Four Thousand Words Jam

The weekend has come to a close and #FTWr6 has ended! And though there were high hopes that this round would bring our numbers up once more, the opposite seemed to happen: only one story was written for this round (and it was written by the FTW founder and organizer). 

The prompt was “Where did you come from?” and the bonus was to include a cartoon television show.

This round’s story:

Lea Kaplan: AFTER HOURS

Though our Twitter followers number well over seven hundred, it seems that Four Thousand Words is not taking off nearly as well as I had hoped. Do any of you have suggestions, comments, questions, ideas, or anything to say that might help pick up interest in the challenge? If so, do not be afraid of getting in touch with FTW and letting me know. 

As always, keep an eye on here to find out the dates for the next round!

Five rounds. Seven months. Twenty-three original stories.

I want to just take this moment to thank everyone who has participated up until now. All that’s left now is to make it even better!

This weekend marks a the sixth round of Four Thousand Words. The prompt is “Where did you come from?” Use it in however you wish! 

The bonus for this weekend is to include, in some capacity, a cartoon television show.

Remember to tweet in 24 hours time - midnight on Saturday - your word count so far, using the hashtag #MidCount. If you don’t have Twitter, post on Facebook and tag Four Thousand Words’ Facebook page! Remember, four thousand words is a suggestion, not a requirement, so don’t feel obligated to have high word counts! Any number is more than you had before, and therefore you’re on the right track!

Finally, we’ll be available via Twitter, Facebook, and email at any point over the weekend. Remember to tag posts with #FTWr6 to connect to other participants!

We look forward to following your progress this weekend! Remember to spread the word, good luck, and happy writing!

If you haven’t yet noticed, round six of the Four Thousand Words jam was supposed to take place on August 6th and 7th. Due to other commitments, the weekend came and went and I had completely forgotten to update the website. To those of you who were hoping to participate - and even those of you who weren’t - I owe you a heartfelt apology. It was extremely unprofessional of me. I’m so, so sorry.

But round six still needs to happen, so let’s not dwell on the past and, instead, move forward. 

Round Six will take place in September; like July, the first full weekend of September is a long weekend - Labour Day - and therefore round six will take place the following week, on September 10th and 11th! 

With four weeks between now and the next round, start brainstorming prompt and bonus suggestions and submit them. Also, spread the word! Mention @ftwjam and/or #FTWr6 in a Tweet to let us know if you’re going to participate!

As always, if you have any suggestions, comments, questions, or constructive criticisms, mention us on Twitter, post on our Facebook wall, or send an email!

It’s once again that time of the month - for the previous round’s entries to be showed off and the next round to be announced!

Round six will take place on August 6 & 7, 2011. We are now taking prompt and bonus suggestions. Keep an eye on this page in two weeks’ time for those important details for the next round!

The previous round, number five, took place on July 9 & 10, 2011. The prompt was “She screamed when she saw me, but I was used to it” with a bonus of including a flashback. There were 4 entries. Feel free to read them now, linked below, or at any time by clicking the “Round Five” link on the navigation in the top left corner.

Amanda Cobb: JED’S CHOICE

Tim Garris: GHOUL WANTED, P/T, $7/H

Lea Kaplan: ALONE IN A CROWDED ROOM

Amanda Murphy: DARK

And so begins FTW round five!

This weekend’s prompt is “She screamed when she saw me, but I was used to it.” As usual, take this prompt and do with it however you desire. Don’t be afraid to use it in an unusual manner, to think outside the box. 

The bonus this round is to use a flashback.

Any questions? Send us an email, write on our Facebook wall, or mention us on Twitter. Include the hashtag #FTWr5 on Twitter to connect to other participants.

We’re also continuing our #MidCount - the word count midway through the challenge. At midnight on Sunday, in twenty-four hours, post your word count. Remember, the four thousand word count is a suggestion, not a requirement. Any number is more than zero, and therefore you’re doing something right!

You have 48 hours to write your short story! Any time before 11:59 PM on Sunday, submit your story either as a link to your own blog with your posted story or as a text submission (click “Submit your Story” in the top left corner - if you include a link to your blog/Twitter account, we’ll link your name to your site in the Round Five list of stories).

Good luck writers!

This past month was sort of sad - #FTWr4 only received two submissions!

Anthony Bryant: THE WRONG STEAK

Lea Kaplan: AVOIDING THE RAIN UNDER SOME BUSHES

But we’re not going to give up. #FTWr5 will commence as usual.

The first full weekend in July is a long weekend, making it not an ideal weekend to hold round five. With that being said, round five will take place on July 9th & 10th!

As always, the prompt for round five will be announced at midnight on July 9th, along with the bonus.

Have a suggestion for a prompt? For the bonus? Please suggest them!

