SGInc Workshop Poll for Authors or WannaBes

I think it's a great idea.

I have someone in mind if we decide to move forward with it. 8)

My life has been a little too busy for writing lately, but working with a partner might be enough to motivate me to dedicate a little time to it.

So the story could be about anything ubergirl related, as long as it's written by more than one person?

YAGS

Could be a great way to get some writers out of their shells.....I know I could use a partner once in a while...I know I can write decent action stuff, but struggle when I need to slow the pace down.

I would be onboard this ship, and maybe i also have already someone who could sail the seas..

somat

This could be interesting. The possibility of a collaboration has come up in conversation with a few other writers. Nothing specific -- just "Hey-we-should-write-a-story-together-sometime" ...

I might be hesitant to enter into a partnership, however, out of fear that real-life obligations might prevent me from doing my share of the work in a timely manner.

That said, I'll consider any offers ...

I'd come out of hiding for the right team-up, but you can't force magic like that. I predict 9 of 10 will be bitter flops. I'm sitting on the fence for my chance at #10. Ping me if you wish, but be warned: I've been picking at my latest work for going on 10 months now. Art school's been sapping my creativity these last couple of years, but I'm a much better scribbler for it.

How about an artist/writer team-up? Anybody into writing "picture books"? I'd team up with myself on that but doing both sides at once is just too much to ask.

It's all ink to me now. Ping me for either.

Peace and Wuv,
-Paw.

That's an interesting thought, WhitePaw. I hadn't considered writer/artist teamups.

As for being mostly flops, I'll disagree with you there. We've got a lot of writers around here who are pretty good, but not great. Or some that are good at ideas, but not execution, or vice versa. The right teamups are likely to produce results that are better than either person could produce alone. I'm not saying they'll all be winners, but I'd give odds that we'll come out ahead better than half the time, and maybe even get one or two true gems.

I think the key in getting a good collaboration is for everyone to be completely honest with themselves (and possibly each other) about their weaknesses. If you know what your weaknesses are, you can find a partner whose strength is your weakness and vice versa.

So are we doing this thing? I'd say we've got enough maybes in the poll to get it on. I'd recommend a longer deadline than usual, to give people time to pick partners and go back and forth doing the writing. Maybe make it 4-5 months instead of the usual 2-3.

YAGS

I'd recommend a longer deadline than usual, to give people time to pick partners and go back and forth doing the writing. Maybe make it 4-5 months instead of the usual 2-3.

I agree with most everything YAGS said, but especially this last part. Maybe it should be a parallel workshop, like the short strories and normal workshops are parallel. Writer team up workshop 3.1 or something like that.

In response to lfans concern: For me a little pressure inspires more writing. However, a workshop deadline doesn't do it as I can just say "I'll catch the next one," or "topics not my style" or the killer "who cares if I write a story anyways, who's going to like it, read it, etc., its not worth my time." However, if there's a living breathing person relying on me to write my part, these excuses kind of evaporate.

In short I'd love to try this. What would be interesting would be something like random pair-ups. True, they might end up being disasters, but they would certainly bring forth some unique stories.

As a co-writer I'd be a disaster, but if anyone has an idea (or half an idea) that could use some fleshing out, I've been known to be useful at that.

Perhaps instead of making *all* partnerships random, we could assign randomly only for people who want to play but don't have a specific partner in mind.

--Y

I'd be up for it, yes.

*waves*

same here

I'm in.

Me too.

I've got a partner and we've been hammering out an idea for a story.

Still open to additional invitations.

This sounds like it could be fun.

Although, it might be more fun though if people were forced to work with partners they didn't get on with at first. Maybe a zany wise-cracking, getting-results-is-more-important-than-following-rules young writer gets saddled with an older, more cynical, straight-down-the-middle by-the-book writer. Maybe they're of different ethnicities too, in case anyone is too stupid to understand that they are supposed to be very different types of person. Sure, they might not see eye-to-eye to begin with, but after a series of hilarious incidents they achieve success together and in the end have to admit (in a completely heterosexual way) that they've developped a secret, mutual respect.

