The Freezer Bunny Club: A Reading Circle
Welcome to The Freezer Bunny Club! This reading circle is an open space for the members to share our stories and discuss them with each other. Each week, starting on Mondays, we will focus on reading/catching up on one of the stories. The author can post a list of discussion questions, and/or ask for advice, suggestions, or thoughts on certain aspects of their stories and writing in order to foster meaningful and constructive discussions. Though each of the stories will get the spotlight in a rotating fashion, general questions, happy sharing of screenshots, and cheering along of any of the stories in the circle at any time is also encouraged!
Our fifteenth week of discussion, from September 21st to 27th, is focused on
Ridley Residence by
@Skeilah!
Current members (in discussion order):
1.
@Skeilah / Ridley Residence (
Forum Thread •
Website)
2.
@_sims_Yimi / Tales of Camelot (
Forum Thread •
Website)
3.
@Duvelina / Too Good at Goodbyes (
Forum Thread •
Website)
4.
@AdamsEve1231 / The
Krazy Crazy Life of Kassiopeia Fullbright (
Forum Thread •
Website)
5.
@mercuryfoam / Between2Worlds (
Forum Thread •
Website)
6.
@ajamkeevin / Kev & Get It (
Forum Thread •
Website)
Make sure to check the post below for detailed information about the stories and archived discussions.
(The adorable freezer bunnies in the banner were made by
SimLaughLove!)
Comments
Between2Worlds by @mercuryfoam
Forum Thread • Website
For all her gifts of fame, fortune and magic, teenage Athena finds herself entangled with the most unlikely of acquaintances in a desolate world of crime and deception: a reaper, a crimelord and a boy. A story about teenage identity development in the midst of pain, love and loss.
Discussions: I • II
~•~
Kev & Get It by @ajamkeevin
Forum Thread • Website
What would you do for a massive cash prize and the promise of instant fame? Find out what happens when 14 contestants enter a high-stakes reality TV competition! With plenty of friendship, romance, and drama, K&GI ticks all the boxes of what a juicy TV show should be, so tune in and fall in love with the 14 housemates!
Discussions: I • II
~•~
The Krazy Crazy Life of Kassiopeia Fullbright by @AdamsEve1231
Forum Thread • Website
A lot can change in a summer. Kassiopeia Fullbright finds herself questioning everything and what life and love really means as she navigates through the craziness of post-high school life. When her father returns years after he left the family, Kass isn't sure what to think, especially when he reveals he is battling an alien disease. That's not the only change Kass has to cope with as she soon discovers her mamma is dating again, and the man may not be who he says he is. The summer is further compounded by two potential love interests, each offering intriguing possibilities and complicating things with their own baggage. Then there's the mystery of an arsonist running around town, an acquaintance dealing with an abusive boyfriend, the strange disappearance of a celebrity, a natural disaster, an intense political campaign, and several shocking losses. Will Kass manage to find herself and balance it all or will she crumble under the pressure of her krazy crazy life?
Discussions: I • II
~•~
Ridley Residence by @Skeilah
Forum Thread • Website
Welcome to the Ridley Residence! Liz Ridley, founder of the Ridley family, may be a little bit clumsy. But when it comes to food? She knows it all! Liz recently decided to settle in the Ridley Residence to start her new life. She wants to pursue her dream of being a celebrity chef, but more important... She hopes to start a family soon so that the next generations can continue the story she once started.
Discussions: I • II • III
~•~
Tales of Camelot by @_sims_Yimi
Forum Thread • Website
A Sims 4 story based on the legend of Camelot, King Arthur, Merlin, and Morgana Le Fay. The story will follow them through childhood, teenage years, and finally end in adulthood.
Discussions: I • II
~•~
Too Good at Goodbyes by @Duvelina
Forum Thread • Website
Love, heartbreak, joy, addiction, family, loneliness, they're all part of the Villareal's lives. Every unit within this family has their own journey, their own story to tell and too often, it includes a goodbye.They are too good at goodbyes, but will they ever be good at letting someone in?
Discussions: I • II
~•~
The Freezer Bunny Awards Gala
An awards ceremony hosted by one of the Freezer Bunny Club members after every full rotation of story discussion! Here, we celebrate our favorite characters, moments, and stories by voting for Freezer Bunny Awards in several different categories.
Ceremonies: 1st (hosted by @ajamkeevin )
Kev & Get It • Forum Thread
I'm thinking we should cap it off at maybe 6 members if there's enough interest in it? And then maybe taking a few days to discuss each person's story as we go along? Or should it be a week? It gives us plenty of time to update our own stories before we cycle back to discussion, and in the meantime also plenty of time to catch up on each other's stories. What do y'all think?
Kev & Get It • Forum Thread
We could call it whatever we like! Out of principle I'm a fan of everything with the freezer bunny in it (joking aside, it can be anything, really)
If there's people out there wanting to join, feel free to comment!
Too Good at Goodbyes forum thread
Too Good at Goodbyes blog
Capping at 6 is a good idea. On a weekly rotation that's 1 and a half months to cycle through everyone. I like 1week, 1 author idea because everyone has different irl commitments and I want to cater to the super busy people. But that doesn't mean others cant post questions, pictures, cute moments in your game, etc. It just means for the focus on 'formal' questions, reading and author feedback shall be on said writer of the week. (Am i making sense here? I just woke up haha) And while our group is small in the beginning, this weekly structure can be made flexible of course, but its good to have it in place for when the circle grows!
