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So much wasted opportunity... Whatevs, man. I'm going to bed.

"Obscured" Part 2

I took a step back, and the dark figures took one forward. I began to tremble, and my breathing was rapid and unstable. I felt streams down my eyes, and I wiped at them with my hands. It felt viscous and sticky and it clung to my forearms, gathering dust. I wasn't crying.

The apparitions were laughing. The hellish figures grew large and reached out and grabbed me. The light began to fade and I screamed. I screamed and screamed and stuck my thumb into my eye. I had a full grasp of my head and squeezed as hard as I could, hammering I thumb in with my other hand. I threw my weight around, shaking them free, running hard and fast, nauseous and mad. I pulled my thumb out, dropping raw cranial viscera into my palm. I reached for my other eye but Something was behind me and it knocked me down. I yelled for my mother, begging for the sun to rise and shine.

A moment later I startled myself awake. I could hear a commotion, I heard kids asking their parents what happened. Little patters here and whispers over there. My head was killing me, and I felt something grab my neck, and lift me up.

"You're gonna be all right. What's your name?"

"Eddie? Griffin."

"What day is it?"

"Halloween."

"All right Eddie, we're gonna get you to a hospital; you're Ok," A man in a blue uniform told me.

I looked up into the sky and looked for the full moon. It was obscured by black clouds. I blinked repeatedly as my vision began to fade. I wanted to scream again, but I felt safe in the ambulance, safe in the sterile white compound, with a grey wool blanket on me, and the vehicle moving in a jerky but stable manner. Darkness enveloped the light and I began to lose consciousness. I saw the paramedic look away, and I felt a sting in my hand. Something small, and white, hidden in a black mist was looking back at me.

~

Note: I have no fucking clue what happened in that last one. I was trying to beat the clock (I did post before midnight ... Pacific time :P). I did email this to myself from Open office to Yahoo and back to Open office, but I have no idea where the Ã' came from. Ugh, that's what I get for waiting last minute. Good luck everyone!

"Obscured" Part 1

Darkness cannot hurt you; it is nothing, really. Darkness is a lack of light; it has no body, no form, no sentience, no soul. However, bad things do happen in the dark.

My life was dominated by a particular routine. When I woke, the sensation of light tickled my nose. The beam felt warm and yellow; I supposed it was six o'clock. As most do, I yawned wearily and stretched, feeling the morning air of the apartment on my neck. I rose, and took two swift and controlled strides to the left, and threw the curtains all the way open. As the light poured in, I sensed the pale white color on my face. Although it stung, I stayed directly in the ray. After a minute of bathing in sunlight, I sighed the usual sigh, closed the curtains, and retreated into my bedroom. Two strides back, and one stride left; I swung my arm and clutched the knob to the closet (right on target). My shirts and pants were pre-arranged, hanging side by side. I grabbed my pants and slip them on quickly; I grabbed my shirt and slipped it on quickly; I buttoned the shirt quickly, exact and even; I grabbed my belt off the hook, ran it through the belt-loops and tightened it.

One step back and I sat on my bed. I sat for a few minutes, running my hand along my wristwatch's face. The alarm on my nightstand rang.

My hand came crashing down, striking the stand. The commotion resonated and the nightstand flipped over, its ersatz wood frame toppling under the force. The alarm continued to ring. I clutched my hand as the blasted ringing continued. Sound came from in front, a little off to the left. I reached for the infernal alarm, but the siren sounded from right.
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I yelled and scrambled madly for the alarm, before I felt a thin cable. I yanked it as hard as I could, unplugging the machine. It did not stop. The screeching hurt my ears and I flung the alarm into the wall, silencing it forever.
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My hands felt very cold, and I was shivering despite the outbreak. I rubbed my face vigorously. I was already dressed, and my clothes felt stiff and constraining, but I walked slowly to my desk, looking for my keys and my sunglasses. I ambled towards the door leaving my white cane behind. I had been blind for ten years, I could manage one day sans cane.

