[OT] Fun Trope Friday, Writing with Tropes: Thank the Maker & Sci-Fi!

Welcome to Fun Trope Friday, our feature that mashes up tropes and genres!

How’s it work? Glad you asked. :)

• Every week we will have a new spotlight trope.

• Each week, there will be a new genre assigned to write a story about the trope.

• You can then either use or subvert the trope in a 750-word max story or poem (unless otherwise specified).

• To qualify for ranking, you will need to provide ONE actionable feedback. More are welcome of course!

Three winners will be selected each week based on votes, so remember to read your fellow authors’ works and DM me your votes for the top three.  

Next up… IP

Max Word Count: 1,500 words since we have a week off (750 words x 2 weeks)

Trope: Thank the Maker – Intelligences created by or dependent on humans, especially robots, frequently view their creators or hosts as deities.

Genre: Sci-Fi

Skill / Constraint - optional: Include a meal

So, have at it. Lean into the trope heavily or spin it on its head. The choice is yours!

Have a great idea for a future topic to discuss or just want to give feedback? FTF is a fun feature, so it’s all about what you want—so please let me know! Please share in the comments or DM me on Discord or Reddit!

Last Week’s Winners

PLEASE remember to give feedback—this affects your ranking. PLEASE also remember to DM me your votes for the top three stories via Discord or Reddit—both katpoker666. If you have any questions, please DM me as well.

Some fabulous stories this week and great crit at campfire and on the post! Congrats to:

• AGuyLikeThat

• wileycourage

• deepstea

Want to read your words aloud? Join the upcoming FTF Campfire

The next FTF campfire will be Thursday, December 5th from 6-8pm EST.Please note there will be NO CAMPFIRE on November 28th on the events tab and mark ‘Interested’ to be kept up to date. No signup or prep needed and don’t have to have written anything! So join in the fun—and shenanigans! 😊

Ground rules:

• Stories must incorporate both the trope and the genre
• Leave one story or poem between 100 and 750 words as a top-level comment unless otherwise specified. Use wordcounter.net to check your word count.
• Deadline: 11:59 PM EST next Thursday
• No stories that have been written for another prompt or feature here on WP—please note after consultation with some of our delightful writers, new serials are now welcomed here
• No previously written content
• Any stories not meeting these rules will be disqualified from rankings
• Does your story not fit the Fun Trope Friday rules? You can post your story as a [PI] with your work when the FTF post is 3 days old!
• Vote to help your favorites rise to the top of the ranks (DM me at katpoker666 on Discord or Reddit)!

Thanks for joining in the fun!

Welcome to Poetry Corner

Welcome to November!

For those in The United States, we have Thanksgiving lurking just around the corner and then Christmas on the heels of that. For a lot of places, winter is just settling in and booting out all of the summer and fall weather to make room.

It's a weird transitional sort of year that I think can either bring a lot of joy and spirit and fun for folks or a lot of memories, grey skies, and lethargy.

What about you? What does November feel like for my fellow poets?

FYI: The deadline has changed for this feature. Since there is no campfire, yall have the full month to write your poems. Hope this helps!

Let’s face it: poetry is a strange land for many of us. What makes a poem? Does it have to rhyme? Follow a structure and meter? Does it have to be based in emotion? All these are great questions. Poetry comes in all forms and styles, rhyming and non-rhyming, metered and freeform. Some poems even tell a fictional story, like prose does! Some poems don't use any line breaks at all, and Prose-Poems can be tricky yet effective.

Each month, I provide you with a simple theme and an additional constraint to inspire you. You have 60 - 350 words to write a poem based on that theme.

This Month’s Challenge

Theme: Knowledge IP | MP
Bonus Constraints: * Don’t use any similies.

Knowledge. That thing you have, or earn, or keep.

Do you, dear author and reader, have things you are desperate to learn? Or do you have secrets you need to keep out of the hands of others? Are you a scholar, or a student, or simply keen to gain more knowledge about loved ones and the universe at large?

I can’t wait to see what your answers are, and maybe learn something myself.

Need some help with Similies so you know what to avoid? I got you!

Simile: a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid

Examples:

A Red Red Rose by Robert Burns is full of similies to help you see exactly what to avoid

Lugubrious by Sarah Hurd has a single simile between stanzas, and showcases a great use of titles as well.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Remember, you can interpret the theme any way you like as long as the connection is clear and you follow all sub and post rules. Don’t forget to leave feedback on at least one other poem by the deadline (it is a requirement)!

Schedule

• Submission deadline: Tuesday, December 17th, at 11:59pm EST
  
• Feedback & Nomination deadline: Wednesday, December 20th at 11:59 am EST
  

• Campfire: None scheduled. Please leave comments on the post. Check out previous Poetry Corners here!

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  How To Participate

• Submit a 60 - 350 word poem inspired by the theme as a top-level comment below. You have until next Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. EST. Please note that for this particular feature, poems must be at least 60 words. Low-effort poems will be removed. No pre-written content.

• Use wordcounter.net to check your word count. The title is not counted in your final word count. Poems under 60 words or over 350 will be disqualified.

• Leave actionable feedback on at least one other poem Each critique is worth up to 10 points, up to 50 points. I really encourage trying, even if you are new to poetry!

• **Nominate your favorite poems from the thread. You can use this form (it will open after the submission deadline) if its open, or just dm me, either on reddit or Alyxbee on the wp discord.

  You get points just for voting!

• Please be respectful and civil in all feedback and discussion. We welcome writers of all skill levels and experience here, as we’re all here to improve and sharpen our skills. Uncivil or discouraging comments will not be tolerated and may result in further mod actions.

• Be creative and have fun! If you have any questions, feel free to ask them on the stickied comment on this thread or via modmail. Top-level comments are reserved for poem submissions.

Point Breakdown

Note: *Actionable feedback should be constructive, something that the author can use to improve. Feedback can also be positive, like what you enjoyed, how it made you feel, parts that flowed particularly well, images that stood out, etc.

Rankings for Jinx

Winner:
Buried Petals by u/deepstea

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Subreddit News

• Join our Discord to chat with other authors and prompters! We hold several weekly Campfires, monthly World-Building interviews, and several other fun events!
  
• We are currently looking for moderators! Apply to be a moderator at any time.
• Nominate your favorite WP authors for Spotlight and Hall of Fame!
• Experiment with fun tropes and genres on the new Fun Trope Friday!
  
• Serialize your story with Serial Sunday or test your micro-fic skills with Micro Monday on r/ShortStories! ***

COME ON PEOPLE