# The SDMB Short Fiction Contest for May, 2013 - Logistics Thread. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 11, 2013, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-short-fiction-contest-for-may-2013-logistics-thread/658074 "2013-05-11T13:12:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-short-fiction-contest-for-may-2013-logistics-thread/658074/41 "2013-05-23T03:34:47Z")
Damn, just got the words and image… it’s almost like I chose them myself. _rubs hands in devilish excitement_ ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-short-fiction-contest-for-may-2013-logistics-thread/658074/42 "2013-05-23T15:34:02Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > Hey, I’m hoping some of the…UK Dopers are planning to give it a go in the upcoming…Bank Holiday weekends. Yeah - we won’t deduct points if you use weird spellings like “colour” and “theatre” and understand when you say going to “hospital” instead of “the hospital”. We are real worldly here on the SDMB! Of course, UK writers will have a distinct advantage - you all know how Americans love to read stories written in a British accent. Get those quills and parchment paper out - pip, pip - tally ho! ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-short-fiction-contest-for-may-2013-logistics-thread/658074/43 "2013-05-23T19:28:31Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > Yeah - we won’t deduct points if you use weird spellings like “colour” and “theatre” and understand when you say going to “hospital” instead of “the hospital”. We are real worldly here on the SDMB! > > Of course, UK writers will have a distinct advantage - you all know how Americans love to read stories written in a British accent. Get those quills and parchment paper out - pip, pip - tally ho! However, marks will be taken off for any character that pronounces the letter “z” as “zed” or calls the bathroom a “toilet”. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-short-fiction-contest-for-may-2013-logistics-thread/658074/44 "2013-05-23T22:21:09Z")
Sweet, just finished my first draft, so consider me definitely in the running. I’ll submit it tomorrow after giving it another pass or two. Can’t wait to read what everyone else came up with. This one was particularly inspiring and good fun for me (and another science fiction entry, sorry, couldn’t resist!). ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-short-fiction-contest-for-may-2013-logistics-thread/658074/45 "2013-05-24T01:14:15Z")
I wanted to give mine a sci-fi twist but didn’t. I’m not really happy with my entry, I think I rushed it. Oh well, there will be other chances (I hope) We all need to stroke the OP so they will keep on hosting this!😃 ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-short-fiction-contest-for-may-2013-logistics-thread/658074/46 "2013-05-24T01:36:05Z")
I’m curious what kind of spread we have in genres (whether straight-up / sub / mixed / indeterminable) this round. Participants want to weigh in to whet our appetites while we wait? **cmyk = Semi-Hard Science Fiction.** ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-short-fiction-contest-for-may-2013-logistics-thread/658074/47 "2013-05-24T01:57:20Z")
I think mine is more or less ordinary/somewhat realistic/indeterminable. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-short-fiction-contest-for-may-2013-logistics-thread/658074/48 "2013-05-24T02:02:27Z")
Mine has some paranormal-ish stuff going on, but doesn’t really fit neatly into the categories of urban fantasy or horror. _shrugs_ ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-short-fiction-contest-for-may-2013-logistics-thread/658074/49 "2013-05-24T02:10:04Z")
Mine is bare-bones mystery…once again, used all my 2000 words to get the story across, but lost a lot of the nuance and atmosphere in the process. And I swore the last time that I wouldn’t fall into that trap again…but there I went anyway. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-short-fiction-contest-for-may-2013-logistics-thread/658074/50 "2013-05-24T21:47:31Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > Mine is bare-bones mystery…once again, used all my 2000 words to get the story across, but lost a lot of the nuance and atmosphere in the process. > And I swore the last time that I wouldn’t fall into that trap again…but there I went anyway. Same here. I write the first draft, only vaguely keeping the word count in the back of my mind, and glance at the counter only when I’m about 2/3rds of the way there. At that point, I can rest assured that I’ll be over 2,000 words by 50 to hundred, knowing I’ll have to go back and start stripping down a paragraph here and there, but every damn word seems essential. Then I let it sit for a day, and shit, did this thing need some serious pruning! Editing is certainly an art, probably the most important work in shaping the story, which is probably any writer’s sore spot. It sure is mine. ---