I found my way out and stumbled into the hallway of the apartment building. Careful shuffles to the stairs, two flights down (carefully grasping the handrail), and a short trip to the main door; I was outside.

The sun was strong, but the air was cold. My skin felt an aura of heat, but I was shivering. I coughed dryly at the musty October air. The commute was only a few minutes long, consisting of mostly straight sidewalk, one intersection, and two turns. I had orchestrated my journey beforehand, taking note of the paces, as well as notable landmarks, such as the distinct sour smell of fresh bagels (which alerted me to the first turn).
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Eventually, I reached my job; I was a customer service representative. (It was by no means a difficult job, but it required patience and a bit of panache.)
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But, I always hated Halloween, and itâEUTMs not because I couldnâEUTMt enjoy the costumes or the candy. Many people skipped work, relegating the tasks to me. I departed late, trying to manage my way through crowded streets, reckless teenagers, and general bumps in the night.
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My body felt heavy and my eyes hurt. I was drained. Typically, I slept without trouble; I rested easily and woke up on time. That day, something felt strange; I felt like my vision was returning. Light was unusually bright and I could discern figures and shapes and shadows. When I removed my sunglasses, I could make out my hands--obscure forms that wriggled. The sensation was immense, and the cold tears ran down my nose. I quickly put the glasses, the scene replaced by a shaded translucence.
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The day passed quickly, without any conflict or rude customers. I picked the phone to clock out, and glided my fingers over the keypad. The buttons were solid yet forgiving plastic. I outlined the square of buttons with my finger, admiring the oily smoothness. My fingers lightly pressed down, and I could feel the depression of the buttons under my whim. I dialed the call center.
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I was greeted with a long tone. I repeated to dial the number, and was greeted with silence. I pressed all the buttons, shoving my palm against the cubed keys, and I heard the clicks and clacks of the keys giving in. I kept pushing down on the receiver, and it felt like it was jammed. I wiggled it free and dialed, and again I was greeted by a long, wailing tone. I would explain the situation to my boss the next day, I thought; I grabbed my belongings and left.

The path back was always calm and uneventful. It was always midday, and if the sunlight wasn't blasting me in the face, the air was still, free from inclement weather. I exited the building and retraced my steps quietly, back to my apartment. I faced towards the sky, and I swore I saw the moon. It was laminating beautifully, in a very lucid white radiance. Beautiful.

The moon was calling to me, and when I reached the bakery, I stopped. The turn left, and I was home. Something was pulling me home, the same force that had been pulling on me all night. My view went from black to grey to white to red.

My head began to hurt. What the hell was happening? My stomach churned grossly and I vomited violently. My eyes hurt and I cried some warm tears. The world was spinning beneath my feet, swirling and grinding. I felt dizzy and disoriented, and I stuck my right arm out and felt âEU¦ nothing.

Nothing but air; where was the cold, moist, metallic streetlight? Was I not at the corner, by the bakery, deciding whether to continue home? How long had I been walking? And, I knew for a fact that a streetlight stood at the corner; from the sound of traffic, it must have hovered far into the street.

"Hello?" I asked the darkness. "Hello? Please, is anyone there?"

I was alone. How far did I walk? What time was it? I rubbed the face of my clock. 6 a.m.

I reached out trying to grasp at something--anything! I stumbled and fell over, and I kicked dust into the air. I quickly rose and took off my glasses. Where was I? Haze and dust and smoke and black. I blinked and coughed, straining my eyes. Then, I could see again. I could see figures before me. The visage was not muddled like before. Clear, apparent forms moved and swayed and a light shone from behind them.

I heard a snap! And I reacted, throwing my arms up. I looked at my hands, but could not see a thing. They were gone, and gravity was gone too. I felt weightless, cut in half, cut in fourths, truncated and decapitated. Was I six again? There was a subtle bump in the night, and I stayed beneath the sheets, never asleep, hoping the evil would go away, wishing the sun would rise and banish the monsters.

I still have ways to go, but if you need someone to look at your story, you know where to find me.

