Jump to content

Tony, aka VAiru

Executive Council member
  • Posts

    2,725
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    68

Everything posted by Tony, aka VAiru

  1. Greetings, everyone! Want to read the Challenge entries, but don't have time to sit down at your computer? Need a way to take them with you on your tablet or mobile device? Now you have it! Please enjoy this full compilation of the March & April Writing Challenge, available with all the entrants' stories and judges' comments. This is a PDF document with interior hyperlinks to each story for your ease of navigation, so do please read at your leisure. Let me know if you enjoyed this easy way to read! Get yours here!
  2. "The Bunny Abides" Writer's Character: Tyler KellyJudge's Character: Toni Turner "The Bunny Abides," although a tragic story, caught my attention with the purity of Mr. Kelly's creativity. It was a fast moving plot, that sucked you in from beginning to end, gave hope for the characters' survival, then snatched it away, staying true to the premise of the research being a "total failure." I enjoyed the fact that Kelly let the reader see the plot from the viewpoints of Flagg and the Commander. Flagg, a broken desperate man crazed with grief from losing his family,yet still striving to the end to reach help; the Commander, a true Starfleet officer, realizing their fate was sealed from the beginning, but saving the USS Exodus from the same destiny. And then there was the Bunny. . . A beloved pet, innocently infecting those in contact with it. Well done, Kelly! Very imaginative. & "The Bunny Abides"Writer's Character: Tyler KellyJudge's Character: Sal Taybrim This story gets major props for being ambitious. Of all the stories I found this idea the most compelling and it had the most lingering, haunting ending. If the technical aspects of this story were in place it would be an easy first for me, but there were several major areas where the writing could use improvement and polishing. I like the idea that one simple animal could be the catalyst for destruction like the eye at the center of a hurricane, but overall this story left me wanting. I think the deaths of both the named characters on the shuttlecraft and the whole of the Exodus crew are cheapened by a lack of characterization. The whole story could slow down and delve deeper into how Flagg’s broken mind was working when he decided to try to ran the shuttlecraft into the Exodus, and focus on the pain an innocent creature inadvertently caused. My first read through of this was slowed by several tense and grammatical errors. I kept wondering why the scientists weren’t infected and wiped out years ago. Suspension of disbelief was difficult when the shuttle careened into the Exodus as well. Why didn’t the shields hold up? How could an entire bridge crew be sleeping on the job? This was a good starting idea, but it could use editing and strengthening of both the technical aspects of the writing and the plot to really shine. *** "Run, Rabbit, Run!"Writer's Character: Irina PavlovaJudge's Character: Cascadia Rainier This story showed an incredibly unique approach to dealing with the topic of a rabbit. One never expects it to take the turn it takes where the hunter becomes the hunted. There are mentions of trouble with going back in time, which seem to manifest themselves in the dream Irina has the night before returning to her time. This shows insight into the conscience of the character and was a very interesting way to build the story indeed. While the ‘whole story’ is not known to everyone (I’m assuming it is to those better acquainted with Irina), the story does perfectly well as a standalone segment without a ton of background. Everything mentioned in the beginning has a point later, tying each thought together in an intricately beautiful way. As the reader approaches the end, the connections begin to coalesce, leaving us all wondering where it’s all going. The end is simple enough, with the dream unable to scare her from the attempt and her end goal. Though it also leaves us wondering what she really will find when she goes back in time. Great job! & "Run, Rabbit, Run!"Writer's Character: Irina PavlovaJudge's Character: Sal Taybrim This is extremely difficult to evaluate since this is an IC post. It strongly feels like a cut out of a larger picture, like someone took a scissors to a painting and they are only giving us a small square of a larger picture. I would suggest that if writers submit posts as entries in the future that they take the time to edit and add into their posts enough background information and characterization so the story can read clearly as a stand-alone to an outside audience who may have no information on the overall plot. Problematically for me, the main character, (presumably the author’s PC?) comes off as staggeringly overpowered for her age in the first section. I felt like I was reading an excerpt from Ender’s Game rather than Star Trek. Without