We're Back

[foxrafer.livejournal.com]

Almost a year ago I said I was going to try and keep this community alive. Other than a little organizing I have been noticeably absent. I apologize for disappearing. But the good news is stormatdusk has agreed to be a co-mod and I believe we're finally ready to go.



It's often difficult to find inspiration, to think of a new and unique idea or tackle a standard trope from a different angle. The goal of the_challenger is to be one of the places where you can find that much needed jumpstart for your muse.

The idea isn't to post stubborn plot bunnies in need of a good home or to request a specific story featuring your favorite pairing. It's to give writers and artists something inspirational, anything that might stoke the creative spirit. The result may be exactly what you had in mind or it could be something you've never imagined before.

Everyone is welcome to "donate" challenges to the comm. A challenge can be:

An image; something striking or mysterious, something that sparks emotion or curiosity. It can be of people, a building, a landscape; a painting, photograph or manip.

A quote; something evocative or thought-provoking, something funny or ridiculous.

A poem (or an excerpt from a poem); something that paints a vivid picture

A very loose, general idea for a story. Challenges should be fairly open-ended, not a detailed, scene-by-scene summary. Again, the idea is not to have a specific story created for you, but rather to give something that a writer or vidder can sink their teeth into and let their imagination take us to unexpected places. Some examples of a good plot challenge might be:

It begins with an accident. The discovery of hidden motives is a key conflict. A stranger plays an important part in how the story resolves.

Create a myth based on Roman mythology.

A lawman stationed at a remote outpost is searching for a purpose in his life. What he finds could answer the question "Is man alone in the universe."

It's perfectly fine to mention that X/Y is your favorite pairing but technically the pairing is not part of the actual challenge. One exception: if the pairing is exceptionally rare. The first example that comes to mind is angiepen's request for a Mike Holmes/Alton Brown fic (something I've wanted to write since she posted it). That kind of pairing can be a challenge unto itself.

Here's a challenge that might be too prescriptive:

Karl is on his way home after a late rehearsal when a drunk driver sideswipes his vehicle and he's thrown from the car. The two cars burst into flames and burn beyond recognition and when emergency personnel arrive they find that Karl is the only survivor but he has no identification on him. He's suffered multiple broken bones and he has amnesia. Eric is the doctor assigned to his case and as he helps him through his physical therapy finds himself falling in love with Karl. He has a consultation with Karl's psychiatrist and learns that the doctor believes Karl is close to a break through and should be regaining his memory very soon. Eric is heartbroken because he knows as soon as Karl remembers who he is he'll go back to his life and leave Eric behind. Despondent he decides the best solution is to leave the hospital and go off to some remote location to work for a small local clinic. Karl does regain his memory but he doesn't forget Eric and realizes he's in love with him. But now Eric is no where to be found. Karl starts to spend all of his free time searching for Eric.

With less detail, a challenge becomes more accessible to more people.

A character is involved in an accident and loses his memory. His/her doctor becomes emotionally attached as s/he recovers. What happens?

We'd like to try out a slightly different method of posting challenges. People would submit a challenge as a screened comment to a monthly open-call post. Once a week (the posting schedule may change depending on the number of challenges we receive) stormatdusk or I will post one of the challenges. Every challenge will be used; we're just looking for a way to have them posted on a regular basis and hopefully make it easier for people to keep track of them. If a submitted challenge is a little too prescriptive, we'll ask you if it can be generalized a little or, if you'd prefer to keep it as is, we may add a second challenge that week that covers the same general theme so writers have a choice.

Look for our first open-call and our first new challenge on July 1. The full rules are currently listed on the profile page, and if you have any questions or concerns, please let us know. Send us a PM or leave a comment at the Q&A post (will eventually become an FAQ).

Welcome back to The Challenger!