NMA Brotherhood of Steel Writing Contest
- Thread starter Brother None
- Start date
welsh
Junkmaster
BN- perhaps we should allow poster just to post them to us via pm?
No. I need to keep a handy overview, not have them spread out on multiple places.
It's no big deal, people just shouldn't send ' em in odd formats.
It's no big deal, people just shouldn't send ' em in odd formats.
Morbus
Sonny, I Watched the Vault Bein' Built!
Microsoft released a converter for Office 2003... I haven't tested it though...Briosafreak said:
Morbus said:
I have Open Office.
EDIT: found a good conversion program, too, for docx and other foreign formats
Also, I'd like to this opportunity to make something clear
THE WORD LIMITS ARE NOT A BLOODY SUGGESTION, entries that deviate too far from the 1000-1200 word norm are inadmissible, with the possible exception of experimentally written pieces that require other word norms.
Frith. Read the rules before submitting.
shihonage
Made in USSR
Brother None said:
Does this 1000-1200 word limit apply in both directions, or is it just an upper limit ? Would a 500-700-word piece be inadmissible ?
shihonage said:
V principe, yes.
Shit. I misread that then. Thought it was just a "don't go over" type word limit since you guys were reading them and all.
Ehh...mine was a joke anyhow. If I send in a serious one I'll be sure to pay more attention to that.
Might rewrite my last one in a better form though to comply with the rules. Cuz that story I made up has got legs....
Ehh...mine was a joke anyhow. If I send in a serious one I'll be sure to pay more attention to that.
Might rewrite my last one in a better form though to comply with the rules. Cuz that story I made up has got legs....
welsh
Junkmaster
gc051360 said:
You might as well. You can submit again.
welsh
Junkmaster
Double post-
Let me add that we reviewers are doing this on a voluntary basis and welcome good, well drafted, compelling stories.
While stories can take numerous forms and utilize different styles of narrative, we do request that you don't send us a story as a joke. Why? Because we don't like having our time wasted.
If you are submitting a story, please make sure it is the best possible story that you can write. Indeed, I advise that you get someone you know to review your story for grammatical or style errors and for critical feedback. Take this seriously, because we will.
The prize being offered for this contest is rather valuable. Make your story worth it.
Furthermore, if you submit crap to us be sure that we, admins at NMA, will not forget you and will return the favor.
Let me add that we reviewers are doing this on a voluntary basis and welcome good, well drafted, compelling stories.
While stories can take numerous forms and utilize different styles of narrative, we do request that you don't send us a story as a joke. Why? Because we don't like having our time wasted.
If you are submitting a story, please make sure it is the best possible story that you can write. Indeed, I advise that you get someone you know to review your story for grammatical or style errors and for critical feedback. Take this seriously, because we will.
The prize being offered for this contest is rather valuable. Make your story worth it.
Furthermore, if you submit crap to us be sure that we, admins at NMA, will not forget you and will return the favor.
Jiggly McNerdington
Look, Ma! Two Heads!
You're saying my first draft typed out at around 4 AM while bored and surfing the internet and sent out without a second thought isn't good enough? Curses.
welsh
Junkmaster
A good first commandment for forum membership should be.
I. Thou shalt not take thy administrators for granted, least thy suffer their holy wrath.
Remember- read the rules. Also don't forget, this is a competitive contest and we, at NMA, are glad to offer you a rather nice award (and might I say, a rather valuable one!). So I ask that you take it seriously.
Let me add, however, that it is possible to win with a comic entries (although as Steve Martin reminds us, "Comedy is not pretty"). We do appreciate variations in style and interesting use of narrative. What we ask for is a compelling, imaginative story that makes sense, complies with Fallout Canon and generally does a better job that Bethesda's hacks.
So in answer to the above questions-
- Why did you send us bullshit with shitloads of grammatical errors and an uninteresting story if not to waste our time? You are responsible for the foreseeable consequences of your actions, are you not?
No, we won't ban you (I think). Not sure really. Personally, I don't ban much. But I wouldn't expect a lot of appreciate from the judges. I also woudn't expect you to win.
In fact, even if you wrote a very compelling, interesting story but which was less than 1000 words, you would be disqualified for not complying with the rules.
Curses indeed. I would say that sending a draft that you wrote at 4 in the morning while surfing the net and sent without a second thought... was probably a bad idea.
