a great concept and secondly I think it's easier for people to get sucked into a story if they know the characters. Don't get me wrong if you sit down and read something like the Inheritance Cycle you're going to get great attachement to Eragon, Solembum and Arya. But the amount of attachment that people feel toward a newly made up short-story character is always going to be limited.

Well, sure (maybe), but just to play devil's advocate, is that not the true challenge of short-form narrative, doing much with little? The ability to develop that attachment, or at least involvement in the story you are telling with few words placed well is the hallmark of strong writers. Its what defines a lot of writers, like Leo Tolstoy or Ray Bradbury or Issac Asimov or Stephen King or Poe.

That being said, I believe the skill to mold another's work into your own involves challenge of the same degree, but in an altogether different vein. How much can you truly make that world your own, and how much is leveraged against the existing strength of the body of work?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top