any further characterization, it made it difficult to connect with said character. This is also obviously a part of a larger storyline that the audience does not understand the connotations of by simply reading the post. It is a character piece, which makes it difficult to know what development has come before, so I must solely focus on the development in the piece. I don’t get much of a sense of Irina other than she’s lived many hundreds of years past a normal human lifespan, she has an issue with her father (?) and she is a mother. However elements of her personality do not shine though. The description and setting in this piece are solid. I would say this story has the strongest writing in a purely technical sense. There are a few, but not many grammatical errors. The description of Sochi and Irina going through her box of trinkets is the strongest part of this post. The dialogue could greatly use more characterization and reaction from the characters, it reads very drily. *** "Watch your head!"Writer's Character: Jalana LaxynJudge's Character: Cassandra Egan Manno Hands down, my favorite thing about this story is that it's just so much fun. It's essentially a good-natured roast of the Apollo's major characters (with its writer's PC as the big baddie, of course!) starring Lewis Carroll's Alice (of Through the Looking Glass and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, aka Alice in Wonderland). It's a big, fantastic idea and the story bounces right along, taking me from one character introduction to the next as Alice chases the White Rabbit through the decks of the Apollo. Even though I'm not super-familiar with the Apollo's crew, I knew enough (and the story explained enough) that I was right at home and enjoyed the story's character reveals as I thought I was meant to. Those character reveals definitely offered me most of the pleasure I found in the story, and therein is my major critique -- though it's not really a critique at all, really: There's nothing in the usage of Alice or Lewis Carroll's mythos that is absolutely integral to this story, by which I mean that this could've easily been a play on Peter Pan or a fairy tale and achieved the same pleasurable reveals of the Apollo crewmembers as familiar characters. If I would suggest one thing for this story, it would be that the story do more with the inherent weirdness of the Apollo-as-Wonderland: Really dive into the weird descriptions and sensory details that we (and our characters!) take for granted. Honestly, I'd love to see more of this sort of story, even if it isn't a return to Wonderland, so maybe that's a useful piece of advice for when the Apollo crew find themselves in Never-Neverland next time...? & "Watch your head!"Writer's Character: Jalana LaxynJudge's Character: Sal TaybrimI always liked dream-plays – part and parcel of being in technical theatre. This was fun: a short, lighthearted wild romp in a fantasy Apollo. I imagine that this story, too, is more amusing if one was familiar with the Apollo and could catch the character references and/or take amusement at the dream-like character portrayals of PCs. That said, unlike Run, Rabbit, Run I felt this was a stand-alone post and I was not consistently asking questions of ‘why is this happening to the characters’ I do think that in a dream play style of work, solid description is everything. I would have liked to know more about the failed experiment – what about it was dangerous/forbidden/hallucinogenic? I think that there is enough setting and description in this story to buoy the reader along. It works. However, I also feel this story could have benefited more from stronger description. A really vivid, poetic, visceral view of all these strange dreamscapes would have really made this story pop. Knowing it’s written from the point of view of Alice, the author could have played with having a pinpoint on Alice’s perceptions – and really playing up what Alice saw. If the Andorian was a blue giant, play up the description of his knees because they were at her eye level, or the smell and taste of the rapids as she was plunged into them. And yes, I wanted Alice to confess at the end to bring everything full circle…
  3. Thank you to everyone who entered our "Rabbits" Writing Challenge! I'm pleased to bring you the results now: I'm excited to announce that the winner of the "Rabbits" Challenge is the writer behind Tyler Kelly, with his story "The Bunny Abides"! Our runner-up, with her Lewis-Caroll-inspired story, is the writer behind Jalana Laxyn and "Watch your head!" My congratulations to all of our entrants and these two writers in particular, and please join me in congratulating these talented writers in this thread! My special thanks to my fellow judges for this round, the writers behind Fleet Captain Cascadia Rainier, Fleet Captain Toni Turner, and Lt. JG Sal Taybrim -- and a special note of thanks to Jamie, aka Sal Taybrim, for crafting responses to each of the stories for this round!
