Rodrigo Istalindir
Explorer
Round 2 Match 2 - Reveal v RangerWickett judgement sent. Sorry for the delay -- I wanted to let them percolate in the back of my head for a day.
Ceramic DM - Spring 2005 (Late Bloomer) - We have a winner.
BSF
Explorer
Round 2, Match 2 - Judgement
Rodrigo Istalindir
Ceramic DM - Round 2 Match 2 Reveal v RangerWickett
Reveal - Untitled
This (aside from a couple jarring typos) was an exceptionally well-written story. The opening paragraph works really well -- quickly sets the scene and then WHAM! jumps in a completely different direction. Nicely done. I also like the way this story was paced. Pretty even beginning to end. Whereas sometimes Ceramic DM stories start strong and peter off, this one builds at a steady pace. Some really solid use of foreshadowing, which can be hard to pull off. It can't help but give a little of the ending away, but when done well (as it is here) it lets the story become less about the 'what' and more about the 'how'. This also played into the pacing...in a shorter story, it wouldn't work. Here, the author is patient and lets things develop. The occasional 'real world' references by Jeremy are also effective. Too many and it loses its effectiveness, too few and they either seem tacked on, or worse, like the author wasn't really thinking through the consequences of the setting. Here, the right balance is struck. Zeke practicing 'the bird' was amusing at the time; looking back it's even funnier. Very Aahz-like.
The ending did seem a bit (just a bit) rushed. Even if it still ends poorly for Jeremy, it would be nice to see it play out a little bit. Lots of running around screaming and scheming would have been welcome. Even better, having him escape his fate but be stuck in the new world would set the stage for a nice recurring character. As mentioned, a couple typos came at inopportune times -- one in the hyperlink to a picture. Overall, though, a really strong entry.
Picture use: The picture use wasn't as strong as the story, unfortunately. No single picture really tied the elements of the tale together. Instead, Jeremy in front of the truck, the portraits of Zeke and Geryon, and the burning chairs are merely descriptive of the action rather than integral to the plot. The use of the skewed woman with the umbrella as a picture viewed through a crystal ball was pretty good (although skirting dangerously close to the 'picture as a picture' no-no), but when I first saw that picture I'd had higher hopes. Given the rooster overlooking the scene, the potential to tie this picture in with the shotgun chick was a lost opportunity.
RangerWickett - Untitled
Hmmm. Hard to judge this story, a sequel coming hard on the heels of the original. But, Ceramic DM stories have to be judged soley on thier own and singular merits, so I will endeavor to avoid referring back to the author's previous entry. (Aargh....very hard to judge this story by itself).
Here we have a curious tale, a mix of high-tech and magic, the devil you know and the devil you don't. The story starts awkwardly, with a synopsis of previous action that confuses more than enlightens. (Herein lies the peril of doing a sequel. If you assume the reader is up to speed and isn't, you lose them. If you try to catch them up, you risk boring someone who's already following along.) It's hard to get a sense of place or person, and before we know it, we're neck deep in the action without anything to ground it. This continues throughout the story. The mix of technology and the supernatural doesn't help, as it removes any possibility of internal consistency. What's left is an 'anything goes' feeling that robs the reader of any sense of involvement. If you think anything can happen without much rhyme or reason, it's hard to create suspense or surprise, both of which require the writer to play fair with the reader.
It's unfortunate that the story isn't up to the technical and artistic merits of the writing, which is top-notch. The dialog is always solid, sometimes stellar. The style flows really well, and is quite engaging. Basing the story in an asylum is a nice touch -- the echoes of 'Catch-22' and 'Alice in Wonderland' create a nice vibe, and the pop- and geek- culture references are sly enough to be funny without being over the top. (Until the last sentence: that was really, really bad, and crude without being funny.)
