Archive of TWIST Newsletters

TWIST Newsletter ~ 4/12/2011

[TWIST! Thoughts of the Day]


Hello TWIST-ers!

It's Springtime! The warm weather whispers promises of what's to come: fun-filled summer months of carefree relaxation when we shed our daily routines and play harder than we work. For me, Spring herald's the return of camping season. And what's better when camping then sitting around a roaring campfire with friends or family, telling stories?

Here at Writing.com, you can have that experience all year long. Have you ever created or participated in a Campfire Creative?

"Campfire Creatives are a fun and interactive way of writing with a group. Imagine sitting around a campfire with a group of your friends. The leader of the campfire begins a story that is then passed around the group for their input. With up to 25 participants, you never can tell where these are going to lead!" ( Source

http://www.writing.com/main/list_items/item_type/campfires

)

When organizing a Campfire, there are a couple things to think about:

1. What will be the premise of your story? As the host of the Campfire, it falls on your shoulders to build the framework for the story. You could have five teenage characters spending the night in a haunted house; or, you could have one old woman sitting on a park bench watching the people pass by -- the people will be the characters in the Campfire; or, it could be the first day of school and as a group of friends get caught up on their summer vacations, a new kid enters the classroom. The ideas are endless! Just remember, other people will be adding on to the story, so you just provide the prompt, the jumping off point. And where it goes, no one knows!

2. Who will the characters be? You have options when it comes to characters. You could invite people you know to participate in your Campfire, and ask them to "bring" a character with them (from whose POV they will always write). Or you could come up with a cast of characters ahead of time and allow participants to write about whomever they need to as they write their addition/scene.

3. What will the "rules" be? It's a good idea to lay ground rules before you begin inviting participants. You may want to set a rating, for example 'not to exceed 13+'. You may want to give deadlines when participants must post their additions or their turn will be skipped. (This helps keep the momentum running high for the story.) The rules you set should not inhibit creativity, just ensure that players participate and adhere to the integrity of your story.

Below, I've highlighted some Campfires to illustrate the different approaches WDC writers have taken with the format. You don't have to read all the chapters -- some have close to 100! But if you take the time to skim the Introductions, you'll learn a lot and maybe be inspired to try a Campfire of your own!




Every two weeks I promote highlighted contests, activities, groups, forums and fundraisers geared to support teen writers. Please read through them and click the links

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[Campfire Creatives by Teen Writers]

Crystals of Esylla  (13+) Four seventeen year olds are thrust into Esylla a magic-filled world! Rekindling... JOIN! #577687 by Daizy

Daizy wrote a quick, basic premise for the story in the Introduction, and created a cast of five characters. She listed the characters in the intro and included important physical and personality details to guide participants. In her first entry, she kicked off the story by writing a somewhat lengthy scene. Participants continued the story so that each entry picked up where the last left off, creating one long story.

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High school  (13+) Six teens must survive High school with relationships, homework, Family problems, ect. #1139817 by cutie

Cutie put the rules of the Campfire right in the introduction. She also asked participants to provide their own character, and when they begin an entry she asked that they provide some info about their character: name, age, personality, physical description. The entries don't connect to make one long story. Instead, they're more like vignettes or scenes. Also notice that Cutie sometimes "led" participants by writing internal prompts. (For example: Your character is late for class.)

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Sable Rock High School  (13+) RPG about a high school (and town)where anything can happen and usually does. #812847 by Pen and Sword

The host of this Campfire laid out very specific rules participants must follow. When it was a player's turn, s/he had four days to post his or her entry or be skipped. Also, he explained a two-strike policy, meaning if a participant wrote something offensive or weird/creepy, s/he was dropped from the Campfire after the second offense. Remember, rules are good but should be worded in a friendly, non-threatening voice.

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[Campfire by a Non-Teen]

Stranded!  (13+) A group of young interstellar travelers crash land on a seemingly deserted planet. #1052054 by Zilarg the Xy'ler'ion

This sci-fi Campfire was based on the premise that a spaceship has crash-landed on an uncharted planet. The host, Zilarg, asked participants to create their own characters, but before they typed their story addition, they needed to provide this character info:
Name:
Age: (Please keep ages between 8 and 19.)
Gender:
Race: (You can be any race you come up with, however, don't go to crazy, no super powers or stuff like that, keep it somewhat normal.)
Reason for going to Earth Prime Delta:
Interests:
Last memory before being put into cryosleep:

Zilarg wrote the opening scene with his first character, and the second player introduced his own character, and by the third addition, the two characters were interacting.

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Invalid Item  This item number is not valid. #1390749 by Not Available.

My real-life sister is the host of this Campfire, and I added to the story!

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[Want to Try It? This TWIST member is looking for participants for his Campfire Creative!]

The Ghost of Mr. Manion  (E) This short story is about a captain in the 1900s. NON-FICTION #1763433 by Brandon Case

This is Brandon's first Campfire, and he'd love you to help him write it! Please email Brandon Case and ask him to send you an invitation. I will be reading and reviewing the campfire, and will feature it in a future TWIST newsletter! Have fun!!

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[TWIST! Announcements!]

From time to time, I will roll the virtual dice and choose TWIST members, by their number on the group roster, to win random prizes!!

Congratulations to the following TWIST members who have won a Merit Badge!!

Shadow
Jed Jones - banned novel

Feel free to visit our Group Forum!! This is the place you can go to meet other TWIST! members and to talk about what you are doing to maximize your WDC experience. Please stop by and introduce yourself today!

TWISTers Message Board  (E) Have something for the TWIST emails? Want to meet other TWISTers? Post a message today! #1619412 by NickiD89

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If you have an item you would like promoted in an upcoming TWIST! email, please fill out this survey

TWIST Email Item Submission Form  (E) Have a contest, activity, group or fundraiser you want promoted? Fill in survey today! #1619418 by NickiD89

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Thank you so much for your attention! If you have any suggestions for how I can improve these monthly newsletters, let me know. The next email will go out in about three weeks time. Until then, I hope you check out the activities listed here! See you next time!!


Keep ing!
~Nicki~