That's actually a good point. I'm not too worried about the reading, though. I read ridiculously fast and I'll simply copy it all to word, convert the files and read it on my Kindle. If anybody is interested in learning how to do that, pm me.

That way actually works well for me. It's much easier to read it on Kindle than my laptop. I've only done it with a few outstanding stories so far, (you know who you are!) but I'll do it for all the CAW entries, even if I don't manage to finish mine.

 

Pixy I hope you can finish yours, not only do I want to read it, I want there to be as many entries as possible.

Based on the stories of yours I have read, you are an incredible writer and the CAW should be fantastic, as with so many others.

And yes, I know I have hyped on mine for some time.

Mostly to drive Darthel nuts:-E

Honestly as 'cat-girl chaotic' the story of mine is, I hope people pick up on the main gist of the tale, this story has a special magic of its own, and I do not mean of spells or such.

Who knows...(sigh)....

Best fortunes Pixie and all others, I hope you all make it into the CAW.

 

I'd be fine with the submission period being extended, to have more and better stories, especially since ejls has been delayed by looking after us deleting spam.

Tho how the next host is gonna have their deadline kept to I'm not sure!! If only there were some kind of forfeit...:excited:

But as long as there are plenty of stories to be getting on with in the first week I wouldn't have thought the reading period needs to be extended, it's quite long already. And there may be people who don't make this one, or it didn't click for them, and are waiting for CAW15 to start.

 

Actually an idea or two that the next CAW host might consider for a timeline:

40 days for the writing time instead of the normal 30-days we have done for the last CAWs.

Have a set day to begin the posting, with seven days to post instead of the current 3 or so days. This will give some more wiggle room for anyone late in starting their story or still tweaking it here or there.

I figure if you have 40 days of thought and prep and writing time, plus up to seven more days to tweak and post it before the reading commences, it may get more people to enter.

On a side note - all of us should encourage new members in the forum to try out one CAW, if for name recognition alone.

Now all I have to do is go and rescue that blasted demon lord the dragon chewed on, he sent a note in a pile of laundry to my place saying "Help I am prisoner in a love nest laundromat, they will not let me go or stop the nymphs from enjoying each others company while I cannot do anything...'

Poor critter, must be bad for him when a demon lord begs.:excited:

 

Typically, it isn't the length that makes it good, it is the girth. That is, does it have good thickness and substance and can it stand up on its own.

Hmm.

Oh yes, story length. The longer a story, the more difficult it can become to sustain general readership. For example, if a story was written about NASCAR, for me to read it, it would need to be extremely well-written to sustain my interest. The longer the story, the less likely I will finish it. So it isn't just length. If it is very compelling, I'll read something and come back to it, if necessary.

It's all about your goal. Do you wish to try and get votes and win, or, do you wish to just tell a story? It is a competition after all, so there is nothing wrong with trying to win. You just have to keep a few general rules in mind.

15-20,000 can be difficult to maintain interest, but it can be done. One of my winning entries was 18,000 words.

In the FWIW category, I wouldn't object to the deadline being extended some, but I'd like to see the opening posting date kept the same. Some of us who have been done for 10 days are getting as anxious as a group of antelope at an African watering hole.

Good luck to all of you. First time entrant/winner Jade should be inspiration to all that YOU TOO can win!

 

Look, maybe its time I give you a secret weapon. Nymphs are addicted to ginger in any form. Ginger ale, gingerbread cookies, clean, uncooked ginger... Ginger is to nymphs what chocolates are to other women.

Also, they like butterscotch candies. A lot. Just thought you could give your demon lord an advantage. Sounds like he needs it, the poor bloke.

I absolutely can't believe I didn't see that one coming. I left myself wide open for it, though, didn't I?

I honestly don't care much about winning my first caw. That day will, hopefully, come. I just want to be able to look back and say, 'I actually entered, and damn, it was so much fun!'

 

WantSomeFun - I was just going back over the commentary on my CAW 13 entry "Grotto of dreams' and found a post of yours where you stated that...

"I want to see you do something wild, by your standards...'

Hopefully, with this one for CAW 14, that will be more than fulfilled...

Some days I have way too much fun...:excited:

 

With the Nymph's = thanks will pass it on to the demon lord. Either that or I will just find one of his enemies to give him to.

You have a good view of the CAW's, in my case in CAW 12, I got so hard on myself I assumed I would never be able to win one. I believe it was AHorseWithNoName to point out to me that it is the journey and not the ending that is to be made the most of, and that counts the most.

Honestly, if I ever do win one, with my reputation for pure mayhem in my stories...how chaotic or crazy of a theme could I come up with?

I mean, you did mention about chocolate, and with some whipped cream applied to the right locations of a females anatomy...:excited:

 

It is true. I mean, sure, who wouldn't want to win? So we all enter with hope of writing something the really touches people in one way or another.

But, ya' gotta' just write something that you like first, be it 500 words or 50,000 words. I do remember writing what I thought was a touching piece about Mary and Jesus, no sex, and it got skewered in the ratings, and zero votes in the competition. But that was ok...I got inspired and wanted to write it, so I did.

Sometimes you write something where you really should know it hasn't a snowball's chance in hell of winning because the theme is too bizarre or not near enough mainstream. And that's okay too. You have to write because you love to write. You love to write because you have to write. Great when you can have it both ways.

 

How true, its like with this CAW entry of mine, once again its taken on a life of its own when it was being wrote. If I get one good comment on it then it will be a personal success.

And yes I would like to win one sometime, but for this story, I just love the sheer chaos and...well...you'll see shortly.:excited:

 

Back to the idea of holiday magic -- the setting for a scene in my story:

 

WSF - I like it.

