New Story Event idea for 2024....

[XerXesXu]

"He wanted to go to the East; and his fancy was rich with pictures of Bangkok and Shanghai, and the ports of Japan: he pictured to himself palm-trees and skies blue and hot, dark-skinned people, pagodas; the scents of the Orient intoxicated his nostrils. His heart beat with passionate desire for the beauty and the strangeness of the world"

Sounds familiar.

I ended up in the jungles of Malaysia. Singapore is a successful, optimistic, forward-looking country, proud of its multicultural, including colonial heritage, Malay, Chinese, Indian and British. I could easily be tempted to write a story set in pre-war Singapore, probably action with a love interest, love of the culture, love of a person, but with very little of the cheap and cheerful sex available on every street corner.

If I wanted to write and submit it I could do so absent any organised event, I’ve done that with 750-word stories. Why do people think that encouraging people to submit stories is in some way unfair or causes overload?

 

[KeithD]

Why do people think that encouraging people to submit stories is in some way unfair or causes overload?

Well, because submission of stories does control and can lead to overload--it's precisely what would cause overload. Not the most brilliant question.

 

[gunhilltrain]

The Quiet American is a bit late, but plenty of scope for French Indochina and those seductive Vietnamese girls, wealthy chinese and their white girls, a la L'Amante, and as for Malaya - those rubber planters and their sleeping dictionaries.... Borneo, the land of the White Rajah, the Dutch East Indies, Singapore, Burma, China.....and the Raj!

Sadly, Roanapur only emerged in WW2...., but gunboats on the Yangtze, Shanghai, Canton, perverted missionaries in the interior. So much scope....so many stories....

Okay, I'll give it the rest of this coming weeks for others to jump in and comment before I ask Laurel. Who knows what new ideas will emerge from the woodwork...

Notable that most American and British takes on other countries (movies, books, etc.) will inevitably have an American or British point of view. There is almost nothing that can be done about it. Except, the British also seem to have a knack for the Third Reich. James Mason played a plausible General Rommel, for example.

Seeing a work made elsewhere can be interesting. My first thought is about The Seven Samurai, 1952. (Set long before this challenge, of course.) At first viewing, it takes some time to get used to a different kind of movie style and pacing. After a while, some recognizable themes emerge however, as when the samurai have to give the villagers some military basic training. Every war movie needs basic training scenes!

Just wondering: have the Vietnamese ever made a movie about The American War, as they call it? Or about the previous French War?

 

[gunhilltrain]

Well, because submission of stories does control and can lead to overload--it's precisely what would cause overload. Not the most brilliant question.

Well, true, but Lit so far has done a passable - although erratic - job of posting stories. Recently I've gotten them up in about five or six days. I remember waiting ten or maybe twelve days in the past. I never kept track of the longest time ever. It's a big site with a tiny staff. So be it; I accept their limitations.

 

[KeithD]

I've been around since 2006 submitting at least one story every week constantly during that time, and just for the record I don't think there has been any time in the past seventeen years that posting stories was as slow as it is now and has been for the last few months. So, I don't agree with you on that. And I don't agree on the basis of a whole hell of a long of constant experience in submitting stories here. I'm not incensed about it, but the truth is the truth.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I've been around since 2006 submitting at least one story every week constantly during that time, and just for the record I don't think there has been any time in the past seventeen years that posting stories was as slow as it is now and has been for the last few months. So, I don't agree with you on that. And I don't agree on the basis of a whole hell of a long of constant experience in submitting stories here. I'm not incensed about it, but the truth is the truth.

Well, I've only been here since 2018. Maybe I got lucky; maybe I misjudged the exact amount of time it took. Frankly, it's about 179th down on my list of things to worry about. You seem a bit cranky recently, Keith. Are you okay?

 

[KeithD]

Well, I've only been here since 2018. Maybe I got lucky; maybe I misjudged the exact amount of time it took. Frankly, it's about 179th down on my list of things to worry about. You seem a bit cranky recently, Keith. Are you okay?

Would you agree that submitting at least one entry every week for seventeen years would give someone a pretty good handle on how the posting times have gone over that period? Someone here might have a better gauge on that?

 

[XerXesXu]

Well, because submission of stories does control and can lead to overload--it's precisely what would cause overload. Not the most brilliant question.

