Utah's picture
Moderator
Utah from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry February 17, 2012 - 5:40pm
WAR!  TODAY!  ARM YOURSELF!

***IMPORTANT NEW INFORMATION!***

I just got this PM from Kirk, the wizard behind the LitReactor curtain.

We're going to sponsor in some prizes for this. Here's what we're going to put up:

Winner
- $100 off any class coupon
- 6 mos membership
- MugReactor
- $50 amazon card

Runner up
- 6 mos membership
- MugReactor
- $50 amazon card

3 & 4th places
- MugReactor
- $25 amazon card

This is your invitation to participate in the LitReactor Battle Tournament*.  It's a chance to put your money where your mouth is and go toe-to-toe with the rest of this writing community in a tournament-style competition to crown a site champion, who will receive the title of BAMF (Bad-Ass MoFo).  We're all here because we like to write and a lot of us would like to do it professionally.  This requires a professional output and consistency.  Discipline.  And a desire to make war.

You should step up to the challenge.

Please note:  The rules and timing of this competition are not finalized.  Feel free to pummel me with your hopes, dreams, and suggestions to make WAR as good as possible.

What it is:

WAR is a tournament-style competition.  It will be a series of writer battles in the basic format of the Beyond Thunderdome writer battles, with some timing changes due to the volume of work necessary to make it run.  Contestants will be paired into a traditional bracket format and write until there is only one left standing.  This is a 32-contestant, 5 round single-elimination tournament.  In case of any early withdrawals we are maintaining a list of alternates who are slobbering at the bit to take someone's place.

How it works:

1.  You tell me you want in.  I put your name on the list below.

2.  Some of the top 5 reviewers (because they have more widely read the members on the site) determine seeding.  For those who don't know, in seeding participants are rated according to perceived chance to win and given a numerical designation to indicate this (in this case probably 1 through 8).  Initial matchups are based on this seed process, with those perceived least likely to win the championship pitted against those perceived most likely to win, and so on.  So initial matchups would be 1-8, 2-7, etc.

3.  We put together the brackets.

4.  On the start date we receive our writing prompts.  Each pair will receive its own prompt (otherwise the workshop would get pretty tedious).  These prompts will be PMmed to each contestant's individual accounts at approximately 5:00 PM US CST on a Friday (please bear with the approximate times here, as I cannot only send one set of PMs at a time).  This gives the weekend for getting your stories off the ground. 

5.  Competition stories due at Utah's personal email account (non-LitReactor) by 5:00 PM CST one week from date of prompt.  Failure to meet deadline will result in immediate disqualification.  Do not include any personal information in the body of your story.  Do include your prompt at the top of the story, below the title.  Please bear in mind that if you do not follow this direction it's just going to slow down your story getting posted, as Utah will have to take the time to remove all that stuff.

6.  Competition stories must be 2,500 words or fewer (word count not to include title, header/footer, "The End", etc.).  Final drafts of more than 2,500 words will be disqualified. 

7.  At deadline, polls will be created in an independent thread for each battle.  The polls will be open for one week, closing at around 5:00 PM US Central time on a Friday.  Brackets will be advanced.

8.  New prompts will drop after the brackets are finalized.  Please bear in mind that my receipt of your stories, verifying there is no personal identifying information in your story (for purposes of anonymity), posting polls, inputting scores in the bracket, and dropping new prompts will all take time.  So you will receive your prompts on Friday evenings, at a time around 5:00-6:00 CST.  Please forgive me in advance if I blur the lines a bit.  Due deadline does not change based upon slight alterations in the Friday evening timeline.

 

WAR has now incorporated a system less prone to bias!

New Stuff!  Important!:  As mentioned above, brackets will be posted publicly.  This way, everybody knows who everybody is competing against.  However, prompts will be delivered to contestants via PM.  There will be no public notice of prompts.  Stories will be delivered to Utah's email account.  Identify yourself in the body of the email, but excluded any personal identifiers (name, location, etc.) from your story file.  Stories will be posted in poll-form side-by-side with their competition, but will not have their authors identified until the poll is complete.  As Utah is competing in WAR, prompts for his matchup(s) will be delivered by a third party. 

In an effort to make WAR of a manageable duration, and as has proven necessary to maintain the anonymity of contestants to eliminate bias, there will be no workshop period for the purposes of the tournament.  So you've all got to bring your A-game with the first submission each round, as it will be your only submission each round.

Who participates?

All of you.  Any of you.  I want to see work from those of you who don't think you have a chance to win because this is how we get better.  Iron sharpens iron.  And I'd love to see folks like Richard Thomas (who discovered this thread because he habitually puts his name in the search engine to see if anybody is talking about him), Nik Korpon, Lidia Yuknavitch, etc., participate as well.  Because there's no honor in taking up the weapons if the battle is easy.  I would like to see this tournament be a very difficult, very bloody one.

