Forum: Author Hangout

Forum Contest: Meet-Cute Scenes

Vincent Berg 🚫

Speaking of SOL writing events, I'd like to suggest an alternative. Rather than scheduling a contest, how about issuing one here in the forum, restricted to a specific theme, as well as volume (i.e. story length).

To start, I'd like to suggest a writing challenge concerning 'Meet Cute' encounters, between 1,500 and 2,500 words, and only posted here under this thread. If it's mildly successful, we might consider suggesting it to Lazeez.

It seems to me that the contests generally fail because authors must either postpone their existing projects to compete, or they use additional time planning, plotting, formulating, editing and refining stories for a limited-time event.

So, take a little time to experiment with a specific 'Meet Cute' encounter, whether it's a one-off, part of a larger work, or merely getting a feel for future characters. One warning though, ask before 'borrowing' the passages, since you won't know what the authors were planning in terms of posting/publishing their material, especially if they were written in preparation for an existing or planning story. Even if you do receive permission, be sure to modify names, locations and settings to differentiate the various resulting stories. Otherwise, nuff said.

Replies: awnlee jawking Mat Twassel REP Pixy richardshagrin

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Vincent Berg

and only posted here under this thread.

Please, not a forum thread.

AJ

Replies: Quasirandom

Quasirandom 🚫

@awnlee jawking

Agreed!

Mat Twassel 🚫

@Vincent Berg

The recent Halloween contest got quite a few entries. That doesn't seem to be a failure.

Events on SOL are not contests. The BSFSF is not a contest but a festival modeled after the Bradley Stoke Flash Stroke Festival of nearly twenty years ago which appeared in the Usenet sex story newsgroups. There is still time to enter an 18 line erotic story in the current BSFSF event, but it has to be submitted today. Let me know if you want an invitation.

I think "Meet Cute" might make a good event, but I'm not quite sure what "Meet Cute" is, and I don't understand what "borrowing passages" has to do with a "Meet Cute" story. Forgive my cluelessness.

But why not create the event as an event? What's the purpose of having it in the forum?

Replies: Switch Blayde Vincent Berg

Switch Blayde 🚫
Updated:

@Mat Twassel

I'm not quite sure what "Meet Cute" is

If it wasn't for the movie "The Holiday" I wouldn't either. In the movie, the old screenwriter explains to the British woman what it is. It's the way the hero and heroine meet. They meet in a cute way.

Replies: Dominions Son

Dominions Son 🚫

@Switch Blayde

but I'm not quite sure what "Meet Cute" is

I had to google it.

https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-a-meet-cute/

A meet cute is a common scene found in romantic films in which the love interests first meet. The typical approach to these scenes is comedic and/or romantic. They can include awkward misunderstandings, slapstick comedy, or love at first sight. In most cases, the characters feel either a mutual attraction, aversion, or some combination of the two.

The term "meet cute" originated back in 1938 in the film Bluebeard's Eighth Wife. Claudette Colbert and Gary Cooper meet while shopping for pajamas, and it turns into a delightfully cute conversation, hence the name.

Replies: Switch Blayde

Switch Blayde 🚫

@Dominions Son

meet while shopping for pajamas

I think that was the example the old screenwriter used in the "The Holiday" movie. Something about both needing pajamas so they bought one pair. The guy wore the bottoms and the girl the top.

Vincent Berg 🚫

@Mat Twassel

The recent Halloween contest got quite a few entries. That doesn't seem to be a failure.

I never thought the contests were a failure. I've just always been frustrated because: 1) they typically occur when I'm buried hip deep in another story, 2) the theme wasn't something I was particularly interested in (Valentines Day, it's hard to write a Sci-Fi, Fantasy story around that) and 3) nothing I've EVER written fits into the themes (meaning I couldn't even submit a piece of an ongoing story).

However, I mistakenly thought my frustrations were likely experienced by other authors. Apparently I'm the ONLY one to ever feel frustrated by the limited thematic range of the stories. And I agree, I didn't really think that anyone would leap onto a 'Forum Contest', but I didn't think Lazeez would change the themes unless we could demonstrate an existing demand for broadening them to something more universal than existing western holidays.

But, I've been fine not participating since I first joined SOL some 30+ years ago, so I won't lose any sleep over it.

Mat Twassel: 'Meet Cute' is a cinematic term to describe the humorous scenes in movies where the protagonist in romantic comedies first meet his eventual love interest. Thus, my idea that a particular meeting of characters might inspire other authors, encouraging them to try similar treatments.

As far as 'not creating an event', I really didn't want to try convincing Lazeez to create a competing event that wasn't based on his calendar model. But seeing the opposition, I'll fold. I quit writing for months because I couldn't deal with the negative responses to my writing, I generally (despite all evidence) avoid the SOL forum based on the rampant negativity and open criticism, so I'm out of here. Have fun arguing, I'd rather find more encouraging avenues to express myself. Apparently, my idea of reinventing my writing was a serious mistake, so I guess I'll need to find another story site, though I seriously prefer Bookapy to any other competing site, however there's NO way to publicize Bookapy publications other than posting to SOL. I'm just too exhausted from the minimal support then past 10+ years of writing has had on me to bother arguing such minor points. I'd rather NEVER write again than continue to undergo such abuse.

Replies: Dominions Son richardshagrin Pixy JoeBobMack

Dominions Son 🚫

@Vincent Berg

I really didn't want to try convincing Lazeez to create a competing event that wasn't based on his calendar model.

There is no need to convince Lazeez of anything he created a mechanism for author created events.

