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The Art Commune Reading Circle

MedleyMistyMedleyMisty Posts: 1,188 Member
Hello nice friends!

If any lurkers are not sure what a reading circle is, here is the original thread: Reading Circles

This particular one is centered around stories that may not be easily able to find audiences in the Sims community for multiple reasons, like because they don't fit into popular genres or because their themes are unusual.

Participants so far:

@AdamsEve1231, The Krazy Life of Kass
@RipuAncestor, The Chrysanthemum Tango
@friendsfan367, The Benders
@CathyTea, Thirty Sims for Three Rivers
@MedleyMisty, Surreal Darkness
@rednenemon, The Racket-Rotter Chronicles
@JLBDreamer, The Last 100 Years

We're full up! :)

I am not much into rules and structure, so if anyone has any ideas feel free to share them.

The only suggestion I have right now is that we could link the stories that we want to share, and then describe the sort of feedback we want.

Also I think everyone in this thread already knows each other pretty well for the most part, but if you guys want to do some sort of introduction thing we can.

As for reading, I think maybe we should give ourselves time to get caught up on everyone's stories, and then read and comment on each update as they come out and we can get to them.

What are your thoughts?
Sometimes the darkness and I tell stories.
Post edited by MedleyMisty on

Comments

  • rednenemonrednenemon Posts: 3,206 Member
    Does not having screenshots count as unusual?

    And I am pretty sure I've not read all the stories from the people listed above. (I've read some, but not all)
    AO3: Silver_Shortage_in_Markarth <(Where I'm usually at nowadays)
    MQ2gUyY.jpg
    Part One(Complete 9/24/16) /Part Two(on hold)/Short Stories(on hold)/Twinbrook 1996(on hold)/Ten Crystal Hearts (on hold)
    I own the TS3 Store as of 12/11/16 (sort of. It's complicated)
  • MedleyMistyMedleyMisty Posts: 1,188 Member
    rednenemon wrote: »
    Does not having screenshots count as unusual?

    And I am pretty sure I've not read all the stories from the people listed above. (I've read some, but not all)

    Editing you into the main post. :)

    Sometimes the darkness and I tell stories.
  • MedleyMistyMedleyMisty Posts: 1,188 Member
    My story: Surreal Darkness

    My thread for it here on the forum: Story Thread

    What I want from feedback: Really I just want to know people's thoughts and feelings about it and if it meant something to them. I'd like to know if you saw any themes or metaphors in it that you relate to.
    Sometimes the darkness and I tell stories.
  • CathyTeaCathyTea Posts: 23,088 Member
    @rednenemon I am so excited happy you're in this group! I'm (slowly) reading your novel--and now I can read it more regularly! :) Yay!
    Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology

    Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
  • CathyTeaCathyTea Posts: 23,088 Member
    OK! Yay! I. Am. Excited.

    I spent all afternoon working on my Spirit Animal post. Because I feel honored/humbled/excited/fangirly about who's nominated me, I decided that I'd write a short paragraph for each person that nominated me. It's been so rewarding, and it helps me appreciate and value and acknowledge the gifts we share with each other through our writing, and how diverse our writing is.

    So, I'm coming here now still feeling that high, and then to turn to this group and feel such honor, respect, and appreciation for each of you and each of your writing... well. It is Inspiration Blue! (For you TS3ers, this is a reference to the TS4 moodlet color for inspiration--beautiful robin's egg blue! And shiny!)

    My story for this group is Thirty Sims for Three Rivers. I've written 12 chapters so far. Because many of them interconnect--and they're all in the same save, so if they don't connect yet, they may in the future--it's probably best to begin from the beginning. That way, you'll know who knows whom and you might start to recognize Townies and so on.

    I don't have specific feedback I'm seeking. I just want to have a group that I know is reading this so I can share enthusiasms, questions, and observations. I like to talk about Sims and stories, and I like to have people to talk with! So, I'm hoping I can talk with you!

    Umm.... please feel free to take your time with reading this. I'm (at present) not writing at a rapid pace, and so maybe I'm putting out one chapter for this series a week or one every other week. My writing schedule follows the channels of my creative energy, so that could shift at any time, but for right now, it's pretty leisurely with this story.

