must....find....way....to....make....story....over....3,000....words....lon g....must...find...way.to.make...story...under...50,000...words...long...
;)
Dear Planar Expert,
Just enter the first couple of sentences of the prologue.Easy.
Yours,
Ask A Succubus.
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o.O how can you get that many words?!
That word count is not so large if you keep in mind two things when writing.
1. Show don't tell:
***Please keep in mind with my example that I am neither a professional nor exemplary writer myself.**
"He was very tired after climbing the long, steep, staircase."
vs.
"The doorway, now within site, motivated him to press on. He'd been steadily climbing the steep staircase for well over an hour and with each step, his legs burned." 3x as many words, and it give the reader a deeper sense of what's going on (I hope.)
2. Give your main character(s) depth--make the reader care about him or her. Point one will go a long way in this as well.
I guess I won't give an example here, as it would take a lot of space. Nonetheless make sure your character is more than a name who carries a weapon and looks like XXX. What makes him continue up the stairs? What brought him to this point? What might be the ramifications (particularly emotional ramifications as well as world affecting ramifications) should he fail?
These are the things that I struggle with. Give these to the reader or she'll say, who cares? And stop reading.
Plus--you'll find it hard to stay under 4,000 words at that point :)
must wonder why 3000 to 4500
can it be under 3000???
Page count. Most Wayfinder articles need to be 1500 words long (roughly 2 pages). In this contest, you are getting two or three times that amount. The closer you get to your word count the happier I'll be. :)
so would about 2700 words work???
3000 would be better. ^_^
Title is excluded.
3000 to 4500. Reason for those numbers is page count. 4500 is a three page Wayfinder article. 3000 is a two page. 1500 is a one page. Extra art is included for the winner. So, 1 extra art piece per page.
...Not exactly. 4500 words is SIX pages, 3000 four pages, 1500 two pages.
does it matter the size of the font, and can I send it in early???
I prefer 11 point Times New Roman font. (Prefer, not require.) I would use any extra time you have before the contest starts to read, review and improve.
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after the contest, if I loose; I can have it up on deviant art right ???
yes, you are the sole owner of the story, We will just ask to wait so Wayfinder have story appearing there first, after that each writer can put their story wherever they desire...
Ad we would prefer to wait till the appointed date... and as Lilith said, is a good way to check the story.. sometimes its better to let it lay for a few days and then come back to it.
I suggest reading it out loud. Seriously.Excellent advice.
+1.
When teaching composition, I would have my students bring rough drafts of essays to class and break into groups of three or four and take turns reading their work aloud to the others. It's amazing how much jumps out at you. You find yourself changing words as you read it, or noting how you stumble over awkward phrasing. It's a great technique.
I suggest reading it out loud. Seriously.Even better, have someone else read it to you. Then you'll hear exactly how your reader interprets the words you put on the page.
Yeah, if you can talk someone else into helping you out, this is the best approach. You won't be distracted by doing anything other than listening, and you won't fall prey to the temptation to act your lines instead of just reading them. If you have a computer program that reads stuff aloud (best if it's in a boring monotone), that works too.
Of course, if you're like me, the thought of someone reading your work aloud is enough to make you rip it up and burn the pieces rather than go through that embarrassment, so, uh, if that is the case, it may be best to just edit it on the page. ;)
Director of Game Development
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After working on a particular document for a prolonged period of time, all the words start to look the same, and it becomes easier to miss the simple (and not-so-simple) stuff. Self-editing gets more difficult the longer you’ve worked on something, unless you have the time to put it away for a few weeks and then get back to it.
To enter some change into the equation, look at your document/story/article/whatever in a different font/size. Print it out and take it someplace other than your usual work space to give it another eye. Of course, if you have someone else who is willing to give it a critical eyes, by all means accept, but there are a few tricks to self-editing that can really help tighten up a project.
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entering idea..... that should be posted at the pathfinder chronicle site if it isn't already......., and if isn't they should quote you for it...
?_?
come again?After working on a particular document for a prolonged period of time, all the words start to look the same, and it becomes easier to miss the simple (and not-so-simple) stuff. Self-editing gets more difficult the longer you’ve worked on something, unless you have the time to put it away for a few weeks and then get back to it.
To enter some change into the equation, look at your document/story/article/whatever in a different font/size. Print it out and take it someplace other than your usual work space to give it another eye. Of course, if you have someone else who is willing to give it a critical eyes, by all means accept, but there are a few tricks to self-editing that can really help tighten up a project.
Thanks Daigle, those are some interesting tips :)
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Title is excluded.
3000 to 4500. Reason for those numbers is page count. 4500 is a three page Wayfinder article. 3000 is a two page. 1500 is a one page. Extra art is included for the winner. So, 1 extra art piece per page.
Actually, these numbers are wrong. 3000 words is four pages. 4500 words is 6 pages. Plus 3 pieces of art to better illustrate your story!
Okay, here may be a very stupid question, but I shall ask since I don't see it spelled out in the rules.
Can one author submit two different stories? Because I've been inspired and I'm rather wrestling between the fallen paladin PI doing a noir murder mystery in Kaer Maga and the insane gnome traveling farther down the chain of the Sodden Land's Abendego Piercing just to see what's at the end. I may just submit both for the heck of it if it's allowed... assuming I get both of them done of course.
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Just one story per contestant. I just added this
Entry in the Contest: You can enter the contest by submitting (1 and only 1) short story based on Paizo’s Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting, set in the world of Golarion.
We are hoping to get a Q&A up before the contest begins discussing our Final Judge's desires in what he wishes to see in an entry.
Just one story per contestant. I just added this
Entry in the Contest: You can enter the contest by submitting (1 and only 1) short story based on Paizo’s Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting, set in the world of Golarion.
We are hoping to get a Q&A up before the contest begins discussing our Final Judge's desires in what he wishes to see in an entry.
Fantastic. I'll pick based on what I see in that. And heck, maybe the other can be published on Chronicler at some point either way.
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Alright! We got the bump!
I really recommend this interview, Sutter's answers are simply enlightening in many aspects.
And I myself pretend to begin reading Before they were Giants ASAP :P (which casually I just received last Saturday :D, ahh how I like the weekends when everything that is pending is delivered :D)
I just finished my story this evening. I'll be formatting it and sending it in this weekend.
(Is there a specific file format that's preferred, and should it be double-spaced?)
And true to reputation, I find myself finished with the story and now trimming material to come in under the word limit. :P
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RTF = Rich Text Format
:)
Ah; I see.
I consider that 'normal' setting. I wouldn't dream of sending plain text to anyone if I could help it.
i try not to send anything in txt... but strangely its the only way i can write, i can't use word or anything else... but txt let me work :)
edit? i can edit anywhere :D
And true to reputation, I find myself finished with the story and now trimming material to come in under the word limit. :P
somehow i do believe this :P
Mine came in with 170 words to spare!
Mine came in with 170 words to spare!
heh. THREE words to spare. Still need to do some bolt-tightening, but I'll get it in.