At 10/30/12 03:03 PM, Deathcon7 wrote:

At 10/30/12 10:45 AM, Lost-Chances wrote: I may give this a shot. I do have an idea. Although a warning that I'm more of a dark fiction writer than a horror writer (I write bad things happening to people, as opposed to things that may scare or horrify people).

Good luck. Deadline is tomorrow. :)

I actually didn't get any work in over the weekend. As usual, I will work on it today, tomorrow, and turn it in tomorrow. I have read all of the entries thus far (except RapeMuffin's four-poster).

And again, as usual, I think the best is yet to come (no offense; in previous entries, most of the best usually came near the end, but I was pleasantly surprised by many of the early entries). I think judges should all make time on Thursday and Friday to read and grade all the entries. Also, I think we should meet up on Saturday (via any option--pm if we have to. Any ideas?) . Can anyone not make it? We should have results posted by November 6, which is a Tuesday, by the latest. Of course that is just an ideal time frame.

At 10/25/12 08:37 AM, Deathcon7 wrote:
Curly apostrophe :P Find & Replace.

Also, you're weighing down your metaphor. Take out "The sensation of." I'm sure everyone who would read it knows what you mean. Also, describing the look (yellow) and feel (warm) really close out the metaphor. Pluuuuus, it saves you three words. You're welcome :)

I figured it out; you have to disable "Replace as you type." Anyway, I'm actually pretty pleased with the progress of my story. It's about a blind guy. Naturally, I'm having some difficulty because all I know about blindness is what I read on Wikipedia and in a book I got at the library. I do have a lot of suspense in it, and hopefully I can cash it in.

I was playing with the thematic ideas of sensation vs. perception, and light vs. dark. Thanks for the advice, though.

At 10/24/12 10:59 PM, DeftAndEvil wrote: The sensation of light tickled my face. The beam felt warm and yellow and I supposed the time to be around six oâEUTMclock.

Well, gentlemen, you have been treated to a line from my story by accident. Also, WTF!?!?! I turned off AutoCorrect. Don't tell me I'm gonna have to take them all out individually. Argh!!!!!1!!!!!!11

The sensation of light tickled my face. The beam felt warm and yellow and I supposed the time to be around six oâEUTMclock.

At 10/24/12 10:51 PM, Roxxar wrote: Wait, is there a writing contest for every month/holiday/event?

If so, if there is another October writing contest NEXT year, will it be horror still?

Ideally, there should be one every month, but the contests run purely on hobbyist effort, so it is difficult for all of us to donate free time. Before, there used to be Newgrounds-sponsored writing contest with cash prizes (for Robot Day, Halloween, Madness Day and Pico Day), and Writing Forum-sponsored writing contests with store-credit prizes (November, January, and March), but those have since been discontinued. Depending on the success of this contest, there may be bi-monthly (every other month) writing contests, or even monthly contests.

And yes, horror always has and always will be the theme of October writing contests.

Although this is not a requirement, please aim for a minimum of 750 to 1000 words. The stories submitted thus far have really suffered from the same thing: underdevelopment. 1000 words is definitely enough for a scary story, but every sentence must be top-notch in order for the entire story to be solid and for the tension (and suspense--goddamn! the suspense!) to develop.

I'm aiming for about 2000 words, which is about 4 pages, I think. Good luck to everyone!

(Also, judges, be sure to read and review the stories as they are posted. That way, we can convene November 1, 2, or 3 and discuss the entries and also submit final scores and decide the winners on time. I expect stories to trickle in with most of them being turned in Oct. 30 and 31. I can't see a reason why I shouldn't have my top 10 by November 2, which is a Friday. Results should be posted by November 6 (Tuesday morning), and ideally on Nov. 5. I'll be contacting you guys individually as the month progresses. Lemme know what you guys think.)

At 10/23/12 03:37 PM, jjjkuk wrote:

For future reference, please post stories here on the forum, or post them on your NG blog and post a link here. There are format issues, but I've shown you how to fix them. Also, going down and scanning for these errors before posting will also help you catch typos.

