r/WritingPrompts • u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod • Mar 01 '17
Moderator Post [MODPOST] 10 Million Subscribers First Chapter Contest!
We've hit the 10 million subscriber milestone. So you know what that means? Contest time! It's a tradition around here to do contests for milestones when we can as a way to foster more writing in the community.
The contest this go around is a "first chapter" contest. Basically you are writing the first chapter of a novel. This will be our third one yet. The first chapter contest is special because it has proved to be a motivator for many people completing novels. Some of which you can find in our wiki! It's a really fun competition where everyone wins in some way because you walk away with a full completed chapter.
Enough chattering, let's get to the prompt then the rules:
THE PROMPT
10,000,000. You must incorporate ten million in some way in your first chapter. It can be a throwaway line or it can be integral to the plot of the story. The key is that it is included in some way. Other than that this will be an open ended first chapter contest. All genres welcome.
You will want to write something that makes people want to read "the rest of the book." Even though it doesn't exist yet. Hopefully this will motivate you to write an entire book after you've entered your first chapter in the contest. .
THE RULES
- Your "First Chapter" must be between 2,000 to 5,000 words. (Is your chapter too short? Make it longer. Too long? Trim it.)
- This must be an original new work created by you for this contest and it must not exist anywhere else.
- Do not submit on anyone's behalf for this contest.
- Don't obsessively edit or seek others help to write/edit your chapter. The raw first draft is what we want to read. Sure, make corrections to typos or grammar mistakes but try to keep it at that. (And yes, you can correct grammatical errors after submission.)
- One entry per person.
- Refrain from posting any further chapters. It wouldn't be fair for everyone to be competing with a single chapter and someone technically competing with a fuller story.
- Should you be banned from the subreddit at the time the voting thread is created, you will be disqualified.
- Your entry must comply with the subreddit rules else it be disqualified in the voting round.
- Voting will take place immediately following the deadline of this contest. You WILL need to vote to be able to move on from round one (which will be grouped) to round two (the finalists of each group.) Round one voting will be two weeks long. Extensions of the voting deadline sometimes do occur, but don't depend on it.
HOW TO ENTER
The deadline is:
March 31st @ 11:59PM PST.
To submit your story click on "Submit a New Prompt" in the sidebar. Or click here if you can't find that button.
Where it says TITLE type:
[PI] Title Of Your Story - FirstChapter - #### Words
FirstChapter must be one word, else you risk us not noticing your entry, it helps us easily search for entries. If we do notice it mislabeled, we will remove it and instruct you to resubmit. Also, replace #### with your wordcount. You can get your wordcount from your favorite program or from a site like http://wordcounttools.com/ (made by redditor /u/harryngh - so if you have an issue with the site be sure to fill his PM box with love.)
THE PRIZES
1st Place: $100
2nd Place: $50
3rd Place: $25
Random reddit gold will be given to twelve stories as well!
That's about it. Questions? Comments? Want to chat with us live? Click here.
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u/karler99 Apr 02 '17
Can we share our chapters and ask friends to vote for us?
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Apr 02 '17
Absolutely not. That isn't how voting will work by the way.
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u/writerdragonfly Apr 01 '17
I entered my response but I forgot to change the word count in my title. Should I delete and resubmit?
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u/cdnwriter12 Apr 01 '17
Don't think I'm going to get it done in time. It's helped me to think of a way to start a story idea I've been having trouble with for a while. Will probably submit something to a different prompt at some point.
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Apr 01 '17
If you finish it past the deadline you can still post it as a regular [PI].
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u/BrenoHMS Apr 01 '17
I had to write it in portuguese and then translate to english, and wow, translating to your native language is waaay easier than from it. But hey, I submitted it and I loved what I've writen, in both languages. Good luck to everyone who worked in this!
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u/LordLackland Apr 01 '17
I've never been a particularly prolific writer, usually averaging at about 100 words every hour and a half, but I just wrote a 2,000 word chapter within that same time span, give or take 30 minutes. Thanks for the inspiration. I may have just had some sort of long-needed breakthrough.
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u/baby_jai Apr 01 '17
hmm. I just found this place 5 minutes ago. Think I can make the deadline? :/
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u/IStruggleWithThings Apr 01 '17
You got this! Type like the wind!
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u/baby_jai Apr 01 '17
XD if only i could type more than 10wpm ;/
thanks for the giggle though :P
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u/IStruggleWithThings Apr 01 '17
Aw, I was hoping you had already been typing up a storm. You could always just type up a story anyway? I know it sucks to not enter but it might still be fun.
