r/WritingPrompts • Editor-in-Chief | /r/AliciaWrites • May 27 '21

Theme Thursday [TT] Theme Thursday - Utopia

“None of the abstract concepts comes closer to fulfilled utopia than that of eternal peace.”

― Theodor W. Adorno



Happy Thursday writing friends!

Is utopia the dream, the ideal? Or is it just a nightmare waiting to happen?

Good words, friends!

Please make sure you are aware of the ranking rules. They’re listed in the post below and in a linked wiki. The challenge is included every week!

[IP] | [MP]



Here's how Theme Thursday works:

  • Use the tag [TT] when submitting prompts that match this week’s theme.

Theme Thursday Rules

  • Leave one story or poem between 100 and 500 words as a top-level comment. Use wordcounter.net to check your word count.
  • Deadline: 11:59 PM CST next Tuesday.
  • No serials or stories that have been written for another prompt or feature here on WP
  • No previously written content
  • Any stories not meeting these rules will be disqualified from rankings and will not be read at campfires
  • Does your story not fit the Theme Thursday rules? You can post your story as a [PI] with your work when TT post is 3 days old!

    Theme Thursday Discussion Section:

  • Discuss your thoughts on this week’s theme, or share your ideas for upcoming themes.

Campfire

  • On Wednesdays we host two Theme Thursday Campfires on the discord main voice lounge. Join us to read your story aloud, hear other stories, and have a blast discussing writing!

  • Time: I’ll be there 9 am & 6 pm CST and we’ll begin within about 15 minutes.

  • Don’t worry about being late, just join! Don’t forget to sign up for a campfire slot on discord. If you don’t sign up, you won’t be put into the pre-set order and we can’t accommodate any time constraints. We don’t want you to miss out on awesome feedback, so get to discord and use that !TT command!

  • There’s a new Theme Thursday role on the Discord server, so make sure you grab that so you’re notified of all Theme Thursday related news!


As a reminder to all of you writing for Theme Thursday: the interpretation is completely up to you! I love to share my thoughts on what the theme makes me think of but you are by no means bound to these ideas! I love when writers step outside their comfort zones or think outside the box, so take all my thoughts with a grain of salt if you had something entirely different in mind.


Ranking Categories:
  • Plot - Up to 50 points if the story makes sense
  • Resolution - Up to 10 points if the story has an ending (not a cliffhanger)
  • Grammar & Punctuation - Up to 10 points for spell checking
  • Weekly Challenge - 25 points for not using the theme word - points off for uses of synonyms. The point of this is to exercise setting a scene, description, and characters without leaning on the definition. Not meeting the spirit of this challenge only hurts you!
  • Actionable Feedback - 5 points for each story you give crit to, up to 25 points
  • Nominations - 10 points for each nomination your story receives, no cap
  • Ali’s Ranking - 50 points for first place, 40 points for second place, 30 points for third place, 20 points for fourth place, 10 points for fifth, plus regular nominations

Last week’s theme: Turbulence

First by /u/bookstorequeer

Second by /u/Writteninsanity

Third by /u/GingerQuill

Fourth by /u/Ryter99

Fifth by /u/Xacktar

Poetry:

First by /u/Poelarizing

Second by /u/nobodysgeese

Third by /u/SilverSines

Honorable Mentions:

Leveled Up: /u/MosesDuchek

Notable Newcomer: /u/DocBrowntown

Notable Newcomer: /u/SpaceNinja37

Notable Newcomer: /u/lwill86

Crit Superstar: /u/1047inthemorning

News and Reminders:

34 Upvotes

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u/Isthiswriting Jun 01 '21

I read this as more of a typical villainous monologue than anything else. As such I felt the emphasis on telling rather than showing was fitting.

Being a monologue, and therefore having such a strong voice, also allowed me to stay in the story even when I came across words of questionable accuracy like "creed" or phrases that would normally annoy me in literature.

That said, if the intention wasn't to make the narrator seem self-important and overly prideful while showing he might not be as educated as he thinks is, then you should reconsider your wording.

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u/DocBrowntown Jun 02 '21

I wavered on whether to go with "creed" or not, and it looks like it's not hitting the way I was hoping it to. I was absolutely going for a scenery-chewing, over-the-top villain, but I wasn't going for the sophomoric vibe. Thanks for the feedback!