Picture use: The picture use here suffers from the nature of the story. Two of the pictures (Jessica with the umbrella, Jack and Walter) take place in virtual reality. This is a bit weak -- since anything can appear as anything in VR, there is nothing solid to ground the pictures. Similarly, the chick with the gun is apparently some sort of hallucination, another instance where it's easy to incorporate any picture because it doesn't have to make sense. The burning chair as a means to summon the spirit Robert was better (and would have been better still if it was something that would be considered personal rather than just a chair). The devil with the sewing machine doesn't really work, mostly because the boy doesn't really look demonic. (He does look like a 'Micky' though
)
Judgement: [sblock]Reveal puts forward a really good entry, with a nice setting, good foreshadowing, and an interesting protagonist. The ending is a bit abrupt, but still workable. Picture use is adequate, but these pictures were a real tough lot. RangerWickett brings superlative dialog and the hints of a cool setting, but the plot he's chose lets him down, and the picture use isn't up to par. Judgement: Reveal[/sblock]
Addendum: FWIW, RangerWicket, judged as a sequel to your previous entry, this one still doesn't fare very well. The first one was tight and creative, and saves the clever punchline for the end. This one rambles a bit and tries too hard to mix disparate elements that just don't fit, and in some respects feels more like a rehash.
Maldur
RangerWickett versus reveal
reveal
Alternate worlds, nasty betrayals, and a chick that should have saved him.
Nice story, but a bit patchwork.
RangerWickett
Chapter two in the story from the first round, always a gambit. But it turned out well.
Judgement: [sblock]Once again RangerWickett, lets just say Im a sucker for cyberpunkish stories[/sblock]
BardStephenFox
Reveal - Untitled
Reveal spins a yarn about a boy named Jeremy experiencing some weird stuff.
Reveal has some tasty ideas in this story. The nature of Geryon comes through in little bits and pieces. I can appreciate that. The clues are all there ahead of time, starting with the name. This si good, and fun.
Unfortunately, Reveal's story being to suffer from the format of Ceramic DM. The pictures for this round were meant to be a little more difficult to integrate smoothly. Reveal makes a good effort, but in many ways everything feels disjointed and forced.
The nature of the forest is nicely built up. The introduction of the shotgun wielding chick is nice. But ultimately, what purpose did the forest or the chick serve? The use of a magical servant and the conjuring of food and chairs is nice, but then the chair burning seems to have been squeezed in solely to fit the picture. The picture of Jeremy in front of the UPS truck is revisited at the end, but even then it seems to have lost any significance. Geryon blew up the truck to bring Jeremy to him, but the impact of that revelation is almost non-existant.
I really like the ideas in this story. But I sense that Reveal would write this story in an entirely different manner if he could have ditched the baggage of these pictures. Sadly, Ceramic DM is all about taking the baggage of the pictures and making them relevant components of the story. In this case, there is a fine story here, but the pictures feel like clunky bolt-ons that exist mostly because they must be included. Unfortunately, this really hurts the overall story.
Dialog in the story is good. I like the dual nature of Geryon and Zeke. Zeke is quite clearly subservient, but it is the feeling of casual master/servant. I actually find the implications of that relationship to be much more interesting than what Geryone wants/needs Jeremy for. There are also the little characterizations pointing at Jeremy's naivete. I get a feeling of a young man that is, perhaps, a little less mature than his age would indicate. He is just the type that Geryon would enjoying torturing and using. Somehow, it make Geryon seem more sinister than if he Jeremy had been a little more jaded on life in general.
Now, I have knocked Reveal around a little bit on the pictures. But really, there are the makings of a good story here. I think that the pictures this time around just didn't cooperate with Reveal while he was writing. I'm not sure I would say that I 'enjoyed' the story. It ends on a bit too much of a downer for me right now. But I enjoyed reading the story. Thanks reveal!
RangerWickett - Untitled
RangerWickett takes a chance here by exgtending a previous story into the second round. There have been a number of tries to carry over stories in Ceramic DM, but most do not hold up under competition. The key is making sure the story can stand-alone. So, does RangerWickett succeed?
