# SDMB Short Fiction Contest, Late 2012/Early 2013 edition - Logistics Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 20, 2012, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-short-fiction-contest-late-2012-early-2013-edition-logistics-thread/644648 "2012-12-20T18:16:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-short-fiction-contest-late-2012-early-2013-edition-logistics-thread/644648/41 "2013-01-03T19:03:58Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Just remember to give me credit. 😉 You sure you’re gonna _want_ credit? This thing could end up being the Pontiac Aztek of stories… ---
**Author:** ![Woeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Woeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Woeg)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-short-fiction-contest-late-2012-early-2013-edition-logistics-thread/644648/42 "2013-01-03T21:26:09Z")
Gah, I just couldn’t do it. I tried to think up a clever story, but I just came up blank. It’s the picture that kills me in these contests - I don’t know why I have such a hard time building a story around them. Alas! ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-short-fiction-contest-late-2012-early-2013-edition-logistics-thread/644648/43 "2013-01-04T07:59:56Z")
I sent off a story. I ran out of time… ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-short-fiction-contest-late-2012-early-2013-edition-logistics-thread/644648/44 "2013-01-04T11:57:53Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > I sent off a story. I ran out of time… Murray’s still stuck? Cliffhanger ending! Tune in next week, same bat time, same bat channel. I sent mine in early and now I’m too scared to look at it. They always seem different when I’m reading them in amongst all the other stories. I have to remind myself of the dateline issue - it’s early on Jan 5th here, but it’s still realistically 4 days before these all get posted. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-short-fiction-contest-late-2012-early-2013-edition-logistics-thread/644648/45 "2013-01-04T18:36:41Z")
> [@Woeg](#): > > It’s the picture that kills me in these contests - I don’t know why I have such a hard time building a story around them. Alas! I find that the picture either gives me an idea immediately, or it never will. In the latter cases, I’ve been able to work the picture in somehow, but the resulting story is never as good as the ones where the picture hits me with something as soon as I see it. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-short-fiction-contest-late-2012-early-2013-edition-logistics-thread/644648/46 "2013-01-04T22:48:32Z")
Okay, that’s going to be interesting this weekend, working on THAT picture. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-short-fiction-contest-late-2012-early-2013-edition-logistics-thread/644648/47 "2013-01-05T01:45:32Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > I find that the picture either gives me an idea immediately, or it never will. In the latter cases, I’ve been able to work the picture in somehow, but the resulting story is never as good as the ones where the picture hits me with something as soon as I see it. I have to mention that I get inspiration by investigating where the picture came from and the context; sometimes I even find who made the picture. 🙂 Unfortunately, on many occasions I get too much good or very interesting information and the tales become almost mini novels that I have to struggle to keep it simple and I lose control when I cut them down to size. Still fighting to control that high pressure hose of info and my problems with English as it is my second language. I really like to do this for the challenge. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-short-fiction-contest-late-2012-early-2013-edition-logistics-thread/644648/48 "2013-01-05T19:44:06Z")
The Anthology Thread is here at[this link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=677868), and I’ll be adding stories to it sporadically over the next couple of days. Still 57 hours left for anyone who feels the urge to write something! ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-short-fiction-contest-late-2012-early-2013-edition-logistics-thread/644648/49 "2013-01-05T21:11:48Z")
Okay, I sent for the auto-reply around noon yesterday, and I’m 595 words in. I plan to take the Alphasmart and its new batteries to Williams Coffee for the Hamilton off-season write-in tomorrow and do my best to finish the story there. I’ve got until midnight tomorrow. Onward! ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-short-fiction-contest-late-2012-early-2013-edition-logistics-thread/644648/50 "2013-01-07T00:54:09Z")
Okay, my submission is in. Not sure if I have high hopes - I feel like I can’t get a polished tale in 60 hours no matter what I do - but I had fun, and it’s a concept that I might be able to use later. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-short-fiction-contest-late-2012-early-2013-edition-logistics-thread/644648.md?page=2)