SGI Workshop 1.4 Suggestions for Themes

However the author would want to do it-

Either draining muscular might, or someone else's superpowers, or life force, or whatever seems most interesting.

There's a lot of stories on the topic already, so I'm not sure what new elements could be touched...

Why do we need a TV show for inspiration, wouldn't it be more creative, to create your own drama, in your heads, hä?!

somat

I see your point. But --

There have been many original and imaginative stories based on characters and settings created by other writers -- Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, Robert E. Howard's Conan adventures, H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos ... Larafan's "Zupergirl" (which handily won the first workshop poll) took characters from the Justice League comic book -- Brantley's "Bright Empire" borrows from Robert Heinlein, Larry Niven, and Cordwainer Smith -- and my Atalanta stories steal shamelessly from classical mythology.

I think a stronger objection to the "Ubergirl TV Episode" theme is that many of us might not be familiar with the series referenced by a particular story. So I do favor a more "generic" workshop theme, along the lines of "ubergirl vs army" and "ubergirl vs ubergirl." And anyone who wants to write a "Super-Phoebe" episode of Friends would be welcome to do so, as long as the story fit within that general rubric.

I think a stronger objection to the "Ubergirl TV Episode" theme is that many of us might not be familiar with the series referenced by a particular story. So I do favor a more "generic" workshop theme, along the lines of "ubergirl vs army" and "ubergirl vs ubergirl." And anyone who wants to write a "Super-Phoebe" episode of Friends would be welcome to do so, as long as the story fit within that general rubric.

If we're going to do a TV show theme, may I submit that it would be least restrictive if it were just "Supergirl in a TV show." Don't name the TV show, that's up to the author. Don't name the character. Let the authors write the stories they want with the TV shows they want. If somebody wants to do a Supergirl Reality TV show, go for it. Somebody else wants to do a story where a fictional TV actor gets super powers on live TV, more power to them. Other folks want to do fanfics about Lois & Clark or Smallville, not a problem.

Basically, if it ends up being a TV themed story for the next contest, that's enough. We didn't have Supergirl vs. Wonder Woman for the last theme, we had Ubergirl vs. Ubergirl. We don't restrict other themes to specifics, I don't think we should for this one either.

This was really tough, guys. Reading your suggestions has filled me with so many good ideas for stories that I want to write them all, and see what all of you have to write. What oh what should I do!

I like the reality TV idea very much, especially the idea of a group competing to be the last one standing, the survivor to get the superpowers that all of them want. Or a TV series in which an ordinary character, perhaps a very unlikely one, becomes super. But in the end I decided that for me, the TV factor limits possibilities rather than creates them. After all, just about anything you can do on TV you can also do in real life, even in a competition. So I'm going to pick a topic that allows you to write the story on TV if you want but dictates the theme instead.

So, here is my simple suggestion for the new topic:

"Girl becomes supergirl and this makes someone else sorely upset."

It doesn't matter how. It can be by "draining" a superhero, a magic formula or alien infusion of power or even some other means.
She can use her powers for good or evil or in between. Or perhaps not use them at all. (Now that would be different!)
It can be by her design or completely by accident.
She may welcome it, be unhappy about it or completely indifferent.
But what's important is that someone else (hopefully but not necessarily male) feels terribly wronged (rightly or wrongly) that SHE got the powers.

So there's the challenge.

If I'm way off base with the suggestion, let me know quickly.

Otherwise, let the fun begin.

Oh, and I have a few more ideas for subsequent competitions but I'll keep those to myself for now.

Mark

I like the idea mark. It leaves the door open for so many ideas sorta covers all options which were brought up in this topic. I may even attempt to finish one of my stories and enter it

I look forward to reading all the entries mainly as normal people becomeing super is one of my favorite kind of stories!

Batteries

I may even attempt to finish one of my stories and enter it

Looks like Mark's found a great solution!

What a brilliant workshop this one will be if everyone who has stories "in the pipeline" finishes them in time. I'd love to read your entry when it's ready, batteries.

(BTW, congrats on Boro's UEFA cup qualification)

Hear hear, Marknew! I'm going to try my hand at this one, if only because Mark is one of my favorite authors and his topic opens up the opportunity to finish a story Shadar briefly counseled me on back in the day. It seems as if this subject, particulary "makes someone else sorely upset" is ripe for writing scenes of terrific jealousy and I hope to try and take it from a perspective that is very rare and hasn't been written about yet.

So, Lfan... do we have a Workshop 1.4 then? What's the official theme and deadline?