@Duvelina hi there! The idea of a reading circle is simply to have a group of authors who have committed to reading each other's stories. Each week, one author is featured and his/her story is focused upon and given feedback, ideas, critique if requested or comments. To foster discussion and guide the other members, the author of the week can put up a template of questions so the rest knows what kind of feedback to give. ( I.e. story direction, are characters likeable, any plotholes etc) It doesn't need to be critique, anything the author desires really since the questionaire is up to them to craft.
@_sims_Yimi , @ajamkeevin can you guys read my impression of a reading circle and give your ideas? Do you have a different plan in mind? Modifications or preference? I plucked this from the other circle so this is no means set in stone. Feel free to tweak and throw ideas!
Edit: Hi @ArcherDK i missed your post. Hope my explanation is clear.
I completely agree that a six-member, one author a week system would be perfect. Focusing on five other stories sounds very doable, especially if it's one a week. I think it's a good way to accommodate everyone's schedules (and also time differences, as I'm sure we're all located in very different places in the world), allow for ample time to read at your leisure and answer the author's discussion questions thoughtfully. A one-and-a-half month cycle seems like it's a good amount of time to take into account any sort of critiques/advice/suggestions about your writing and work on it before the next focus week on your story, as well. Plus, having a small group seems like a great way to truly bond with the stories and their authors, if the circle goes well!
@mercuryfoam I agree about what you said the purposes of the reading circle are. The focus on sharing your work with other authors who are also committed to sharing their own, to me, is a great objective. Reading and discussing others' stories while receiving thoughtful comments on your own seems like a good way to grow as a writer, and that's why I was interested in founding the circle. Also, developing a diverse circle with different genres and writing styles sounds like an excellent way to challenge yourself in your writing. Writing is a deeply personal thing, but it's also a collaborative thing if you're sharing with an audience—once you put your words out there, they no longer only belong to you! So hearing what other people think about your work (your characters, plots, details, etc.) is a great way to look at your writing through a different perspective.
To add to this: I think my comments might come off as wanting a super serious and intense space with rigid rules, but not at all! In fact, just knowing that there's a group where I can share my stuff and for sure receive feedback is enough for me. Comments can be as serious or as silly as anyone would like! Thoughtful discussion is an excellent goal but, as @mercuryfoam said, posting other content like cute pictures, gushing about your characters, stanning other people's creations as you read along, etc. sounds like such a fun prospect for me.
Kev & Get It • Forum Thread
@_sims_Yimi ahh that is true! I'd love to try and predict yours, but there's so many crossroads I don't even know where to begin!
Soo what do we need to prepare? I'm assuming we need to fill up the first post with an introduction of some sort? @ajamkeevin Let us know what you need on our end. Do you need an intro blurb or our stories or links or banners? I can help with some of the setting up.
As for the rest, maybe a little blurb and banner for each story? I'll list them all in the OP, add links to your blogs and forum threads, and make it all look organized and pretty. I'll also try to come up with a description of the circle itself and what the expectations are to put in the main post so that any people looking to join can get it all without having to look further. And then, once we have that all set up, we can try to set up a schedule? Maybe to start next week? What do y'all think?
This is all so exciting
Kev & Get It • Forum Thread
Kev & Get It • Forum Thread
Dibs on Choco Bunny!
Sounds good! I think giving it some time until next week to get properly set up is a good idea, yeah. Maybe add some "empty" slots too in the OP, so people know there's still room if they want to participate?
Too Good at Goodbyes forum thread
Too Good at Goodbyes blog
Kev & Get It • Forum Thread
Site | Thread
Kev & Get It • Forum Thread
Anyways, this is my thread and this the link to my story on my website.
Kev & Get It • Forum Thread
And just a happy tidbit I thought I'd share I'm so excited about this reading circle that I've gone through my whole story and polished it up a little bit knowing y'all will be reading soon. I can't wait to get started!♥
Kev & Get It • Forum Thread
Too Good at Goodbyes forum thread
Too Good at Goodbyes blog
Oooh, now I'm even more curious about the new few chapters of Kev A virtual hat is fine! So we'll draw a name randomly on Monday, spend the week reading and discussing their work, and then choose the next one that following Monday, and so on. Maybe the person that gets picked should get some time to specify what kind of feedback they're looking for, and what parts of their stories they want to focus on that week in advance?
Too Good at Goodbyes forum thread
Too Good at Goodbyes blog
@Skeilah If you're feeling more passionate about writing your legacy challenge you should put that here instead! This isn't exclusive to stories only. I follow a few legacy challenges myself. I'm sure you'll have questions for us during your focus week!
@ajamkeevin I'm happy with a random draw! And wow that's amazing! Maybe one day I'll polish my work but eh, I know myself. This 'one day' will probably never come.
@Duvelina We're definitely doing that. I am an avid fan of personalisation. I like how how each writer customises their questions to suit their needs.
@lone_cat I lurk in your circle a lot since I'm following everyone's story there (except Nyterose's because I can't find her links) Thanks for the offer.
@mercuryfoam ohhh if that would be okay for everyone, I’d like to put my Legacy Challenge in here I post 3 times a week for this Challenge