170 replies to this topic

[Iron Voltex]

I've missed the write-offs the last few weeks. Hopefully I'll be free by Christmas or New Years.

 

-ibrow

[Cederak]

I've missed the write-offs the last few weeks. Hopefully I'll be free by Christmas or New Years.

 

-ibrow

 

Okay. We removed you from the Ambage Discussion chat for inactivity, but once you're ready to return, simply contact us through the Write Off Central chat and we'll get you back in business.

 

-Ced

[Velox]

Speaking of activities in the Ambage, December is here, and as such, a new Monthly Prompt is needed:

 

"She had hair like a raven's wings--and a beak to match."

 

Use it as you will. Quote it directly, write a story inspired by it, use part of it, etc. Up to you. 

 

[Judge Alex Humva]

Yes, so, I use to be part of the older iteration of this but never got back into the loop. But I'm back now! So I'm officially applying for membership in the topic; already talked to Velox so methinks I'm good to go, unless you guys have initiation rituals or the like.

 

Can't promise great works worthy of Tolkien, but Christmas break should let me get out a few good works for this place before school kidnaps me again.

[TNTOS]

I would like to join the Ambage. I doubt I'll partake in every event the Ambage hosts, but I'll try to be at least moderately active.

-TNTOS-

Edited by TNTOS, Dec 14 2012 - 09:51 AM.

[Content with Life]

So uh, do I like, ask to join here?

 

I'm pretty active ... so I might be able to do more stuff?

 

I have no idea what I'm saying anyway.

[EmperorWhenua]

Due to popular demand, I want to be involved.

[Peach 00]

Fine, add me. =P

 

Note, I won't be able to make time for it constantly, but I'll try my best. I definitely won't be on BZP as often, but I'll join you guys on Skype and whatnot. For the FFFCs, just notify me the theme on Skype, Velox, if that's okay, and I'll post it where I need to here. ^^

 

Anyhow, count me in! =)

[Click]

You know, I could use the writing practice, so I might as well join. When's the next prompt?

[Velox]

You know, I could use the writing practice, so I might as well join. When's the next prompt?

 

Right now, actually. It's still January 1st for me, and I was busy all day, so it counts. =P

 

January Writing Prompt

"In the silence, after rain . . ."

 

Use it to inspire a story, use it as the opening line, use it in the middle, at the end, etc. -- up to you. Just incorporate it into your story somehow, whether by theme or through direct wordage.

 

A new contest will hopefully be starting this Monday. In the meantime, check out the winners of the "Christmas" theme COT contest!

[Toa of Dancing]

*cough*

 

So I guess I'll join this place. Don't expect much activity, but I'll try to whip up something for this contest. I'd prefer to be called Toa of Dancing, if you will indulge me.

Edited by Phreak, Jan 03 2013 - 12:03 PM.

[Click]

Two quick questions I might have missed answers to earlier:

1. The monthly prompt can be either COT or Bionicle, right?

2. For the Fortnightly flash fiction and other Bionicle themed stories, does that mean strictly Bionicle, or any Lego theme? I was considering trying out some Chima writings since we now have character bios.

[Kakaru]

Looks like someone isn't keeping up with their writing group.

 

Two quick questions I might have missed answers to earlier:

1. The monthly prompt can be either COT or Bionicle, right?

2. For the Fortnightly flash fiction and other Bionicle themed stories, does that mean strictly Bionicle, or any Lego theme? I was considering trying out some Chima writings since we now have character bios.

1. Yes, The monthly prompt can be used for either genre. Actually, more kudos for writing about Bionicle, I'd think, since most of the stuff from the Ambage is easier to write in COT nowadays.

2. This library allows both Lego and Bionicle themed fiction, so I see no problem with that. All forms of fiction are equally valid.

[Velox]

Nope, Micah, it's called being human. I'm sorry I'm not some sort of god or something, but I'm only human. =P And that means I forget things, just like everybody else. When I first saw this I was at my grandpa's house in Sacramento. I remember having only a few minutes so I checked BZP on my Nook Tablet, saw this, but didn't have time to reply. If I had used my laptop, I would've saved this in a separate tab so that I'd see it next time I used the computer, but again, I didn't. When I finally got home a few days later, I simply forgot about it, and I apologize for that. But keep in mind the fact that I had a lot of other things on my mind, such as a large Ambage project we're working on behind-the-scenes that takes up a lot of time, other Ambage stuff, the SSCC, and my staff duties which are my first priority. And then of course there's my own personal goals and whatnot of reading and writing, that take my focus often. So yes, I'm sorry I didn't remember this until someone else posted, but I just forgot.