  4. Hmm, that's a good question! I don't think it's ever come up before, but I don't see why not: The Challenge is over now and you wrote the entry for the Challenge specifically, so there should be no problem with you posting it to your ship list now.
  5. This Challenge is now over! Judges are now convening and we hope to have results for you by the end of the week!
  6. Either! The form is completely up to you. Take a look at some of the past entries in the Hall of Fame to get a sense of what folks have done: http://forums.starbase118.net/index.php?/forum/175-hall-of-fame/
  7. Good news, everyone! It's Writing Challenge time! I'm pleased to bring you our Challenge topic for March & April, and it's one of the most unique ones the Challenge has yet seen. The theme for this Challenges is (drumroll).... Rabbits! Indeed, it is so! Writes our previous winner, the writer behind Sal Taybrim: "Very simply, the story must include or focus on a rabbit/hare/bunny. This need not be a Terran mammal. Room for creative interpretation is not only allowed, but encouraged. Mechanical rabbits? Alien hares? Killer bunnies? Certainly even Star Trek had tread this path before: This could even go dark if someone was creative enough (are rabbits now extinct?) or surreal... or humorous..." The choice is yours, of course, and I look forward to seeing what you talented writers devise. As of today, Tuesday, March 4th, this Challenge is open! All entries must be received by Friday, April 25th in order to be considered for this Challenge. As always, please remember: *Your work must be completely original. *You must be the sole author of the work. *Your story must take place in the Star Trek universe, but may not center upon canon characters. *Sign your final draft as you would a post on your ship. *Your story must be between 300 and 3000 words. For any questions you might have, remember that you can always post questions to this thread or visit the Writing Challenge website. Good luck!
  8. Greetings, everyone! Please enjoy this full compilation of the January & February Writing Challenge, available for the first time with all the entrants' stories and judges' comments. This is a PDF document with interior hyperlinks to each story for your ease of navigation, so do please read at your leisure. Let me know if you enjoyed this easy way to read! Get yours here!
  9. "Conspiracy Theories" writer's character: Sal Taybrim judge's character: Velana This story made me smile, not only for poking much fun at the reboot movies (which, let's face it, kind of had it coming), but for making us feel mightily for this poor kid who wanted to believe so badly. I love a good beginning quote and this one was perfect for what followed. The dialogue was great, the idea was well-executed, and the reader was left wondering if the alternate timeline wasn't just a one giant conspiracy to which we have all fallen victim. Kudos for pointing out plot holes in the reboot timeline that have been much discussed, but never explained. *** "The Rescue Plan" writer's character: Rode Mitchell judge's character: Velana While I really enjoyed the premise of this story, I feel like there was so much further that it could have been taken. We got a sense that Captain Jackson was thinking about his crew, but we never got a sense of him as a person. Was being a hero more important to him than sleeping for a century while his friends and family grew old and died? Also, why was a rescue mission so imperative to Starfleet that they sacrificed a crew of officers and Marines? We've seen stories about lost colonies and ships before, so that does happen, but what was it about the Monitor that made retrieving their descendants so vital? All of these questions were raised, but not answered in this story. I think with some fleshing out, the story of this crew would be one for the history books. *** "New Beginnings" writer's character: Ceilidh Riverview judge's character: Toni Turner "New Beginnings" took a different approach that I found most creative and clever, especially given the title, and the repercussions of the ending. It was a presentation of a theory that had me enthralled throughout, imagining the the benefits of "combining parts of A.I. technology in replacement limbs with injured vets", and how wonderful it would be to mend those broken lives. Yes, I was taken in just as the people in the story were, until the ravages of the act became known, and I felt their outrage, and disappointment, but fictionally, the "New Beginnings" would be something so all-consuming, that it would go far beyond reason in a endless quest for knowledge. *** "New Beginnings"writer's character: Ceilidh Riverview judge's character: Cassandra Egan Manno (please note that this double review was a mix-up on my part; however, in the interest of providing feedback, here it is!) This is a fascinating story with a lot to enjoy, so allow me to take you through some of my favorite moments, as well as those that I think were pulled off with the most skill. I'm always going to give props to high-concept stories, and this is no different: In my opinion, Trek severely lacks stories that investigate the