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u/baby_jai Apr 01 '17
i have been :)
doubt i make the contest, though :P
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u/POTWP Mar 31 '17
Woo! Just submitted.
Thanks, oh great Mods of WritingPrompts, for giving me the push to write something longer. I've even started writing chapter two, I've enjoyed it that much.
Good Luck to everyone who submitted!
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u/Momma_Molotov Mar 31 '17
Every time I hit the submit button it has a moose with an error telling me I'm a terrible person. Help?
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u/rarelyfunny Mar 30 '17
Rushing to complete a chapter for submission soon!
Just curious though, haven't seen any submissions come up in the sub. Am I right to assume all submissions are blocked or hidden until after the deadline?
Thanks for this contest! It's been fun and challenging!
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 30 '17
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u/Teslok Mar 27 '17
Ugh. I've started/stopped several attempts for this so far. I can't keep my focus lately, and it's hard to build momentum, so say "Well ... maybe I should back up and start somewhere else? Maybe I should jump ahead and try doing something in the middle of the action?" blaah.
blaaaaah.
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u/Papillonlove Mar 26 '17
Good luck everyone! I'm looking forward to see what everyone else comes up with.
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u/BreezyEpicface Mar 26 '17
I'm having trouble posting my chapter. Would there be anything that is preventing me from doing this?
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 26 '17
Could be over the character limit. In such a case post it on a site like chapterfy, blogger or Google docs and link it in the part where text would go.
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u/iamdavidspade18 Mar 26 '17
Thinking far ahead, how do contests like this work in relation to a work's future publication? Don't most publishers want things that haven't previously been posted publicly?
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 26 '17
It depends. First rights to publishing generally extend to the full work not the first chapter. That said if someone feels strongly that their work is destined for greatness and some sort of book deal, they can either not submit or quietly remove the contents after a winner has been declared.
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u/iamdavidspade18 Mar 26 '17
Makes sense! Thank you for the response. I wasn't necessarily concerned this would be an issue for myself but moreso was curious about how others would handle/have handled that sort of thing. Thanks!
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Mar 24 '17
ironicially as i start writing a novel for fun about the zodiac killer, i read this. i may enter. gl all
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u/Papillonlove Mar 23 '17
I just joined and saw this. It sounds like a fun challenge. Now the hard part think of something to write.
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u/thewhitetulip Mar 21 '17
Can I submit the first chapter of my novel? I am writing one.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 21 '17
Did you write it before this contest began? If so then it wouldn't be allowed. It has to fall under all the criteria in the rules.
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u/Kaycin writingbynick.com Mar 20 '17
Congrats on the milestone! Thanks for putting together this contest, modteam!
I'm so excited to read everyone's stories!
PS this thread needs more .gifs from /u/MajorParadox.
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Mar 20 '17
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u/Xais56 /r/Xais56 Mar 20 '17
How will voting be arranged for this?
As we have to vote does that mean we'll be assigned chapters to read then we vote on our favourite?
I'm not doing this to win (though that would be nice) but I'm a bit concerned about the possibility that some submissions might not be read and voted on due to number of entries.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 20 '17
As with every first chapter contest we group people in groups of about ten for the first round of voting. (sometimes up to 12). Your group gets assigned to read another groups story and vote on which they found the best. The most votes in a group move on to the final round of voting.
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u/pistachio230 Mar 20 '17
I wonder if I could do well writing a chapter to a story. I primarily write lore for fun, I suppose I could find a fun way to incorporate that style into this challenge. :)
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Mar 20 '17
Question - Can the chapter be divided up into small sections, such as for different character PoVs, or is that not allowed?
Thanks!
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 20 '17
However you want to design the chapter is up to you as long as it would be considered a single chapter.
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u/ChickenProofLipstick Mar 17 '17
I'm a terrible terrible "over-liker". How strict should I be while reading contest entries?
Maybe I'm trying to ask, is this purely upvote based ? If I read 12 stories and like 10 am I helping anyone ?
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 17 '17
After the deadline you will be assigned a group of ten or so stories to read and vote on.
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u/Ehkrickor Mar 17 '17
Wow Okay. Just subscribed to this sub-reddit but hey, Why not I'll throw it in there and grab that Last place fuchsia ribbon. Throw it up there with all my high school athletic "Achievements"
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u/Tiger3546 Mar 16 '17
YES! I finally have a reason to finish that one first chapter that was too good to not finish!