 

Now to confirm/answer the questions: 

 

1. Yes, they may be used for both. You can write one story a month, two stories a month, a dozen stories a month and use the monthly prompt for all of them. Doesn't matter if they're COT or Lego.

 

2. Any Lego theme is fine. Sometimes the contests are themed specifically Bionicle (Tablet of Transit, Red Star, etc.), but if you want to shape those into a, say, Chima story, that's totally fine. The themes are all about how you personally interpret them, so it doesn't have to be related to Bionicle at all. The Red Star for you could be the nickname for a Chima character, whereas for someone else it's the literal Bionicle Red Star. Or it could simply be a star in the sky that happens to be red. All of these and many more are totally valid interpretations, and up to you. The next Bionicle/Lego contest should be starting Monday.

 

 

Also, as a note to everyone, I'm sorry I haven't added you guys to the list yet on the first post. I'll be updating the first post at some point, but I have to completely re-do the coding by hand as it got messed up in one of the forum upgrades, and it'll take a while to re-do. But everyone who's posted here, consider your self part of the Ambage, even if your name isn't up there yet. Feel free join the Skype groups, too, if you haven't already, by contacting me at my Skype username VeloxScriptor. A lot of fun Ambage stuff goes on there, and we'd love to have you all. 

 

Edited by Velox, Jan 10 2013 - 04:38 PM.

[Flaredrick: the Sniper]

I could really use opinions to help me improve my writing. So I would like to join.

[Dual Matrix]

Nice and fun way to learn English AND improve my writing skills, I'm in!

[Velox]

All righty, I have finally fixed the broken links and edited the first post. And I believe that I have added everyone's name to the list -- feel free to post again if I forgot you.

 

Also, due to being busy with a behind-the-scenes project we're working on, the next flash fiction contest (COT) will begin next Monday; the next Bionicle one will be two weeks after that. 

 

[Flaredrick: the Sniper]

Well I certainly can't wait for the next Bionicle contest.

[Velox]

So I haven't exactly been on top of everything here recently, and I really apologize for that (we will skip the OTC FFFC and host a Bionicle one again this Monday). As I've mentioned a few times, we've been working on a project behind-the-scenes which has taken up a majority of my time. I hope this makes up for it, as we are all incredibly excited about it. 
 
And so, today we introduce a new Ambage feature: Publishing. It is my honor to announce: 
 

 

X:15: an Ambage Anthology

 
Buy it here: https://www.createspace.com/4145933
 
The book will also be available on Amazon.com soon, as well as Kindle and Nook formats. However, be aware that the e-book versions are not up to our standards in terms of formatting. The book was meant to be read as a paperback, but the e-books will be available for those who want it -- again, we just highly suggest buying the paperback instead (all I did was make a few small changes from the paperback formatting -- to have it formatted perfectly, I'd have to start over which would take quite a few hours, and as this is mostly about the paperback, there really is no reason).
 
Note: The price was set at the lowest price possible, giving us none or very little profit depending on where you buy it -- we're not looking for profit here, all we want is for people to buy it, read it, and enjoy it.
 
This idea started way back last September, but we didn't actually do much with it until January. A month later, we have a paperback book to show for it. The Ambage hosts started by selecting all of the original Skype-Ambage members. After that, we asked a couple other people to join the project, so that we could have 15 writers. 
 
This product is a reincarnation of sorts of the Skype "write-offs" -- "X:15" is a timestamp. It's the amount of time that Ambage members have for each write off. It's not a lot of time, but it's enough for a flash fiction piece. In the spirit of the original write-offs, we created this anthology of 42 flash fiction stories by 15 different authors for 15 different themes. The authors included are:
 

Velox

Nuile

Tolkien

55555

Kakaru

Ezorov

Kal Grochi (The Otter)

Cederak

GSR

Zarayna

Aderia (Eponine)

Tyler Durden (Marlon Brando)

Grant Sud

Zoxara Tomana

Nick Silverpen

So please, buy it, give it a read, and tell us what you think! We are all very excited for this and will definitely be doing more in the future. I will update the first post shortly to include information on this new feature. 
 
A news story will be posted once the book is available on all distributors. =] But again, the paperback will not be cheaper; it'll just be available on Amazon.com as well as createspace.

Edited by Velox, Feb 06 2013 - 07:01 PM.