Next, this is barely a short story (one could argue it isn't a short story at all, considering length and structure; this is more of a short short story, or micro/flash fiction). Although you aren't afforded the luxuries of a novel or novella (namely development), you can still use many of those narrative elements. I saw Deathcon post something about the M.I.C.E. quotient (millieu, idea, characters, event; I've never heard of it, but it makes sense). Typically, I would eschew this quotient altogether, but this seems like good advice for you. You need the setting (plus context), the idea (theme), characters (characterization too) and event (plot).

However, I'd like to mention the narrative structure again. Remember, exposition (intro), rising action (conflict), climax, falling action and denoument. So far, your story is (egregiously) lacking in all categories.

Also, you need to be more descriptive. The story reads like a whiny anecdote rather than a narrative or a story. Describe the astrobucks. What about is particularly annoying? Describe it to the reader, rather than (precariously?) telling it to him via complaint. Describe the characters (note, I mistakenly referred to direct/indirect characterization as primary/secondary characterization, go ahead and look it up). So far, All I see is direct characterization (which is pretty weak in itself). There is a conflict, but it seems more of an internal conflict, which doesn't lead to a climax or resolution.

However, what is lacking of most all is a theme. A story is basically an event that has had an effect in the setting. The theme seems to be about a somewhat typical suburban distress/futility/ennui, however, the effect needs to be carried to the reader. What your story is missing is the big so what?

You do have the skeleton here, but you need to put some meat on those bones. As you write--and read, remember to always read!--it becomes easier and comes naturally. For the meantime, I suggest adopting a strict formulaic approach until you familiarize yourself with literary art (I call her "Writing" but that's because we're on a first-name basis :D)

At 10/17/12 10:55 PM, jjjkuk wrote:

âEUoe âEUTM

To get rid of this, go to Tools > Autocorrect and disable "curly quotes" or "smart quotes." Those cause a problem with quotation marks when you copy-paste to NG BBS from Word.

At 10/18/12 07:51 PM, mhzinski wrote:

The author didn't try so I won't try to look more into it.

The guy said he has never written a story before. It's not that he didn't try, it's that he doesn't know how or what.

Anyway, I do hope that your class is an actual fiction-writing class, and not a workshop, or else you will have to learn all by yourself.

There is a very egregious lack of development. You are trying to write a story, but you have to ask yourself, what is a story? Well, I'd hate to discuss literary theory, so I won't. Instead, I will leave the task up to you. For now, there is really nothing left for me to critique, except that everything needs work.

You should start with setting (describe Astrobucks. Also remember that setting includes time, so tell us what time it is [time and year]), then characters (learn about primary and secondary characterization), then plot and conflict (there is very little conflict; it is more of a rant. There is no significance in the setting). This should get the ball rolling for you. Also, remember narrative structure (a story should have a beginning, middle, end, or more specifically, exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement).

Remember what I just typed was a very simplified explanation of a story and its contents. Keep reading and keep writing. Ultimately, it should come naturally.

At 10/5/12 04:02 PM, Deathcon7 wrote: I'd like to submit a story but be exempt from the prizes. Is this possible?

It ain't stopping me. The way I see it: the more entries, the better.

At 10/4/12 10:01 AM, Absinthe wrote: I was wondering if this part of the forum allows only the submission of creative works, and not reference science papers. I was only wondering for the sake of syntax, not for plagiarism.

Wait--do you need help, such as peer-edit, or do you want to submit it for evaluation?

As usual, please have someone look over your story before you turn it in. If you need someone to peer-edit, just post in here saying that you do. Then, have someone send you a pm and you guys can exchange stories. I'm available for peer-editing but I'm gonna be a judge too, so ... yeah.

Also, make sure it is neat enough for publishing; i.e. no silly typos, fundamental grammar and syntax etc.

At 10/4/12 12:05 AM, Roxxar wrote: i be working on one.

but a question(s):
1) should it be real or fake? or both?

