Hello and welcome to the first ever SOTM for the Library! Hopefully most of you are excited as I sure am. This will be used as an exercise to test our abilities and will also be used to just have plain old fun. Seeing as this is the first ever SOTM there will be no direct theme. This will, however, change in the next ones. Anyone and everyone can take part in this writing activity. There story can be from anywhere between 1-7 pages and must be a story. If the winner chooses he/she can choose to make the next one about Poems.

All stories must be PMed to me and can't be posted.

As this is the first one this one is generally laid back but the Topics posted must be top notch.

A challenging theme -A New Beginning.

I expected the SOTM for July to be run after the Desert Campaign was over .

May I also suggest for some sort of theme to go in, perhaps Action, Romance etc as it would be hard trying to compare which piece would be better when they are in their own separate categories.

It can be decided as it's not too much about the Category as much as how they actually write.
And the Desert Campaign is over there wayyyyyyyyyyy on the other side of the Storymat where those who enter can never escape.
And it is over there's just the voting now and maybe 1 or 2 stories.

i know this is stupid but what does SOTM mean?

Story of the month

Sounds fun.
See if I can do it.

To keep my “very important” perfect SOTM attendance, I'm going to do it! I agree with Life, though. There should be a theme of some sort.

This should be extremely interesting, a theme should definitely be put into place, but you'll actually see me working on this.

Not like that runescape story that i forgot to post, lol.

Alright then, I've added a theme. The theme is, much like this contest: A New Beginning.

I think SOTSeason would be a little more appropriate. Stories don't come in fast enough for a monthly competition.

I may do this, I need something to do over the holidays. It's doubtful, though.

Actually we've already done this twice. These stories aren't meant to be like twenty pages. They're just meant to be like 1-6 or 7 page stories for fun, Dad.

I'm aware they've been done before. I don't recall a high-submittance level, though.

Agreed but a month is a fair amount of time to submit 1-7 pages of work. But I do see your point. I guess we can have a voting to see if it should be done in seasons or months.

Doing something monthly and giving a month's notice are different things. I mean if it is going to be one after the other, it shouldn't be in months.

A month is PLENTY of time. Haven't you ever heard of NaNoWriMo? That's writing a 50,000 or more word novel in one month, it's held every year.

One question: How much should the theme affect your story? Could a story just involve a new beginning, or would it have to be focused on that beginning?

Yes, by "New beginning", does the story have to be centred around something like colonizing the New World?

I might do this, if you can clarify that, and if I can get some of my Filge Valley chapters done and other works.

I've got an interesting idea in mind. I'll give this a go.

A new beginning is anything that is a beginning and a new one. Like if your village was destroyed and now you're colonizing a New One that's a New Beginning.

I am aware that a month is enough time to write a story. That is what I was trying to say. I mean that monthly back-to-back stories won't get far.


We know what a new beginning is.

The question was does it have to be the central theme?

I'm fine with the Story Contest to be held every month, if you can't write in that time, don't participate (there are many writers here that can). Although I do have some suggestions:

We should take the same route as the Pixel of the Week Contests, where the winner of the Story Contest gets to pick the next theme (much more enjoyable and takes off the burden of trying to make a new theme every month). As well as this, the Story of the Month contests should rotate between the Library and RuneScape Stories section, where June was in the RS Section, July will be in the Library, August in RS Section etc.

As for your question Dad, I believe that it's all rounded, there's no general setting you have to follow. I believe it can be in the New World or Old, anywhere. It's really free and flexible this. So in basic terms... no .

Finway, if I'm right, the story at least has to involve the theme in some way.

Another suggestion, if the general writing populous agrees, we could hold a Story of the Month Contest every two months to allow freedom and enough time to gather inspiration. We do have to respect that the writers have other stories they may want to continue with and whatnot.

This is just my voice.

Personally, I disagree, and feel that the Story of the Month conrest should be monthly. If an author wants to have more time for ideas, nothing says that they have to participate in all the contests. Personally, I could write a story every week, so I don't really understand time issues. But however it works is fine with me. Good luck to my competitors, and Fake, I gotta say this is an awesome theme. It fits right in with my plot idea!

That was just one suggestion - I had another one in the beginning of my post.

I'm wondering if the Contest has started yet seeing all this 'conflict' (perhaps argument is a better word).

That doesn't answer my question. D:

I am asking: Does the entire story have to be about the search for a new beginning/process of gaining one, or can it be an unrelated story with a new beginning in it?

One of the challenges of the competition is writing it in the allotted time period, making it every 2 months would make no sense.

If your working on something else, work on it, it's not like the competition is mandatory, it gives everyone plenty of freedom.

