The Official Author's Hangout 2014 Earth Day Contest Support Thread

The plot bunny I had for this just never seemed to want to come out of its warren and see what it could do so I have changed course into a boring little essay because i felt the need to get something done before the weekend, and the start of the adventure of joining a group of lit authors for some erotic couplings.

Good luck to everyone and their entries, I hope your plot bunnies were kinder than mine.

I have a half a hundred I'll let you have if you'll just take them off my hands. :eek:
 
I have a half a hundred I'll let you have if you'll just take them off my hands. :eek:

That would make a good craig's list ad

"Used bunnies free to a good home"

However seeing the bunnies are trapped within my mind it will be best if I demonstrate them to you.

The first one happens to be a about an attractive young lady who answered a Craig's list ad thinking she was going to pick up a pet bunny and....
 
I have a half a hundred I'll let you have if you'll just take them off my hands. :eek:

What a lovely offer I think I might take you up on that if you have the same problem around Nude Day contest time :D

That would make a good craig's list ad

"Used bunnies free to a good home"

However seeing the bunnies are trapped within my mind it will be best if I demonstrate them to you.

The first one happens to be a about an attractive young lady who answered a Craig's list ad thinking she was going to pick up a pet bunny and....

This offer on the other hand....... what a tempting ad and as we Aussies say, "Yeah, but no."
 
Ok, be honest. Are stories about ... fairies, for lack of a better word ... totally overdone for Earth Day?

You know, wood nymphs, dryads, what have you.

What if they were a little bit evil? Would that help? ;)

I have a story idea, but it seems so cliche.
 
Ok, be honest. Are stories about ... fairies, for lack of a better word ... totally overdone for Earth Day?

You know, wood nymphs, dryads, what have you.

What if they were a little bit evil? Would that help? ;)

I have a story idea, but it seems so cliche.

There is not much here after all the years and hundreds of thousands of stories that has not been overdone.

Just do the best you can to put your own stamp on another tired trope on site full of them.

The readership doesn't seem to mind. In fact it seems that when you manage to give them something different that's when they get a little bent out of sorts.

Some people do not mind eating the same lunch everyday apparently.
 
It's been said and done
Every beautiful thought's been already sung
And I guess right now here's another one
So your melody will play on and on, with the best of 'em

So says Elena Gomez anyway.

There is not much here after all the years and hundreds of thousands of stories that has not been overdone.

Just do the best you can to put your own stamp on another tired trope on site full of them.

The readership doesn't seem to mind. In fact it seems that when you manage to give them something different that's when they get a little bent out of sorts.

Some people do not mind eating the same lunch everyday apparently.
 
I used Earth day last year to talk about sustainability living. Urban homesteading. Living a simpler (and cheaper) lifestyle and enjoying it.

This years story is a little darker.

Earth day makes for good environment protest stories. There are a lot of things out there that need to either be stopped or fixed. Plenty of story fodder.

Mix it up.

Would advise against global warming stories, given that most of our reader here in America are deep frozen and have been that way.

MST
 
I did one last year on uranium strip mining. It was received well. The one the year before that was on water pollution.
 
All my plot bunnies for Earth Day begin with a lakeside clean-up or picking up trash somewhere. All of them. Sometimes I hate my muse!
 
All my plot bunnies for Earth Day begin with a lakeside clean-up or picking up trash somewhere. All of them. Sometimes I hate my muse!

:eek: Mine this year is a little more adventuresome. Cleaning up the sandbars on a shallow river from a boat. I think my muse is poking fun at me. :eek:
 
Earth day makes for good environment protest stories. There are a lot of things out there that need to either be stopped or fixed. Plenty of story fodder.

Would advise against global warming stories, given that most of our reader here in America are deep frozen and have been that way.

Hmm I did think about putting some of my pet nature peeves in there (and global warming isn't one :) ) but it's difficult to do without it seeming contrived.

And anyway the finished version is almost 9,000 words, so that's plenty long already. Or what do you think ?
 
Shall I reveal mine? It's set 10 years after the first Earth Day and involves a cheating wife, calmly conspiratorial environmentalists, an interrupted wedding, a rape by The Green Man -- and it occurs in the Mohave Desert. Cactus wrens may be involved. Yes, an ED story in LW. Beware.
 
All my plot bunnies for Earth Day begin with a lakeside clean-up or picking up trash somewhere. All of them. Sometimes I hate my muse!
'

Aw jeez mine starts with picking up trash at a local park.

Guess I should change it.

Um, no, not really.

