[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Oh my goodness, oh my goodness.
I know we’re not supposed to allcaps our titles, but I’m just that excited to kick off the final round of our fiction super challenge. I can’t wait to see what our finalists do with our genre prompts.
In the meantime, let’s talk about Round Two for a second. Yes, Group One, we know we chose a character that was visually ambiguous in several ways; some of you took that in some really interesting directions. Others struggled with the idea. It’s usually better to make a decision and commit to it, even if that decision is to simply not assign a gender to a character. Group Two had an easier time with gender but some folks struggled to describe the character physically. There are some great guides out there for writing (and describing) characters who don’t visually resemble the author. It was nice to see that most of our writers didn’t make a lot of assumptions about the character based on her skin color, but others clearly struggled with ways to describe her that didn’t include it. Those acrobatics weren’t really necessary, and in some cases they can lead you into the trap of describing a character using actually offensive racial stereotypes or screwed-up patois while you try to avoid sounding racist by admitting your character has brown skin.
If you’re frustrated with your placement or feedback, trust us, we know there’s no real way to let you know in three to five sentences where you’re struggling but please also trust us: the judges tried their best. Remember that you had several judges for this round, so it’s possible that one liked something you did overall while another spotted the two places you did it wrong. If you’re having a hard time reconciling your feedback, talk to someone in our coffeehouse. And please do stick around at yeah write – the weekly challenges are always free and full of great feedback, so it’s a good place to learn about and start to spot the patterns in your work that are holding you back![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Who’s ready for the prompts?
This round, our writers will be combining tropes from two genres to make a blended-genre story. A few tips and pointers about this round:
Look. Up. Your. Genres.
Even if you know one of the genres well, even if your name is actually Ngaio Marsh and we assigned you “mystery,” it’s good to think about not only what you believe is in the genre but what your judges might be expecting to see. Both genres need to be easily identifiable, so think about which elements of the two will work together and which will not.
Don’t go offroading with your genres. Sure, there are noir stories that don’t incorporate crime, femme fatales, or hardboiled main characters… but this isn’t the time to be trying to write one. Stick to the main tropes for your assigned genres and let the interplay between the two provide the sense of freshness and innovation you’re looking for to show off your creativity.
There are no character, plot or setting restrictions, beyond what is necessary to demonstrate each genre.
So let’s check out those prompts:
Horror / Western
That’s “Western” in the style of High Noon or Zane Grey, not as in “any Western literature.” I’ve linked to the Wikipedia descriptions of the genres here but please don’t feel restricted by them – explore the lists of tropes and genre descriptions available online and build your story from common elements.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Wait, wait, there’s more!
Your stories are due Sunday at 10pm US Eastern Time. Remember to check the rules for formatting, including all those fiddly details like title page, font, and filename. I know it seems really useless at times, but all those rules have a purpose, from helping get your story where it needs to be to making sure you’re read anonymously. Check your prompt assignment email for a special rule about the title page!
We hope you have as much fun with the prompts as we had picking them out. Good luck, and good writing![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
