Guide to: Literary Maneuvers
Er, what?
The Literary Maneuvers (LM) forum has much akin to the gladiatorial arenas of Ancient Rome: it's so hot it burns your feet, is populated by bare-chested Italians, and has a higher fatality rate than chordless bungee jumping. Writers come here from far and wide, projecting themselves like so many virtual ghosts into WF.com's very own metaphysical coliseum.
Nope, ya lost me.
Are you familiar with the term 'Write-Off'? Essentially, it's a competition between two writers, with the theme and format of the writing set by an independent official. Our sister site, LitDotOrg, holds them weekly.
Um. So why's this different?
The forum setup here at WF.com allows for everyone to participate in every challenge: think of it as a literary free for all.
Alright. Hows it work?
OK...
- Every two weeks, on a Monday morning, a theme is set. The theme can be absolutely anything writing related. One fortnight, it might be 'a haiku about gardening', and the next 'a 500 word, moralistic short story'. Anybody is free to suggest themes (privately, to me), though obviously you can't take part in a challenge that you suggested. The theme takes the form of a thread in this forum in the format MM-DD-YY | Theme Title.
- If you wish to take part in the challenge, all you have to do is write your piece and post it as a reply to the aforementioned thread. All submissions must be titled.
- The theme thread is closed two days before the end of the fortnight. This allows time for all pieces to be read by the reviewers.
- A small panel of reviewers adjudicate the competition. Each submission is scored out of 20, and each member of the panel is obliged to write a short comment justifying their rating. Scores for all entries submitted are posted on the final Sunday of the two week period. If you would prefer your scores not to be publicly announced, you should say as much within your submission.
All very well and good, but why should I bother?
Fun, competition and feedback. Any excuse to write is a good excuse, particularly for procrastinators among us (myself included). That said, the best thing about this competition is the sheer enjoyment of letting yourself loose on a completely random challenge and seeing what you come out with. In terms of diversifying our writing techniques, LM is invaluable. And, of course, for everyone who's ever moaned about a lack of criticism, this is your place. Naturally, there's also the competitive element - need some eRespect? Some eLove? We got more than you can shake a stick at.
Rules- Use the 'off-topic' tags for any comments which aren't submissions within the theme threads.
- Titles in bold, text in black, line breaks aplenty, if you please.
- Users should be advised that only theme and score threads are allowed within the LM forum. Questions and discussions are welcome in the LM Coffee Shop.
Thankye for reading. Good luck!