" Apparently I'm the ONLY one to ever feel frustrated by the limited thematic range of the stories. "

No, you aren't the only one. However your Meet-Cute idea doesn't do it form me.

richardshagrin 🚫

@Vincent Berg

(Valentines Day, it's hard to write a Sci-Fi, Fantasy story around that)

Perhaps a Swarm Cycle story in the Thinking Horndog universe would fit men finding women to if not love at least have children with. Or maybe I just don't know what the Valentines Day is about. Women finding men and men finding women?

Replies: Remus2

Remus2 🚫

@richardshagrin

Or maybe I just don't know what the Valentines Day is about.

It may have meant something different back in the day, but in this day and age, it appears more a marketing game for purveyors of jewelers, flourist, and chocolate.

Pixy 🚫

@Vincent Berg

I have to admit, that I am rather surprised by that response. I clicked on your name to see what level your work sits at, and it's bloody high. Yet you said that you quit for months because you couldn't deal with the negative responses !!!! I have only one story above eight and I don't think it's garnered one bad response. Maybe it's because it's a lot better than my usual standard and the readership is cutting me a collective break, who knows.

I had issues with your original post because, as I explained, it was poorly worded/explained. To then reply to similar responses with a full 'toys being thrown out of the pram hissie fit' raised an eyebrow.

To claim that the forum is full of "rampant negativity and open criticism", sorry, I can't agree with you there. I see members with different views and opinions, yes, but that is good, healthy even, in a forum. Surrounding yourself with 'Yes' people is a bad thing. Balanced counter-argument is healthy.

Yes, some here will have fun arguing. That is their pleasure and it's not for me to tell them otherwise.

Using bold and capitals for words, is all a LITTLE over DRAMATIC (Sorry, couldn't help it.)

I could go on, want to go even, but I believe that would delve into the realms of trolling, so I shall stop here.

Like I said previous, your idea was not a bad one, just poorly explained so that it was open to multiple miss-interpretations. All that was needed was one simple post clarifying the issues raised.

JoeBobMack 🚫

@Vincent Berg

Vince, I just want to say, I liked your idea, except for the "post in the forum" aspect. Not sure I'd want to read such long posts here, but, if creating an "event" is a possibility, I'd enjoy it, maybe more than the themed stories approach --which, I admit, hasn't caught my attention enough to make me read, but, then I've got a lot of catching up to do on SOL!

I'd even enter this, either with a scene I've already written (I've got one in mind), or with a new scene. And, that's part of what I like. I wouldn't have to write a whole story, just a scene, and try to lace it with lots of hooks and suggestiveness because, if I understand you right, the idea would be that the scene might spark the desire to write a story in somebody else. And, that would be kind of cool.

So, thanks for the idea. I really hope you'll take the comments here as more suggestions for improvement than criticisms, regardless of how they are worded.

REP 🚫

@Vincent Berg

I'm perplexed!!!

In your 12/8/21 Blog entry, you said you didn't plan to write for some time. You just wanted to sit back and do nothing. Now you are proposing a writing contest.

Personally, if I wanted to expend my time and effort to write a story, I would post it to the entire SOL community.

Pixy 🚫

@Vincent Berg

One warning though, ask before 'borrowing' the passages, since you won't know what the authors were planning in terms of posting/publishing their material, especially if they were written in preparation for an existing or planning story. Even if you do receive permission, be sure to modify names, locations and settings to differentiate the various resulting stories. Otherwise, nuff said

Hang on, but that doesn't make any sense!!! I thought you were proposing a writing challenge, but now you are saying it's a challenge to take others works and do...what... exactly with it? Is this a writing challenge or a literary heist? If it's a writing challenge, then one would hope that we knew what we were planning to do to our characters, if you are suggesting plagiarism, then it's not much of a writing contest...

Replies: Switch Blayde

Switch Blayde 🚫

@Pixy

but now you are saying it's a challenge to take others works

That's not how I interpreted it.

I think he's saying the challenge is to write a clever meet-cute, not a story. But the meet-cute submitted to the challenge might be taken from a work-in-progress story or a planned story by that author so don't steal it.

Replies: Dominions Son

Dominions Son 🚫
Updated:

@Switch Blayde

@Pixy

but now you are saying it's a challenge to take others works

That's not how I interpreted it.

I agree with you as to the bulk of the OP, but then there is this:

One warning though, ask before 'borrowing' the passages, since you won't know what the authors were planning in terms of posting/publishing their material, especially if they were written in preparation for an existing or planning story.

If it's your own work you are borrowing from, no need to ask for permission from the author.

On the other hand he is saying to ask permission before borrowing from someone else's work.

If you ask for and receive permission, it isn't exactly plagiarism.

Replies: Switch Blayde

Switch Blayde 🚫

@Dominions Son

ask before 'borrowing' the passages, since you won't know what the authors were planning

It's the "you" that's confusing. I don't think the "you" is the author entering the contest. I think it's someone reading the entry and "borrowing" (stealing) the entry for their own story.

Replies: Dominions Son

Dominions Son 🚫

@Switch Blayde

It's the "you" that's confusing. I don't think the "you" is the author entering the contest. I think it's someone reading the entry and "borrowing" (stealing) the entry for their own story.

I think it's extremely ambiguous and Vincent should clarify what he meant by that.

richardshagrin 🚫

@Vincent Berg

Meat cute might be veal cutlet aka Wiener Schnitzel. Cutlet includes the letters for cute. Veal is a meat, from a calf.

Replies: awnlee jawking

awnlee jawking 🚫

@richardshagrin

Meat cute might be

The explicit paedo version?

AJ

Reply to topic

Forum: Author Hangout

Forum Contest: Meet-Cute Scenes

WARNING! ADULT CONTENT...