The first ever FWA begins…

Posted by Timi / at 10:30 PM / / 0 comments

Thank you very much to everyone who has put their names forward for the first Fictitious Writing Activity. We wish you all the best in the writing of your stories and look forward very much to receiving them in by the 29th August. Please remember that your finished stories should be e-mailed directly to us rather then through the internal contact form.

If you have any queries at any point during the activity, please consult the guidelines or send us a message directly through the Contact Us tab above =)

Good luck =)

The Inaugural FWA Participants

Timi	Nussaibah
Shazia	Marika
Ramon	Jack
Harry	Matt
Veronique	Parwez

Welcome

Posted by Timi / at 9:39 PM / / 0 comments

Hello, and welcome to the Arcadian Blog; a blog dedicated to fictitious writing.

To inaugurate this new blog, we are going to be carrying out in the following weeks an activity which has been christened the FWA. The Fictitious Writing Activity is a concept derived from an old writing programme I took part in. Basically, you write the opening of a story, roughly of around 1,200 words in length. It can be on any subject you desire, and can be of any genre; as long as it is written in continuous prose, it is perfect.

The first section will last for ten days; once completed everyone has completed the first part of their stories, we will then draw lots to create pairs, with each pair then swapping their stories. You then write the end of the story your partner has begun, this time of a slightly greater length, of around 1,200 to 1,500 words.

You have the freedom to finish the story in your own way, though you should try not to stray too far from the concepts and tone your partner has created. Within those limits though, the destiny of the story you are given lies in your hands.

At the end, the stories will be combined and then published on here. I’ve taken part in this type of activity a few times, and whilst my stories have never been ended in the way I’d imagined whilst writing them, the endings have often been far more inventive and imaginative then my own initial ideas. It is a very enjoyable experience and creates some truly brilliant stories.

We would be absolutely honoured if you would like to take part. If you wish to try out your writing skills with us on the FWA, please send an e-mail to us here at the Arcadian Blog using the Contact Us tab, and we will add you to the list of participants. We will be accepting entrants for the first contest up to the 18th August, and then we plan to begin the FWA on the 19th, with the first parts of the story to then be submitted to us by Saturday, 29th August.

Further information on the FWA can be obtained here at the official guidelines. Please take some time to read through them and familiarise yourself with the contest rules.

We hope that you will join us in the Fictitious Writing Activity and hope to hear from you soon.

FWA Guidelines

Posted by The Arcadians / at 8:15 PM / /

Thank you for participating in the Fictitious Writing Activity. Here are a few little pointers and guidelines to help you in writing your stories.


General Guidelines

• You should aim to write somewhere between 1,000 - 1,200 words for the first section of your story, and then around 1,200 - 1,500 words for the second half that you will write. Don’t worry if you go a little under or a little over.
  
  
• The story may be written in any genre, style or tense, though please write in continuous prose.
  
  
• Once the FWA had begun, you will have ten days to write the first section of your story and submit it in to us. We will then draw partners and deliver the stories to their new writers. Once again, there will then be ten days for the final halves to be written. Both the first and second halves of the stories should be submitted directly to us at: thearcadianblog@googlemail.com.

• If at any point during the activity, you have any questions or inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us, no matter how small or insignificant your query may seem. We will do our best to help you =)
  
  
• Don’t be intimidated by how others will perceive your story or the conclusion of your partner’s story =). You have the freedom as a writer to shape and craft the stories that you write in any way that you desire.

Part One: Writing the First Half

• Take your time in crafting and developing the ideas for your story within your mind; they are likely to be richer if developed over time.
  
  
• You could potentially draft a plan for your story to help with the writing and structure.

• One of the most critical aspects of the first half is character development, there are two major paths you can take:
  
  
• A story which utilises considerable levels of character description will give your future partner plenty of material to work upon, and can be useful if you do not want your characters’ appearances and personalities to be mis-interpreted. On the other hand, large levels of detailed character description can leave your partner with little room to expand upon the characters you have created.
  
  
• You may wish to leave your characters relatively underdeveloped from a descriptive point of view. This is a very useful technique for more dramatic stories, and can create a strong sense of mystery and interest in their actions. You may wish to include a little detail on them, but leave the reader (and ultimately, your future partner) to determine the true nature of their character and personality. As mentioned above however, this can lead to your characters’ ultimately being developed considerably differently to how you had imagined, though this ultimately can be seen as part of the beauty of the FWA.