    Oh! I know what I wanted to mention! This story is actually quite traditional, I feel! There's really nothing very outre about it... so, I guess I'm the one who is a bit out of the mainstream. My writing right now is feeling pretty well mainstream to me.
    Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology

    Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
  • rednenemonrednenemon Posts: 3,206 Member
    Story: The Racket-Rotter Chronicles

    Thread: N/A

    What I want from feedback: I'd like to know exactly what readers feel from the chapters they read. I'd also like to know if there's any point that the quality dropped in the story (for some reason, it feels to me like it dropped at some point, but I don't know exactly when).
    AO3: Silver_Shortage_in_Markarth <(Where I'm usually at nowadays)
    MQ2gUyY.jpg
    Part One(Complete 9/24/16) /Part Two(on hold)/Short Stories(on hold)/Twinbrook 1996(on hold)/Ten Crystal Hearts (on hold)
    I own the TS3 Store as of 12/11/16 (sort of. It's complicated)
  • rednenemonrednenemon Posts: 3,206 Member
    @CathyTea

    Thank you! :smile: I'm excited to be a part of this!
    AO3: Silver_Shortage_in_Markarth <(Where I'm usually at nowadays)
    MQ2gUyY.jpg
    Part One(Complete 9/24/16) /Part Two(on hold)/Short Stories(on hold)/Twinbrook 1996(on hold)/Ten Crystal Hearts (on hold)
    I own the TS3 Store as of 12/11/16 (sort of. It's complicated)
  • CathyTeaCathyTea Posts: 23,088 Member
    rednenemon wrote: »
    Story: The Racket-Rotter Chronicles

    Thread: N/A

    What I want from feedback: I'd like to know exactly what readers feel from the chapters they read. I'd also like to know if there's any point that the quality dropped in the story (for some reason, it feels to me like it dropped at some point, but I don't know exactly when).

    When you're asking about quality drops, do you mean within a chapter, or in the work as a whole?

    (That's also such an exciting thing to explore, because there's actually much energy in and around quality shifts--I see these as leveraged moments!)
    Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology

    Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
  • rednenemonrednenemon Posts: 3,206 Member
    CathyTea wrote: »
    rednenemon wrote: »
    Story: The Racket-Rotter Chronicles

    Thread: N/A

    What I want from feedback: I'd like to know exactly what readers feel from the chapters they read. I'd also like to know if there's any point that the quality dropped in the story (for some reason, it feels to me like it dropped at some point, but I don't know exactly when).

    When you're asking about quality drops, do you mean within a chapter, or in the work as a whole?

    (That's also such an exciting thing to explore, because there's actually much energy in and around quality shifts--I see these as leveraged moments!)

    I guess the work as a whole (but chapter wise could apply as well). Given the length of the story thus far, it's possible there's at least been some sort of fluctuation somewhere.
    AO3: Silver_Shortage_in_Markarth <(Where I'm usually at nowadays)
    MQ2gUyY.jpg
    Part One(Complete 9/24/16) /Part Two(on hold)/Short Stories(on hold)/Twinbrook 1996(on hold)/Ten Crystal Hearts (on hold)
    I own the TS3 Store as of 12/11/16 (sort of. It's complicated)
  • AdamsEve1231AdamsEve1231 Posts: 7,035 Member
    edited May 2016
    Story: Kassiopeia Fullbright and The Lost Legacy (KFLL)

    Thread: I update on my main forums page.

    Feedback: Anything you want to give me. I'm not picky. This is a long term story series I've started. You can safely start at Part 2 (KFLL) as 2.0 gives a nice overview of what you might have missed, but part 1 (KCLKF) is also on this blog (if you want to go back and read her story from the beginning). I feel like the quality changes between earlier chapters and later chapters in KCLKF and between KCKLF and KFLL for the better.

    I link to updates on my other blog (Livin'a'Simmin'Life) so you can choose to read over there or not - no pressure! :) It's not part of this group's reading, unless you want to read it.

