May 2017 Challenge: The Hero's Journey Matryoshka Challenge

[dawn_felagund]

This month's challenge is a Matryoshka challenge based on the theme of the hero's journey archetype, in honor of the upcoming volume Beren and Lúthien (which will hopefully be published before the challenge closes). Your story does not have to be about heroes, journeys, Beren and Lúthien, or follow the archetype, but prompts will be loosely inspired by it.

How a Matryoshka Challenge Works

Matryoshka dolls, also known as Russian nesting dolls, are hollow figurines that contain progressively smaller figurines inside each level. For this challenge, you will be sent several prompts via email. You will use these prompts to create one fanwork. You will start your story using the first prompt. You will open each subsequent prompt only when you reach a predetermined milestone in your story. (The milestones will be clearly stated in each prompt.) Your challenge is to incorporate each prompt into your story as you write, figuring out how to creatively work in a tricky prompt or (if you're brave!) being willing to take the story in a new direction to fit the prompt.

Again, you can write any story you want to fit the prompts! It doesn't have to be about the hero's journey. The challenge is to use them all, in order, in one story.

How to Participate

If you want to participate, please comment here with whether you would like an easy (3 prompts), medium (5 prompts), or difficult (7 prompts) challenge. If you want the prompts sent to an email other than that which you have registered with the SWG site, please let us know that as well. (Comments are screened.) You may also email us at moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org with whether you would like an easy, medium, or difficult challenge.

This is probably our most experimental challenge on this year's schedule. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, and that's fine. If your eyes are crossing and head spinning just thinking about it, rest assured that next month's will be much more sedate.

Challenge stories are due on the SWG archive by June 10 in order to be eligible for a stamp. As always, late responses are welcome but will not receive a stamp.

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Stamp Collection Update: I made headway on the stamp collections this weekend but did not finish them. I'm going to make my best effort to do so this week. If you wake up Saturday morning and your stamp collection is not updated or is incorrect, you can let me know then. If anything changes, I will post here about it.

Also, the banners, which I make, are always free for the taking, no credit necessary, and feel free to link to the image on the SWG site.

Comments

[kayleelupin.livejournal.com]

I'm extremely intrigued by this challenge. I'm halfway tempted to ask for all three so I could write three separate stories, even if I don't expect to get more than one done in time. (Realistically, I should probably ask for just the easy challenge, though. I don't want to be late again!)

At least mom's out of the NSICU now and in a more normal room. Her treatment from here is still on a 'wait and see' basis though and shifts from day to day; some days I'm with her for hours, others I don't get to see her all day. It's a very weird time.

Hope all is well with everyone else <3

Kaylee

[dawn_felagund]

I can send you an easy challenge to start with. If you find the time to write and want to try one of the others, you're welcome to request more! :)

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

What happens if one asks for the prompts and starts a story and writes through say the first and second prompt and then receives the third one and it doesn't fit at all. Then does one either abandon the story and drop out (which I presume means one just "lost" the game), or if, already fully engaged, decides to finish their story not using the "odd" prompt, but won't get any credit for having participated at all?

[dawn_felagund]

That would be the writer's choice as to how they'd want to handle that. Finishing the challenge requires using all of the prompts one requests, according to the directions in the emails.

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

So the answer is that the only way to participate it is to use all prompts.

[dawn_felagund]

Yes, to list the story under the challenge and claim a stamp (if submitted by June 10), then one has to use all of the prompts.

However, we're not going to stop anyone from requesting the prompts and doing whatever they want with them, or starting a story and deciding not to use the prompts after a certain point. It just would not be eligible to be listed as completed for this challenge.

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry.

[dawn_felagund]

For ...?

I don't mind answering questions; it's a new format, so I'm expecting there to be questions, confusion, etc.

Hero Challenge

[engarian.livejournal.com]

I'm willing to give this a try, but I'll be on vacation starting June 6th. Can this work into a timeframe that will allow me to either post it before I leave town, or no later than the 15th since I'll be back from holiday late in Sunday June 11th.

- Erulisse (one L)

RE: Hero Challenge

[dawn_felagund]

Stories must be posted between now and the 10th to receive a stamp. However, one can post a challenge story late; it just doesn't receive a stamp (which is not to put time-pressure on authors so much as a sanity-saver for me).

If you want a prompt set, please let me know if you want 3, 5, or 7.

[hhimring]

Hi Dawn,

Thank you very much for the prompts, but I'm afraid I managed to mess the challenge up straight away by accidentally opening up the third prompt first!
(It was morning and I wasn't quite awake yet and, obviously, by the time I went "oops, wrong mail", it was too late).
Do you think you could send me another third prompt or another set of 3, whichever is easier?
I've also opened up prompt 1 in the meantime, so I can't just switch them around (that possibility only just occurred to me).
Very sorry to give you trouble!
No hurry though--I'm not going to start writing immediately anyway--by the weekend at the very earliest.

[dawn_felagund]

No worries! I made a set of prompts last night for Lyra--since she works on the challenges with me, then she sees all the prompts on our shared document--so I just sent you the equivalent of Prompt 3 that I made for her. :)