ramifications of intelligent AIs and bio-machinery (like prosthetic limbs), and I was happy to see this story tackle that concept. It's also pleasingly conversational -- which makes sense, since much of it is told as a personal log -- and I thought the structure of the story was at its strongest when it let sentences stand as paragraphs. The bookending of the story as a case study that Ceilidh was reading was a good idea, but I'm not sure that it worked in practice; I think the story would have been just as effective if had just been the story of Eve, since Ceilidh doesn't answer the question that I wondered, too: What happened to Eve? Finally, I'd like to offer some praise for setting the story on Mars, because I think the red planet is vastly underutilized as a setting on Trek! However, that comes with a question: Given that this story revolves around a car crash and artificial limb replacement, I don't see why it's necessary to set the story in the twenty-third century. If the story had just updated its tech a bit, I think it would've been fine. Minor quibbles aside, quite a good entry, and an unexpectedly chilling take when the primarily upbeat story is compared against the image that inspired it!*** "Back-up Plan"writer's character: Kieran Waddelljudge's character: Cassandra Egan Manno It isn't easy to wear many hats in just over twelve hundred words, but this "Back-up Plan" is a good example of a story that does so. At times a character piece, an action sequence, and a celebration of UFoP history (look for the references to Hollis and the USS Paladin, among others!), this is an ambitious little story that captures in parts the image that inspired this Challenge. However, the "muchness" of this story is also the aspect I would have liked developed in more detail. When the story starts off with Leanna, I was intrigued by her history, her physicality, and the way her actions were described ("...interrupted by urgent bleating from her scanner and she rapidly cursed, silenced it with a jab..." is a very pleasing set of words to me!) -- but when it switched to action, I wasn't quite ready for that yet, as I still wanted to know Leanna better! Major props for making the hero of this story a female character and a physician, though! A strong entry for this image-inspired Challenge: Well done! *** "Going home"writer's character: Richard Matthewsjudge's character: Cassandra Egan Manno Stories that examine the writer's PC in greater detail are always welcome, because they can provide development for both the writer and the reader that sims during a mission or shore leave couldn't. "Going home" is no exception, as we get to see during its course more of Matthews's life aboard the Vigilant. It handles well the trouble that such stories often have, too, of not providing those that aren't familiar with the character enough background to understand the emotional stakes involved. It's a very cerebral piece, and that works well for what's happening here; I didn't want for more action and was happy to engage with the dialogue and thinking going on here. If there's one thing I could suggest to this writer, it's to add that little spark of something extra for his next entry: This was a well-done, strong, competent story, but it just didn't have that interesting high-concept quirk or memorable character or snappy edge to its dialogue that pushed it over the edge. My suggestion, then, is to really focus on a single aspect (like one character, or the dialogue, or a unique structure) and develop it strongly for your next entry. The foundational skills are all here in spades, it's just a matter of making them work wonderfully for you!
  10. Thank you to everyone who entered this special image-inspired Writing Challenge! I want to especially thank our first- and second-time entrants; it's always fantastic to have new writers in the Challenge, and in this case, it really paid off! I'm pleased and honored to announce that the winner of our first image-inspired Writing Challenge is Sal Taybrim, with his story "Conspiracy Theories"! We have a tie for runner-up: Ceilidh Riverview, with "New Beginnings," and Kieran Waddell, with "Back-up Plan." My congratulations to all three of you, and please join me in congratulating these talented writers in this thread! My special thanks to my fellow judges for this round, the writers behind Fleet Captain Toni Turner and Lieutenant Commander Velana!
  11. This Challenge is officially over! Please stay tuned as the results will be posted soon!
  12. Rahman: Yes, but fortunately with far less cleavage... on both our parts. ...I definitely snorted at that one.
  13. Oh em gee, so much tea! Seriously, I know that I'm a slight tea addict when I see that image and, well...
  14. Yep, that's all! For this (or for any Challenge), you only have to create a new thread, give it your story's title, and palce your story in the thread's content.
  15. That was my thought as well. But if you've read this thread, then you can choose to write in response to what you know it to be, or you can take it in a completely different and/or conceptual way. Also, do please continue to discuss on this thread if you'd like!
