ABC Project Update: Questions Answered & Suggested Themes (and a Random Podcast Rec)

  

Hi folks,

Yep we're still indoors. How about that.

Just wanted to clear up a couple of things I've been asked about the project (deadline still pending, by the way, I want to do a bit more signal boosting before posting a definitive one. Once again cheers to everyone who's helped out with that).

So, to begin with, answers to a couple of specific questions below, and then a word on theme suggestions.

• Multiple submissions are allowed
• This is an original fiction thing, not a fanfiction thing. So nothing with existing, non-public-domain characters, settings etc. (For the record though, if anyone wants to do a similar thing for fanfiction hit me up, I'm game for that too.) 
• Themes...?

The themes one is awkward, because ultimately the only real established theme is the one I've mentioned: anything but coronavirus (and the other prohibited topics I mentioned on 

the introductory post.) By extension I suppose distraction/escapism are additional themes. 

However, it turns out that there is actually quite a lot to talk/write about besides coronavirus, even though it doesn't really feel that way right now. At the same time, it would feel very cheaty to have a phrase like "anything but" in the specification and then start going around adding a load of extra conditions to it. So with regard to that, if the theming is too broad and if a little narrowing-down or additional guidance would be helpful, here's a few suggestions, which participants may feel free to follow or disregard as the case may be:

• Write something based around the things you want to do once the quarantine ends. 
• Write something based around the outdoors/travel. 
• Fantasy/sci-fi/quirky speculative fiction. Don't have much reasoning for this other than personal taste, although I suppose you could argue that it's suitably distant from the world we're currently living in.* 
• I want to re-iterate the suggestion to keep it reasonably light, but once again that's a bit of a hazy guideline since the distinction between "dark in a fun way" and "dark in a way that's just bleak and depressing" is very much in the eye of the beholder. I mean, I enjoy some pretty macabre stuff, of the "bloodthirsty murder mystery/ghost story" variety, and a part of me just doesn't want to ward people off that possibility entirely. But again, if it helps to narrow it down, write with a view to the idea that we need some optimism and levity right now. 
• Visit a writing prompts website or use a plot generator like this one, find something fun to base a story on from there. 
• Diversity of characters/experiences is highly encouraged. (Not a theme as such, just something to mention as an aside.)

Hope this is useful.

*Speaking of which, if anyone's after podcast recommendations, I've been getting heavily into Uncanny County recently, which stylistically has a very Twilight Zone feel to it. It might be very good for anyone who enjoyed the dark-tinged weirdness of Welcome to Night Vale but wants something a little less surreal.