Fanfiction Prompt Challenge Discussion

[Sleeping-force's-inside]

Maybe we could/should do an extension to give people more time to cook something up?

I imagine also with this Corona-business, many had disruptions that impacted writing-time/drive. I know I had that.

[Anagnos]

Maybe we could/should do an extension to give people more time to cook something up?

I imagine also with this Corona-business, many had disruptions that impacted writing-time/drive. I know I had that.

Don't take it the wrong way, but how many extensions do we really need? There's always going to be an occasion where no one is interested in writing a story for a specific prompt, don't have the time or just drop the project due to complications. The part about disruptions, unfortunately, is quite true, but we have to live with it.

[rhombus]

This is just a reposting of the rules with all of the active amendments included.  It is my hope that having everything together in one post helps to avoid any confusion going forward.

Rule 1: Concerning Monthly Prompts
Each month I will propose a series of prompts for potential stories in the Land Before time universe.  This may be a plot detail that would need to be in the story, or it could be a piece of dialogue that must be used, or it could even simply be a plot idea.  You may choose any of these three prompts for your story.  As soon as the prompt is posted there will be a two month period in which participants may write and submit a story or poem in response to the prompt.

Rule 2: Concerning Acceptable Stories
Must be submitted to both fanfiction.net and the Gang of Five: If you wish to participate please place a copy of your resulting story or poem for the challenge on both the Gang of Five fanfiction section and on fanfiction.net. 

Must mention the prompt challenge in an author's note for the story: In an author’s note in your story mention that this is a response to a prompt challenge, mention that this is organized by the Gang of Five forum, and mention the specific prompt that is used. 

Must be at least 1000 words long: The only length requirement on stories is that they need to be at least 1000 words or, in the case of poems, 500 words. 

Must not be more than 25000 words except in one particular case: We do discourage extremely long fics as prompt responses (25,000 words or more) except in the specific case where a single story is used for multiple prompt responses in one year, with individual chapters being used for separate prompts in that year.  This rule is just in place to ensure that everyone can have time to read and review a story before the 2-week voting period for a prompt is over.  This can be done with a long fic that is started and slowly added upon during a prompt challenge year, but it would not really be possible with a 500k story that was posted for one prompt, for example.

Additional requirements if you submit a song fic as an entry:  Songs can be submitted as poetry, but to prevent abuse and ensure originality a few conditions must be obeyed:
    a) They must be original works, that is to say they should not be based on existing music.
    b) They still need to adhere to a poetic formula. Obviously this is pretty loose, since poems can take many forms, but essentially it needs to be visually organized like a song (lines, stanzas, etc clearly defined).

Rule 3: Concerning Submitting Your Prompt Response
PM me with links to both the Gang of Five and the fanfiction.net copies of your story.  I will then add a link to the prompt masterlist in this topic.  DO NOT post your story to this topic – we are trying to keep this topic as uncluttered as possible.

Rule 4: Concerning Voting and Banners
After the month is complete there will be a vote between the participants on which story (you cannot vote for yourself) was the best prompt response.  The voting will take place in the voting topic. If a tie happens that is resolvable by a second round of voting between the top two stories, then I will impose that.  Otherwise I will break any ties.

Everyone who participates will be entitled to a participation banner with the Land Before Time character of their choice on it.  The winner of each month's vote, however, will also be entitled to add a star to their banner as an acknowledgement of their success.

Rule 5: Concerning Forum Fanfiction Awards
Please keep in mind that submitting your stories as a prompt response does not disqualify them from the annual forum fanfiction awards.  In fact, I encourage you to participate in both of them if you are interested. 

--------------

It is my hope that this exercise will result in the inspiration of many good stories from the exceptional authors we have on the forum.  I truly think that the creative side of this fandom is where it really shines, and I look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with.

If you have any questions about this challenge, the rules, or any prompts please mention them in this topic – as it is meant for discussion.  The Prompt Masterlist topic will only have the monthly prompts and links to any stories and the voting topic will only be for voting at the end of each monthly prompt.

[rhombus]

Just as a reminder, the prompts for the year of 2020 are as follows:

December 2019..............................Dec 1 – Jan 31

One word prompt : Exploration

Dialogue prompt : “Sometimes you have to find a new place in order to find what was always there all along.”

Major prompt: The gang is notorious for exploring new places and finding new difficulties along the way. Write a story where one or more of the gang explore(s) someplace new and, along the way, discover(s) something about themselves as well.


January 2020..............................Jan 1 – Feb 29

One word prompt : Perplexed

Dialogue prompt : "He/she had seen much in his/her life, but nothing had prepared him/her for this."