  16. Welcome back, everyone, and I hope you're excited for the first Writing Challenge of 2014! We're going to be doing something quite new for this Challenge: Instead of presenting you with a theme or an idea, we'll be giving you a piece of Trek conceptual art -- in this case, this piece of art chosen by our November & December 2013 winner, Sarah: http://www.coronacomingattractions.com/sites/default/files/news/trek_into_darkness_pods_0.jpg Writes Sarah: "The image holds an incredible sense of anxious foreboding for me." What about for you? Regardless of whether you know what this image may represent, how can it inform or inspire your own story? You may take this Challenge in any direction you would like so long as it's inspired by the art prompt. As always, feel free to ask questions in this thread if you'd like to talk more! As of today, Thursday, January 2nd, this Challenge is open! All entries must be received by Friday, February 21st in order to be considered for this Challenge. As always, please remember: *Your work must be completely original. *You must be the sole author of the work. *Your story must take place in the Star Trek universe, but may not center upon canon characters. *Sign your final draft as you would a post on your ship. *Your story must be between 300 and 3000 words. For any questions you might have, remember that you can always post questions to this thread or visit the Writing Challenge website. Good luck!
  17. Do you have any general questions about the Writing Challenges, the Hall of Fame, Challenge Champions, or anything else? Please ask here!
  18. Greetings, everyone! Please enjoy this full compilation of the November & December Writing Challenge, available for the first time with all the entrants' stories and judges' comments. This is a PDF document with interior hyperlinks to each story for your ease of navigation, so do please read at your leisure. Let me know if you enjoyed this easy way to read! Get yours right here!
  19. "Devil in the Silence" writer's character: Sal Taybrimjudge's character: Aron Kells First, I have to give some immense praise to the phrase "...it looked like the whole planet was in the middle of a giant snow globe that was being shaken continuously, never giving anything time to settle," which neatly describes not only the weather but also the frantic, pitched atmosphere of this story. I would like also to applaud the way in which it's told, as the events unfold solidly with a fine flow; the inflections in the plot (Dailing in the barn, the Bakalens' first words, and so forth) occur at pleasing points and the story feels almost like a very short version of the hero's journey. And while this story works very much on the level of its sentences and lines of dialogue, I was most impressed by its devotion to Trek's history: It was a brilliant maneuver for Lilly to mention Janus 6 (which, for those who don't know, is the home of the Horta -- I didn't know, but once I looked it up, I was immensely pleased). However, within that brilliant maneuver is the story's weakest point, as the sentient-life-we-don't-think-is-sentient has been done many times in Trek, from the Horta to the crystal life forms of "Home Soil" (who so memorably labeled humanoids "ugly bags of mostly water"), that once that reveal has occurred, the story loses a lot of its momentum. Evans hasn't been developed beyond the hero of the piece, and while he doesn't need to be -- I don't necessarily think this is a character-driven story -- I do need something to keep me going beyond the Bakalens' first words. Or, put another way, just because the revelation-of-sentience storyline has been done before doesn't mean it can't be done again, only that any further use must develop the concept beyond the surprise reveal, and that is what I'd like to see in this story. Maybe something to think about for a future story? Regardless, I do hope you'll enter the Challenge again as I am very impressed by your work with story structure and style. I'll leave this review with another of my favorite lines, from the story's beginning: "On a planet where the miners had fifteen different words to describe the precise kind of cold the current weather was displaying, and another seventy-three to cover the specifics of icy precipitation, being able to single out one instance as cold enough to mention lent an air of significance to a simple saying." Well done! --- "A Past Forgotten" writer's character: Suvi Ilajudge's character: Aron Kells I very much appreciated the ambition of this story! It's not quite 1200 words, and still it makes a gesture at what seemed to me to be a double twist. The first twist, which comes at the end of the first section, is almost entirely condensed into the final sentence of that section and in Johnna's puzzlement, which neatly becomes the reader's as I wondered why she looked vacant. The second section jumps right into the story behind the story and ends, too, with a question that calls to the Challenge's theme and also provides the second twist, which more implicitly than the first questions the nature of what I just read. The structure, then, is