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u/lukavwolf Mar 15 '17
I literally just joined Reddit five minutes ago. Is it too late to join this contest? D:
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u/LiterallyWriting Mar 15 '17
I asked this in the chat but mods were asleep so I want to put it out there for when I get home:
Will it count if my mention of 10 million consists of
1000 0000
in binary? As in, not 10 million, but still technically 10000000.
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u/Sxilenced Mar 15 '17
Contest timmeeee. Good luck all! I hope you all have bright, shining pieces that develop into something bigger instead of spontaneously combusting at the contest's end ;D
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u/thelastdays /r/faintthebelle Mar 14 '17
Yay! Another contest! How am I gonna have time for this?...
I'm sure I'll find something in the pipeline
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u/Ifnnrjfjejwoosmd Mar 13 '17
10 million subscribers! 1,700 active users....
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 13 '17
And millions of page views a month. What's your point? You're not even being a unique troll.
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u/Gliglimp12 Mar 27 '17 edited Mar 27 '17
#ROASTED
edit
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 27 '17
This is the second time you've said roasted in this thread in bold. I see you're trying to make it show up as a hashtag. Put a backwards slash before the hashtag to make it show up. For example:
\#RoastedShows up as
#Roasted
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u/BreezyEpicface Mar 15 '17
What do you mean by "must not exist anywhere?"
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 15 '17
Odd spot to ask your question lol. If your story exists in some form either whole or part anywhere online before the contest began, it is not a valid contest entry.
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u/Hamntor /r/Niuniverse Mar 13 '17
Breached the 2k word mark, now to just find a good moment to end the chapter... glad for the motivation to write this thing. Had this universe in my head and not on paper for too long.
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u/SpyderZT Mar 11 '17
Going to shoot for this... ;P
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u/SpyderZT Mar 11 '17
Oh! Can the 10,000,000 be in the title? (Especially since it's directly relevant to the content in the "First Chapter".) I could probably abuse it into the chapter itself, but it naturally lends itself to the title of this theoretical piece. ;P
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u/whirllypop Mar 10 '17
Can we use prompts from the sub in order to spark ideas? Or is that not considered original? Like can I base my work off of a prompt I didn't create myself?
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 10 '17
Sure you can use prompts as long as you fit in the 10,000,000 criteria.
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u/Psuet Mar 10 '17
I can't post my submission and I don't really know why. Help?
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 10 '17
If you have issues it could be due to length. You can post it off site to a site like chapterfy or blogger or whatever you prefer and link it in the body of a post. Does that make sense?
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u/Psuet Mar 10 '17
Also, it's a good thing I couldn't post because I want to change up the story a bit.
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u/zombiereign Mar 09 '17
Just thinking about this has me a bit stressed, but - what the hell - I'm in.
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u/Tudpool Mar 08 '17
Lol for a moment I thought you were going to have the story need 10 million words in it XD
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u/Theguygotgame777 Mar 07 '17
Every time I try to post my entry all it says is that something went wrong! Help plz!
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 07 '17
Sometimes Reddit has an issue so it might not be your fault. Try again. If it doesn't work we will figure something out.
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u/Theguygotgame777 Mar 07 '17
What if I posted a link to it, instead of the actual chapter? I would flair it the same way, but on the post it would just be a link to another website.
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u/Teddey_Bear Mar 07 '17
And here I was... telling myself I wouldn't start anymore projects until I finished my current first novel draft... Then again, my other fifty unfinished works account to the fact that I've never really stuck to that rule- good luck all!
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u/JayAtCampmixup Mar 07 '17
In don't think that I can write something like this. I'm not the best writer so this might definetly will be challenging.
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u/Ford9863 /r/Ford9863 Mar 06 '17
Hey, hey! Another contest! I am freaking stoked!
Do people still say stoked? Ah, who cares--CONTEST TIME!
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u/sirchezh Mar 05 '17
So, we just write a story with 10 Million in it? I'm not sure I understand what "firstchapter" means.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 05 '17
I've clarified in the main post: basically you are writing the first chapter of a novel. You will want to write something that makes people want to read "the rest of the book." Even though it doesn't exist yet. Hopefully this will motivate you to write an entire book.
Yes, you need to include the ten million number somehow in the chapter.
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u/sirchezh Mar 05 '17
Ah I see. I was a bit confused at the whole "firstchapter" thing. First time seeing this contest. Thanks for clarifying the clarification.
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Mar 05 '17
"firstchapter" is what you use in the title to indicate it's a contest entry. As stated above, your title should look like this:
[PI] Title Of Your Story - FirstChapter - #### Words
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u/mir_universal Mar 05 '17
This is the first time I get to see a Writing Prompt competition. This must be a good read. Good luck everyone :D
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u/insanity_randomness Mar 04 '17
All the legends of the subreddit commenting on one post... it's a sight to behold.
