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NEW CONTEST: micro-MEGAS UPDATE II(voir plus bas pour le français)NEW CONTEST: micro-MEGAS UPDATE II by #NotreForteresseBruleSubmissions so far : 5 English submissions and 3 1/2 in French! (Yes, 3 1/2, it's =krukof2's fault) - Let's go Frenchies or you'll get your ass kicked! Submit people
REMINDER: deadline is July, 1, 2013.
Our prompts are starting again !!
Our next contest is entitled "Micro // Megas". Poetry only. Here are the rules :
1. You choose a topic of your liking
2. You write 2 poems about it : one minimalistic (5-7 words story, micro-poetry, haiku/tanka/senryu, etc) and the second one must be longer (free verse, fixed form, etc) - BOTH offered within the same deviation. Your topic/theme must be clearly indicated in the author's comments section of the deviation.
3. The micro poem must have 3 lines maximum and the megas one must have a minimum of 12 and maximum of 36
4. You must indicate that the deviation was written for this contest and include the fortress' icon in the author'
Four-word prose? Yeah, we do that now.Four-word prose? Yeah, we do that now. by `HaveTales-WillTellLadies and gentlemen, I'm happy to announce the newest aspect of #minimalit: four-word microprose!
Over the past three months, the quality and creativity we've all put into creating worthwhile micropoetry has reinforced the basic soundness of our group's initial concept. So it's time to extend the experiment a little further. During the #WordWars chat earlier today, we announced that this group would be expanding in a new direction: prose submissions.
So with the established success of groups such as #SixWordStories, how will four words differ? We hope to be just as filling, but with 33% fewer calories!
All kidding aside, just like "three words" is a tougher restriction than "17 syllables or fewer", the stricter word count should translate into "no words wasted". Do you really need to use the passive voice? Or those adverbs? How about that 'the'?I for one can't wait to see what we come up with. Let the creation begin!
May Chat Tour Event!Word Wars Instructions | Chatroom RulesMay Chat Tour Event! by `GrimFace242
We're stopping at #minimalit!
:iconminimalit:
So we're a tad bit late in getting the announcement out. This can be completely blamed on Grim. He's a horrible horrible Jerk Face and deserves MANY floggings!
Stepping away from our parked stops here at #WordWars, we're bringing to your attention an awesome new group here on dA. It's a bit experimental, very much creative, and hard as...well, let's just say really hard sometimes to write. And, we can't forget to mention their breathtakingly handsome admins.
They're also planning to make a surprise announcement during our intermission/interview time!
DetailsDate: Saturday, June 1st
Mondo Grove MondayWhat is a Mondo?Mondo Grove Monday by ^NicSwaner
A Mondo is a Japanese poetic form that is written in Katuata. Katuata consist of 17 or 19 sound units, or Onji. In the English language this would roughly translate into 17 or 19 syllables. Each line of a Katuata is broken up into either 5 or 7 Onji, and the entire poem (the Mondo), consists of a pair of Katuata in two stanzas. What makes the Mondo special though, are two key elements:The first Katuata is a question; the second is an answer to the question.
Example (^NicSwaner and =TwilightPoetess):
When are dandelions in
focus if not on
the blur of the wind?
When the sunlight—breaking free—
falls on the dandelions
growing around your heart.
The purpose of a Mondo is to leave you thinking about the question asked, even with an answer. With that said, he
At last, we meet again: devMEET, that is!At last, we meet again: devMEET, that is! by `HaveTales-WillTellSaturday, May 25th: it was a surprisingly cold and blustery Memorial Day weekend. But did we let that stop us?
No! You know why? 'Cause =Cassildra came to town!
Because of the foul weather, we moved the venue indoors, to the Shops at Columbus Circle. Nine of us showed up, plus one non-dA friend; after the obligatory round of hugs, we all started catching everyone up about what's been happening since we'd seen each other last.The overall winner was ~ANightChild, who won 200 points for her lovely pen sketch of :devbobilikehob
Group Therapy: Community^Astralseed of #ProjectPorkchop is sitting on Fella's couch for this month's session.Group Therapy: Community by `GrimFace242
For those of you not familiar with this series, each month we'll be delving into a group that is dedicated to their members and giving back to the dA Community through exposure, hosting regular events and just being an all around awesome place for deviants to settle in and feel welcome.
In a couple sentences, can you please describe what your group is about?
#ProjectPorkchop was mad as a continuation of my original project Fresh meat which aimed to promote underrated yet talented artists found on dA with weekly articles hoping to put these amazing deviants into the spotlight. I've had a passion for promoting artists who are going unseen since I remember how much work it took for myself to get out there and be seen when I first joined the site. I thought the community could benefit from something like this and over
League of Lit Groups: Vol. 5This article will be posted once a month and will revisit one past group spotlight from Love dA Lit and one literature group who is in need of admins to help with their various group activities.League of Lit Groups: Vol. 5 by `IrrevocableFate
Since I am bad at planning and replying, I will be changing how I present the groups who are looking for administrators. Unless I get a request to specifically promote a group's call for staff I will just use one of the newest ones from Love da Lit at the time of posting.This month we will be revisiting #Poetry-To-The-Masses/~PoetryToTheMasses and taking a look at #RomanceforEveryone!