    Kass's story is a long haul and I've spent the first half giving back story and answering some unanswered questions from Part 1. I'm hoping I haven't lost my readers in this way since I'm not speeding through the mystery part and I'm slowly allowing it to take shape. You can give me thoughts on that if you like.

    Like @CathyTea I'm just excited to have readers and looking forward to sharing in your observations and enthusiasms. I hope you grow to love Kass like I have, or at least appreciate her.

    FYI, I am making minor edits overall just to correct for continuity issues and minor grammatical things of the sort. I include Author Change notes at the bottom of the posts I've edited.

    I try to update every week on Saturdays (but occasionally I skip a week or two). I'm on a short hiatus while I come up with fresh (hopefully quality) content, but I am working on other stories too. Kass's story is still my priority though. Feel free to take your time since I have a lot of chapters.

    Thanks everyone in advance for reading. I'm looking forward to reading your works.
    With these forums closing down, stay connected.

    Find me elsewhere:
    My EA App ID: livinasimminlife
    Livin' A Simmin' Life Stories
    My Worldbuilding Blog
    Simblr
    My Sims Pinterest
  • JLBDreamerJLBDreamer Posts: 622 Member
    edited May 2016
    I think I'm definitely interested in this thread but I'm not sure what story to submit.

    I suppose my Baby Challenge Black Comedy might work or I could post one of my two new stories that aren't quite ready to be posted?

    Could I put it to a vote? lol. I'm just not sure. I'd post the opening pages with the Blurbs and put it to a majority on which the group would want to read.
    Post edited by JLBDreamer on
  • RipuAncestorRipuAncestor Posts: 2,332 Member
    edited May 2016
    My story will be The Chrysanthemum Tango. It's a bit more out of the mainstream than The Fey of Life, I think. Though I'm not sure if Fey counts as very mainstream either but meh. Plus I usually get the chapters for this one done faster because I intentionally keep them shorter (around 3000-4000 words unless the chapter really needs more).

    The forum thread is HERE.

    I don't have much preference for feedback. All is fine with me. Thoughts, feelings, constructive criticism, pointing out grammar/spelling errors, or just random observations or comments that can start a conversation about whatever. It's all very welcome and I hope I can get connected to more people through my weird little stories and the talks people might want to have with me about them or about something else.

    Also I don't have a set schedule for this or any of my writing. I write when I feel like it, though I do try to keep the breaks between chapters from getting too long. Sometimes I can get a chapter out every other day, and sometimes it can take weeks.

    Anyway, this should be fun! :)
    doublebannerpic.jpg?w=676
    My Sims stories:
    The Fey of Life - fairytales in life are few and far between (Forum thread HERE)
    The Chrysanthemum Tango - a story about life, death, magic, and how to be a good landlady (Forum thread HERE)
    Forget-Me-Not - some things just refuse to stay buried; an Ambrosia Challenge story (Forum thread HERE)
  • MedleyMistyMedleyMisty Posts: 1,188 Member
    JLBDreamer wrote: »
    I think I'm definitely interested in this thread but I'm not sure what story to submit.

    I suppose my Baby Challenge Black Comedy might work or I could post one of my two new stories that aren't quite ready to be posted?

    Could I put it to a vote? lol. I'm just not sure. I'd post the opening pages with the Blurbs and put it to a majority on which the group would want to read.

    If you want to, sure. :)
    Sometimes the darkness and I tell stories.
  • MedleyMistyMedleyMisty Posts: 1,188 Member
    I had an idea!

    We could post like little intros to our stories, so people know what they're getting into. :)

    I'll do mine later. Not feeling up to much right now.
    Sometimes the darkness and I tell stories.
  • CathyTeaCathyTea Posts: 23,088 Member
    I had an idea!

    We could post like little intros to our stories, so people know what they're getting into. :)

    I'll do mine later. Not feeling up to much right now.

    That's an awesome idea! Maybe we could also share what we love about our story, what challenges we find in writing it, and so on!
    Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology

    Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
  • JLBDreamerJLBDreamer Posts: 622 Member
    All stories are updated at least twice a month.

    I'm looking for discussion, constructive Criticism and feedback if you are inclined to do so.