The beginning of the story is a bit rough. Background is heavily frontloaded into the tale. This background quite clearly pulls the two stories together as well as giving the reader enough information from the previous story to understand what Chou's baseline is. My instinct tells me that an editor would consider cutting a good portion of the intro. However, the rest of the story continues to pull references in from the previous story. The background in the introduction must remain for people that have not read the previous story. This is risky, because the story is a little less self-reliant.
The premise of the story is a little strained. A couple of madmen want to have Chou murder their boss because he is the devil. As proof, they offer up the 'fact' that his initials spell out 666 on a telephone keypad. Of course, these are crazy people. As well, they are willing to apply a little pressure on Chou. When the carrot doesn't work, you can always try a stick? Oddly enough, it all works. The frame of reference is so preposterous that I am willing to go along with it. It's fiction and I am reading it to have fun. So sure, I can accept that Walter and Jack just might be right. If there is a drawback to this, it is that I have that moment where the frame is visible. I know it is a story and rather then being immersed in it, I consciously engage my willing suspension of disbelief.
But that's OK. At least sometimes it is.
This story has good dialog. There is good characterization . Chou is consistent and believable. It is not a stretch to imagine him on his netnet deck idly scrolling through music files for the appropriate music while he is engaged in the virtual world. There are enough casual details to breath life into Chou without feeling too forced. I really appreciate that. Of course, the story also weaves in fine plot elements. Mickey's plan to take over the world through hyper-communism; the way Mickey has snared Jessica Kusanagi; the nature of the organic health pills. These are all interesting. They both elicit a brief laugh, and give the reader pause to ponder the nature of these 'attacks'. In the end, they seem plausible.
That is a strong point in favor of the story.
Picture use was quite strong. The chick emerging in Batwarden's office was, perhaps, a bit too absurd. But it was foreshadowed by the appearance of the rooster magician earlier in the story. Perhaps the weakest picture was of Mickey holding the sewing machine. It came at the end of the story and didn't serve to push anything forward within the story. I really enjoyed the integration of the picture of the warped buildings on the street. That was well done!
The end of the story comes too quickly. While using the Devil went down to Georgia was a great idea, it just seemed a bit too easy. The story wrapped up too neatly. I suspect that RangerWickett was running out of time, and possibly out of words. I think the story would definitely be worth revising in the future.
In all, there is a good character with good dialog and good picture use. While there are parts that might be a little too stretched, and the ending comes on too quickly, the story unashamedly demands a suspension of disbelief. It is a good, fun read. Thanks Rangerwickett.
Judgement: [sblock]After reading my critiques, I don't think it will be any surprise that I award this round to RangerWickett. Ceramic DM is about the pictures and Rangerwickett's picture use was stronger than Reveal's.[/sblock]
Macbeth
Whew. Hard work. Here we go:
Reveal - Untitled:
Your biggest strength was your build, but the greatest weaknees was the conclusion. All in all, a very good story, but the ending was a little abrupt.
I really liked the story until the last few paragraphs, when they reach the tower. Your characters had a great amount of... well, character. In particular Geryon had a very old, otherworldly quality. A kind of almost Victorian feel, but not quite. Overall, a very strange character, hard to pin down, but very intertaining.
The main character was a little harder to understand. At times he seemed young a naive, while at others he seemed adult and mature. PLaying across from the strong personality of Geryon, I just had a harder time enjoying him.
Around the time they make camp, when the clues to Geryon's true nature start being dropped, it suddenly became obvious he was somehow evil. Perhaps if his odd knowledge and behaviour weren't pointed out to the reader (i.e. of the main character didn't catch it), it would seem like a more gradual build, but as it stands, it seems a bit abrupt and obvious.
The ending just fell flat. I loved early deatils like the bird, but the ending was abrupt and, to some degree, impossible to see coming. I just felt that it was a rushed way to draw the plot closed once you had used all the pictures.
Picture use was a bit iffy. At first the first picture with the UPS truck seems like a complete throw away, but it grows in importance considerably. The others are a mixed bag. the chair in the fire is used fine, but still isn't actually imprtant.