controlled well here, and I want to strongly praise that. My major difficulty with the story is that the first section, when read on its surface, is a little too overwrought and often saccharine, but -- and bear with me for a moment -- I believe this has the potential to make the story work even better. It could be that this highly idealized scenario is meant to be the treason or revolution of the story's last line, and if that's so, I think it's an incredibly clever idea to do so and to frontload that before any explanation. However, I have these questions: We get much less character in the second section by way of thought, emotion, or luxuriating in detail, and so I have a hard time determining why the first section would be the ideal of choice. The story seems to be making gesturing at "love conquers all," but if that's the case, I find it odd that -- in an egalitarian, utopian universe like Trek's -- the fantasy is very much based in clear gender stereotypes of the twentieth century before. And while the story does leave me with these and many other questions, most of those are productive and don't require the story's revision for me to find pleasure in them. Again, this is a story with a very clever concept, and I thank you for the submission--- "Operation Remember" writer's character: Hannibal Parker judge's character: Kali Nicholotti There is a kind of grit that is laced throughout this entry from the very beginning, conveying the idea of a tough natured Marine who had been through plenty. It also set up the idea that the man wasn’t happy with how things turned out. Throughout the story, readers get a good sense of the back-story and of events that have lead up to the moment we are glimpsing, and the use of imagery throughout did a good job of pointing out just how this character was thinking and why. And just when you think you understand, and maybe even share, in his depression, both reader and character are struck with the solution – an out, offered from an unlikely source. As a reader, it seemed to be a no-brainer; take the opportunity and live knowing that you did what you could to make things right. After all, the story seemed to set this character up to do just that. But that’s when we all, as readers, get a surprise. Though I found the end somewhat rushed and less dramatic or gritty, or image provoking as the beginning (perhaps because the writer was running out of words/space – a constraint I understand), we find our battle hardened Marine doing just what we thought he wouldn’t do; going against his own thoughts and doing the morally right thing. Overall, I think this was a well written story. In the future, the only feedback I might offer to the writer is to delve more into a realm that is unknown (perhaps through a character not as well defined as Parker) and avoid the clichés if only to get some experience writing perspectives and situations that aren’t as often seen or followed by writers/screenwriters/etc. Such exploration may net a true gem, even to those who know your writing well. With This story, as it stands, however, is good and I appreciate that you took the time to include the exposition that you included. It was a good read and I certainly look forward to seeing more! --- "Sins of the Mother" writer's character: Saveron judge's character: Sinda Essen This could well be the most thought-provoking story I’ve ever come across in the writing challenge. I must admit at first I didn’t know where the story was going, or how it fitted in with the theme. Although the easy style of writing made reading it very enjoyable from the start.The characters are all well-grounded in just a few appropriate words. It was easy to develop an idea of how Admiral Heraan spoke or Cadet Bourke looked. I even got a sense of how the echoes of the auditorium sounded. Saveron clearly follows the old writers rule very well - show, don’t tell. The set-up is clever, a debate between two high-achieving students. With Admiral West as our eyes and ears the event feels pretty mundane, the sort of lecture you’d expect at any university. This allows the pacing to be pretty relaxed. That sense of the ‘everyday’ adds a nice element of misdirection so you don’t know where the story twist is going to appear from. I was half expecting West and Everington to use the debate as a catalyst for their own plotting which meant I was focusing on them when Vanyeris dropped her bombshell, which made it all the more effective. The Undiscovered Country ranks as one of my favourite Star Trek films and Saveron’s reference of it in this story is a particularly genius move. The themes of treason and plot are obviously major ones in the film, but Sins of the Mother is not a simple retelling of the same story, rather a continuation. Saveron and the characters have the benefit of hindsight, as do we as readers, which makes Vanyeris’s argument all the more intriguing. Plus dropping in some SB118 history in with the canon stuff was a particularly effective touch.All in all, a very entertaining and well structured piece of writing. --- "No Turning Back" writer's character: Robert/Kaitlyn