When does WAR begin?

Out of respect for Aliensoul77's Grand Guignol writing challenge, which I believe ends at the end of February, and to give time to get the word out and get as many people involved as possible, the first writing prompts will drop and the competition will begin at 7:00 PM US Central time on March 9, 2012.

What do you get if you win?

Honor.  Pride of place.  You will be crowned BAMF. Also, check out the awesomeness the LitReactor CMFICs have generously contributed as prizes for places 1-4.  Side bets between contestants are, of course, perfectly fine.  But you're doing this tournament for you, and for the joy of testing yourself against the rest of us. 

Make the commitment.  Make WAR.

*This tournament is not (yet) officiallly sponsored by the officials who officiate LitReactor.  Until such time as someone might gives sanction to call it "Official", it will remain "Un".  It's just us plebes at the moment.

Utah's picture
Moderator
Utah from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry March 7, 2012 - 6:57am

Enter WAR in a response on this thread.  If I fail to add you, it's likely because I overlooked your post.  PM me.

Battle Roster (this post will be updated as people tell me they want to be added to the tournament):

1.  Joseph Day / JF Diaz
2.  jacks_username
3.  Nighty Nite
4.  Averydoll
5.  Utah
6.  R.Moon
7.  flaminia_klla
8.   Meat Seeker
9.  XyZy
10.  aliensoul77
11.  Richard Fucking Thomas
12.  Bekanator
13.  nkwilczy
14.  Laurance Kitts
15.  Americantypo
16.  Pandamask
17.  Fritz Wolfe
18.  Boone Spaulding
19.  Dave (welcomes you to his boudoir, ladies)
20.  Renfield
21.  Chester Bringintha Pane
22.  Michael Thomas
23.  Jason Van Horn
24.  David Shepherd
25.  Closure
26.  rach122
27.  voodoo_em
28.  wickedvoodoo
29.  Nikki Guerlain
30.  Liana
31.  Covewriter
32.  manda lynn

ALTERNATES

1.  J.Y. Hopkins
2.  Nik Korpon
3.  The Real Matt
4.  Conley
5.  Matt
6. 
7. 
8.  
9. 
10. 

Utah's picture
Moderator
Utah from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry February 17, 2012 - 5:43pm

And this is dedicated to everybody ready to get aggressive:

Jose F. Diaz's picture
Jose F. Diaz from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel February 17, 2012 - 5:49pm

WAR!!!!

You added number 5 because of me....

I'm in. I handled some very pressing issues today and can actually start putting in the time I want to put in.

Utah's picture
Moderator
Utah from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry February 17, 2012 - 5:53pm

Actually, I added #5 because of Mick Corey, who never bothered to show up to his fight with Alien. 

.'s picture
. February 17, 2012 - 5:57pm

I'll throw my hat in the ring. Count me in.

Nighty Nite's picture
Nighty Nite from NJ is reading Grimscribe: His Lives and Works February 17, 2012 - 5:58pm

I shall heed the call of battle.

Utah's picture
Moderator
Utah from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry February 17, 2012 - 6:04pm

And here we go.

Nighty Nite, I dig the Celt battle tune.  Who is that?  I can't read the script.

Nighty Nite's picture
Nighty Nite from NJ is reading Grimscribe: His Lives and Works February 17, 2012 - 6:05pm

Ensiferum. I'm not much of a metal person, but their music is far too epic to resist.

Jose F. Diaz's picture
Jose F. Diaz from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel February 17, 2012 - 6:17pm

Only thing that is going to happen is I'm going to get more experience writing and just keep learning the craft. Also very good for me to start paying attention to those nagging little things. What are they called again....deadlines. Yeah, those things.

avery of the dead's picture
avery of the dead from Kentucky is reading Cipher Sisters February 17, 2012 - 6:33pm

Oh, you know I'm in.  This is war, gentlemen. 

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest February 17, 2012 - 7:13pm

I'm back and I'm in...

Utah's picture
Moderator
Utah from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry February 17, 2012 - 7:15pm

Dude, where've you been?

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest February 17, 2012 - 7:16pm

Had a family situation I had to take care of this past week.

Utah's picture
Moderator
Utah from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry February 17, 2012 - 7:16pm

Those are never good words to have in combination.  Hope everything is well.

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest February 17, 2012 - 7:18pm

Yeah, it's all good now. I'm happy to be back, although I'm going to try to spend less time in here and more time in the workshop.

avery of the dead's picture
avery of the dead from Kentucky is reading Cipher Sisters February 17, 2012 - 7:21pm

Hint hint - I'd like it if Renee or Bekanator or some of the many other fine women of LitReactor would do this.  If I have to be the sole representative of the gender, it will be a sad day for woman-kind. 

