Grid & Dice Newsletter Game - Come Play!

[Cia]

 

Roll the dice once, twice, three times.

Say my roll gives me a 2, 6, and 1. The prompt would be:

 

A lonely duck who can't shift (verb) an inner city one star no tell motel (conjunction/pairing word) the cat won't move.

 

To give some variety, each author can pick the words in parenthesis. Such as:

 

A lonely duck who can't shift (escapes) an inner city one star no tell motel (when) the cat won't move. Maybe I write an anthropomorphic tale where the duck needs to escape the hotel because there's a cat living there who won't stop hassling him.

 

A lonely duck who can't shift (owns) an inner city one star no tell motel (and) the cat won't move. Maybe there's a business across the street and the cat who owns it won't sell, so the duck has to resort to nefarious methods because he wants to raze both buildings to create a park with a pond.

 

 

Participating Authors and Their Prompts:

 

I'm going to roll the dice and the first, second, and third number will dictate what character, setting, and problem each author will get for their story prompt. All stories should be posted as a solo story, or as part of an existing/new collection if they're under 1,000 words, POST-DATED for March 5th. All authors should send a link to the story via a PM to Cia prior to the March 4th so they can be included in the March 5th newsletter.

Valkyrie: 4, 2, 4 A neurotic toll booth operator (verb) the bottom of the ocean (conjunction pairing word) "Expletive, they saw me!"

Aditus: 3, 4, 3 A newly-made vampire (verb) Roswell, NW (conjunction/pairing word) a schizophrenic robot listening to the voices telling it that it's a real boy.

Cazpredroso: 3, 5, 1 A newly-made vampire (verb) deep forest on a mountain no one dares enter (conjunction/pairing word) the cat won't move. 

Nephy: 6, 3, 5 A gay father of teenage twins (verb) a rundown-horror-movie set-worthy gas station on a lonely 2 lane desert road next to a sign that reads: Next Gas-50 miles (conjunction/pairing word) "Help! I just shifted into <desert animal here>. What's going to happen to me now?"

Carlos Hazday: 4, 4, 6 A neurotic toll-booth operator (verb) Roswell, NM (conjunction/pairing word) discovers email to cheating partner from their bit on the site.

Jay T: 3, 5, 4 A newly-made vampire (verb) deep forest on a mountain no one dares enter (conjunction/pairing word) "Expletive, they saw me!"

​Cynus: 2, 4, 6 A lonely duck who can't shift (verb) Roswell, NW (conjunction/pairing word) discovers email to cheating partner from their bit on the side.

lilansui: 6, 6, 2 A gay father of teenage twins (verb) an inner city one star, no-tell motel (conjunction/pairing word) the fridge is empty.

northie: 5, 2, 1 A thousand-year-old demon (verb) the bottom of a/the ocean (conjunction/pairing word) the cat won't move.

Dayne Mora: 1, 1, 6 An Israeli astronaut (verb) an underground cavern (conjunction/pairing word) discovers email to cheating partner from their bit on the side.

Drew Espinosa: 2, 2, 2 A lonely duck who can't shift (verb) the bottom of a/the ocean (conjunction/pairing word) the fridge is empty.

MacGreg: 5, 3, 1: A thousand-year-old demon a rundown-horror-movie set-worthy gas station on a lonely 2 lane desert road next to a sign that reads Next Gas - 50 Miles (conjunction/pairing word) the cat won't move.

 

Want to play? You still can! Just let us know via PM to Cia!  

[Caz Pedroso]

I am so looking forward to what people come up with for these. Now I'm off to jot down ideas for mine. 

[Valkyrie]

     I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.  

[Drew Espinosa]

Brainstorming right now!

[Cia]

Parker Owens has decided to join us!

 

Parker Owens: 2, 4, 4 A lonely duck who can't shift (verb) Roswell, NM (conjunction/joining word) "Expletive, they saw me!"

[Valkyrie]

Parker Owens has decided to join us!

 

Parker Owens: 2, 4, 4 A lonely duck who can't shift (verb) Roswell, NM (conjunction/joining word) "Expletive, they saw me!"

I think this is the best one so far... 

[Parker Owens]

Parker Owens has decided to join us!

 

Parker Owens: 2, 4, 4 A lonely duck who can't shift (verb) Roswell, NM (conjunction/joining word) "Expletive, they saw me!"

 

I hope I can choose worthy verbs and conjunctions. Heaven help me.

[northie]

I hope I can choose worthy verbs and conjunctions. Heaven help me.

Oh, and don't forget you get to choose the expletive. That's the easy bit ...

Can't help thinking I have one of the easier challenges ....

[Cia]

It was all random roll of the dice. That was really interesting watching the different storylines come together.

[Parker Owens]

As long as they are good stories, too....a duck? Really?

[Cia]

As long as they are good stories, too....a duck? Really?

 

I actually read a really funny eBook about a duck shifter. It can be done... but will it? I'm actually hoping for some crazy stories from this event. That's what makes it fun!

[northie]

What are we meant to do with our stories once they've been written, checked and all that? Mine's not far off being complete - it's only short, a couple of thousand words.

 

Answered my own daft question by reading Cia's opening post properly. *Sigh*

Edited February 13, 2017 by northie

[Parker Owens]

What are we meant to do with our stories once they've been written, checked and all that? Mine's not far off being complete - it's only short, a couple of thousand words.

 

Answered my own daft question by reading Cia's opening post properly. *Sigh*

Short..."only" a couple of thousand words...sigh.

[northie]

Short..."only" a couple of thousand words...sigh.

Actually after your red pen did its worst, it's grown ... Sorry

[Cia]

I  loved it! So the first story is in, woo hoo!!! How's everyone else doing? Any tidbits to promo and share? Problems to get unstuck?

[Valkyrie]

Mine is finished.  It's going through my beta reader now, then I'll post it.    It's short... less than 1k words, but I had fun with it.

[Valkyrie]

"Swimming toward Infinity" is now with Cia.  

[northie]

Yay! That's two of us. I wonder how everyone else is getting on ... 

[Carlos Hazday]

Short..."only" a couple of thousand words...sigh.

 

MIne's 500 words so I think I win the shortest story prize!

 

Cia, any specific time we should set the story to post on the 5th?

Also... I included all parts of my 'prompt' in the story but didn't string the words together in one single phrase. I'm hoping that's acceptable.

[Parker Owens]

I  loved it! So the first story is in, woo hoo!!! How's everyone else doing? Any tidbits to promo and share? Problems to get unstuck?

 

This story is growing like topsy. And I might need to ask the teacher for an extension. Why is it that inspiration always hangs out and disappears until right before the deadline?

[Cia]

Hmm... I'll have to see how many people need extensions. If there's more I can probably do a double feature with some this month and some next month.

MIne's 500 words so I think I win the shortest story prize!

 

Cia, any specific time we should set the story to post on the 5th?

Also... I included all parts of my 'prompt' in the story but didn't string the words together in one single phrase. I'm hoping that's acceptable.

 

Well I usually have the newsletter set to go out in the morning eastern US time. If it goes live before the newsletter goes out, that's fine, and if it's posted but not set to go at a certain day/time, I can just follow the links and publish it manually so when the newsletter goes out, every story featured is live so the links work. Make sense?

[Parker Owens]

Well, I had time to get a little further, and so I can at least see my way out of my outline...hope I get some time tomorrow...

[Aditus]

I'll be on time...I think.

[Carlos Hazday]

Mine's in!

[Aditus]

I did it.