Or what about random partners? Half the participants put their USB keydrive in a bowl and then the other half take turns pulling them out - whoever's drive they get, that's their partner...

Which Network are you pitching this Sit-Com to CF?

And by the way, Team Acenaut is off and running!

So it sounds like this is underway, even without an official announcement.

Should we start a separate "partners wanted" thread, or just keep adding to this one?

If you're advertising for a partner, I'd recommend including all of the following in your post:

1. Your strengths as a writer.
2. Your weaknesses as a writer.
3. A link to a sample of your writing, if you don't have any stories in the SWM story bank.
4. What type of stories you like to write (Good girl or bad girl? Ultra powerful or relatively low levels of power by SWM standards? Violent? Romantic? Comedy? Fan fiction of particular characters? etc)
5. What type of writer you think would be your ideal partner.
6. Time restraints that might affect your participation. For that matter, you might want to include your time zone if you think you might want to talk via online chat with your partner while you go.

Maybe I'm overthinking this. Put that down as #2 on my list. One of my weaknesses is that I tend to overthink things. That's probably the main reason I'm such a slow writer.

YAGS

Holy ugly urls, Batman!

Lets try that again. (Admin can you erase the previous post)?

I'll use YAGS template:

1. Your strengths as a writer.

I think I'm fairly proficient, and the pages I write tend to be high quality near finished product. I practice fairly solid storytelling techniques.

2. Your weaknesses as a writer.

Output - I'm a slow writer especially compared to some on this board with an average story length of less than 10 typed pages for long stories. If you need someone to produce endless streams of raw written material, I'm not your guy.

'Meh' Results - I've entered stories in 3 workshops and everytime the results seems to be more or less a collective shrug. I can't seem to find (or bring myself to write) stories that press the right buttons.

3. A link to a sample of your writing, if you don't have any stories in the SWM story bank.

One story stored offsite (1st chapter is in the SWM bank):
Wannabe Heroes

Three stories in the bank:
Asylum
Cop Story
Honeymoon

4. What type of stories you like to write (Good girl or bad girl? Ultra powerful or relatively low levels of power by SWM standards? Violent? Romantic? Comedy? Fan fiction of particular characters? etc)

Short answers:
Good girls
Relatively low power
I dunno... Romantic?
original characters

5. What type of writer you think would be your ideal partner.

I honestly have no idea.

6. Time restraints that might affect your participation. For that matter, you might want to include your time zone if you think you might want to talk via online chat with your partner while you go.

US central time, very irregular work schedule but almost always avaliable by email.

Ok, using my own template:

1. Your strengths as a writer.

Ideas and editing. I consider myself a better editor than writer.

Also, I think I've got a decent eye for building dramatic tension. Related to that, I sometimes try to take chances with my writing, telling stories from perspectives other than the standard linear third person. It doesn't always work, but at least it's not boring.

I guess my writing is pretty good at pushing some people's buttons around here, based on my getting a few votes in the workshops I've entered, even though I've never won any.

2. Your weaknesses as a writer.

As I said, I consider myself a better editor than writer. It's like I know what I want to write, but I'm not very good at actually getting the words on to the page. Then, once I do have something written, I go back and clean it up, which is the editing part that I'm good at.

I'm also pretty slow. As I said, I have a hard time getting the words on to the page. I think I tend to over-think things. And I tend to be overly verbose. I'm learning, though.

3. A link to a sample of your writing, if you don't have any stories in the SWM story bank.

Here's a link to the first story I ever wrote and shared on the internet. It's giantess themed (actually shrinking), not ubergirl:

www.shrinktopia.com/viewstory.php?sid=62

If that link doesn't work, just go to www.shrinktopia.com/ and search for me by author name.

Here's my SWM story bank work:

www.superwomenmania.com/storybank/bank/2...0Toy%20by%20Yags.txt
www.superwomenmania.com/storybank/bank/2...%201%20by%20Yags.txt
www.superwomenmania.com/storybank/bank/2...gent%20by%20Yags.txt
www.superwomenmania.com/storybank/bank/2...20Me%20by%20YAGS.txt

That last one is an example of a stylistic experiment that didn't necessarily turn out great. But again, it was worth trying, just to see. I think in a longer story, that non-linear story telling method would work better. Or I could go back to normal, linear storytelling, depending on what I feel would work in the particular story.