Utah's picture
Moderator
Utah from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry February 17, 2012 - 7:23pm

@Avery:  I agree.  We definitely need broad-scope participation.  Get that Rachel Harris woman in here.  I'm sure she'd write something totally lucid and heart-warming.  Maybe MeatSeeker will take this as her golden opportunity to spend her $9.

.'s picture
. February 17, 2012 - 7:23pm

I'm happy to be back, although I'm going to try to spend less time in here and more time in the workshop.

You should be my sponsor and constantly nag me to keep busy in the workshop. I've been slacking like crazy. Haha.

.'s picture
. February 17, 2012 - 7:24pm

*

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest February 17, 2012 - 7:27pm

@Jacks: Say the Serenity Prayer, then work step one... HAHA

avery of the dead's picture
avery of the dead from Kentucky is reading Cipher Sisters February 17, 2012 - 7:30pm

@Utah - now THERE is an idea. In regards to the former I mean that with mild sarcasm.  Towards the latter I mean it with happiness and love.  Which brings me to my next point - where IS meat seeker?  I don't think I've seen her in a bit.

@Jacks - I saw a pedo bear hoodie today and thought of you.

Utah's picture
Moderator
Utah from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry February 17, 2012 - 7:32pm

With any luck she has caught up with the meat she sought and is currently playing house.  Maybe she'll come back next week with a new name.  Like MeatFinder or MeatCatcher.

avery of the dead's picture
avery of the dead from Kentucky is reading Cipher Sisters February 17, 2012 - 7:35pm

Oh you....     I can't think of anything wholesome.  So I'll just say Carnivore.

Hey, do you think that if we start thinking about Dave collectively he might show up here?

Utah's picture
Moderator
Utah from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry February 17, 2012 - 7:37pm

There's a good chance of it.  Say it with me now.

Daaaaaaaaaaave.

Daaaaaaaaaaave.

.'s picture
. February 17, 2012 - 7:38pm

"I saw a pedo bear hoodie today and thought of you."

And you didn't buy it?!

avery of the dead's picture
avery of the dead from Kentucky is reading Cipher Sisters February 17, 2012 - 7:38pm

Last time he snuck up on me and scared me.  He's so wiley.

 

avery of the dead's picture
avery of the dead from Kentucky is reading Cipher Sisters February 17, 2012 - 7:39pm

No, because I have a feeling it the FBI monitors those purchases. 

Utah's picture
Moderator
Utah from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry February 17, 2012 - 7:39pm

I saw that.  You were posting and he was standing right behind you, and I was like, "Oh, shit, Avery--" but he turned that smirk on me and I got afraid.

avery of the dead's picture
avery of the dead from Kentucky is reading Cipher Sisters February 17, 2012 - 7:42pm

True Story - Dave added me on Facebook...and for awhile I wasn't sure it was him, because he sort of looks different in those pictures.  And I wanted to ask, but I didn't want to seem weird.

There, now that I have posted that he will show up for sure.

Nick Wilczynski's picture
Nick Wilczynski from Greensboro, NC is reading A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin February 17, 2012 - 7:49pm

.'s picture
. February 17, 2012 - 7:51pm

Why do I keep hearing about FBI monitoring? They're busy with the war on marijuana and terror. 

Utah's picture
Moderator
Utah from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry February 17, 2012 - 7:55pm

Word.

Fritz's picture
Fritz February 17, 2012 - 8:25pm

I'm just curious. How many sci-fi and fantasy writers are on this site. I get the feeling most on here are of the dark and strange genre (use whichever big word u want - you know what I mean). Really, I'm just curious of the bias. I'm not a paying member as yet, so I'm not eligible for the battle. I'd just think it would be good for contestants to know what those judging think is good. Course, you guys know each other via workshop and all. Again just curious

.'s picture
. February 17, 2012 - 8:29pm

The writers on here are very diverse when it comes to genre. It's evident in the workshop. 

avery of the dead's picture
avery of the dead from Kentucky is reading Cipher Sisters February 17, 2012 - 8:30pm

Recently I have noticed an uptick in sci-fi and fantasy.  Which is nice to see. 

Laramore Black's picture
Laramore Black from Joplin, Missouri is reading Mario Kart 8 February 17, 2012 - 8:48pm

I believe "Transgressive" is the big word you were looking for. For the most part, yes many of us write that way constantly, but that's because it evolved from the cult on Chuck Palahniuk's website. The site has gotten bigger as of recently though and I've noticed a few more sci-fi/adventure writers. I read this awesome story in the workshop the other day(that I forgot to review) about an apocalyptic America with mutants for instance. 

