Combatwords, March 4, 2011: Randomness

Combatwords, March 4, 2011: Randomness

Some of you probably believe in fate, but it often seems that things in life happen randomly. Someone caught a bullet in Germany, someone else got hit by a car crossing the street and ended up marrying the driver. Elsewhere, an elderly couple wins the lottery jackpot, after playing every week for twenty years, while their neighbours lose yet again. The topic for this week's combat is randomness, chance and how it plays out in life. Were you late and missed the terrorist attack? Or did you get off the bus one stop early and found a tenner? It's all random.

-Anton Gourman wrote this week's Combatwords topic, as is the prerogative of the winner of the prior combat.

Combat Expiration: 12am PST, 3/7/2011

Critique Expiration: 12am PST, 3/9/2011

Bonuses/Penalties: +2 if posted by 6pm PST, 3/4/2011, +1 if posted by 12am PST 3/5/2011, -1 if posted by 6am PST 3/7/2011, -2 if posted by 12pm PST 3/7/2011.

The Rules: http://combatwords.blogspot.com/2010/07/official-rules-for-combatwords-updated.html

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CombatWords, November 5, 2010: Freestyle

CombatWords, November 5, 2010: Freestyle

The first posters to this thread set the tone for this Combat. You can write about anything, so long as you're first. After 4pm, late posters MUST riff off existing posts. This can go on indefinitely. Example: posters A, B & C post by 4pm. They all pick different topics. Poster D riffs off B's post after 4pm PST. Poster E will be able to riff off A-D. This should keep the combat fluid & personal. If I suspect you just posted canned writing, I'll just disqualify it.

Combat Expiration: 12pm PST, 11/7/2010

Critique Expiration: 12pm PST, 11/8/2010

Bonuses/Penalties: +3 for posts by 5pm PST, 11/5/2010; +2 for posts by 9pm PST 11/5/2010; +1 for posts by 2am PST 11/6/2010.

Penalties: -1 for posts by 8am PST 11/7/2010, -2 for posts made by 4pm PST 11/7/2010. Sorry I didn't announce this sooner.

Oh yeah, da rulez: http://combatwords.blogspot.com/2010/07/official-rules-for-combatwords-updated.html

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CombatWords, October 29, 2010: Farce and Tragedy

CombatWords, October 29, 2010: Farce and Tragedy

The only thing funnier than pathetic setbacks are when those pathetic setbacks are memorialized in story. I avoided the normal pairing of Tragedy w/ Comedy, because Farce is directly related to Tragedy. Farce is Tragedy that fails to elicit sympathy and instead summons the audience's smug contempt. Really, I paired these two, because I'm hoping one of the combatants will successfully combine BOTH Farce AND Tragedy into a single composition.

Combat Expiration: 12am PST, 10/31/2010

Critique Expiration: 12am PST, 11/1/2010

Bonuses/Penalties: +2 if posted by 6pm PST 10/29/2010, +1 if posted by 12am PST, 10/30/2010.

The Rules: http://combatwords.blogspot.com/2010/07/official-rules-for-combatwords-updated.html



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Canned Combat: Outwrite Something on Craigslist Litfo

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/forums/?forumID=27

Think you're the shit? Think every writing forum is there for you to pwn? Try litfo. If the prize winners and professors leave you alone, the trolls won't. How thick is your skin? Can you perform under pressure? Why won't you do an ITB comp (in the box--stream of consciousness and little/no editing)? Are you chicken? Can't take the pressure of time stamps? Need a shitty guitar and a bunch of over-caffeinated loners who are too nervous to jeer, to feel at the top of your game? If you can get over your fear, you'll learn something. Otherwise, you can chicken out like poemblaze. That guy was still talking shit on twitter, days after the 'incident' (oh my God, some criticism! Indiana Jones! Help! I opened my eyes & am melting!). Step up your game or STFU. It's time for shitty online poetry to move aside and quit breathin' our air.

If you can write, you know it's true. Even if you depend on the shitty writers for your readership.

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Arr! Time for TIMED Canned Combat March 20-etc

Okay, I've let you all throw down here in a very loose, lazy way. But now CombatWords! is ready for some additional rules--to make it interesting. Engagements should have time limits. I'll start you all off easy: time expires 24 hours after the last post in a thread. Winner is declared by critique and audience vote.

Right now, I'll keep the topic open. The main rule is to riff off the prior post. Oneupsmanship should form the bulk of the combat here, though the audience is encouraged to be as harsh as the compositions warrant. I mean, you can totally jeer at bad writing if you want to, but don't scare off your sparring partners, okay?

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