[Holden Caulfield]

I'm interested in joining the Ambage.

 

...is that all I have to do? It seems too easy...

 

Also congrats on publishing an anthology! i'll definitely have to pick that up sometime soon.

[The Novelist Called Nuile]

Well, there is a little matter of an entrance fee, an initiation, and a member's test. Nothing complicated; just get us a 50,000 word essay treating on the merit of the hosts by next week.

 

I'm joking. It really is as it seems. Come in, impose yourself upon us, ravish the refreshment table, and start writing! You'll be received with open arms. =D Welcome!

 

Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

Edited by Nuile Writerson, Feb 10 2013 - 04:38 PM.

[Kakaru]

HELLOOOOOOOOOO FELLOW HUMANS!

As an official Ambage staff member* I'm here to present a formal writing challenge to both member and non members alike.

(please note the banner which took me like six minutes with Paint and a tiny trackpad)

This challenge will test your limits as a writer! You will be forced to push the boundaries of humour and tragedy in an emotional rollercoaster of a story with this latest and greatest OFFICIAL AMBAGAGE WRITING CHALLENGE for your brain!

The challenge is twofold:

FIRST, WRITE A STORY ABOUT A FISH.

But not just any fish! This must be...

A BIONICLE FISH.

HALIBUT DO NOT COUNT. SHARKS DO NOT COUNT. CARP IS JUST RIGHT OUT. THIS MUST BE A BIONICLE FISH.

Second, and this is imperative! Your story must not be under twelve words long. If it is under this mandatory limit it probably doesn't belong in the library, unless it's an adorable haiku or poem or just a great story anyways. Put it in your signature if you're not sure about it.

YOUR DEADLINE IS WHENEVER YOU FEEL LIKE IT. IF YOU'RE COMFORTABLE WITH IT POST IT IN THE LIBRARY. IF YOU'RE NOT, PM IT TO ME BECAUSE I WANT TO READ IT ANYWAYS.

NO POINTS OR BADGES WILL BE HANDED OUT. THERE ARE NO PRIZES UNLESS YOU BRIBE ME WITH CANDY, IN WHICH CASE YOU'D BE BETTER OFF KEEPING THE CANDY FOR YOURSELF BECAUSE THERE WILL STILL BE NO PRIZES.

YOUR MISSION, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT, BEGINS NOW.

(yes this is actually a carp but don't tell the staff)

*the statement way up there is a complete lie. I just said it because it sounds official or whatever. Shut up.

[Dallas Winston]

kakaru, i love you. like, a lot.

 

-Tyler

[The Novelist Called Nuile]

Holy mackerel, Kakaru. Very nase, you big dhufish. Loach here, you roughy, and make sure you're herring me. I'm not going to put up with any mora this hake. You need to be put in your plaice. In all my born dace ide never seen such a load of carp until now.

 

But you've done this albacore. You gar and have your fun, I trout you cod get up to too much trouble.

 

. . . Yeah, I'm saury. I had to do it for the halibut.

 

Anyway, to be honest, I'm probably going to enter. I don't even care if you're joking.

 

Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

[Kakaru]

I'd like to say I'm serious about this challenge but serious is exactly what we don't need. That said, the challenge is for real for anyone interested. There are no points, no consolation prizes, no deadlines, no requirements.*

This is a writing prompt because I felt like this club needs more writing in it. Just flat-out writing for the sake of writing. It's what we've been about and it's what we should still be about. The Ambage should be a fun experience without being tied to rules and regulations designed to encourage activity while actively suppressing it. It's why my log of achievements is 90% fabricated and I don't join critics clubs or anything. I'm barely even a part of this club, I just jump in to pull stunts like this. I don't take my writing seriously, and it's those times when my best work comes out. That's what we should be encouraging.

WITH THAT, I WANNA SAY THAT I AM DEAD SERIOUS ABOUT MAKING THIS A BETTER PLACE. I GOT MY CUSTOM MEMBER TITLE CHANGED TO "fish" TO REFLECT THAT (thank u Becca).

NO DRAMAS, NO NEGATIVE OR PRETENTIOUS BLATHERING. WE'RE ALL WRITERS HERE, SO LET'S WRITE.

*you still have to write about a bionicle fish. This isn't a loophole.

Edited by Kakaru, Feb 10 2013 - 10:54 PM.

[Velox]

I just wanted to say that Micah and almost everything he ever does is awesome. He's basically showing exactly what the Ambage is about with this -- there doesn't need to be an official contest or host-mandated thing or anything for people to write about. This club is just about writing, about the community, and I totally support this unofficial writing challenge-thing.