RangerWickett - Untitled:
When it first began, I felt a little lost. Just as last time I was a bit confused at the end of the story, the choice to use the same setting made this story hard to start.
But boy did it pick up.
Not only did it hold together better on it's own, it even explained the last one! I liked getting a better feel for ahy things were the way they were.
The ending here still left me a bit confused. I still can't say I really get the setting, but I got enough of it to really enjoy the story.
All the characters came to full life, a step above your last story. I especially liked 'Satan,' and realizing just how evil he was.
Picture use was very good. All of the pictures were at least solid, and a couple (the imaginary chicken, the black and white video) really stood out.
Summary:[sblock]Rangerwickett takes this round with 2 votes. Reveal, thanks for your stories. I really hope that you join us in a future competition.[/sblock]
Rodrigo Istalindir
Ceramic DM - Round 2 Match 2 Reveal v RangerWickett
Reveal - Untitled
This (aside from a couple jarring typos) was an exceptionally well-written story. The opening paragraph works really well -- quickly sets the scene and then WHAM! jumps in a completely different direction. Nicely done. I also like the way this story was paced. Pretty even beginning to end. Whereas sometimes Ceramic DM stories start strong and peter off, this one builds at a steady pace. Some really solid use of foreshadowing, which can be hard to pull off. It can't help but give a little of the ending away, but when done well (as it is here) it lets the story become less about the 'what' and more about the 'how'. This also played into the pacing...in a shorter story, it wouldn't work. Here, the author is patient and lets things develop. The occasional 'real world' references by Jeremy are also effective. Too many and it loses its effectiveness, too few and they either seem tacked on, or worse, like the author wasn't really thinking through the consequences of the setting. Here, the right balance is struck. Zeke practicing 'the bird' was amusing at the time; looking back it's even funnier. Very Aahz-like.
The ending did seem a bit (just a bit) rushed. Even if it still ends poorly for Jeremy, it would be nice to see it play out a little bit. Lots of running around screaming and scheming would have been welcome. Even better, having him escape his fate but be stuck in the new world would set the stage for a nice recurring character. As mentioned, a couple typos came at inopportune times -- one in the hyperlink to a picture. Overall, though, a really strong entry.
Picture use: The picture use wasn't as strong as the story, unfortunately. No single picture really tied the elements of the tale together. Instead, Jeremy in front of the truck, the portraits of Zeke and Geryon, and the burning chairs are merely descriptive of the action rather than integral to the plot. The use of the skewed woman with the umbrella as a picture viewed through a crystal ball was pretty good (although skirting dangerously close to the 'picture as a picture' no-no), but when I first saw that picture I'd had higher hopes. Given the rooster overlooking the scene, the potential to tie this picture in with the shotgun chick was a lost opportunity.
RangerWickett - Untitled
Hmmm. Hard to judge this story, a sequel coming hard on the heels of the original. But, Ceramic DM stories have to be judged soley on thier own and singular merits, so I will endeavor to avoid referring back to the author's previous entry. (Aargh....very hard to judge this story by itself).
Here we have a curious tale, a mix of high-tech and magic, the devil you know and the devil you don't. The story starts awkwardly, with a synopsis of previous action that confuses more than enlightens. (Herein lies the peril of doing a sequel. If you assume the reader is up to speed and isn't, you lose them. If you try to catch them up, you risk boring someone who's already following along.) It's hard to get a sense of place or person, and before we know it, we're neck deep in the action without anything to ground it. This continues throughout the story. The mix of technology and the supernatural doesn't help, as it removes any possibility of internal consistency. What's left is an 'anything goes' feeling that robs the reader of any sense of involvement. If you think anything can happen without much rhyme or reason, it's hard to create suspense or surprise, both of which require the writer to play fair with the reader.
