When the Plot Supports

Entrant: Dee C
At: 01-15-19 @ 8:30am
Says: Everything I've ever written has been pre-existing, at least in my head, where stories have no true provenance, and simply grow "like Topsy" to be raised by speculators. The notes I keep on these brain tumors aid my recall and sometimes fit the occasion.

Entrant: D. Reed Whittaker
At: 01-15-19 @ 12:39pm
Says: Easy. I've used TRAX (light rail) as a backdrop before. Easy to meet people on the train. Showcasing helped with pacing because there were only a few stations available. Here showcasing worked well. Not sure, I'd be able to use showcasing as easily again.

Entrant: Emily
At: 01-17-19 @ 9:53am
Says: I chose what to showcase in my item as a result of a prompt from Kiya's "Wodehouse challenge." My prompt there was to write a short story with chess pieces as characters. After some research, I found inspiration in the story of a chess game itself.

Entrant: Emily
At: 01-17-19 @ 9:53am
Says: (cont.) It was easy to see the game of chess as a battle, especially when played by two masters. The plot fell into my lap as the conflict of a chess game unfolded. The particular video I watched as inspiration even contained a built in climax …

Entrant: Emily
At: 01-17-19 @ 9:53am
Says: (cont.) …where the street chess player attempted to cheat his Grandmaster opponent out of his deserved win. The task I gave myself when writing my story was to showcase the game of chess using the game’s ingrained story as the plot.

Entrant: Emily
At: 01-17-19 @ 9:53am
Says: (cont.) I knew I planned to enter the Plot Support contest when I began writing, so it was easy to adhere to the contest guidelines. To be honest, I don’t think I consciously thought about ensuring the plot was in a supportive role, it just happened.

Entrant: Emily
At: 01-17-19 @ 9:54am
Says: (cont.) Due to the nature of the story I was writing, it naturally fit with the Plot Support contest guidelines, which made my job easy. Most of the plot elements were pulled directly from the video I watched as inspiration …

Entrant: Emily
At: 01-17-19 @ 9:54am
Says: (cont.) …so I focused more on developing the chess pieces as characters, particularly the Black Queen, and showcasing how dynamic a chess game is when played by masters. To that end, I don’t think the story would have been shorter …

Entrant: Emily
At: 01-17-19 @ 9:54am
Says: (cont.) …without the need to showcase. The story felt complete because both the plot and the showcasing were complete. Those two elements complimented each other, and one was never more of a focus than the other.

Entrant: Emily
At: 01-17-19 @ 9:54am
Says: (cont.) Overall, I was very pleased with the piece I wrote, both as an entry in the Plot Support contest, and as a complete short story with a true beginning, middle, and end. In the past, I have struggled to craft short stories with a complete plot …

Entrant: Emily
At: 01-17-19 @ 9:54am
Says: (cont.) …so I believe this contest actually helped me in that sense. Thank you for hosting the contest and I look forward to reading the newsletter! Congratulations to the other winners!

Entrant: deemac
At: 01-22-19 @ 3:47am
Says: This was one of the first items I posted on WdC (Stories.com). At the time I was studying the nature of humour, specifically stereotyping as a comedic device. First review was supportive, tho felt maybe its humour might be too British for a US audience!

Entrant: deemac
At: 01-22-19 @ 3:54am
Says: The subtext just developed along with the story, and all these years later the piece seemed to me to make a perfect fit for your highly original contest theme. Many thanks again and congrats to all the entrants! {e:BigSmile}

Entrant: Schnujo is Late to Lannister
At: 01-23-19 @ 11:14am
Says: I actually struggled with making the plot not the main thing...a support for the rest of the story. I'd always believed the plot was the main point. This was an interesting, but very challenging thing for me to write, but I'm certainly glad I did. :-)

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