by J D Dunsany » Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:48 pm
by Rob P » Sat Oct 06, 2012 10:01 pm
by Commander Shadow » Sat Oct 06, 2012 10:35 pm
by Liliedhe » Sat Oct 06, 2012 10:53 pm
by Mossy Toes » Sat Oct 06, 2012 11:11 pm
by LordLucan » Sun Oct 07, 2012 12:16 am
by VictorK » Sun Oct 07, 2012 1:12 am
by Bloody Mary » Sun Oct 07, 2012 10:14 am
by Jaraknarn » Sun Oct 07, 2012 1:02 pm
by Raziel4707 » Tue Oct 09, 2012 9:27 am
by J D Dunsany » Tue Oct 09, 2012 9:00 pm
Thank you to everyone who's aired their opinions on the issue of audio stories. I appreciate that it's become a divisive issue and I also appreciate that, in allowing Jaraknarn's submission in the first place, I'm largely responsible for that. On the whole, though, the discussion has been conducted in a reasonably polite manner and I thank you for that. I know that some people feel quite strongly about this, but, by and large, we've avoided descending into an all-out slanging match, so that's good.
Before I give my final decision on the matter, let me try and give you all some context. I'm not a tabletop gamer. I'm here on these boards solely because the universes owned by Games Workshop fascinate me. One of the reasons they fascinate me is that they provide huge scope for creativity as regards fan fiction. Now fan fiction is something I care very deeply about. In my 20s, I was active in 'Doctor Who' fan publishing. Much later, when I first encountered Black Library novels and saw the opportunity to tell some stories of my own in these vast, rich universes, the Read In A Rush competition (then run on the official BL forums) seemed an obvious point to start and 'dip my toe' in that rather large somewhat intimidating ocean. That first step was a very positive one for me, giving me the confidence to attempt larger works and also introducing me to a very supportive, creative fan community.
All of which is a roundabout way of saying that the Read In A Rush competition matters to me. It matters to me a great deal. And it's very clear from people's posts here that it matters to you, too. But, the reasons it matters to me might, perhaps, be different to your reasons. For me, Read In A Rush is a number of things. It is, first and foremost, a place for writers to get feedback fairly quickly on their writing. In some respects, it is the 'lab' of the forums. The conditions are (reasonably) controlled and the scrutiny from fellow writers has tended to be a bit more focused than you'd find if you post longer pieces elsewhere. Read In A Rush also remains an excellent starting point for members either new to the settings or new to writing. I've seen individual members' work improve markedly over the months and years. There are always a number of reasons for that, of course, but I'd like to think that at least some of that improvement is down to the largely supportive (and more limited) environment of the Read In A Rush competition. Which brings me neatly to the last point. It is a competition and we are, most certainly, a competitive bunch on the Bolthole. That aspect is more important to some Boltholers than others, but it can't be ignored. (I've been fortunate enough to win the comp myself on a couple of occasions and it's a very nice feeling.) Competitions obviously need rules, however, and the rules of RiaR have always been fairly straightforward. They are not, however, set in stone.
In one sense, it's unfortunate that Jaraknarn's entry this month was submitted the way it was. It came late and I can fully understand why some members were unimpressed with my decision to include it in this month's comp. More warning would certainly have been better, although, on the other hand, a debate about audiobooks could well have derailed the competition entirely, so perhaps it's better that it turned out the way it did. My decision to allow it is, as Raz has pointed out, entirely consistent with the general tone of most of the decisions I've made over the two or three years of running the comp. My instincts are to be inclusive and encouraging, to try to accommodate people wherever possible. If someone has the enthusiasm to write an audio script and to present it in an audio format, then I see that (perhaps naively) not as an attempt to gain some sort of advantage over the other entries but as simply a desire to share their creativity and imagination in a different format than usual. In that sense, it fits perfectly with the experimental and developmental function of RiaR. Having received feedback on his story, I think Jaraknarn would agree that he's learned from the process of writing and producing it. In that sense, RiaR has done exactly what it's meant to do.
That said, RiaR is a competition. It is a story competition. Now stories, as we know, can take a number of forms. I am not naive enough to suggest that the choice of form doesn't matter. It does. It has a material effect on the way the story's told and received. The question I've been pondering over the last week or so is whether, in the case of audio stories, that effect is significant enough to warrant the audio form's exclusion from the competition. I have come to the conclusion that it is not. Black Library's output provides an example of what's possible with the format. After the initial Danny Webb-read experiments, BL has expanded its audio range significantly and, as with their more traditional prose stories, their audio books are examples of storytelling to which Boltholers might understandably aspire. I see no reason why RiaR can't operate as a way of honing writers' skills for this format just as it operates for writers of prose. As to it providing an unfair advantage to audio story writers over prose writers, I simply don't see that. Again, taking BL's recent output - a prose story like Sanders' Long Games... will always linger far longer in my mind than, say, Bloodspire because Sanders' story is just better and more imaginative in so many ways (sorry, Christian!). The suggestion that RiaR readers will somehow be duped or bedazzled by the 'shiny' production of an audio story and consequently not give enough attention to prose stories is one I find mildly insulting, to be honest. In my experience, RiaR readers are much much sharper than that.
So, audio stories are here to stay, if writers want to use them. They must, however, be presented in a very specific way.
Firstly, the title must be written first, along with the word count for the accompanying script. Underneath that title, the words "AUDIO STORY" must be written in capital letters.
Secondly, the script must be presented in its entirety. Formatting is an issue here. Try and make it as tidy as possible - it'll help your readers (and you). Include sound effects etc in the script. There are plenty of guides for scriptwriting on the internet. If you want an excellent example of how to do it, Lil's script Brides for the Emperor (on the winners thread) is a great one to have a look at.
Once the script is presented clearly (no SPOILER tags, please), the audio sample should be linked to at the bottom of the page.
I hope that's clear enough. If it requires further clarification, let me know and I'll revise it.
I understand that the above decision will not be to everyone's liking and I truly regret that. I only ask that you direct all opprobrium/ire/disappointment to me, not Jaraknarn or, for that matter, anyone else.
All the best!
JDD
by Smackbeth » Thu Oct 11, 2012 11:19 pm
by Jaraknarn » Thu Oct 11, 2012 11:45 pm
by LordLucan » Thu Oct 11, 2012 11:51 pm
by Jaraknarn » Tue Oct 30, 2012 4:27 pm
by Mossy Toes » Tue Oct 30, 2012 4:56 pm
by Jaraknarn » Tue Oct 30, 2012 5:24 pm
by J D Dunsany » Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:14 pm
by Jaraknarn » Mon Nov 05, 2012 9:52 pm
by J D Dunsany » Mon Nov 05, 2012 11:28 pm
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