It's unfortunate that the story isn't up to the technical and artistic merits of the writing, which is top-notch. The dialog is always solid, sometimes stellar. The style flows really well, and is quite engaging. Basing the story in an asylum is a nice touch -- the echoes of 'Catch-22' and 'Alice in Wonderland' create a nice vibe, and the pop- and geek- culture references are sly enough to be funny without being over the top. (Until the last sentence: that was really, really bad, and crude without being funny.)
Picture use: The picture use here suffers from the nature of the story. Two of the pictures (Jessica with the umbrella, Jack and Walter) take place in virtual reality. This is a bit weak -- since anything can appear as anything in VR, there is nothing solid to ground the pictures. Similarly, the chick with the gun is apparently some sort of hallucination, another instance where it's easy to incorporate any picture because it doesn't have to make sense. The burning chair as a means to summon the spirit Robert was better (and would have been better still if it was something that would be considered personal rather than just a chair). The devil with the sewing machine doesn't really work, mostly because the boy doesn't really look demonic. (He does look like a 'Micky' though
)Judgement: [sblock]Reveal puts forward a really good entry, with a nice setting, good foreshadowing, and an interesting protagonist. The ending is a bit abrupt, but still workable. Picture use is adequate, but these pictures were a real tough lot. RangerWickett brings superlative dialog and the hints of a cool setting, but the plot he's chose lets him down, and the picture use isn't up to par. Judgement: Reveal[/sblock]
Addendum: FWIW, RangerWicket, judged as a sequel to your previous entry, this one still doesn't fare very well. The first one was tight and creative, and saves the clever punchline for the end. This one rambles a bit and tries too hard to mix disparate elements that just don't fit, and in some respects feels more like a rehash.
Maldur
RangerWickett versus reveal
reveal
Alternate worlds, nasty betrayals, and a chick that should have saved him.
Nice story, but a bit patchwork.
RangerWickett
Chapter two in the story from the first round, always a gambit. But it turned out well.
Judgement: [sblock]Once again RangerWickett, lets just say Im a sucker for cyberpunkish stories[/sblock]
BardStephenFox
Reveal - Untitled
Reveal spins a yarn about a boy named Jeremy experiencing some weird stuff.
Reveal has some tasty ideas in this story. The nature of Geryon comes through in little bits and pieces. I can appreciate that. The clues are all there ahead of time, starting with the name. This si good, and fun.
Unfortunately, Reveal's story being to suffer from the format of Ceramic DM. The pictures for this round were meant to be a little more difficult to integrate smoothly. Reveal makes a good effort, but in many ways everything feels disjointed and forced.
The nature of the forest is nicely built up. The introduction of the shotgun wielding chick is nice. But ultimately, what purpose did the forest or the chick serve? The use of a magical servant and the conjuring of food and chairs is nice, but then the chair burning seems to have been squeezed in solely to fit the picture. The picture of Jeremy in front of the UPS truck is revisited at the end, but even then it seems to have lost any significance. Geryon blew up the truck to bring Jeremy to him, but the impact of that revelation is almost non-existant.
I really like the ideas in this story. But I sense that Reveal would write this story in an entirely different manner if he could have ditched the baggage of these pictures. Sadly, Ceramic DM is all about taking the baggage of the pictures and making them relevant components of the story. In this case, there is a fine story here, but the pictures feel like clunky bolt-ons that exist mostly because they must be included. Unfortunately, this really hurts the overall story.
Dialog in the story is good. I like the dual nature of Geryon and Zeke. Zeke is quite clearly subservient, but it is the feeling of casual master/servant. I actually find the implications of that relationship to be much more interesting than what Geryone wants/needs Jeremy for. There are also the little characterizations pointing at Jeremy's naivete. I get a feeling of a young man that is, perhaps, a little less mature than his age would indicate. He is just the type that Geryon would enjoying torturing and using. Somehow, it make Geryon seem more sinister than if he Jeremy had been a little more jaded on life in general.