Fiction or non-fiction is welcome. It just has to be horror themed.

2) what if 7000 words cannot contain the story?

Trust me, 7k words is a lot for a short story. If you exceed 7k, then you need to either cut back a ton of material, work on something new, or post an excerpt.

3) by horror, you mean, Slenderman, or spiders?

I'd avoid Slenderman and Creepypasta. Spiders aren't "horror-ful," they are more just creepy. Aim for something that will give you nightmares.

Hey everyone! Please consider participating in this year's Halloween Writing Contest! The prize pool is at least 40 bucks and a supporter upgrade to the winner! Also, everyone who enters will have the satisfaction of knowing they are helping the Writing Forum.

At 10/1/12 09:48 PM, EJR wrote: Have you tried talking to Tom about maybe handing out some store credit prizes?

I thought Tom agreed to give store credit last time? Also, I'm pretty sure I read a shout-out for the last contest in one of the announcements.

"Fo sho" as they say to the $10. I do hope we can get more than a handful of submissions this time 'round. I will most likely pick up a sketch I wrote about a guy who is supersensitive to light; so, now that I have the general idea of where I want to go with it, I will definitely finish by Halloween.

Ekublai and 4 are judging; I'd like to see Deathcon, mhzinski, and starwars on that panel. Ooh! That's a NG Writing Forum Halloween Contest Review Panel Dream Team!

The end of the month is coming up. Let's start this for realsies! I was hoping that the contest (correction: jam) could start Friday at 9 pm PST (12 pm Eastern time), and, would conclude Monday at 9 pm (12 pm). I know I've said that I would pay $10 to the winner twice before (in all fairness: the first time everyone quit; the second time I felt uncomfortable giving 10 bucks to any of the people who participated; mostly because they were all judges -___-). However, count me in for the 10 dollars award to 1st place (paypal).

If you need judges count me in as well. Also, I would like to do a jam, so count me in for an entry as well, as well.

At 9/24/12 08:58 PM, Adam-Beilgard wrote:

I say, bring it on. Maybe we'll show the demand is high enough to bring lit contests back!

Then show your love over here.

Yeah, first, Robot Day, Pico Day, Madness Day, and Halloween all had writing contests with store credit as a prize. Then, they had cash prizes. Now, they aren't even part of the holidays....

At 9/21/12 03:41 AM, Mownkey wrote: Collaboration forum.

If you are looking for a collab, this would be the place to go.

If you are looking for a writer--well, it just seems counter-intuitive to go anyplace else.

Btw, self-deprecation is not really a good way to pick up writers. Anyway, I was working on a script adaptation of Voltaire's infamous novella, Candide. I think it would be perfect fit for what you are looking for. Like the novella, each episode would comprise of heavily sarcastic/satirical, fast-moving episodes, filled with sex, scandal, mass murder, blasphemy, catastrophe, romance, philosophy, and the occasional ass-less old lady.

I have since put off writing this script, because I was hoping to learn to animate myself. I wasn't able to get into an animation class, so I will wait until next semester until I continue. If this sounds like something you are interested in, however, I would be happy to finish writing/editing it. You can send me a pm or post here.

Pink Floyd, "Atom Heart Mother."

The song features an orchestra but also blends in Blues (C bebop) and some Prog Rock. It is cacophonous and hard to digest, and also rather long (26 minutes), but it is an awesome track. Make sure you turn it up.

At 9/15/12 02:44 PM, BubblyMac wrote: A logic failure
You want me to message you
And then you block me?

I was sized you just about right. You could've been the "bigger man" by letting it go and actually addressed Dawnslayer's question. But, there is no public recognition of such an action, so I guess it was out of the question. Seeing how you are more interested in being contentious than Haiku, I was correct in blocking you (I don't want flame war spam in my message box). Considering that I right about you in that regard, I assumed that you would engage in another flame war. Instead of hijacking the thread, please pm that person and try to make a case.

