Proposal: 30 Day Challenge

[DM Cross]

Once upon a time, I used to write quite a bit. Hell, I wrote a book... Once. I created my own world, gave it history, creatures, even Gods an religion... Once.

I can't remember the last time I really wrote anything. I used to have a pretty nice scrap book in the form of my Crossology zetaboard forum that at least had tons of information and showed progression into stories, the universes they took place in and the characters that were wrapped up in them. Then it crashed and most of that work and all of my poetry more or less went kaput. Gones-ville, man. Gones-ville.

And since then, I really haven't been able to recover. While the poetry is gone and there's very little I can do about that, the information for my universes still hasn't made it's way back to the new Crossology. As a matter of fact, some things have even been changed and the only way I know that is recalling the ideas in my head. A head, might I add, that is constantly plagued with a million other non-writing ideas [mainly due to the fact that I have something I didn't have when I used to write constantly; A life]

So, this idea, this "proposal" is my way of attempting to force myself back into the writing scene a bit. More or less, I will give myself 30 days. Each day, I must somehow come up with some new form writing content. Meaning anything from a short scene to a character biography to even an entire chapter of one of my books. I haven't quite figured out the "rules" yet, but I'm thinking of doing a certain amount of words or a certain length of paper. Some standard rules are obvious; Default font and font size. No unique spacing or formatting.

These content pieces shall be put on Crossology, where I will even write a lil "blog" style piece for each bit of content, but I will, naturally, link to them from here [with the blog post here as well, probably]

Thoughts? Ideas for rules? Questions, concerns, gripes, complaints?

Answers?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Day 1 - [DEADLAND UNIVERSE] Character Bio - Tyrale Corren
Day 2 - [KRANIN UNIVERSE] Character Bio - Sage
Day 3 - [KRANIN UNIVERSE] - Story - Cellmates
Day 4 - [KRANIN UNIVERSE] - Story - Goblins at the Gate
Day 5 - [KRANIN UNIVERSE] - Story - Angel of Undeath
Day 6 - [GRAVEYARD SHIFT] - Series Background

 

[KaerfNomekop]

Why not just write one short story every week or so? Then find some way to connect them all into one big universe. That's what I'm pushing myself to do. (It's not going very well)

 

[DM Cross]

A) because it's too easy to find excuses not to do weekly tasks. Trust me, I know from work.

B) I already have 3 universes that have a total of probably 40+ stories already planned out. Nevermind additional ones I haven't planned out yet.

 

[Syndrome]

When are you going to start this?

 

[DM Cross]

I think I might make a brief list of ideas to start with. Just so I don't sit down one day and go "... uhhh..."

 

[Fatmankev]

Made any progress yet, or is this still just an idea, something you want to do?

Wouldn't take too much time outta your day to just throw together a few basic ideas you'd like to write about, just here and there. You could probably get away with it at work, just every time you think of something else you might wanna write about you finish what you're doing, jot it down right quick and get back to work.

From a man fully-trained in its ways, I can tell you that procrastination is the bane to writing.

So get to work, nukka.

 

[DM Cross]

You'd be surprised the amount of crap I do in a day. Up at 0400, at work by 0430, work til 1400 [if I'm lucky and don't get stuck longer] and then a lot of the time it's home for a meal anywhere between 1800-1930, then usually bedtime at 2000, even though I don't really fall asleep til 2200 to even 2300... Then it's the same thing all over again. Keep in mind, going home is home to a pregnant wife and an 18 month old child who misses his daddy all day long. Then, I'm a Skyrim addict, along with being very devoted to my WWE programs each week [hey, we all have vices... Mine is wrestling] and then weekends are errands on Saturday and Sundays are family days, for the most part, before starting alllll over again at 0400 Monday morning.

That being said, I technically DO have a HUGE list of, if nothing else, topics to write about; I have to re-build the Crossology board, specifically the Kranin area that had a good 30-ish threads. Then the Graveyard Shift had a couple dozen threads between stories and character bios.

That being typed, the simplest direction to begin is to take a character a day. I could probably do 30 days of JUST character bios and have more characters left over at the end.

That being typed [ooh, repeat sentence starters! So original] the remaining thing would be the minimums I would need to cover. Do I create a "character sheet" of certain fields I need to construct, then write their backstory which must span a certain amount of characters or words?

