A Murder of Storytellers

Current Murder Session

Session 18: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

The Greeks put Scylla and Charybdis so close together because the idea resonated with us in a guttural sense. We can all remember being between a rock and a hard place. In Spanish, you’re between a sword and a wall. The expression translates into every language because we all know when there are hard choices to be made, when getting too close to the sun means getting too close to the water, when the cure is just as bad (if not worse) than the disease. The idea resonates.

We enter this new year with a lot of hope, following the disastrous violence and partisanship of 2011. But it’s 2012, and the Mayans ended their calendar on this year, heralding the end of the world as we know it. It’s a perfect time to think about situations where two alternatives seem just as risky… Just as horrifying.

Entries:

• None yet!

Previous Murder Session

Session 17: Hounded

You never know when it’s coming… Unless you do, I suppose. This had been a crazy week for me due to school, and I hadn’t been able to get online and post a wonderful Murder session for you all.

Also, NaNoWriMo is on! Which means some of our GC staff ghouls are going to be busy working hard on their 50,000-word novellas. In the meantime, I have a mini-Murder session with a topic that might at least spark some ideas for you creative types. It’s called “Hounded.”

Picture this: It’s the middle of the night. For some reason, against your better judgment, you find yourself outside, on a dark street lit only by the dirty, dull light of old street lamps long placed and forgotten about. Then you hear a dog bark. Perhaps another. Then another. A dog bark is a warning, but it can mean so many things. From “something’s coming” to “I’m coming to get you.” Either way, you know it’s a warning. And you now that you’re alone…in the dark. Could the warning be for you?

Entries:

• “Hounded” by Tatiyana
• “Hounded” by Lone Philologer

 

What is “A Murder of Storytellers”?

A Storyteller has to be ready to deal with a player going way off the map and taking the game in a directions never expected. It happens all the time. You’ve decided that the characters need to find the monster that’s stalking the darkened alleyways for dinners. Meanwhile, the players have decided that their characters are going to trace down that ghoul they ran into eleven sessions ago for no reason that you can comprehend.

Conversely, players need to be ready to deal with the curve balls that Storytellers are so fond of throwing into the carefully crafted lives of our fictional selves. You were planning on redemption for your impulsive Mage with the morality of three, but the Storyteller wants to take you down a path of murder.

How do you deal with it?

In the spirit of thinking on your feet and going with the flow, we present you with this: A Murder of Storytellers. Every other week on Friday I’ll post up a prompt and you’ll respond with, well, anything as long as it has words. A poem, a short story, a scene, the beginning of a novel. Anything, really.

To submit your piece, just reply to that session’s thread! It’s that simple. Just make sure that you include a title to the piece so that we can refer to it. If you want to comment on something that’s been posted, you can reply to that session’s thread too. Just make sure to include the title and author of the piece you’re responding to so that we know what you’re talking about.

Just a few rules:

1. Post original content only. It’s okay if it’s been influenced by something else, but make sure it’s your own words. Plagiarism is bad. When you are caught we’ll probably ban you from the forums.
2. If you do not want constructive criticism, say so in your post. Several Corpses have attended writing workshops and such, so the initial response is to talk about what they’ve read.
3. Don’t be a douchebag. Constructive criticism only. There’s no need to be snarky or nasty.
4. What’s past is not gone. Feel free to post in past prompts and threads!

And remember, we retain no rights to anything you post in these forums. Your writing will always remain your own.