Major prompt: Never mind how old we are, or how much experience we obtain, life has a way of throwing unexpected surprises in our direction. Write a story where a character is confronted with something that confounds them and which forces them to reconsider some of their previous ideas.  This can be played romantically, humorously, or seriously, depending on your preference.


February 2020..............................Feb 1 – March 31

One word prompt : Eggs

Dialogue prompt : "They're hatching!"

Major prompt: The birth (or hatching) of one's first child is always a wondrous and joyful experience, but it is also incredibly daunting.  Now there is a new life on this planet which is dependent on your support and love.  Write a story where a new parent or parents must deal with the challenges of their first nest.


March 2020..............................Mar 1 – Apr 30

Special prompt : Make a story that focuses on another author's OC.  You will need to obtain that OC creator's permission first in order to use their OC, and do give them credit for the OC in your author's note.

Alternative prompt : Write a story that is set in the universe of another LBT fanfiction. Once again, make sure you get the original author's permission again.


April 2020..............................Apr 1 – May 31

One word prompt : Misadventure

Dialogue prompt : "Was it worth it?"  "Of course!"

Major prompt: It's all fun and games until you are chased by a threehorn or sharptooth due to your idiocy!  Make a story that focuses on the humorous misadventures of a character or characters.


May 2020..............................May 1 – Jun 30   

One word prompt : Hidden

Dialogue prompt : "He doesn't like me much, does he?"

Major prompt: Write a story featuring a character that you think is underexplored in the fandom.  Bonus points if you can write a sympathetic story featuring a character that you actually dislike in the canon.


June 2020..............................Jun 1 – Jul 31   

One word prompt : Adapting

Dialogue prompt : "Uh... do you speak my language?"  "Wrth'grrr arrghhh!"  "Um... okay, thank you!"

Major prompt: Adapting to a new home and culture can be difficult. Write a story where a character (canon or otherwise) must adapt to a new home and herd/pack.


July 2020..............................Jul 1 – Aug 31   

One word prompt : Alternatives

Dialogue prompt : "Not all was as it seemed."

Major prompt: History is often written by the winners and this is no less true in the Land Before Time... apart from the whole writing thing. Write a story that presents an alternative character interpretation (or a hidden side) of a canon character.


August 2020..............................Aug 1 – Sep 30

Summer prompt exchange!: Everyone writes a prompt of their own choosing, then the prompts are shuffled and redistributed back to the writers. The writers must then do a story based on their new prompt!


Hiatus for fanfic awards..............................Oct 1 – Nov 30

The prompt challenge will be on hiatus so as not to interfere with the forum fanfiction awards.  It will return on December 1.

[Sneak]

@rhombus
wait
now I'm reading schedule, and...
is it error?

Dec 1 – Jan 31
Jan 1 – Feb 29
Feb 1 – March 31
etc

Or each month is for two different prompts?

[rhombus]

@rhombus
wait
now I'm reading schedule, and...
is it error?

Dec 1 – Jan 31
Jan 1 – Feb 29
Feb 1 – March 31
etc

Or each month is for two different prompts?

Nope, that is not an error. That is just showing that for each monthly prompt you actually have two months to complete any entry. So the May prompt, for example, will not close until the end of June.

[Sneak]

understood.
thank you!

[OwlsCantRead]

Must not be more than 25000 words except in one particular case: We do discourage extremely long fics as prompt responses (25,000 words or more) except in the specific case where a single story is used for multiple prompt responses in one year, with individual chapters being used for separate prompts in that year.  This rule is just in place to ensure that everyone can have time to read and review a story before the 2-week voting period for a month is over.

As someone who came dangerously close to breaching that upper word ceiling, was there any arbitrary reason you went with 25K words as a cap?

This can be done with a long fic that is started and slowly added upon during a prompt challenge year, but it would not really be possible with a 500k story that was posted for one prompt, for example.

Also, some of us (like me) got lazy and simply splits and/or submits a single chapter of a longer story that fits the monthly prompt. Is that still frowned upon?

[rhombus]

As someone who came dangerously close to breaching that upper word ceiling, was there any arbitrary reason you went with 25K words as a cap?

This is just a soft cap, which is why I use the word "discourage" here.  Basically, 25000 words is the point where I will ask an author about their story before posting it to the masterlist. I would be willing to make allowances for stories that go just above this, but if someone submits a standalone 50,000 word story for a single prompt that would be far too long.

Also, some of us (like me) got lazy and simply splits and/or submits a single chapter of a longer story that fits the monthly prompt. Is that still frowned upon?