A bit more organization for this Contest wouldn't do much harm. A more elaborative post explaining what you should include, what the theme entails, the guidelines etc. Finway did a good job with his post on the Desert Campaign which laid out the basic ground rules and foundation. Plus posts that don't appeal to anyone repels them away. Make it a bit nicer looking, put in the [*p][*/p] BB Code. Use Colours, graphics if you want. In honest fact, at first when I say this thread, I said to myself that I would have turned away immediately due to how the post looks (this is Fake's post by the way). I'm not trying to offend you in any way mind you. It looked like something just whipped up in a few minutes.

This is all my opinion.

Edit: I'm guessing you can do either seeing as it does have some sort of new beginning in it. Fake's example showed the latter but I can't see why the search for a new beginning would be turned down.

I totally agreed with everything you just said. [/suck-up]

I'm especially in accord with the bi-monthly suggestion.

Though I'm kinda confused as of why we should even rotate between The RuneScape Stories and The Library sections, whereas we can just post the topic itself in The Library and allow stories evolving around Gielinor to be submitted. That way, we won't be stuck with writing RS stories half the time.

Most active authors in the Story Mat can easily pull off a short story in a month if not less, and if it takes somebody two months, then we could pre-release the theme for next month's contest in the same post as well (or else just have it all open theme).

I totally despise time restrictions.

Regardless, I do believe I will support this endeavor by submitting a story of my own. I hope that it is on the same level as the plots you all have been developing.

Here is my input on the contest. Part of a writing contest isn't just how good your writing is, but how well you applied the topic or theme to your piece. What that says to me is that if we have two stories that are significantly better than the others but one only mentions a new beginning and the other reflects the theme more completely then its obvious who the winner is.

Monthly is fine. In fact it is ideal.

Ah the competition rises. I had just put in the 'two month' suggestion to resolve the cool argument that was happening. But it seems that I've been 'outvoted' as such and so I shall begin my piece. Best of Luck to all participants.

Oh and a reminder for everyone who hasn't to submit their voting ballots to Fake or Finway for the Desert Campaign Contest.

It does not have to be the central theme but as Neverdead Stated It has to be one of the major themes.


Alright, this will also give two months for the writing period. This will be followed as Life stated but it was already my idea to let the winner choose the next theme. So if we do it like this the winner of the Contest will have to state the theme a short while after the contest is over.


I will organize it a little bit more .


A futuristic story might not be in the same standards as a RuneScape one.


Thank you Neverdead.

You're taking my suggestion of two months? Call me not steadfast but there seems to be a large crowd going against said suggestion. I'm really fine with one month or two, and come to think of the length of an actual month - I now tend to sway away from the latter and go with one month.

As I said, call me not steadfast.

Well the thing about that is that if the authors of the StoryMat have to write two fantastic stories in each month they might be overworked and decide not to submit anything. It's truly up to the general audience of the Story Mat.

And since when are "normal" stories all futuristic, Fake?

Compared to RuneScape stories everything is Futuristic! But there's a reason that the Library and the RuneScape Stories Section are two different section.

Because of old noob stories. That's why. People would post their experiences, basically. It grew into what it is now.

I guess I won't bother trying to get my point through to you. At least wish me a happy birthday, cabbage-lover. I made you a damn topic at yours.

Jake, I did say happy Birthday to you. And don't stop trying to get your point through to me, I'm sure you'll succeed one of these days!

I promise that the next person who calls me Jake will die in a horrible accident.

Ah, -Jake-, we're just toying around with you.
Note: I did not say "Jake". I said "-Jake-"

Also if we have everything under control I suggest we start writing.

@Hexias (If I may call you that): Can I expect another one of your awesome Hexias stories or a different one.

You said it.

Make sure to check your brake lines.

My wrath shall be delivered through the changing of my name.

I'll get to writing now, and I can't believe you went to Fake II .

I liked Aliath better

I prefer pestering Fake with my name for the next half a year or so.

I can see where you're coming at.

And by the by Fake (I not II), you might want to state the closing date for entries on the front page.

Keep calling me Aliath. I won't respond to Fake II.

Fake II, you've just owned yourself. According to your other post you specifically said:

I never called you Jake, I just said it. OWNED!
@Life- I'll do that with the major graphical update.

Fake, you can't expect me to give out my secrets can you? And besides, I never plan what I am going to write, it just comes out. However, if I may insert a small spoiler: it will be a story.

(I'm so mean)

I am TOTALLY stealing that idea.

I might submit a story, I might not. (Yes, it would be my first time posting a story in The Story Mat outside of my Roleplay experience)

I'm wondering about the following fact though:

Does it have to be a short story (opening, development, conclusion) or can it be a short prologue or epilogue?

If there was anyone I could expect to give me all their secrets it was you! So how much did you bribe Sal with to make you Admin?

@Rene: It should be anywhere between 1 page and 7 pages. It should be a short story, although, you can enter as a Prologue or Epilogue as long as it sticks with the theme, I'm not sure how good it would do though.

And I posted in the Name Changes Thread afterwards. 180 days to endure.

I'm working on my story now. I'll probably just have to rewrite it several times though. Wish me luck.

7 Pages, as in what? Apologize for any inconvienece