[Dual Matrix]

I'm up for the next skype writeoff it's saterday I assume?

 

Awesome book by the way.

[Kakaru]

I'm up for the next skype writeoff it's saterday I assume?
 
Awesome book by the way.

I think they happen on Sunday evenings, eight or nine in the evening, California time? At least officially. If you're online you can call a writeoff whenever you want.

(also thank you, I drew all the pictures and the cover and I'm super proud of it :3)

Edited by Kakaru, Feb 11 2013 - 03:41 AM.

[Dallas Winston]

violescent zebras was best story

 

even though the author may have alienated the people who get whipped cream on their coffee .-.

 

-totally not tyler

[The Novelist Called Nuile]

I'm up for the next skype writeoff it's saterday I assume?

 

Awesome book by the way.

 

Saturdays and Sundays, eight or nine EST. But like Kakaru said, there's a write-off any time you're up for one.

 

 

I'd like to say I'm serious about this challenge but serious is exactly what we don't need. That said, the challenge is for real for anyone interested. There are no points, no consolation prizes, no deadlines, no requirements.*

This is a writing prompt because I felt like this club needs more writing in it. Just flat-out writing for the sake of writing. It's what we've been about and it's what we should still be about. The Ambage should be a fun experience without being tied to rules and regulations designed to encourage activity while actively suppressing it. It's why my log of achievements is 90% fabricated and I don't join critics clubs or anything. I'm barely even a part of this club, I just jump in to pull stunts like this. I don't take my writing seriously, and it's those times when my best work comes out. That's what we should be encouraging.

 

I'm in favor of that. If your deranged creativity and time-consuming banners and troutful themes inspire writers to write, more power to you. We should all be writing a little more and having a little more fun in doing it.

 

I'll be taking the opportunity, for one. There aren't a lot of fish in the BIONICE Universe, alas . . . though Mavrah provides promising possibilities.

 

To be honest I think you're brilliant. This is the sort of thing we've been needing.

 

 

EDIT: Question. Can we write about Razor Whales or Lightfish or Venom Eels--aquatic Rahi that are not, technically, fish?

 

Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

Edited by Nuile Writerson, Feb 11 2013 - 10:42 AM.

[Kakaru]

violescent zebras was best story
 
even though the author may have alienated the people who get whipped cream on their coffee .-.
 
-totally not tyler

 I agree. Zerbas are the best. (seriously tho, you and GSR both had some amazing stories. I can't wait to get my copy tomorrow. :3)
 

I'd like to say I'm serious about this challenge but serious is exactly what we don't need. That said, the challenge is for real for anyone interested. There are no points, no consolation prizes, no deadlines, no requirements.*

This is a writing prompt because I felt like this club needs more writing in it. Just flat-out writing for the sake of writing. It's what we've been about and it's what we should still be about. The Ambage should be a fun experience without being tied to rules and regulations designed to encourage activity while actively suppressing it. It's why my log of achievements is 90% fabricated and I don't join critics clubs or anything. I'm barely even a part of this club, I just jump in to pull stunts like this. I don't take my writing seriously, and it's those times when my best work comes out. That's what we should be encouraging.

 
I'm in favor of that. If your deranged creativity and time-consuming banners and troutful themes inspire writers to write, more power to you. We should all be writing a little more and having a little more fun in doing it.
 
I'll be taking the opportunity, for one. There aren't a lot of fish in the BIONICE Universe, alas . . . though Mavrah provides promising possibilities.
 
To be honest I think you're brilliant. This is the sort of thing we've been needing.
 
 
EDIT: Question. Can we write about Razor Whales or Lightfish or Venom Eels--aquatic Rahi that are not, technically, fish?
 

Thanks mate!

Yeah, I'm down with that. Aquatic things are cool as long as they're Bionicles.

Didn't mean to make the rules so restrictive~

Edited by Kakaru, Feb 11 2013 - 03:06 PM.

[CeeCee]

Could I join please?

[Velox]

Of course! I'll add your name to the list right now. =]

Edited by Velox, Feb 18 2013 - 02:03 AM.

[Velox]

With the inclusion of the new Anthology feature, we also decided to rework some of the older features--some are outdated, some haven't been used much, etc. 
 
