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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Gradine" data-source="post: 6717489" data-attributes="member: 57112">I think I've spent more time analyzing Tearin' after the fact than I spent while writing it. Truth be told, I'd been thinking about going a different direction than the typical D&D-fantasy route before the match even started, something with an already established world, so I wouldn't have to waste too many words on background elements or world building. Four of the ingredients ended up steering me right towards Supernatural as a setting. Charming Devil and Traveling Entertainer seemed tailor made for a "Devil Went Down To Georgia" scenario, Grave News gave me an iconic "research in a dive hotel room" scene, and Hopeless Quest just in general matched the overall tone of the show. I knew it would be a Gamble (anyone? Anyone? No? Just me?) going with an established setting that might not be familiar with the judges, and I'm not certain it entirely paid off. I was overall pretty happy with the adventure as a whole, despite how much I had to cut out of it (which would have made some of those elements stemming from the ingredients stronger; I cut out a LOT about the zombies) and I'm grateful and excited to be moving on. I feel I learn a lot more, not just about this competition but about writing in general every time I go through this.I will take a moment to discuss Shells and her arc though. I'll admit when writing that ending just felt like the obvious perfect way to end it. I didn't put any more thought into it than that. After reading your critique and spending quite a bit of time thinking about it, I'm more convinced than ever that it's the right ending. In fact, I couldn't disagree more strongly with your suggestion. I'm not sure it's necessary to go into it here, but I probably spent three times as many words writing about why it had to end that way than I did in the whole adventure. But I'm extremely grateful for the critique, because without it I wouldn't have spent that time and energy thinking about why I was making the choices that I was. The point is I had 750 words to convince you that it was the right way to end it and I didn't succeed, largely because I didn't even think that that might be necessary. The exercise definitely helps me work toward being a more deliberate and in general stronger writer. There's a writing podcast I listen to that often mentions writing action that is both surprising but inevitable. Shells' willingness to sacrifice herself should have been surprising but inevitable. I'm not sure how I would solved that in the word count provided, but then, that was my challenge. And I'll definitely be more conscious of those types of decisions in the future. So thank you for that.I'm excited for round 2! 1500 words! Time to start adding a little more connective tissue to the skeleton.</blockquote>

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