• Try not to include too many active characters in your story; you have only got around 1,200 words to use, thus introducing too many people into your story can restrict plot and setting development. Your future partner may also struggle to include all of them in their section, and reconcile and conclude your plot.
  
  
• The tone and style of your story will be determined by your use of description. Less descriptive stories which use shorter and sharper sentences and paragraphs can create a very edgy feel to your story, which could be useful in creating a distinct mood and tone. Highly descriptive stories will set the scene completely for your partner to use, but ultimately may inhibit their own creative ideas for your story. A delicate balance should therefore be sought in this field.
  
  
• The structure of your story will ultimately be completely of your own choice, and there is little direct advice we can give you in this sector. Ultimately, you should try to include a basic introduction, perhaps by introducing the main characters and the environment that they are in. In the main body of your story, you should introduce the main plot themes and their relation to the characters.
  
  
• The ending of the first section could ultimately be written as a cliff-hanger, from which your partner can then pick up from, or a simple break in the plot, from which your partner can then decide how the events will unravel. You should keep in mind that ultimately both parts of the story will be merged, so try to avoid writing an early conclusion as such, or a highly charged cliff-hanger; your partner will ultimately be responsible for the writing of the climax and denouement of your story.
  
  
• Throughout your story, try to avoid direct links and implications as to the future of your plot. This too will be in the domain of your future partner. The best stories are those which are written when both the original and secondary writers work independently of each other, analysing their respective material without external influence.
  
  
• Once you have finished, remember to read back over your story in detail; this is critical not just for detecting tiny mistakes, but also for ensuring that your story flows and is consistent in its tone.
  
  
• If you wish, you could re-draft your story to ensure that it is truly of the highest quality, though if you are happy with it, you should not make too dramatic a change to it.
  
  
• Only submit it to us, when you are sure that you are completely happy with it =)

Part Two: Writing the Second Half

• When you receive your partner’s story, try not to dive immediately into writing. Spend some time familiarising yourself with the concepts, characters and settings that your partner has developed.
  
  
• It is a useful idea to make a brief plan of the first section, so that you can quickly reference different concepts as your write its conclusion.
  
  
• The one major limitation that we are placing on you as writers is the rule that you should not stray too far away from the genre and tone of the story that you have received. For example, if you receive a horror story, you must continue to write a horror story; this is crucial in the final stage of the FWA when the stories will ultimately be combined, a story which abruptly changes in its character half-way through will not read well at all.
  
  
• When beginning to write the second half of the story, focus particularly on the ending of the first half. Try and gauge how you could connect the two halves in a way which furthers the plot, and doesn’t deviate from the central pillars of the story. A good second half opening should not instantly reveal itself as the point where the writer has changed.
  
  
• You have considerable flexibility when it comes to the plot of your story, though please do not abandon concepts used in the first half, even if you do not personally wish to use them. The most major concept to which this applies is to characters; all active individuals should be present within the second half. Secondary characters though do not have to be used in your section. Reading your partner’s story should reveal which characters they see as being central protagonists.
  
  
• Beyond that point though, you have a high degree of freedom when it comes to plot development; all major decisions are yours and yours alone.
  
  
• Please ensure that all major plot points developed by your partner are addressed (though they do not necessarily have to be completely resolved).
  
  
• Once you have finished writing the second half, combine it with the first half to make the complete story. Read it through in its entirety to see if it works well in comparison to your partner’s original material. This will help you to see how well your material is compatible.

• Once again, please check through your work not just for minor errors but also for style and flow. Re-drafting here can also be utilised.
  
  
• When you are fully satisfied and happy with your work, please submit it back to us. We will then publish all the completed stories on the Arcadian Blog once the second ten days are up. You will then be able to see how your initial work has been developed, and how the other stories have been written.

Thank you for reading through these guidelines. They ultimately should not be interpreted as strict rules, but merely a blueprint to help you with your writing. As stated earlier, if there is anything you wish to ask about the FWA or your story, please do get in contact with us and we will resolve the matter as quickly as possible.

Good luck =)