And on that note, we've always been open to suggestions--please PM myself or Nuile if you have any! However, we wanted to ask everyone's opinions on a few specific things:
 

• The Points System. This started with Lazok's "Story Fit" if anyone remembers. They were then brought over to other writing clubs, until becoming "Achievements" in the Ambage. In the long run, they don't really mean all that much--but just as Lazok intended, they're really just supposed to more motivation to write more. But we've noticed that they haven't been used that much, so we're asking you: Do you guys like the achievements? Do you want them to stay, or would you rather we get rid of them? 
• The "ranks." Again, they don't really mean much, but in the spirit of achievements, they were just supposed to be more "Achievements" to get, modeled by Cederak after video game achievements. So same questions, really: Do you want them to stay, or should we get rid of them?
• The contest prizes. I realize I've been dropping the ball on this, and I really apologize. But, if people want them, I'll definitely make sure to keep on top of them. Do you guys still want the fortnightly contest prizes? If so, all of them, or just some of them?

Please post your answers in this topic, or you can PM me if you'd rather. And again, please feel free to PM myself or Nuile with any other suggestions!
 
 
But, going back to the Anthology, we’re getting ready to start our next one. The first was open only to the very first Ambage members (and then the most active, when we needed more), as we wanted a smaller group to work with, and to give the first members a little perk while we test-ran this idea. Since it went well, we’re excited to start another one--only problem is, we’re not sure what type of anthology we should do. That’s where you come in.
 
Please give any suggestions on what you think! As an example, two options we discussed were a “Mystery” anthology (anthology of mystery short stories, any length), and a “Poetry” anthology (anthology of poems). "Genres" instead of individual "themes" will be best, as it will allow for more diversity and variation.
 
This anthology will be all-inclusive, and we want your opinion on what type of anthology it should be. We will be accepting suggestions until Saturday, February 23^rd. Post all of your suggestions here, and then we’ll be posting a poll of the suggestions for people to vote for which type of anthology they want.
 
Thanks everyone!

Edited by Velox, Feb 18 2013 - 02:10 AM.

[Tolkien]

I'd certainly be in favor of structuring another anthology around a single genre, as mentioned, rather than multiple themes. "Mystery" could work. I'd also be interested in a genre like "Fantasy" or "Sci-Fi" (big surprise!).

 

JRRT

[55555]

I generally concur with Will on this.

 

In the event that we could get a large variety of orignial art, we could do an Art to Story collection, reusing the concept used in Cover in the first Anthology.

 

I am not opposed to the idea of encouraging short poems either embedded in or as headers to short stories. However, I think an entire Poetry Anthology would take more time and interest in poetry than we currently have.

 

Other really wide overarching themes could be "Heroes & Heroines" or "Journeys." A post-apocalyptic collection might be fun, if confusing to the unitiated.

 

- 55555

[Kakaru]

I think noir in general would make a really nice anthology with a lot of atmosphere.

As for the rest of the Ambage features, I'm sure you know how I feel. Points and ranks don't mean a whole lot and distract from our purpose, despite how people felt about them in the past. The prizes for the contests are nice, however. I feel like the fortnightly challenges are separate from the writeoffs and function like normal contests, so that's a good thing. No prizes or additional incentives should be sued for writeoffs, however. There's no need to turn everything into a competition.

[TNTOS]

Points and ranks don't mean a whole lot and distract from our purpose, despite how people felt about them in the past.

Exactly. If y'all got rid of 'em, I definitely wouldn't cry.

As for the anthology, I like Mystery or Fantasy/Sci-Fi as the genre of choice. Mostly leaning closer to Fantasy/Sci-Fi, personally, because that's what I like to write best.

-TNTOS-

[The Inquisitive Automaton]

Hmm, as far as genre's concerned I think my vote would go on a Fantasy/Sci-Fi theme for the next anthology, if only because that's the genre I feel most comfortable writing for (Assuming I'll be able to take part in this one). Thinking about it, I also quite like 55555's suggestion of a post-apocalyptic range of stories as well. 

[CeeCee]

Hmm, as far as genre's concerned I think my vote would go on a Fantasy/Sci-Fi theme for the next anthology, if only because that's the genre I feel most comfortable writing for (Assuming I'll be able to take part in this one). Thinking about it, I also quite like 55555's suggestion of a post-apocalyptic range of stories as well. 

What about a supernatural theme? Ghosts, Poltergeists and Demons

Also Poetry would be cool. I consider myself a better poet than I am writers and I dont see much of it on BZP.

Edited by Commander CeeCee, Feb 18 2013 - 10:03 AM.