**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:** [May 24, 2013, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-short-fiction-contest-for-may-2013-logistics-thread/658074/51 "2013-05-24T22:21:56Z")
…and another story from **slackbaby** , bringing our current total up to seven. Great! ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-short-fiction-contest-for-may-2013-logistics-thread/658074/52 "2013-05-25T11:51:17Z")
Whew, just submitted mine with a few hours to spare! Expect plenty of typos and grammatical errors, this one took me longer to edit than to write it, and left little time to proofread. Ahh well… At least I was able to pair it down to exactly 2,000 words. Can’t wait for Anthology time! ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-short-fiction-contest-for-may-2013-logistics-thread/658074/53 "2013-05-25T17:37:09Z")
Will the anthology thread be posted in Cafe Society as well? ---
**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:** [May 25, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-short-fiction-contest-for-may-2013-logistics-thread/658074/54 "2013-05-25T17:56:27Z")
Yes. I’ll probably get started on it around this time tomorrow. (10 AM EDT tomorrow morning is exactly 60 hours before the close of the contest.) ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-short-fiction-contest-for-may-2013-logistics-thread/658074/55 "2013-05-25T21:07:50Z")
Now that I’ve had a chance to rest, would it be okay (and also a help) if I formatted the story with this board’s BBCode? I’ve just read through mine again, and caught a couple egregious errors due to some sloppy editing, so this would also give me a chance to make these corrections. I ask, because it’s over my 60 hour time, but I pinky-promise not to change the story itself! ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2013, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-short-fiction-contest-for-may-2013-logistics-thread/658074/56 "2013-05-26T03:16:52Z")
I went ahead and formatted it in BBCode, and shot it to ya in an email. Hope it makes your life a tad easier, I had a lot of italics, and a couple spots that required a different font and color. I also put most of the story in a spoiler box, and my username in another one like you’ve been doing. ---
**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:** [May 26, 2013, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-short-fiction-contest-for-may-2013-logistics-thread/658074/57 "2013-05-26T11:19:59Z")
Thanks; I’ll find out how it works in a little while. Just for fun, this time I’ll try to keep track of some of the oddities of coding that happen. I’m not a computer guy, not by a long road, and I’d like to figure out why some of the peculiarities of format persist from what I get in the e-mail to what I post here… ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2013, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-short-fiction-contest-for-may-2013-logistics-thread/658074/58 "2013-05-26T13:00:19Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > Thanks; I’ll find out how it works in a little while. > > Just for fun, this time I’ll try to keep track of some of the oddities of coding that happen. I’m not a computer guy, not by a long road, and I’d like to figure out why some of the peculiarities of format persist from what I get in the e-mail to what I post here… Fantastic, thank you. All you’ll need to do is open up the doc, select all, copy, then just paste the whole thing into a new post. The only thing you’ll need to do after, is simply cut my title from the main post, and just paste it into the post’s title box. I may have added bold tags on either end though, so just delete the bracketed "B"s. ---
**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:** [May 26, 2013, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-short-fiction-contest-for-may-2013-logistics-thread/658074/59 "2013-05-26T22:51:20Z")
[The Anthology Thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=692118) is now up and running - I’ll be adding stories to it over the next couple of days, and I’ll start the poll after 10 PM EDT Tuesday. ---
**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:** [May 27, 2013, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-short-fiction-contest-for-may-2013-logistics-thread/658074/60 "2013-05-27T06:45:29Z")
I just sent mine, I hope it arrived ok. Just simple text. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-short-fiction-contest-for-may-2013-logistics-thread/658074.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-short-fiction-contest-for-may-2013-logistics-thread/658074.md?page=4)