I just want to start with a big thank you for everyone who participated, didn't participate or considered participating. What would SimplyScripts' OWCs be without all of you to share it with? =)



Let's be honest, Don. Without you, there's no OWC, period, so a huge thanks goes out especially for you.



In some ways, yes. In others, no. Me, personally, when I come up with an OWC theme, I try and come up with things that allow for originality and variation. I hate the idea of people thinking that they're forced into such a tight restriction that they're worried they might write a script similar to 10 other people. At the same time, Rick made a good point in the lead-up to the contest when he said a lot of the recent OWCs (I'm paraphrasing) are more about wacky ideas instead of character and he listed most of mine. He's right. I suck with creating characters and, as a result, character-based ideas. That's why we like to encourage other people to set up OWCs, to get some unique voices out there to challenge everyone else. Keep it fun and fresh and interesting.



It's true that I had originally considered a 3WC for this one instead of 2 weeks, but I had a feeling that people would be getting antsy with that long of a timeline, so I knocked it back and took a chance.



Absolutely. I also don't really like the idea of DQ'ing people's scripts, anyway. I like to leave it up to the reviewers to make that call because everyone out there is an individual and has their own line on how far you can push the rules before it becomes unacceptable. At the same time, I do like for all comments to be constructive, but I don't think a script where someone at least attempted to fit it within the parameters should automatically be disqualified.



No need to apologize. It's a challenge, it's there for fun and for everyone to enjoy. It's not this obligation that, if you don't take part in it, you're hurting my feelings. Although, you are hurting my feelings by not participating... I'm kidding.

In all seriousness, though, don't sweat it if you miss out on this one. There are always going to be more OWCs. If not run by others, than by me. I've got six pages of OWC ideas saved up, just for the hell of it, so if you miss one, jump in the next. =)

It wasn't me that criticised the themes, it was Prussian Moby. Your themes have all been good, as far as I'm concerned... Including this one.  

I think this is the least amount of entries I've seen for any challenge. Did most people not enter because of the requirements?

Does that beg the question of whether the requirements should be "easier" for lack of a better word, for the OWC to be more inclusive?

Just playing devil's advocate.

Mulling it over, I think some on the non-participation (and this is just a wild ass guess on my part) may be rooted in a sense that the type of stories would not naturally generate an otherwise commercially viable short.

Okay, I buy it, although I'm not sure if I shouldn't just leave it as is,

but I try to explain...

It's not about persons, and it was important to me to thank everyone engaged in the closing statement there, which includes you.

IMO This challenge especially misses a connection with the audience. When you need to construct so much, where's meaning and expression toward recipient?

It's a thing that isn't secondary. People here, are sensible, they want progress, confront, cherish, and challenge their readers and viewers. Imo I don't see how the parameter about changing something from the past would be beneficial to an audience when it's anyway about the way, it is then -> then - There tell us your story it was here. To tell the story which bases on the fact that… how, why, it makes no sense other than distancing us from the audience.

I just "guess" that what I said, even happens through instincts, subconscious of the writers here. They feel it's against goal or comlicating goal of serving other people. They are not in math or physics, they are no engineers who ""construct"".

Alternate history stories are a well established genre.

Some of the world's greatest writers have dabbled in the field.

Any story you write, no matter when or where it is set reflects the current world... The world of the audience.


In order to connect with the audience, you take something important to you/society, then exaggerate it by constructing your world.

For instance, if you are upset that the Regressive Left are becoming too domineering through political correctness and shutting down free speech and opinion, you create a story where the USSR never split up and instead took over Europe.

The story then is set in that Europe and is about the suppression of free speech and makes an analogy to modern life. Ie this is the path we're going down if we're not careful.

When you complain about the themes, you often seem to have this curious view that the challenge  provided somehow prevents you writing deeper themes, or characters. They are not mutually exclusive. Those parts of the equation are entirely up to you.

Even if someone gives out the most generic theme: Horror/Slasher for instance... It doesn't prevent you from building deep characters and introducing deep themes. You can even mechanically pick them.  I'll do a Feminist horror slasher about domestic abuse, for instance.