Not the most brilliant response.

If Laurel complains about the number of stories submitted, that’s overload. If authors complain that Laurel hasn’t approved their submission within 2 or 3 days that’s a disappointed sense of self-entitlement; it’s not the same thing. Has Laurel ever asked that people stop submitting stories because she’s overloaded?

 

[KeithD]

Not the most brilliant response.

If Laurel complains about the number of stories submitted, that’s overload. If authors complain that Laurel hasn’t approved their submission within 2 or 3 days that’s a disappointed sense of self-entitlement; it’s not the same thing. Has Laurel ever asked that people stop submitting stories because she’s overloaded?

No. That's not how you determine overload at all. That's a response/lack of response to overload. Another not so brilliant post by you.

 

[XerXesXu]

No. That's not how you determine overload at all. That's a response/lack of response to overload. Another not so brilliant post by you.

Ask Laurel how she defines overload. If she's not providing you with the service to which you believe you're entitled, maybe she's sending you a subtle message.

 

[KeithD]

Ask Laurel how she defines overload. If she's not providing you with the service to which you believe you're entitled, maybe she's sending you a subtle message.

Overload is a volume that puts a significant number of entries beyond the posted delay times and that causes submissions to fall in the cracks. Laurel doesn't determine if that's happening other than whatever her response is to it. The reporting of it actually happening to folks here determines it. That can be seen to be happening by anyone who reads in on the discussion board regularly. And anyone who's been around for a long time can get a sense of whether it's increasing or not. It's increasing. A third not too brilliant post by you on this.

I haven't posted one damn thing about entitlement. You've been one of the ones who came onto the site making demands for redecorating the place to your likes.

 

[XerXesXu]

You've been one of the ones who came onto the site making demands for redecorating the place to your likes.

Cite or it didn't happen.

Incidentally, I am singular (in the sense of one), unlike you who manifests under a number of alts.

You're not sufficiently self-aware to realise that your last post reeks of self-entitlement. People will submit stories, and no doubt a lot fewer than you, regardless of your sense of priority, and Laurel will approve them in due course. Why do you think you feel aggrieved when others don't?

 

[Duleigh]

After a conversation I had with Laurel, she's not just overwhelmed with stories, there's changes that are being implemented to the website itself. She didn't list what was on the horizon, but it sounded daunting. I know how a change to your infrastructure can drain your resources even with a huge staff, I can't imagine what Laurel and Manu are up against. And Manu just asked for help with a new page they've implemented, has anyone offered to lend a hand?

 

[ChloeTzang]

After a conversation I had with Laurel, she's not just overwhelmed with stories, there's changes that are being implemented to the website itself. She didn't list what was on the horizon, but it sounded daunting. I know how a change to your infrastructure can drain your resources even with a huge staff, I can't imagine what Laurel and Manu are up against. And Manu just asked for help with a new page they've implemented, has anyone offered to lend a hand?

I saw that and took a look. Nice and consistent with the new look and feel.

Getting back on topic.....

I was originally going to call this "Plain Tales from the Orient" as a play on Kipling's Plain Tales from the Hills, but now that it's extended to include the old British Raj, that's not entirely correct, so I was tossing around a couple of new Event titles.... any thoughts, or any new suggestions?

"East of the Moon, West of the Sun"
"The Dawn Comes up like Thunder...."

Trying to think of a few more, so suggestions welcome.....

 

[Duleigh]

I saw that and took a look. Nice and consistent with the new look and feel.

Getting back on topic.....

I was originally going to call this "Plain Tales from the Orient" as a play on Kipling's Plain Tales from the Hills, but now that it's extended to include the old British Raj, that's not entirely correct, so I was tossing around a couple of new Event titles.... any thoughts, or any new suggestions?

"East of the Moon, West of the Sun"
"The Dawn Comes up like Thunder...."

Trying to think of a few more, so suggestions welcome.....

"The Dawn Comes up like Thunder...." ?

That could be an interesting play on words because Korea is known as "The Land of the Morning Calm" and it was true, mornings in South Korea are beautiful and peaceful. I don't know what it's like in a big city like Seoul, but out in the country a cup of coffee outside in the slightly warm, very muggy air was perfect.