Navigation
Group in Need | Past Spotlight | Contacting Me
:iconballoondivider1::iconballoondivider2::iconballoondivider2::iconballoondivider2::iconballoo
Be A Critic Volume 14~WinteroftheSoulBe A Critic Volume 14 by `GrimFace242
The ChallengePick at least one of the thumbs above*
A link to your comment on the deviation you chose***
Start Date: NOW!
End Date: May 28, 2013 @ 11:59PM EST
The Prizes
Winners from Volume 13
[Bullet; Black] *GuinevereToGwen won a comment/critique from me.
[Bullet; Black] ~HuntingForHappiness won 50[Points]
| Things are happening in the community. Have you been keeping your eye on them? |
A Dinosaur for AprilHeart in her throat and belly in knots, April Kinsey knelt in the grass and straightened her finest dress over her knees. The surrounding group of family and strangers remained silent, watching her every breath.A Dinosaur for April by `thorns
Shirtless beneath his tribe's blue plaid, her future mate knelt, towering over her. He stood taller than even her grandfather, who was the largest man April had ever seen. A young man of seventy-two, his broad shoulders and thick muscles intimidated her. A large gold amulet with his family's crest hung around his neck and glinted in the moonlight.
Roy McGregor, third son of the Drago Tribe leader, intended to mate her of all people.
Routine 23BioCorp AmericaRoutine 23 by `thorns
2256 A.D.
Max listened to Emma's soft voice strain after reading aloud for two hours. Settled in her bed with her feet tucked under her, Emma read to him every night. A hint of rasp scuffed the lyrical recitation and she turned the page of the printed book. The paper had cost her a week's pay, necessary because the novel was unspoken contraband, but he treasured these moments. Hearing the controversial tale in her voice settled warmth inside him and, he suspected, the emotion was contentment.
At the end of the chapter she looked up. Her mahogany colored eyes were soft and the corners of her full mouth tipped up. "Are you sl
By Fifty,I'll publish or perish;By Fifty, by `HaveTales-WillTell
find someone to cherish;
move someplace phenomenal;
display an abdominal
physique to inspire,
which I shall acquire!
. . . Or perhaps, just retire.
yogurt comfortI eat yogurtyogurt comfort by ~BeautifulWinter
so my bones
harden
strengthen
And they say
it's okay to cry
Yet, what they really mean
is that they'll leave you
if you do
so I'll eat yogurt
then at least I'll have my bones
when they tear my skin off
Willfully LostIn these whispering moments,Willfully Lost by *callerofcrows
I take your heart in mine
and hold it fast.
You make me forget
things like flower names
and cloud shapes,
where I came from
or why I'm going,
as my thoughts are filled with..
you.
Every crack in the sidewalk
carries your name,
and the grass rustles soft your wishes
to tangle your fingers in my hair.
My breathing drops
like the autumn wind,
would that I could,
I would throw myself into it,
will myself towards your southwestern
heartbeat,
your dusty mesas abutting
my mountains green.
A Pocket Full of SkyWhen I was young, my father would take me to the highest tower of Notre Dame precisely once a year. It would be cold. Freezing. But we'd stand there, and take deep breaths of air, and peer down, towards the tiny ants of people below. Down, towards the sprawling city beneath us. It was always winter, when we'd go. Always cold. Freezing, freezing. But however cold it was, and however dull and bleary the weather, my father would ask one thing, and one thing only: that we adhered to tradition.A Pocket Full of Sky by ~iridiana
"Lucie," he would say, with the fond smile and kind eyes I always remember. "Lucie, my peach. Whatever you become, and wherever your heart and mind leads
 Promotion I can help spread the word to the community through my journal. If you'd like for me to pimp your project, contest (etc), send me a note. Remember to tell me about your activity AND link me to the announcement article.  Prizes I'm usually good for a prize because I budget a small amount of money each month to support dA community activities. If you're running a contest or event, send me a note with the details and a prize request. If it has already started, be sure to link to the announcement article. |
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Donate| The Complaint Challenge contest is returning to encourage deviants to turn whining into productive projects! All donations are appreciated, even one or two points. Note: Other prizes such as premium membership, critiques, and features are encouraged. Please note me.  |
~Cecilia-vas-ilion took First Place with 5,256 total words! 