If it is part of a longer story that has previously been used for prompt responses then it can be acceptable. This is because most everyone who has been reviewing prompt responses will be familiar with the story in that case. What I am mainly trying to avoid here is the case where someone has written a massive story that has not previously been featured in the prompt response (that many people may not have read) and then submits a new chapter as a prompt response.  As forcing people to read the entire first part of the story in that case would be too much to ask.

This is why I specifically make an exception in this case:

This rule is just in place to ensure that everyone can have time to read and review a story before the 2-week voting period for a prompt is over.  This can be done with a long fic that is started and slowly added upon during a prompt challenge year, but it would not really be possible with a 500k story that was posted for one prompt, for example.

[RainbowFaceProtege]

Ooh, I really love both the current prompts. I'm gonna have to enter at least one!

[RainbowFaceProtege]

Well, I was trying to write something for the "Hidden" prompt, but it evolved into something longer than I originally intended, so I won't be finishing it in time to actually be featured in the showcase. Oh, well.

[StardustSoldier]

but it evolved into something longer than I originally intended

Hehe, that's often how it goes, isn't it?

[rhombus]

Good evening, everyone!

My apologies for being scarce lately.  The usual culprit (work) has been at play in my relative absence, but I have not forgotten about our fanfiction prompts.  Though activity has been down over the last few months due to everyone wanting to enjoy the summer, I have been pleased with the offerings that have been published.  So, without further commentary, let's get to our winners.

First of all, there was only one entry for May, so @The Mr. E you are our winner for the May 2020 prompt. Congratulations!  You may PM Darkwolf concerning a one-star fanfic prompt banner.  I am also in the process of reviewing the story, though it will probably be a few more days before I can get that finished.

As for the April 2020 prompt, this was a difficult choice.  Both Sovereign and OwlsCantRead provided two interesting character studies that skillfully utilized that month's prompt.  Ultimately, however, Owl's excellent depiction of Guido from a first-person perspective made this choice clear to me.  Guido is such an under-utilized character and his depiction of his personality and mannerism is spot on.  For that reason, @OwlsCantRead , you are the winner of the April 2020 prompt challenge! I have attached your new banner to this post. 

If our entries for June 2020 is anything to go by then I am sure June and July's prompts are also going to provide some excellent reads.  I look forward to seeing what all of you come up with. 

[OwlsCantRead]

"W-Well, I never expected this… you're too kind, really. It was nothing special, I mean I really didn't think I did all that great in the grand scheme of things… heh heh…"

Going out of Guido character there, thanks Rhombus. I am glad you liked it almost as much as I liked writing the antics of one hapless Guido.

[OwlsCantRead]

Out of curiosity, when will the "exchange" part of the summer prompt exchange take place? I'm heading back to my second year of university in August which would probably slow down my writing pace for such a prompt, hee.

[rhombus]

Out of curiosity, when will the "exchange" part of the summer prompt exchange take place? I'm heading back to my second year of university in August which would probably slow down my writing pace for such a prompt, hee.

Right now. 

@OwlsCantRead @Anagnos @Sovereign @StardustSoldier @RainbowFaceProtege @DiddyKF1 @UnionRags123 @Ducky123 @Sleeping-force's-inside

With the summer prompt exchange about to begin, we will need to make some minor revisions to this prompt in order to make sure everyone has enough time to complete this one.  For that reason, I would like all of those who want to compete in the August prompt to PM me your own proposed prompt by July 31 (with Summer Exchange in the PM title) and then I will shuffle them and give them back (randomly) to the participants who PMed me.  Though, unlike last year, I will ensure that no one receives their own proposal.  And, just for reference, I plan on participating this year once again, so one of you will end up with my proposal.  The August prompt will continue through October 15th , so hopefully that will be plenty of time for those who wish to participate.    So if you are interested in participating in the story exchange then please PM me by July 31 and I can announce who gets which entry on the 1st of August.   

Also please keep in mind that the June and July prompts are still ongoing.  As always, I look forward to seeing what you all come up with. 

[RainbowFaceProtege]

Welp...I guess I'm gonna take the leap and give this a shot? I'll DM you when I come up with my prompt!

[OwlsCantRead]

Might as well enter since the deadline got extended enough that I feel confident I won't overrun.

Heads up to all participants, I'm resubmitting my prompt from last year since it went unused. So yeah, you'll know it if you get it.

[rhombus]

Bump!

This is just a friendly reminder that two days remain if you wish to join the summer prompt exchange.  If you are interested in participating in the story exchange then please PM me by July 31 and I can announce who gets which entry on the 1st of August. 

[RainbowFaceProtege]

Hey, thanks for adding me to the July masterlist @rhombus ! I had just logged in to send you the FF.net link then saw you already had it!