A better idea might have been to sleep on it, read it over again (perhaps over breakfast and lunch), revise it so the story is stronger, more compelling and has fewer errors. Then submit.
And note, the rules do allow you to resubmit a second entry.
I would caution however against abusing this privilege as, based on my experience, judges often hate rereading the same story unless it shows improvement.
(In otherwords, resubmit if (a) you are disqualified for failing to abide by rules, (b) you have made notable and substantive improvements).
I can offer advice that I give my students who write papers- Get it right the first time.
According to the rules, you can submit multiple story ideas. The prize goes to the best story, not the best writer however.
My story was humorous, but I still thought it was ok.
Let me run it by the people on here.
My story had the East Coast Brotherhood having no affiliation with the actual brotherhood. It was founded by a drug addict who made his way East. He had always admired the Brotherhood, but he never understood exactly what they were. He mistook them for some kind of knightly order of do-gooders. He then starts a war with a peaceful group of mutants, who came over on a boat from England I suppose.
This was the outline of my story. Silly? Yeah. Sorry if it wasted your time. If I get serious I'll submit a better one.
Let me run it by the people on here.
My story had the East Coast Brotherhood having no affiliation with the actual brotherhood. It was founded by a drug addict who made his way East. He had always admired the Brotherhood, but he never understood exactly what they were. He mistook them for some kind of knightly order of do-gooders. He then starts a war with a peaceful group of mutants, who came over on a boat from England I suppose.
This was the outline of my story. Silly? Yeah. Sorry if it wasted your time. If I get serious I'll submit a better one.
Sorrow
So Old I'm Losing Radiation Signs
It makes more sense than Bethesda's story 
. Except for the mutants from England, of course .
. Except for the mutants from England, of course .Soulforged
First time out of the vault
Word count
Hello people,
I've already written my piece. However said piece is over 2000 words (not much really, less than three pages in Word size 10) and I know the limit is 1400 and a little more over it, if necessary. I tried to make it as short as possible, it's focused, the problem is that I think 1400 is not enough to tell the whole story, afterall there are several topics to talk about here: the journey, the cause for it, the mutants and their possible reproduction, the situation on the West, the device found in Capital Wasteland, the people inhabiting Capital Wasteland, the Lyons, etc.
If we're going to make a potentially better version we've to be detailed in some points (for example explaining what's the reason for such a long trip).
Anyway, I was wondering if I can send the version as it is or I am forced to reduce the word count.
Thanks.
Hello people,
I've already written my piece. However said piece is over 2000 words (not much really, less than three pages in Word size 10) and I know the limit is 1400 and a little more over it, if necessary. I tried to make it as short as possible, it's focused, the problem is that I think 1400 is not enough to tell the whole story, afterall there are several topics to talk about here: the journey, the cause for it, the mutants and their possible reproduction, the situation on the West, the device found in Capital Wasteland, the people inhabiting Capital Wasteland, the Lyons, etc.
If we're going to make a potentially better version we've to be detailed in some points (for example explaining what's the reason for such a long trip).
Anyway, I was wondering if I can send the version as it is or I am forced to reduce the word count.
Thanks.
welsh
Junkmaster
gc051360 said:
Was your story 1000 words? If no, then you are disqualified.
Did you have spelling errors? Did it have grammatical mistakes? - If yes, then you should have cleaned it up.
Funny is fine, but was it consistent with canon?
Soulforged said:
I sympathize, but the rules are the rules. It would be unfair to allow you to have more, just as it would be unfair to let people get by with less.
That said remember- you don't have to follow the Bethesda story line nor should you revise it. The question really is- what is the BOS doing on the East Coast- can you come up with a more compelling and believable backstory. Can you use an alternative narrative structure to tell your story?
A good rule of short story writing- every word counts. Writers usually utilize the short story format as a means of learning economy of language and how to write more effective prose.
Sorry, but reduce the word count. If we were to allow 2000 words than what would stop us from 4000 words? And if every story we had was 8-10 pages, than we'd never get through them.
No problem. Don't forget that you can still submit your story to fan fiction. I would do both- revise for the contest so its down to 1400-1450. You can still submit the original to fan fiction.
Dammit, I had around eight pages and even if cut off most non essential stuff I am still stuck with four.
welsh
Junkmaster
The Dutch Ghost said:
4 pages, assuming 300 words a page is about 1200 words.
Briosafreak
Lived Through the Heat Death
I cannot work behind the 1800 words threshold, I feel your pain people.