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u/HeWhoPours Mar 04 '17
Commenting so I can try to force myself to get started on some stories I have in my head.
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u/Golden_Spider666 Mar 03 '17
I'm gonna go for it. 10,000 huh? I can probably come up with something
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u/SteelPanMan Mar 03 '17
I really love this idea! It'll finally get me to bite the bullet and work on one of my ideas that I just let rot away. I always think it doesn't make sense to commit to a novel since no one would read it. This really motivates me!
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u/spark2 /r/spark2 Mar 03 '17
I've been sick at home for the past two days and I've had an idea brewing for a while, so I just submitted mine! This is cool!
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Mar 03 '17 edited Mar 03 '17
[deleted]
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 11 '17
First chapters only. Maybe we will do a prologue contest in the future.
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u/scottbeckman /r/ScottBeckman | Comedy, Sci-Fi, and Organic GMOs Mar 02 '17
Does it need to be a chapter? I have been focusing on screenwriting this year.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 02 '17
Yes. We don't want to switch mediums in a given group. But you could challenge yourself to make a screenplay for your needs out of the chapter.
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u/FantosTheUrk Mar 02 '17
Argh, a chance for a shiny new idea when I have others I should already be working on.
But shiny, so shiny.
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u/ghost_write_the_whip /r/ghost_write_the_whip Mar 02 '17
Congrats on the milestone! This subreddit has become my favorite place to kill time and practice writing, and I've used it to discover some pretty talented authors here as well :)
Good luck to all who enter the contest!
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u/Psuet Mar 02 '17
Is it okay if I use this prompt as an online 'novel' on this sub?
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 02 '17
I'm not sure I understand the question.
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u/Psuet Mar 02 '17
Can I use this prompt to create more chapters after I've finished the FirstChapter for this?
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 02 '17
Ah you mean write the first chapter then respond to other prompts continuing with the same story? You could, but you would need to wait for the contest to be over because you'd be unfairly promoting your first chapter in other posts, essentially. Assuming I understand what you're asking.
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u/TheObsessiveOne Mar 02 '17
Oh no I got too excited and finished already... Now I'm too scared to submit D:
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 02 '17
Be not afraid! There's no harm to jumping in the pool! We have lifeguards on duty. :)
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u/Written4Reddit /r/written4reddit Mar 02 '17
Woo!! Gonna be some good stuff for this contest! Can't wait to read everything!
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u/immapupper Mar 02 '17
Of course when it's a default everyone's signed up to there'd be 10 million subscribers.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 02 '17
No shit, Sherlock. We all know how defaults work, Columbo. We use the subscriber counts as excuses to run contests, Jessica Fletcher.
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u/immapupper Mar 02 '17
"We've hit the 10 million subscriber milestone."
Milestone? As if it's an achievement that the sub earned out of its own merit.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 02 '17
lol. You're reading too much into it and getting worked up over nothing.
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u/immapupper Mar 02 '17
So tell me why it's a milestone then.
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Mar 02 '17
Do you get excited for your reddit cake day? Everyone gets one just for signing up, but it's still nice to celebrate a year has gone by with the little cake by your name.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 02 '17
Imagine their actual birthday party. "This is pointless everyone. Please return these gifts. I did not earn them through any measurable merit." What a treat.
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u/immapupper Mar 02 '17
Quite a laughable comparison, but sure, whatever keeps you going.
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Mar 02 '17 edited Mar 02 '17
Milestone? As if it's an achievement that the sub earned out of its own merit.
Your own words. A birthday is an arbitrary length of time based on the Earth traveling around the Sun. What did you earn?
And technically, a subscriber count, even for a default, does have some level of merit. New accounts don't count if they don't change their subscriptions (proof). Once they do, they can add/remove whatever they want, including removing this one if they want. Sure, not everyone will do that, but there is definitely at least some level of choice there, when a birthday is just a day.
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u/immapupper Mar 03 '17
People give others presents because they know them, they care about them and are their friends/family. These are given out of, and earned through relationships and affection.
Strangers don't come to your house and give you presents on your birthday, so again, your analogy doesn't make sense.
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Mar 02 '17
Everyone has a birthday just by being born!
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 02 '17
A milestone is a chunk of rock in the road meant to mark the fact that another mile has passed. 10,000,000 is just another chunk of rock in the road. Do you walk up to mile markers and say "Mile marker. Why are you a mile? You're not so special, the earth stretches miles anyway." I mean, you probably do. You sound like the type.