At 9/16/12 02:12 AM, Dawnslayer wrote:

That aside, I would like to say that the question I posited is something I'm actually curious about. So, again: is writing haiku in English harder than it is in Japanese? What is your opinion?

Japanese is a very different language and I doubt anyone here is equally fluent in both. So, English and Japanese are like the proverbial apples and oranges.

A traditional Haiku is very different than modern Haiku, or "English" Haikus. If you are curious, you can look it up (Wikipedia) rather than have someone do it for you. I remember from the seventh-grade that there is more to a Haiku than the 5,7,5 syllable scheme (this is thought to be the only defining characteristic but it isn't). A Haiku poem is very similar to a limerick and Shakespearean sonnet; it is a very specific poem with a specific form, but theme and structure are also defining characteristics.

There is a lot to Haikus. I don't see how trying to disseminate this sentiment is humorless or antagonistic. Of course, the mood and progress of the discussion relies solely on the current members. I haven't seen any of you do anything else in the writing forum, so I see why the progress has languished. I lightly laud you for trying to lift bar and stimulate some discussion, my friend.

Sorry for the extreeeeeeeeeemely late post. Hopefully there can some sort of closure to this contest and we can start the next one swinging.

Here's what I thought of the stories, yo:

Deathcon7 - Deathcon's Riveting Truth: Making It

Solid. The protagonist (you) is presented well and is rounded out. But, I feel that the girl is too one-dimensional and feels like a tool or prop that sort of balances you out in the first part (she is wild n crazy; you are calm and rational). She becomes more of a component as the story progresses, and much less of a compliment, which is why I think I enjoyed the first part more. Also I found the ending to be cheesy, but that is just me and I don't think it was that detrimental.
PIED 3 âEU" Untitled

Formatting issues aside (Jesus!), this version is a marked improvement than the one you showed me. However, it still suffers from the same problems (on the other hand, it still succeeds in the same places). I still don't like the insistence in the exposition; I still don't like the extended metaphor; I still don't like the rambling that never really seems to go anywhere; I still think you need to clean up the grammar and introduce more plot/conflict. That being said, I still like the style and language (I always like to "steal" lines from things I read; "sleepless sleepiness" is such a line); I still like the free flow of events (there's more method to the madness this time 'round); I like how you strengthened the narration by making it more personal.

Still, I can see the "incongruence." Reedit and refine âEU¦ and you got a winner.

Starwarsjunkie - Untitled

I can't tell if this was intentional, but I really loved how the pace of the narrative mirrors the pace of working, especially something you consider mundane. It is tense and subdued when you realize that you have to work; it is quiet, quick, and fluid when you get away from the work; it is tense and nervous when you remember your boss. Aside from that, it was a nice little entry without much dragging it down; however, it lacked force. Not really a problem, but not really a good thing, either.

munio âEU" Untitled

It is definitely different to write a confession. It is also an extremely personal one at that. It was intended for us, but this one is for you, not us. That being said, I don't think any of criticism will be helpful.

Anyway, this narrative seems very âEU¦ misdirected. The message could be much, much clearer. Also, there is a lot of telling but very little development. The story meanders before adopting a stream-of-consciousness narrative. This isn't a problem, but I wasn't really affected as much as I could've been.

4urentertainment - Untitled
I'd like to mention that this is the first story I can remember making me physically laugh in forever. There are some parts that need work, such as the overly maudlin narration, the excessive dialogue, etc. However, you do a great job exposing and presenting your fears and your emotional apprehension. With that, I think it's enough to call it a win and go home.

Just some friendly suggestions:

Try to limit stories to 2.5k or 3k words. This is more than adequate to develop tension/suspense and make the story scary.

Try to make the deadline in about 1 month, so the collab can come out by Halloween.

Well, I definitely see the potential. So, that's great. Thanks for checking out the Writing Forum, dude!

Anyway, I'm not really interested, but I do want to generate interest for your thread. Please come back and post when you find a partner. Until then, I'll keep an eye out for a good comedy writer and I'll refer him here.

Peace.