    I'll definitely join and I'll have you guys decide between my two new stories that I'll be rolling out in June. So it will be fun to have you all jump in at the start of a story. So here are the choices:

    1) The Last 100 Years
    This one has the Prologue partly done and will premiere next week. Its based on Korean Dramas and Myth.

    2) Morrison Mansion Mayhem
    This one is probably about 2 weeks away from the Prologue to be posted. This will be a Sci-Fi Black Comedy.

    3) Wild Hearts: The Wilder Vampiracy
    This story is on its second generation and each generation will be based on classic play or literature.



  • CathyTeaCathyTea Posts: 23,088 Member
    JLBDreamer wrote: »
    All stories are updated at least twice a month.

    I'm looking for discussion, constructive Criticism and feedback if you are inclined to do so.

    I'll definitely join and I'll have you guys decide between my two new stories that I'll be rolling out in June. So it will be fun to have you all jump in at the start of a story. So here are the choices:

    1) The Last 100 Years
    This one has the Prologue partly done and will premiere next week. Its based on Korean Dramas and Myth.

    2) Morrison Mansion Mayhem
    This one is probably about 2 weeks away from the Prologue to be posted. This will be a Sci-Fi Black Comedy.

    3) Wild Hearts: The Wilder Vampiracy
    This story is on its second generation and each generation will be based on classic play or literature.



    Very tough decision! I've been really excited about the Korean drama. I didn't know abut the Sci-Fi black comedy, but it sounds cool! I read Wild Hearts in Book Club and loved it!

    I'll be keeping up with the K-drama and Wild Hearts, regardless, and likely with the sci-fi, too--so I guess I'll be happy with any choice! :)
    Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology

    Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
  • CathyTeaCathyTea Posts: 23,088 Member
    We could post like little intros to our stories, so people know what they're getting into. :)

    An intro to Thirty Sims at Three Rivers can be found on the TOC page. I'll quote it here and revise it as needed to reflect where I'm at now with it:

    Thirty Sims at Three Rivers

    This project comes from a confluence of ideas and inspirations:

    My Simming/Blogging friend Medley Misty shared with me a Tumblr project called 30 Days of Sims. The idea: create a prompt list of 30 seed ideas, and then develop a Sim for each idea. Medley created her own list of inspiration, which inspired me to create my own list.
    My Simming/Blogging friend Moon in Capricorn (known in the EA Forums as NoWayJose527) has been writing about the essential scene elements (see Making a Scene, pt. 1 and subsequent parts), which can be distilled as conflict and change. She writes that “Conflict means wanting something we don’t have, or having something we don’t want.” In writing an effective scene, we consider “What does my character want here? What changes occur to thwart the character? How will the character deal with it?”
    Tara Mohr writes about "writing for you" in Unhooking from Praise and Criticism. When I write with my most engaged sense of inspiration, it’s because I’m writing to explore something that I want to explore. In my other SimLit stories, I largely follow what is being presented to me through the game: I generally feel that my writing is in service to my Sims. With this project, I’m hoping to write for me: to discover and explore those ideas and feelings that I want to explore. And I hope to learn about writing and character while I do so.

    So, out of the confluence of these three ideas, we get the Columbia River of Sims. Each will have one or more chapters, enough to explore the questions of “What does my character want here (or have that she doesn’t want)? What changes occur to thwart the character? How will the character deal with it?” Maybe my characters and I will find resolution. Maybe not. But along the way, I’ll have fun exploring dissonance and harmony.



    That's a pretty good overview: I wrote a list of 30 prompts, and I'm working my way through the list creating or finding Sims to express the idea of that prompt. They're all in the same save, so it's fun for me to see how the stories are interweaving.

    As much as possible, I'm using Townies for the prompt-Sims.