Have any other questions, concerns, or comments? Tweet us @ftwjam, write on our Facebook wall, or send us an e-mail.

See you back here in approximately three weeks for the start of round five!

It’s time for round four of Four Thousand Words Jam!

This weekend’s prompt is “In the darkness, it was just possible to make out a pair of eyes.” As usual, take this prompt and do with it however you desire. Don’t be afraid to use it in an unusual manner, to think outside the box. 

The bonus this round is to keep things short and simple: though our name includes the digit four thousand, your bonus is to write your story in half that. Try to keep your story under two thousand words.

Any questions? Send us an email, write on our Facebook wall, or mention us on Twitter. Include the hashtag #FTWr4 on Twitter to connect to other participants.

We’re also continuing our #MidCount - the word count midway through the challenge. At midnight on Sunday, in twenty-four hours, post your word count. Remember, the two thousand word count is a suggestion, not a requirement. Any number is more than zero, and therefore you’re doing something right!

You have 48 hours to write your short story! Any time before 11:59 PM on Sunday, submit your story either as a link to your own blog with your posted story or as a text submission (click “Submit your Story” in the top left corner - if you include a link to your blog/Twitter account, we’ll link your name to your site in the Round Four list of stories).

Good luck writers!

It has been a week since the end of #FTWr3 and it’s about time we wrap this round up! We had a total of eight submissions, which you can see at any time via the “Round Three” link in the top left corner or else on this list right here. This is double what we had for round two, so a hearty round of applause to all our participants! 

Kyra: THE OFFENDER

Shaun Bernstein: FORBES

Tim Garris: REFORGED

Jason Kaplan: MEANINGFUL IRRELEVANCIES

Lea Kaplan: THE NATURE OF PEOPLE

Amanda Murphy: A NORMAL WISH

Rachel Platt: FLY AWAY

Bill Wren: PURPOSE

The end of round three also means the announcement of round four. Following our new routine of the first full weekend of every month. #FTWr4 will take place June 4th & 5th, 2011. Check back in just over two weeks to find out the next prompt and bonus!

And keep sending in your own suggestions! Do you have an idea for a prompt? For a bonus? Please send it in to us by clicking the “Suggest a Prompt or Bonus” link in the top left corner.

Keep spreading word and telling your friends about Four Thousand Words - hopefully we can see the number of submissions double once again from round three to round four!

Welcome to round three of the Four Thousand Words jam! 

This weekend’s prompt is “His collection was almost complete.” You can use this prompt in any way you so desire: as a title, an opening line, a closing line, a line in the middle, a line not quoted at all, an inspiration, ignoring it entirely, or however you wish.

The bonus for this month’s jam is to include, somewhere in your story, a yellow school bus. It can be a brief mention or central. It is entirely up to you.

Any questions? Send us an email, write on our Facebook wall, or mention us on Twitter. Include the hashtag #FTWr3 on Twitter to connect to other participants.

Also, this round we’re going to try something. In 24 hours from now, participants can post their #MidCount - the word count midway through the challenge. Remember, the four thousand word count is a suggestion, not a requirement. Any number is more than zero, and therefore you’re doing something right!

You have 48 hours to write your short story! Due to the fact that this prompt was posted late, we’ll be extending the deadline by an hour. Within 48 hours, submit your story either as a link to your own blog with your posted story or as a text submission (click “Submit your Story” in the top left corner - if you include a link to your blog/Twitter account, we’ll link your name to your site in the Round Three list of stories).

Good luck writers!

Now that the Four Thousand Words Jam is a monthly jam, we’re going to set up a bit of a routine. Unless otherwise specified, the jam will take place on the first complete weekend of each month. 

That being said, the next round of Four Thousand Words Jam, #FTWr3, will take place on May 7-8, 2011. As always, we’re collecting prompt suggestions - either send them in via our website, post one on our Facebook wall, or mention #FTWr3 and/or @ftwjam on Twitter.

We’re also looking to expand on the number of participants. So tell your friends, post our link everywhere, #FollowFriday us on Twitter, whatever works for you. If we receive enough submissions, we’re going to redo the website to allow for easy, automated story submissions. Wouldn’t that be awesome?

But word is being spread! We recently passed 25 “Likes” on Facebook, allowing us to customize our page URL. We can now we reached directly at http://www.facebook.com/FourThousandWords.

We’re turning the floor over to you, now. What do you, our participants, think of how the jam is set up? Is there anything you wish to see changed? Anything you don’t quite like? We want to hear from you on how we can make this better in the future. So, using all the regular means of conversation (Facebook, Twitter, email), please let us know what we’re doing right and what we’re doing wrong, and how you’d like to see us evolve and grow.

And check back here in ten days and find out the #FTWr3 prompt!