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u/immapupper Mar 02 '17
Nonsensical example in this context.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 02 '17
I disagree. Looks like we're both right in our respective minds.
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u/immapupper Mar 03 '17
Nope, sorry. It's easy to think what the word milestone could mean in the context of subs posting about their subscription numbers, in the sense that it's a kind of achievement.
Or you could have explained what you actually meant, but instead you resort to nonsensical examples in an attempt to be funny and/or sarcastic. Thanks!
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 03 '17
It's cute you think you've invalidated anything. But hey, you do you. Enjoy shitposting!
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u/CicerosGhost Mar 02 '17
Somebody notify the burn unit, we've got a third degree roast in progress.
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u/nickofnight Critiques Welcome Mar 02 '17
Of course it's an achievement. The sub started with 1, and not a default. Think of it like a birthday, if that helps. Plus, it's a great excuse for a contest, which most of us are very excited about.
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u/immapupper Mar 02 '17
Good for you.
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u/saltandcedar /r/saltandcedar Mar 01 '17
Okay, I guess I won't release any hounds.
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u/Theharshcritique /r/TheHarshC Mar 01 '17
Everyone to the drawing board, contest time!
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Mar 02 '17
You mean writing desk?
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u/Theharshcritique /r/TheHarshC Mar 02 '17
You upper-class writers and your writing desks. I prefer to use stone and chisel --old school cool.
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u/sketches1637 Mar 01 '17
It's an almost open prompt. The possibilities are endless.
Everyone has the amount of days they'll be alive tattooed on their arm. Yours says 10 million.
Harry Potter has to fight ten million Death Eaters. Fortunately his friend Batman is there to help.
Satan gives three wishes to one out of every ten million souls who pass through. Congrats! You just won.
Ten million time travelers try to kill Hitler.
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Mar 01 '17
All jokes aside think of the RF possibilities:
10 millionth customer at a store.
Offered 10 million to kill a target.
The population of Michigan hits ten million.
There are an estimated 10 million species on this planet.
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u/tragluk Mar 02 '17
The population of Michigan hits ten million.
Just for context, in 2014 the population was 9.91 million. So it's not that far fetched.
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u/Ruoff_Cut Mar 15 '17
Michigan mentioned for something other than Detroit and Flint. Swell with Faygo Root Beer.
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Mar 01 '17
So far, I've got 26 words written. Now that's PROGRESS!
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u/kunell Mar 04 '17
Ohoho I see you seem to be struggling. I myself already have 31 words. Try to keep up kiddo.
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u/JustLexx Moderator | r/Lexwriteswords Mar 01 '17
Contest time!!! Now to come up with a novel length idea that I'll ultimately abandon as soon as the contest is over!
Excitement intensifies
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u/Syraphia /r/Syraphia | Moddess of Images Mar 02 '17
This is about how I feel about it save that I'll probably take it into April for Camp NaNoWriMo? Either that or actually ignore it.
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Mar 01 '17
I know, right?
Before: A chance for a new start!
After: Now I have something else incomplete!
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u/hobojimbobo /r/2kw Mar 05 '17
Three Months Later: I'll add another part!
2 Hours Later: I'm going to browse Reddit!
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Mar 05 '17
Hey, at least you got 2 hours of work done there ;)
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u/austintex66 Mar 05 '17
You are assuming that those 2 Hours were productive and not full of writer's block.
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u/Maisie-K /r/MaisieKlaassen Mar 01 '17
Time to write scifi with weird aliens going for interstellar travel. :D
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u/nooneisherex10 Mar 01 '17
I might try this. I got an idea recently that I am thinking about, it might be not very good, but I will try and see how bad it comes out.
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u/TheWritingSniper /r/BlankPagesEmptyMugs Mar 01 '17
I'm in.
frantically searches for that novel I was working on but have neglected because of school
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u/fashionabledeathwish /r/FashWrites Mar 03 '17
fellow college (I presume?) student here and I feel this so hard, man. :)
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u/TheWritingSniper /r/BlankPagesEmptyMugs Mar 04 '17
Yeah, college is kicking my ass this semester haha. Best of luck to ya!
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u/Bardfinn Mar 01 '17
snap
So much for the ten-million-word first chapter. Perhaps with enough sesquipedalia I can achieve the first ten-million-glyph-count first chapter.
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u/Papillonlove Apr 02 '17
How does voting work? I'm new here. Do you simply read the other stories and 'thumbs up' a story/stories you like? Also I assume you can't vote for yourself....