Mmm. This has been a very productive post. Maybe this has hope of, you know, actually happening.

 

[Syndrome]

Why not randomly post a thread with the topic you're writing. Or maybe a prompt. Or something. And post your stuff there? That way me or some other people who are interested can also write along as well and post it up. It's a good way to brush some of the webs away in the WC haha.

 

[Fatmankev]

If your intention for this 30-month project is primarily focused on character development, then a character sheet's a pretty good idea. The only downside is that most of who and what your characters are will be addressed in the bios of their sheets, making the rest of the details in the character sheet more or less superficial. So, might just be a waste of time, in that regard.

I wouldn't even shoot for a minimum if I were you - except to write each day you're trying to do this for. I'd suggest just writing what you've got off the top of your head, marking down some of the major details and anything else you're afraid of forgetting. If you sit down long enough to start writing, I've little doubt you'll get enough written down to meet your standards.

Maybe focus on trying to find a brief period in your schedule you can dedicate to this, just a 15-20 minute block where your lady can watch the chillun and you can have a minute of peace and focus. I know that's easier said than done, believe me, but if you can manage that then I'm sure you could manage this.


And Syndrome: I like your idea. Something we could all participate in (if properly executed) really could breath a lil' life back into this place. If you wanna start one yourself, go for it!

 

[DM Cross]

Why not randomly post a thread with the topic you're writing. Or maybe a prompt. Or something. And post your stuff there? That way me or some other people who are interested can also write along as well and post it up. It's a good way to brush some of the webs away in the WC haha.

Not that I'm against this idea, but for what I'm attempting to do the 30 day challenge for, well... It's a selfish thing to improve upon the quantity of MY notes for MY stories/universes... Not just to write.

Nothing personal.

I think I'm going to start brainstorming a list of 30 or more ideas. Which I will post. Somewhere.

At some point.

This week.

I hope.

You see where this is going...

 

[Syndrome]

So... about that brainstorm

 

[DM Cross]

Day 1. Character Bio. Tyrale Corren. Deadland Universe.

http://w11.zetaboards.com/Crossology/topic/8125928/1/

Enjoy. Feedback? Sure, why not?

Updating OP with this link as well to keep all the updates in one place.

 

[Syndrome]

Concept's pretty interesting, I really like Tyrale's ascension into power being something someone else did. There's a huge cliche being exploited nowadays that tends to be the other way around.

 

[DM Cross]

Well, essentially, the idea behind a lot of my characters [a sub-conscious idea, not something planned] is that none of them PLANNED on being anything more than normal. Alexander and Thomas Stinda never KNEW or thought they'd be more than just a couple of laborers in their town during the colonization of the New World. Alexander Stinda becomes a Vampire of some renoun while Thomas Stinda becomes [or rather, is revealed to be] a very important High Guardian.

Even the human characters eventually grow into becoming something else.

I actually started a "character web" at work the other day to show which characters connect to which, surrounding the main character of the series Alexander Stinda. It helped me create a few new characters, too. If possible, maybe I'll scan that at work one day, e-mail it home and try to upload it and list what the character connections are. That would, however, be a huge spoiler for anyone not interested in getting some later-series knowledge.

But, alas...

 

[DM Cross]

Day 2. Character Bio. Sage. Kranin Universe.

http://w11.zetaboards.com/Crossology/topic/8134571/1/

Original post updated with the link as well.

Feedback? Always.

Personal note: Sage is one of my favorite characters. It may not be depicted in the character bio [mainly because I was trying to explain more of his history then I guess his actual personality] but the dude is absolutely nuts. He's crazy, wild, unpredictable... He's the Kranin version of Heath Ledger's The Joker.

Love him.

 

[Syndrome]

I'll post what I think in a bit. I have work to do lol

 

[DM Cross]

This is a long bit of a bit.

I wrote some historical information for the Graveyard Shift Universe, however it is written on paper, not online. It shall be transferred over soon, most likely tomorrow (provided I remember)

 

[DM Cross]

Day 3 - [KRANIN UNIVERSE] - Story - Cellmates
Day 4 - [KRANIN UNIVERSE] - Story - Goblins at the Gate
Day 5 - [KRANIN UNIVERSE] - Story - Angel of Undeath
Day 6 - [GRAVEYARD SHIFT] - Series Background