While I could have posted this on the ISB or the Showcase, I figured I'd post it here in the Discussion Forum:

http://thirtydayssixtystories.blogspot.com/

Despite the link name, the goal I'm going for with my friend, Maura, is to write a short story (between 1,000 to 3,000 words) once a week. We make up the topic on the spot a week before. Our first was to somehow use "smurf" (mine is A Smurf Confessional), the second was "jumping an impossible gap" (only mine's up there as Jumping the Impossible Gap) and this week's was essentially that humanity is able to know their own fate and everything else with precise certainty (only mine so far -- Of Gods and Goons). Next week is likely going to be diary of a disgruntled hipster, so keep an eye on the page please!

So I'm looking for a few things:

1) Feedback. What you like, what you don't like, and such. (if I was just looking for this, I'd have posted on the Showcase)

2) If you'd like to see any of these (mine or Maura's) be fleshed out into a full collaborative thread on the Interactive Story Board. (If I was mostly interested in this, I'd have posted this on the ISB)

3) Suggestions for future story ideas. Can't promise I'll do them all, or even any (I certainly can't start working on any of them until the week before I'd have to have it up), but it'd be good to hear them anyway.

Thanks for anything you can reply with, Massassi!

Cool! You should check out 365tomorrows.com. I've been reading them for years, they do a flash fiction story a day from multiple staff writers/readers who volunteer.

I'll have to check that out sometime - thanks happydud!

By the lack of other posts, I can only assume my stories are dreadfully boring. ...:gbk:

ok so i read "test pilot" and "of gods and goons" on my lunch break. cant really comment on writing style or technique, but the stories were great! they had a little bit of a fahrenheit 451 vibe to them. a kind of odd cynicism filled despair, but not depressing to read. cant wait to read more.

Unfortunately, I was a day late on this, and I'm not terribly proud of this one, but it's a few diary entries in the life of a disgruntled hipster confronted with their own hipster ways:
http://thirtydayssixtystories.blogspot.com/2011/09/diary-of-malcontent-wanderer.html

i lol'ed at this >>
perfect way to start a journal entry for a hipster.

Amusing, but it's also a very cliched way to start a journal entry for a hipster. It's a sort of tired treatment of the subject. The most played out joke about hipsters is the 'You've probably never heard about it/I liked it before it was popular...' one... it could do with some better gags than that. I mean I was making those jokes about 18 months ago. suicide

its never really a good Hipster crack if it doesn't involve PBR.

it's probably not one if it does, either

I agree, though I'm glad to hear that it was at least amusing -- I decided to just go with over-the-top in this case, though I did try to temper it by sort of basing it on myself (among other dear friends) as noted below.

I tried to think of the most obscure thing I thought I had experienced, and that series was one of the better things I could think up.

Please note: twas my idea for you to write a story with random usages of the word "smurf".

This will probably be the last one I update here on the thread (I plan to keep writing one each week), but I felt I should post this one because it actually references characters from various threads on the Interactive Story Board. It's about a therapy support group helping a new member out.
http://thirtydayssixtystories.blogspot.com/2011/09/unknown-chapter-of-abandoned-anonymous.html

Hey Geb,

I just skimmed through, sorry for not reading the whole story (I might do later), but here's a couple of notes...

Most "on writing" articles I've read recommed using said instead of a substitute. Likewise, the great majority (if not all) of the best short stories I've read don't use anything but.

>>“Unlike the barkeep,” Lieutenant Randy muttered.

>>“You’ll never be forgotten, Ten-Four,” Lieutenant Randy whispered.

>>“Oh, tell that story, Randy!” Susannah chimed.

A quick Google search gave me a couple of articles, have a look if you feel like it:

http://www.writing-world.com/fiction/said.shtml

http://www.trickster.org/arduinna/said.html

Oh, and also some unnecessary adjectives.

>>“Susie?” the first asked rhetorically.

Should be clear from the context if it was a rhetorical question, noticed some other ones there as well.

Hope this helps. Peace!

For the record - while I too have read that "said" usually works best, I personally enjoy having different words like "muttered" and "whispered".

Koobie: I'm aware of that writing advice, and I only used them when I felt they couldn't be gleamed from context and added something to that line.

TRANSLATION OF THE LAST FOUR POSTS, FOR THE SUBTEXTUALLY IMPAIRED:

Geb: Look at me!

Koobs: You suck!

Al: No he doesn't!

Geb: Your momma!

Uh... *pats Al on the head* There there...

-_-

So glad you approve, Gebster.

Make love, not war.
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