Falconjudge's character: Sinda Essen This topic lent itself to some interesting and thoughtful stories and No Turning Back was a very strong take on the theme. The arguments that Admiral Colt puts forward are entirely reasonable, the price of liberty is eternal vigilance as he very aptly puts it, and Colt is acting out of the best interests of the Federation.As a character, Colt is perfect for this story. Falcon presents his readers with an officer who is planning treason, and yet for all the right reasons. Typically the plotter would be a bad guy, but Falcon doesn’t write Colt as such,. Instead he gives us a man who’s trying to do his best but is held back by Federation bureaucracy, a very sympathetic character. Structurally, the story is spot on. Considering it consists simply of a conversation between two characters Falcon makes the most of the lean set up. A quick description of the office sets the scene and adds some nice touches and almost all of what follows is dialogue. While that could be a weakness in other stories it is a strength here and Falcon doesn’t waste a single word. I like stories that make me think, and No Turning Back certainly achieved that. It left me considering a very interesting dilemma - who’s to say Colt is wrong? If I were in Captain Rainsford’s shoes, would I agree to go along with the coup, too, despite the consequences? --- "Pray for Favour" writer's character: Diego Herrerajudge's character: Toni Turner "Pray for Favour" was a study of survival, and a subject that Herrera particularly handles well. I like his in character personalization as it put the piece in a mode that endeared the character to most readers as they, in some way, could identify with his troubles, and the mindset his world had taught him. Things that kept him coming back night after night . . . "human" kindness for his beggar friend, and survival.
  20. An enormous thank you to all the writers who entered this end-of-the-year Challenge, and a special shout-out to the newest members and Challenge participants, Suvi Ila and Sal Taybrim; we always appreciate having new entrants and your stories were a pleasure to read! Without further ado, I'm pleased to announce the winners of the "Treason & Plot" Writing Challenge! "Sins of the Mother," courtesy of Sarah, the writer behind Saveron, mightily impressed the judges for this round and is our winner, while "Pray for Favour," from Ed, writer of Diego Herrera, is our runner-up. All my congratulations to you both, and please join in congratulating these authors and all our participants in this thread! My special thanks to this round's judges, the writers behind Fleet Captain Kali Nicholotti, Fleet Captain Toni Turner, and last round's winner, Lieutenant Sinda Essen. Please do leave your congratulations below!
  21. Ditto! That line just set the bar high for what I expected from the sim -- and it delivered!
  22. This cracked me right up, but I have an odd sense of humor: Maréchal-Ferrant : Hwhat do you mean, Captain Kells isn’t here?
  23. My sincere thanks to everyone who entered this contest! It is now officially closed and the judges have convened. We hope to have an winner for you by New Year's Eve!
  24. That's right! Beginning with the September and October Writing Challenge, we have available for you a downloadable PDF that contains all of the entries from the Writing Challenge round. Winners will get a special write-up on the first page. Now you can add the stories to your computer or mobile device and read them at your leisure! Our first compilation is available right here!
  25. Welcome, all, to the final competition of 2013! For this Challenge, consider this old rhyme: Remember, remember! The fifth of November, The Gunpowder treason and plot; I know of no reason Why the Gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot! Chris, aka Sinda Essen and the winner of the previous round, would like you to think about "Treason & Plot" for your entry in this final contest. He writes: "I was thinking of going all historical and Anglophile with Bonfire Night coming up - possibly the only annual celebration over an act of (attempted) terrorism in the world..." How will you interpret this theme? What justified and positive reasons might exist in Trek for treason or terrorism? It's a topic dealt with in a few of the serialized series' episodes, but usually they went the standard route of having terrorists as the bad guys. What else can you do in your story? As of today, Saturday, November 2nd, this Challenge is open! All entries must be received by Friday, December 27th in order to be considered for this Challenge. As always, please remember:*Your work must be completely original.*You must be the sole author of the work.*Your story must take place in the Star Trek universe, but may not center upon canon characters. *Sign your final draft as you would a post on your ship.*Your story must be between 300 and 3000 words. For any questions you might have, remember that you can always post questions to this thread or visit the Writing Challenge website. Good luck!
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.