Now, I have knocked Reveal around a little bit on the pictures. But really, there are the makings of a good story here. I think that the pictures this time around just didn't cooperate with Reveal while he was writing. I'm not sure I would say that I 'enjoyed' the story. It ends on a bit too much of a downer for me right now. But I enjoyed reading the story. Thanks reveal!
RangerWickett - Untitled
RangerWickett takes a chance here by exgtending a previous story into the second round. There have been a number of tries to carry over stories in Ceramic DM, but most do not hold up under competition. The key is making sure the story can stand-alone. So, does RangerWickett succeed?
The beginning of the story is a bit rough. Background is heavily frontloaded into the tale. This background quite clearly pulls the two stories together as well as giving the reader enough information from the previous story to understand what Chou's baseline is. My instinct tells me that an editor would consider cutting a good portion of the intro. However, the rest of the story continues to pull references in from the previous story. The background in the introduction must remain for people that have not read the previous story. This is risky, because the story is a little less self-reliant.
The premise of the story is a little strained. A couple of madmen want to have Chou murder their boss because he is the devil. As proof, they offer up the 'fact' that his initials spell out 666 on a telephone keypad. Of course, these are crazy people. As well, they are willing to apply a little pressure on Chou. When the carrot doesn't work, you can always try a stick? Oddly enough, it all works. The frame of reference is so preposterous that I am willing to go along with it. It's fiction and I am reading it to have fun. So sure, I can accept that Walter and Jack just might be right. If there is a drawback to this, it is that I have that moment where the frame is visible. I know it is a story and rather then being immersed in it, I consciously engage my willing suspension of disbelief.
But that's OK. At least sometimes it is.
This story has good dialog. There is good characterization . Chou is consistent and believable. It is not a stretch to imagine him on his netnet deck idly scrolling through music files for the appropriate music while he is engaged in the virtual world. There are enough casual details to breath life into Chou without feeling too forced. I really appreciate that. Of course, the story also weaves in fine plot elements. Mickey's plan to take over the world through hyper-communism; the way Mickey has snared Jessica Kusanagi; the nature of the organic health pills. These are all interesting. They both elicit a brief laugh, and give the reader pause to ponder the nature of these 'attacks'. In the end, they seem plausible.
That is a strong point in favor of the story.
Picture use was quite strong. The chick emerging in Batwarden's office was, perhaps, a bit too absurd. But it was foreshadowed by the appearance of the rooster magician earlier in the story. Perhaps the weakest picture was of Mickey holding the sewing machine. It came at the end of the story and didn't serve to push anything forward within the story. I really enjoyed the integration of the picture of the warped buildings on the street. That was well done!
The end of the story comes too quickly. While using the Devil went down to Georgia was a great idea, it just seemed a bit too easy. The story wrapped up too neatly. I suspect that RangerWickett was running out of time, and possibly out of words. I think the story would definitely be worth revising in the future.
In all, there is a good character with good dialog and good picture use. While there are parts that might be a little too stretched, and the ending comes on too quickly, the story unashamedly demands a suspension of disbelief. It is a good, fun read. Thanks Rangerwickett.
Judgement: [sblock]After reading my critiques, I don't think it will be any surprise that I award this round to RangerWickett. Ceramic DM is about the pictures and Rangerwickett's picture use was stronger than Reveal's.[/sblock]
Macbeth
Whew. Hard work. Here we go:
Reveal - Untitled:
Your biggest strength was your build, but the greatest weaknees was the conclusion. All in all, a very good story, but the ending was a little abrupt.
I really liked the story until the last few paragraphs, when they reach the tower. Your characters had a great amount of... well, character. In particular Geryon had a very old, otherworldly quality. A kind of almost Victorian feel, but not quite. Overall, a very strange character, hard to pin down, but very intertaining.
The main character was a little harder to understand. At times he seemed young a naive, while at others he seemed adult and mature. PLaying across from the strong personality of Geryon, I just had a harder time enjoying him.