    I'm having loads of fun with it, and I'm currently in a bit of a block, which I'll either blast through this weekend (I'm off until Wednesday) or share with you so we can talk about it! Sometimes, that helps!
    Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology

    Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
  • rednenemonrednenemon Posts: 3,206 Member
    We could post like little intros to our stories, so people know what they're getting into. :)

    I tried to be creative with the current intro I have on the About page. (It's edited a bit because the original on the page contains a rather explicit word) :
    About this story:

    I don’t know what happened to this story. Well…If you’ve ever seen Puella Magi Madoka Magica or Moral Orel, or if you’ve ever read Oyasumi Punpun, then you can get a good idea as to what this story’s going to be like.
    AO3: Silver_Shortage_in_Markarth <(Where I'm usually at nowadays)
    MQ2gUyY.jpg
    Part One(Complete 9/24/16) /Part Two(on hold)/Short Stories(on hold)/Twinbrook 1996(on hold)/Ten Crystal Hearts (on hold)
    I own the TS3 Store as of 12/11/16 (sort of. It's complicated)
  • MedleyMistyMedleyMisty Posts: 1,188 Member
    JLBDreamer wrote: »
    All stories are updated at least twice a month.

    I'm looking for discussion, constructive Criticism and feedback if you are inclined to do so.

    I'll definitely join and I'll have you guys decide between my two new stories that I'll be rolling out in June. So it will be fun to have you all jump in at the start of a story. So here are the choices:

    1) The Last 100 Years
    This one has the Prologue partly done and will premiere next week. Its based on Korean Dramas and Myth.

    2) Morrison Mansion Mayhem
    This one is probably about 2 weeks away from the Prologue to be posted. This will be a Sci-Fi Black Comedy.

    3) Wild Hearts: The Wilder Vampiracy
    This story is on its second generation and each generation will be based on classic play or literature.


    Hmmm. I might vote for The Last 100 Years myself.
    Sometimes the darkness and I tell stories.
  • AdamsEve1231AdamsEve1231 Posts: 7,035 Member
    JLBDreamer wrote: »
    All stories are updated at least twice a month.

    I'm looking for discussion, constructive Criticism and feedback if you are inclined to do so.

    I'll definitely join and I'll have you guys decide between my two new stories that I'll be rolling out in June. So it will be fun to have you all jump in at the start of a story. So here are the choices:

    1) The Last 100 Years
    This one has the Prologue partly done and will premiere next week. Its based on Korean Dramas and Myth.

    2) Morrison Mansion Mayhem
    This one is probably about 2 weeks away from the Prologue to be posted. This will be a Sci-Fi Black Comedy.

    3) Wild Hearts: The Wilder Vampiracy
    This story is on its second generation and each generation will be based on classic play or literature.

    I love Sci-Fi so I'd vote for #2 - Morrison Mansion Mayhem, although all of them sound interesting.

    With these forums closing down, stay connected.

    Find me elsewhere:
    My EA App ID: livinasimminlife
    Livin' A Simmin' Life Stories
    My Worldbuilding Blog
    Simblr
    My Sims Pinterest
  • AdamsEve1231AdamsEve1231 Posts: 7,035 Member
    edited May 2016
    I had an idea!

    We could post like little intros to our stories, so people know what they're getting into. :)

    I'll do mine later. Not feeling up to much right now.
    CathyTea wrote: »
    I had an idea!

    We could post like little intros to our stories, so people know what they're getting into. :)

    I'll do mine later. Not feeling up to much right now.

    That's an awesome idea! Maybe we could also share what we love about our story, what challenges we find in writing it, and so on!

    Kass's story is on its second leg so to speak.

    Part 1 deals with fairly normal Sim-like stuff like growing up, family drama, friendship, love, life, and finding oneself. This is a good introduction to who Kass is as a person, the important people in her life, and what her world is like. Read a synopsis here

    Part 2 is where things get interesting (as I had already gotten my feet wet and had legs under me). I'm a super detailed, verbose writer and I love world building and character development so Part 2's mystery is a bit slow. This is just who I am as a writer so just roll with it.
    Kass's story overall is a long-term mystery series. Kassiopeia Fullbright leads a seemingly normal life, but bit by bit, she learns about her mysterious origins and her supernatural connections.