It's hard for me to come up with something because so much changed during that time period, Empires rising and falling, countries changing hands like chess pieces, ancient traditions falling yet at the same time ancient traditions remained strong impeding change. The farm family working in the rice paddies knew or cared nothing about what happened beyond the borders of their farm and local village, yet at the same time their young men were swept up for conflicts in places they never heard of... There's a title here trying to work it's way out... I just need more coffee

 

[SimonDoom]

I'd suggest getting rid of the word "Plain" in the event title. I don't think it adds anything. "Tales from the Orient" sounds broader and more inclusive. What if authors don't think of their tales as plain?

 

[TheRedChamber]

Getting back on topic.....

I was originally going to call this "Plain Tales from the Orient" as a play on Kipling's Plain Tales from the Hills, but now that it's extended to include the old British Raj, that's not entirely correct, so I was tossing around a couple of new Event titles.... any thoughts, or any new suggestions?

My understanding of the word is that orient originally included more or less everywhere east of Turkey, then just included east/south of China and then wasn't used at all. From the time period we're using it feels like it could include India.

But you could just keep it simple with 'Tales from the East' so people know what it's about.

More creative suggestions 'The Twain Meet' and..actually that's all I've got at the moment.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Would you agree that submitting at least one entry every week for seventeen years would give someone a pretty good handle on how the posting times have gone over that period? Someone here might have a better gauge on that?

I believe you. However I was quite serious when I asked - well, in effect you said that you don't care about it but seems to bother you anyway. It's your choice if you wish to answer that or not. If you don't want to, then I'll move on.

 

[Duleigh]

Another interesting factor in a title - Guam calls itself "The land where America's Day Begins" The Orient could be considered the land where the entire world's day begins.

Plain tales from the Orient... where the highest mountains sit. Where terrace farming was invented where there were no plains... Sunrise for the entire world... land of the morning calm... It sound like it should be simple but there's nothing simple about the world and the orient starts everything, every day. I'm still pondering it...

 

[Voboy]

"East of the Moon, West of the Sun"

I like this one. Or "Tales From The Orient."

I'm a few thousand words deep. This shit's fun. My biggest problems so far involve figuring out contemporary slang terms for "vagina."

If you're setting your tale in Singapore, here are some contemporary maps.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Another interesting factor in a title - Guam calls itself "The land where America's Day Begins" The Orient could be considered the land where the entire world's day begins.

Plain tales from the Orient... where the highest mountains sit. Where terrace farming was invented where there were no plains... Sunrise for the entire world... land of the morning calm... It sound like it should be simple but there's nothing simple about the world and the orient starts everything, every day. I'm still pondering it...

I hope this isn't too far off topic, but I posted this video elsewhere. It's interesting because most Americans have no idea of what Hanoi looks like now. I know I didn't. Looks more like the land of morning traffic. It's like we have one view of "The Orient," and they went off in their own directions.

 

[Duleigh]

I hope this isn't too far off topic, but I posted this video elsewhere. It's interesting because most Americans have no idea of what Hanoi looks like now. I know I didn't. Looks more like the land of morning traffic. It's like we have one view of "The Orient," and they went off in their own directions.

Thank you! I've been doing research for recipes for Vietnamese food for my story (It's in a Pho restaurant) and was surprised at the descriptions of Hanoi, this really hammers that home.

 

[XerXesXu]

I hope this isn't too far off topic, but I posted this video elsewhere. It's interesting because most Americans have no idea of what Hanoi looks like now. I know I didn't. Looks more like the land of morning traffic. It's like we have one view of "The Orient," and they went off in their own directions.

1% = 26,000 dong!!! Does anyone else remember carrying around a bag with currency stapled together into blocks of a meaningful unit to pay for everything? Similarly in India.

 

[JaxRhapsody]

Ah dunno about this. But I'm just not big in to the contest anymore. I didn't even know geek whatever and pink orchid even existed.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Thank you! I've been doing research for recipes for Vietnamese food for my story (It's in a Pho restaurant) and was surprised at the descriptions of Hanoi, this really hammers that home.

You're welcome. I've got to find some pictures of Hanoi as it looked earlier. But yeah, with eight million people in the city and 20 million in the metro area, its about the size of New York now.