Around the time they make camp, when the clues to Geryon's true nature start being dropped, it suddenly became obvious he was somehow evil. Perhaps if his odd knowledge and behaviour weren't pointed out to the reader (i.e. of the main character didn't catch it), it would seem like a more gradual build, but as it stands, it seems a bit abrupt and obvious.
The ending just fell flat. I loved early deatils like the bird, but the ending was abrupt and, to some degree, impossible to see coming. I just felt that it was a rushed way to draw the plot closed once you had used all the pictures.
Picture use was a bit iffy. At first the first picture with the UPS truck seems like a complete throw away, but it grows in importance considerably. The others are a mixed bag. the chair in the fire is used fine, but still isn't actually imprtant.
RangerWickett - Untitled:
When it first began, I felt a little lost. Just as last time I was a bit confused at the end of the story, the choice to use the same setting made this story hard to start.
But boy did it pick up.
Not only did it hold together better on it's own, it even explained the last one! I liked getting a better feel for ahy things were the way they were.
The ending here still left me a bit confused. I still can't say I really get the setting, but I got enough of it to really enjoy the story.
All the characters came to full life, a step above your last story. I especially liked 'Satan,' and realizing just how evil he was.
Picture use was very good. All of the pictures were at least solid, and a couple (the imaginary chicken, the black and white video) really stood out.
Summary:[sblock]Rangerwickett takes this round with 2 votes. Reveal, thanks for your stories. I really hope that you join us in a future competition.[/sblock]
RangerWickett
Legend
[sblock]I appreciate and fully understand the critique. I got invited to dinner at 6:30 on Friday, and I had to get the story in by 9, so the last hour or so (from the Batwarden's office onward) was rushed. If we were judging the stories on the basis of endings alone, I'm pretty sure reveal could've taken me. It was a good match.
For the next round, I'm free this weekend, until Monday evening. If you could post the pictures for next round Friday afternoon or evening, that'd be best for me. Berandor, good luck, you mustachioed villain, you.
[/sblock]
For the next round, I'm free this weekend, until Monday evening. If you could post the pictures for next round Friday afternoon or evening, that'd be best for me. Berandor, good luck, you mustachioed villain, you.
[/sblock]
reveal
Adventurer
[sblock]Before I forget, let me thank all the judges for their hard work. Was making us wait a way of just building up suspense?
Seriously though, I'm touched, and a little surprised, that y'all actually like my writing, even with its flaws and its dark nature. I say "surprised" because I did surprise myself. I've never done anything like this before but was shocked when I was able to whip up such, I think, wonderful stories in a short period of time. If nothing else, I think that every DM, heck any person with any kind of creativity, should try this competition. It definitely makes for a stronger writer.[/sblock]
Seriously though, I'm touched, and a little surprised, that y'all actually like my writing, even with its flaws and its dark nature. I say "surprised" because I did surprise myself. I've never done anything like this before but was shocked when I was able to whip up such, I think, wonderful stories in a short period of time. If nothing else, I think that every DM, heck any person with any kind of creativity, should try this competition. It definitely makes for a stronger writer.
[/sblock]
Macbeth
First Post
[sblock]Well, let me say thanks to you for the stories. Even when getting the judgements done was a bit of work, the stories were still great fun to read. I really enjoyed your stories, and I look forward to seeing you in the next Ceramic DM. Maybe we'll even write against each other.reveal said:[sblock]Before I forget, let me thank all the judges for their hard work. Was making us wait a way of just building up suspense?
Seriously though, I'm touched, and a little surprised, that y'all actually like my writing, even with its flaws and its dark nature. I say "surprised" because I did surprise myself. I've never done anything like this before but was shocked when I was able to whip up such, I think, wonderful stories in a short period of time. If nothing else, I think that every DM, heck any person with any kind of creativity, should try this competition. It definitely makes for a stronger writer.
I'll try to post a few more comments today, my judgement was a bit ruched. I finished it just as I was getting off work and rushing off to dinner at a friend's house, so I fell I could still say more (or at least correct some spelling and grammar mistakes).[/sblock]
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