*lombregrise took Second Place with 3,665 total words! =Missing-ninSasuke took Third Place with 2,992 total words! *ShadowedAcolyte won the Super Secret Prize by writing the smallest average word count over at least 3 rounds! The Super Secret Prize from #minimalit was 175 points. `mirz-alt won a three month premium membership from the Chat Tour! =DrippingWords won 100 points from `HaveTales-WillTell! *MeganLawler94 won 100 points from `HaveTales-WillTell! ~LeSuricat won 100 points from `thorns! ^neurotype won 50 points from `thorns! *ChristalKitto won 50 points from `thorns! Can you tell visitors, who aren't familiar with the group, a little about #minimalit? Sure! We're a relatively new group, experimenting with the theme of super-short literature: micropoetry of just two words, and three-word haiku and senryu. We held our first poem-a-day contest in April, as part of NaPoWriMo.
Is the group doing anything of interest at the moment or in the near future? We are! At the end of this Word Wars, we'll be opening a new folder at #minimalit: Four-Word Microprose! Flash fiction and six-word stories have become tremendously popular on dA; we're eager to see how well everyone handles an even shorter prose challenge.
If you have any questions about #minimalit, now is the time to ask HaveTales-WillTell!<drippingwords> HaveTales-WillTell: Do you get discouraged when people call #minimalit out because they don't think that poetry can consist of two or three words?
<havetales-willtell> DrippingWords: It's not to everyone's taste. I don't have a problem with disagree-ers, so long as they're not haters or trolls.
<grimface242> DrippingWords: i don't. they're just people that don't understand something new and don't want to give it a chance
<shadowedacolyte>HaveTales-WillTell: why glorify minimalism?
<havetales-willtell>ShadowedAcolyte: It's not so much that, as trying to pare poetry down to its bare essence. I love sonnets and epic poems as much as haiku.
<lombregrise> HaveTales-WillTell : will you open new folders like "4 words poetry" or "one syllab sonnet"?
<havetales-willtell> lombregrise: We'll see what the future brings. ^nicswaner made an interesting suggestion, which we'll be looking into.
<thorns> HaveTales-WillTell: Cassildra: do you have any tips or tutorial on how to create EFFECTIVE micro prose or poetry?
<cassildra>thorns: I think the point of micro prose/poetry is to craft something, not just slap words on a page. I will point again to Hemingway's famous six-word story. It's easy to write something fast in a few words, but it takes time to craft something that is effective.
<havetales-willtell>thorns: The biggest tip I can think of is to think about your words: what makes one stand out more than another.
<shadowedacolyte>HaveTales-WillTell: I don't mean to sound...err, overly negative. "glorify" was perhaps a provocative word. Why celebrate the 'bare essence?
<havetales-willtell>ShadowedAcolyte: I believe tight writing makes for better writing. Even without a restrictive word count.
<shadowedacolyte>HaveTales-WillTell: but is there a point where "tightness" morphs into "curtailing"?
<havetales-willtell>ShadowedAcolyte: There could be. But nobody's required to attempt a micropoem; it's one of several ways to challenge oneself.
<shadowedacolyte>HaveTales-WillTell: what makes a three-word poem a haiku vs. a senryu vs. neither?
<havetales-willtell>ShadowedAcolyte: Haiku vs. senryu comes down to theme: nature vs. philosophical. But is any three-word collection a poem? No; there has to be a juxtaposition, a balancing-point, in the same way that a plank isn't necessarily a see-saw.
<shadowedacolyte>HaveTales-WillTell: that sounds...neat, I suppose. And I promise I am not trying to provoke or troll or anything, just understand. Looking through the #minimalit galleries I am not seeing that fulcrum in many of the pieces gathered there.
<havetales-willtell>ShadowedAcolyte: That's a fair assessment. As an experimental style, a lot of what's being written can be considered a work in progress.
<shadowedacolyte>HaveTales-WillTell: I know a point of contention among the distressingly popular "six word story" movement is the role of a title, and whether it says too much, or even belongs on a piece of minimalist literature. How does #minimalit feel about titles?
<havetales-willtell>ShadowedAcolyte: Having learned from SWS's title issues, we've adopted their policy: there's no restriction on a title's length, but the piece must be able to stand on its own without it.
<shadowedacolyte>HaveTales-WillTell: again, that doesn't seem to be entirely true of the galleries
<havetales-willtell>ShadowedAcolyte: And it doesn't always work out in practice for groups like SWS either. But it's a goal to work toward; and it's better to encourage steps in the right direction than to slap someone down for not being perfect from the get-go</havetales-willtell></shadowedacolyte></havetales-willtell></shadowedacolyte></havetales-willtell></shadowedacolyte></havetales-willtell></shadowedacolyte></havetales-willtell></shadowedacolyte></havetales-willtell></shadowedacolyte></havetales-willtell></cassildra></thorns></havetales-willtell></lombregrise></havetales-willtell></shadowedacolyte></grimface242></havetales-willtell></drippingwords>
Word Wars Chat TourLike chatroom games? Like fun lit chats? Join us twice a month for the Word Wars Chat Tour! Click here -->  |
So according to Grimmy, I'm supposed to provide you something suitably germy.
But wait! No poison! It's not allowed to be poison! 
I got it! What if I rebranded it as something innocuous, even helpful?
- 