    I see a lot of myself in Kass, but there are some distinct differences, but that's part of why I connect with her so deeply and love writing her character. I grew up on mystery novels and crime shows. Later in life, I grew to love science fiction and fantasy, but I also enjoy history. I prefer in-depth authentic (realistically flawed, not-so-perfect) characters whom I build a relationship with and form a deep connection with instead of just a passing read. I like to know why - what makes people tick the way they do, what experiences helped shape their core values and beliefs, what's the why behind their gut reactions and instincts, and who they are at the core. Hence, the detailed, in-depth character development.I like tackling challenging subjects and I'm not one to shy away from conflict and difficult scenarios and convoluted stories. I hope other readers can appreciate my attention to detail (even if I am often verbose). There are many elements of all of these things in my story.

    As a quick aside, my Sims stories are set on an alternate planet called Simterra. You can read way more about the world in my entire world-section on the blog, my theories on aliens and supernaturals, a fictional disease I created, a brief history, wars, politics, religion, and social life in general. All of this is under my Simworld tab on the blog. This might give you a smidge of context.

    2.0 Kassiopeia Fullbright and the Lost Legacy picks up a year after 1.0 (KCKLF). Kass spent a year on the road reconnecting with her father, and is now living in an estate she inherited from her great-grandmother. She's a part-time college student, part-time intern at the local newspaper. You get the feeling that she's not the same girl from Part 1, that things have happened to shape her and change her some, but she's still lovable (in my opinion), albeit more worldly-wise and perhaps snarky. She's still as confused as ever about who she is and what she wants from life, but that's part of why I think she's relatable? (Okay, spellcheck doesn't like that word, but I do.)

    Kass's story, in many ways, is a coming-of-age story, but not in the typical Sims game fashion. She's flawed. She's got a temper. She has a challenging family life. She is not great at dating, love, and relationships in general. She has anxiety. She battles depression. She is slowly learning details about her mysterious past, and you get the feeling that you're still not hearing everything. She wants people to accept her, but she keeps people at a distance because she struggles with letting people in. She struggles with being brave. She says too much and speaks without thinking often, and other times, she spends way too much time in her head over-analyzing things. Sometimes I could hug her. Sometimes I feel like smacking her. Most of the time I feel like if I was sitting down in a coffee shop having a conversation with her, we would be good friends because we "get" one another. I accept her for all of who she is and she'd accept all of me. I hope you grow to love Kass as I have.

    I've probably said too much as usual, but I could talk all day about my beloved character.
    *Edited to add the Simworld stuff*
    With these forums closing down, stay connected.

    Find me elsewhere:
    My EA App ID: livinasimminlife
    Livin' A Simmin' Life Stories
    My Worldbuilding Blog
    Simblr
    My Sims Pinterest
  • CathyTeaCathyTea Posts: 23,088 Member
    I've got a new chapter! This one, I've been putting off writing for about 19 days! Then, this morning, I finally realized why: it's nearly identical to a chapter I haven't written for my FanFic series in which Nancy Landgraab confronts the tough emotions that a woman can have.

    Once I realized that this was the same block (confronting painful emotions), I decided to just go for it. Look at the Sim. See what came out in the screenshots, knowing the backstory that I know, and then write it.

    I had to wait until my boyfriend went to bed to write it, though, because I wasn't able to go into those deeper places until I was alone, and until I knew that I wouldn't have to come out for conversation at a moment's notice!

    Here it is! Three Rivers 13.1

    (This character is Mariana Mignon--she's the daughter of the third Sim, the aunt of the fourth Sim, and the sister of the ninth Sim. Because she appears in all those other chapters, it's probably best to read them first.)
    Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology

    Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
  • AdamsEve1231AdamsEve1231 Posts: 7,035 Member
    @CathyTea Thanks for sharing. I've only read your first chapter of the Thirty Sims series and I'm looking forward to reading more. I'll definitely read in order though.

    I totally understand writing late at night when the s/o is in bed. Generally a guaranteed no-interruptions. I tend to do my best writing late at night, but I've been experimenting writing at other times of day with my weird flexible schedule as of lately.
    With these forums closing down, stay connected.

    Find me elsewhere:
    My EA App ID: livinasimminlife
    Livin' A Simmin' Life Stories
    My Worldbuilding Blog
    Simblr
    My Sims Pinterest
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