4. What type of stories you like to write (Good girl or bad girl? Ultra powerful or relatively low levels of power by SWM standards? Violent? Romantic? Comedy? Fan fiction of particular characters? etc)

I lean towards "mischevious". ie She likes having and using (abusing) power over others, but isn't necessarily lethal. Dominating people is much more interesting to me than feats of strength like lifting boulders or cars. I could write a good girl who just her work enough to play with it.

I tend to stick to relatively low power levels by SWM standards, sometimes even low enough power and non-superstrenght, so those stories don't really belong here. But I wouldn't submit a story for SWM if it's like that.

5. What type of writer you think would be your ideal partner.

Maybe someone who's better at the description side of things than I am. Or an "up and coming" person who wants a good editor.

6. Time restraints that might affect your participation. For that matter, you might want to include your time zone if you think you might want to talk via online chat with your partner while you go.

I'm on east coast, USA time (GMT -5). Right now, my work is settling down, so I'll have time to write, other than taking a long weekend with family next weekend. I may be moving in the next couple of months, though, so I may have to put writing on hold for a month or more at that point. If this thing has a long enough deadline, that shouldn't stop me from participating, though. It'll just force me to take a break along the way.

YAGS

If you're advertising for a partner, I'd recommend including all of the following in your post:

1. Your strengths as a writer.
2. Your weaknesses as a writer.
3. A link to a sample of your writing, if you don't have any stories in the SWM story bank.
4. What type of stories you like to write (Good girl or bad girl? Ultra powerful or relatively low levels of power by SWM standards? Violent? Romantic? Comedy? Fan fiction of particular characters? etc)
5. What type of writer you think would be your ideal partner.
6. Time restraints that might affect your participation. For that matter, you might want to include your time zone if you think you might want to talk via online chat with your partner while you go.

Alternatively, you could do what my partner did:

PARTNER [private message]: Wanna collaborate?

ME [reply]: Sure, what do you have in mind?

If you're advertising for a partner, I'd recommend including all of the following in your post:

1. Your strengths as a writer.
2. Your weaknesses as a writer.
3. A link to a sample of your writing, if you don't have any stories in the SWM story bank.
4. What type of stories you like to write (Good girl or bad girl? Ultra powerful or relatively low levels of power by SWM standards? Violent? Romantic? Comedy? Fan fiction of particular characters? etc)
5. What type of writer you think would be your ideal partner.
6. Time restraints that might affect your participation. For that matter, you might want to include your time zone if you think you might want to talk via online chat with your partner while you go.

Alternatively, you could do what my partner did:

PARTNER [private message]: Wanna collaborate?

ME [reply]: Sure, what do you have in mind?

As I said, I have a tendency to overthink things.

But this works for people who don't really know each other and don't know who they want to pair up with.

YAGS

There is one other way to look at choosing up teams. Guys like me who have never won (henceforth referred to as "Losers") and Guys like CF,
Marknew, DKC, Argo and if I recall right YOU YAGS who have won (henceforth refered to as "Winners"). After just taking in "Blades of Glory", I am thinking that Half a Gold Medal would suit me just fine, as it is most likely the only way I will ever win (although I came so close that one time to winning by default. If only DKC hadn't put his entry in).


So maybe the Losers should try to pair themselves off with proven Winners! That's my plan and I am sticking too it!

There is one other way to look at choosing up teams. Guys like me who have never won (henceforth referred to as "Losers") and Guys like CF,
Marknew, DKC, Argo and if I recall right YOU YAGS who have won (henceforth refered to as "Winners"). After just taking in "Blades of Glory", I am thinking that Half a Gold Medal would suit me just fine, as it is most likely the only way I will ever win (although I came so close that one time to winning by default. If only DKC hadn't put his entry in).


So maybe the Losers should try to pair themselves off with proven Winners! That's my plan and I am sticking too it!

That's actually a pretty good plan. And no, I've never won a workshop. I think I was second once, but that's as close as I've come.

YAGS