Well, I only read the first three paragraphs and skimmed the rest. So, I can only offer thoughts on these three paragraphs and the rest are generalizations (or conversely: deductions). Also, I listened to "Ironesque Valley" on your profile (I didn't click the links). I listened to the whole thing while typing this up; it would be helpful if you could place the times in the story which correspond

The exposition is all right, if not too inconsistent and overcompensating in poetics (also, there are many hiccups in grammar and spelling). For example of the former, the passage of time doesn't make sense, mostly because of the tense. That is, you mix the past tense, with the past progressive tense; that is, something happened in the past, and something is still happening in the past. For example of the latter, "their deep red eyes that resembled a black hole." I see you are going for a sort of contradiction; but not only is this unclear (well, it would make more sense if you said "their...eyes...resembled black holes;" anyway, are their eyes the black hole, or is the destruction the black hole?). The first paragraph feels to clunky (which becomes a complaint further into the story). There are such clunky/weird phrases as "excruciating gestures," "I slowly began to watch," "I reached out my hand to touch theirs[sic]." However, reediting this story can iron most of these out.

The second paragraph is a lot better. It is poetic enough, with original imagery that really gives off mood. However, the same problem comes up again: incoherence. The story doesn't stick to itself. The story seems more like a treatment on depression, rather than clinical depression, so I don't think this is a good thing. While it is appropriate (or good, even) for the story to waver, you don't want the reader to feel lost with the text (lost with the text, ha ha!). Like the song, a lot lot lot of development is needed. You want a build-up, you want narrative pace, you want to translate your emotions to the reader. I feel that you do that here, but in an ineffectual way.

The second and third paragraph become too pedestrian, in my opinion. The sense of cosmic wonder is gone and replaced with boring aspects of college life (it also seems too vicarious, from what I've skimmed). This is actually an important part of the theme, but I simply found it too boring, as opposed to dreary (which might have actually been a good effect).

Anyway, sorry I couldn't offer more help, but I feel that these issues should be rectified before I continue. Otherwise, you have a solid companion piece.

P.S. To get rid of the weird format issues with quotation marks and apostrophes, do this in word:

~Tools > Autocorrect. Then un-check the box that says "Replace 'straight' quotes with 'smart' quotes."

This should prevent the issue for future posts. However, if you want to fix this post, do the above, and then use Ctrl F to find and replace all the quotes and apostrophes (just put a quotation mark in the "find" and "replace" spaces).

If anyone needs a proofreader/peer-editor for an essay, you can always pm me and we can exchange e-mails.

At 8/9/12 11:21 AM, Deathcon7 wrote: - UserX tells Zeta very nicely to look up the Survival Guide in Lit101 *and then Zeta does and becomes a better (although living-impaired) man.

That's how I envision the process going. Seems pretty cool, right?

I was thinking about this and I tracked down this thread...

Dude! This sounds so sweet. I am back into work-mode (funny how I did no writing-work during Summer vacation, but now that I have a job and going to the university as well, I am getting in the habit of writing-work done), and I have decided to take on this project. I will try to devise a system outlined above. Well, I'll work on the presentation first.

The system will rely on a series of symbols which denote categories; the symbols branch into further subcategories. There will be three main categories (for whatever work is submitted). "P" which stands for "Poem," "Pr" which stands for "Prose," and "S" which stands for "Script."

Poems can then be subdivided into P (Poetry), L (Lyrics), etc. Prose can be subdivided into Na (Narrative), Es (Essay), etc. Scripts can be subdivided into Sc (Scripts/Screenplays), Pl (Plays), etc.

Hopefully, every genre/category can be given a one or two-letter symbol (like the Periodic Table of Elements--yay, chemistry!) Organizing this will be the main task, however, the main challenge I see is actually finding and defining such categories and genres. For example, I am not familiar with horror, so I can't subdivide it. Any help is appreciated. I'll start tonight.

At 9/11/12 11:21 PM, DeftAndEvil wrote: The results have *NOT been announced

Whoops! Hehe :X