MY Earth Day connection is not a strong one.

At first I was going to try to really push the theme, but then I decided whatever.

Summer loving and Winter inevitably feature stories as simple as I met this girl at the beach or it was snowing and..,. and they do just fine. I'm not killing myself for the lamest of all the theme contests.
 
It's kind of in line with, does trying to save one tree really make a difference? You know, does one voice, one vote, ever really count? And what are you willing to do for your cause?

And, dryads are not as nice as you would like them to be. ;)

I'm going with it, as it is the only idea I have and I've got a lot of other projects going on right now. I missed the Holiday and Valentine's Day contests because I have not been feeling well, and though this theme is kind of lame, I'm determined to get back in the saddle, so to speak.
 
I have no idea what a dryad is. Sounds like a product you would use to eliminate static cling. :D

It's kind of in line with, does trying to save one tree really make a difference? You know, does one voice, one vote, ever really count? And what are you willing to do for your cause?

And, dryads are not as nice as you would like them to be. ;)

I'm going with it, as it is the only idea I have and I've got a lot of other projects going on right now. I missed the Holiday and Valentine's Day contests because I have not been feeling well, and though this theme is kind of lame, I'm determined to get back in the saddle, so to speak.
 
Are they people sized? Or like Tinkerbell?

They are generally portrayed as petite.

In fact is some stories-including mainstream fiction, the Belgariad comes to mind-the Dryads come across as underage not that they are, but they are small and very childlike, but of course sexually developed.

Its another end around for rule breaking when its "not human"
 
They are generally portrayed as petite.

In fact is some stories-including mainstream fiction, the Belgariad comes to mind-the Dryads come across as underage not that they are, but they are small and very childlike, but of course sexually developed.

Its another end around for rule breaking when its "not human"

I think petite is more correct than childlike - at least as regards their bodies. And Eddings' Dryads (in the Belgariad and his other books) are only childlike in that they are direct and unabashed about what they want and petulant if they don't get it (chocolate, sex, admiration, and killing people who threaten their trees :) ).

I'd enjoy reading stories about naughty Dryads - espcially if they are not nice and innocent, but can think up clever revenges on greedy people who ravage their ancient trees. And reward those that protect them ;)
 
I think petite is more correct than childlike - at least as regards their bodies. And Eddings' Dryads (in the Belgariad and his other books) are only childlike in that they are direct and unabashed about what they want and petulant if they don't get it (chocolate, sex, admiration, and killing people who threaten their trees :) ).

I'd enjoy reading stories about naughty Dryads - espcially if they are not nice and innocent, but can think up clever revenges on greedy people who ravage their ancient trees. And reward those that protect them ;)

And according to Belgarath Dryads will do anything for sweetmeats.
 
"It says it's gathering wood," the first girl reported, "for a fire. Do you think I should kill it?"

Xantha says we're supposed to find out who they are," the red-haired one said thoughtfully. "If it turns out that they don't have any business here, then you can kill it."

"Oh, very well," the tawny-haired girl agreed, with obvious disappointment. "But don't forget that I found this one. When the time comes, I get to kill it."

First encounter with dryads in the Belgariad.

There's little doubt he's playing with the contrast between their appearance and childish mannerisms versus their ancient wisdom, tendency to kill human varmints who enter their wood ( or use them for breeding stock ), and the like. Every scene he writes with dryads does that.

As to the question, there aren't really that many dryad stories, even during this contest when they're natural to the theme. Everyone has their own interpretation of them as well. They're hardly at a saturation point, especially if you're going to take a "not-so-nice" approach.

Now it's time for me to get back to mine before the young one wakes up. I'm just about to hit the primary plot driver, which is also the heart of the Earth Day theme.
 
First encounter with dryads in the Belgariad.

There's little doubt he's playing with the contrast between their appearance and childish mannerisms versus their ancient wisdom, tendency to kill human varmints who enter their wood ( or use them for breeding stock ), and the like. Every scene he writes with dryads does that.

As to the question, there aren't really that many dryad stories, even during this contest when they're natural to the theme. Everyone has their own interpretation of them as well. They're hardly at a saturation point, especially if you're going to take a "not-so-nice" approach.

Now it's time for me to get back to mine before the young one wakes up. I'm just about to hit the primary plot driver, which is also the heart of the Earth Day theme.

Is it going to be called, hmmm, let's see.....

Something of the wood?

Sorry, couldn't resist.

I behaved in the last contest an didn't take your bait.

I can't so it twice in a row.
 
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