Many of us don't claim a genre really though. I'm working on polishing up an experimental literary/psychological novel, beginning a thriller series, and stuff for a horror story anthology.

I'm duking it out with Richard right now, and a little busy, but I'll keep an eye on this.

Utah's picture
Moderator
Utah from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry February 17, 2012 - 9:24pm

BAS, buy a fucking membership!  Nobody cares if you don't focus on writing about death.  Nobody judges on that criteria.  It's just about good writing. 

One of the reasons I posted this tournament was to sucker you into participating.  Now stop being insensitive and give in to my will.

Fritz's picture
Fritz February 17, 2012 - 10:27pm

I'd hate to hurt your feelings - I remember the last time a guy did that.

What do I have - till March 8th?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESo1wEDufm0&feature=player_detailpage

Fritz's picture
Fritz February 17, 2012 - 10:31pm

I need somebody to instruct my challenged self in inserting a youtube video here. - HA

Jose F. Diaz's picture
Jose F. Diaz from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel February 18, 2012 - 12:07am

I prefer Sci-Fi and fantasy to other genres. However I am in an attempt to mix them together to make something more powerful. I think I have said too much....

Nick Wilczynski's picture
Nick Wilczynski from Greensboro, NC is reading A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin February 18, 2012 - 12:16am

Have you heard of the Deathstalker series Joseph?

Jose F. Diaz's picture
Jose F. Diaz from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel February 18, 2012 - 12:21am

It sounds familiar, but haven't actually read it. I'm chewing through Game of Thrones series now. It's hard to get through book one because I saw the TV series and I feel like I'm wasting my time and should just jump ahead. But I will read it regardless of how I feel about it.

My favorite is still the WoT series by Jordan, and now Sanderson. R.A. Salvatore's series about Drizzt is also amazing. But I think recently his fight scenes are getting very sloppy and rushed. This person did this amazing thing....but Drizzt or whoever was just ahead of them and no big deal. But then they pulled of this speactacular move, but once again foiled. Person is now off balance...queue in death scene.

Fritz's picture
Fritz February 18, 2012 - 12:35am

I've read Deathstalker - still got the books.  Simon R. Green right?  been a while.

Jordon rocked - big loss when he died.  Waiting for Sanderson to finish up series and I'm gonna give it another go.

I've read most of Salvatore - except the last trilogy (what - a thousand orcs - or something like that) - always enjoyed him.

Basics like Terry Brooks, Orson Scot Card, Glen Cook, Stephen Donaldson, David Drake, David Eddings, David Farland, Terry Goodkind, Raymond Feist, George Martin, Old school Pohl, Tad Williams, Gene Wolfe.

You Gotta Give Zelazny's 'Books of Amber' a go.  Good stuff there.

Oh - and David Gemmell - he died a while back too - another good read in the fantasy field.

Nick Wilczynski's picture
Nick Wilczynski from Greensboro, NC is reading A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin February 18, 2012 - 12:42am

Yeah, Green is a nut. I mean, it's pulpy and goofy, but it's a hell of a ride. I think that Deathstalker's zaniness can only be explained by just embracing it as a sci-fi/fantasy crossover, in which case it's quite impressive. Like, "the force" in Star Wars, that's a fantasy element. And there's nothing that paralells that in Deathstalker but he and his buddies are always getting these fantasy style magic powers through fantasy style trials so that they can deal with the shared sci-fi/fantasy motif of the evil empire.

If we are talking about Pulp though. Wolfe, have you read Peter David's PSI-Man series? Once again, it is totally goofy at times but what a blast!

Nick Wilczynski's picture
Nick Wilczynski from Greensboro, NC is reading A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin February 18, 2012 - 12:44am

Orson Scott Card actually lives in Greensboro and writes a collumn for the "Rhinoceros Times" which is the free weekly conservative rag.

Fritz's picture
Fritz February 18, 2012 - 1:31am

Haven't read Peter David - will have to put him on the list

aliensoul77's picture
aliensoul77 from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall. February 18, 2012 - 3:45am

So Utah, you said you want the top contributers to be seeders?  Does that mean you want me to put my seed in you?

Flaminia Ferina's picture
Flaminia Ferina from Umbria is reading stuff February 18, 2012 - 6:30am

I'm in, fuck the famous singers (no groupie). My hands are itchy - kom maar op met die oorlog.

 

Dave's picture
Dave from a city near you is reading constantly February 18, 2012 - 6:59am

Man im tempted to jump in but i got two jobs going and maybe a third an a family on top of all that. Let me see how this weekend goes.

Dave's picture
Dave from a city near you is reading constantly February 18, 2012 - 8:01am

@Avery, so you're my FB stalker!