 

@wsf - I thought you were going to put them with your story.

 

“Now my new students,” Master Aden commences to teach his new class of first-year apprentices, “the science of ‘Conjuring’ and ‘Summoning’ in the realm of magic is simple to define. You will learn how to bring items, elements of stone, fire, air, ice and the like, plus as your studies advance, monsters and creatures and animals of all kinds from ‘elsewhere’ to your side, and for a brief time, under your command.”

Of the thirty and seven students in this gathering, he takes keen note of the four who pay particular attention. One is a young elf-lass, recently having reached her majority, who is silently mouthing each word in turn, recording in her mind the subtlest of inflections and such for later study and consideration.

Master Aden goes on explaining the joys, thrills and occasional chills to be found with the beings and forces they will learn to command and control. He eventually points to one area of the room, calling all the students to gather around the outer edges of a complex pattern of designs etched into the floor. He gives a basic explanation to the students, their first lesson the most vital of all in his book, on how the eight sets of designs, great sigils and glyphs used by magicians to hold beings of enormous power and danger, work and what they will not work with.

He carefully explains the complex weave of eight sigils and glyphs of vines, interweaving into a lattice-work that folds back in on it repeatedly. “Class, you all must understand up front, the defensive sigils and holding and binding sigils you see here and those you will be taught in years to come, must never be less than perfect. For if one small mistake is discovered, you may wind up being the snack of a demon or such as covered in the book you have been reading entitled ‘list of 1200 common demises the failed conjurer will encounter.”

He points out the Journeyman who is assisting this day, ready to summon up a simple house cat, a dog, and other ‘normal’ animals most people are familiar with. Master Aden explains the theories and basic skills one who is to summon such creatures, or even more fierce beasts and elemental-forces, must have a clear and steady focus of mind and of willpower.

“Class this set of symbols has already been tested by many today; so we can be reasonably assured that if there is an accident, only our esteemed college here will be the one devoured or eradicated.” Mater Aden’s smile and pat on the shoulder lets the Journeyman know the statement is a jest, and meant to relieve some of the building tension among the new students.

With a nod from Master Aden who steps past the outer boundaries of the engraved vines, the Journeyman starts the casting of his spell. He has altered his instructions from Master Aden just a bit, seeking to bring from his quarters to the classroom a small stone figurine of a housecat playfully cuddling with its human-lady owner. He locks the image into his mind as he begins chanting words of power, seeking to fold space-time and instantly bring it to rest in his hands.

The gathered students watch with looks of wide-eyed wonder, shock-slackened jaws, and stunned expressions as they see the pattern of vines begin to writhe and dance around, coming alive in surreal shadows, ghostly fire of white, blue, amber and green flames that harm no one. The whispering images of creatures dance and play, shifting, flowing, churning and merging in an ever-shifting tapestry of life across the cosmos.

Master Aden’s students watch as his expression shifts from satisfied approval, to concern, to outright alarm as he swiftly claps his hands and shouts into the air, “Journeymen Attend at once – barrier breach imminent!”

The Journeyman casting the spell feels it begin to take on a life of its own as he loses control over weaving the threads of magic one to another, failing to bend them to his will. His eyes flare wide with blazing power from primal forces of the cosmos, minute stars burst and flare into life around his body, then dissipate unto the larger cosmos where they shall be reborn into their true glory.

He knows true fear for the first time in his life as a thin line appears in the air before the Journeyman, Master Aden and the shaking, terrified students. This thin line of infinite space grows to eight feet in height, and begins to open slowly as the iris of an eye opens to emit more and more light.

Great arcs of lightning dance from this opening door, as howling winds suck all into its depths, seeking to claim the magicians and students as its own for eternity. One blast of lightning, shifting wildly across all colors known to people, hits the Journeyman directly in the chest, instantly turning him into a turtle.

Master Aden shouts a single word of cosmic power, a clarion call of absolute purity and holiness, of justice and protection that wards all beings from unleashed chaos. Shouting for the students to flee the room and gather in the hall, Master Aden watches the glowing sphere of golden force surround the patterns etched in the floor.

Twelve flashes of golden-white lights tells him that his summoned Journeyman have arrived, and as one they begin to weave a magical spell that will heal this breach between two locations of the cosmos…only to discover they are far, far too late…

The door has opened and something has come through…

A glowing pattern of letters that float majestically in the sky just above the floor for all to read:

Hooray!​

One More Day!​

CAW 14 STORIES WILL BEGIN TO APPEAR!​

 

One more day, unless changed by the CAW Hostess, and the joys of reading the stories we have all worked so hard to concoct will commence.

 

Type, type, type, delete, type, type, save!

Now to edit (as in, cut out some of the crap).

 

Phew!

Done!

At least, until it comes back from proofing with a big "HUH?" on it.

 

Oh well done WSF, I'm looking forward to reading it.

And everybody else's! I hope everyone's on course to get done.

I can't stop tinkering with mine, introducing some new errors lol.

 

Congradulations, one more for the CAW.

I hope we have a large number of entries this CAW, especially from Ejls. It will not be the same w/o her story being in it.

 

Looking forward to reading your entry; as for the 'tinkering' with a story, I imagine all authors do that to one degree or another. It is one reason why after so many times of 'tinkering and editing' I have to say its done and leave it be.

Mind you, when I set out writing this bugger, I intended it to be only 1/3 its current size at most. (I should have known better!

It stands on its own or it falls...my main concern is to give the reader a wonderful and entertaining tale to read.