Weekly Challenge

The 100 Word Stories Weekly Challenge is where I post the topic and you come up with the stories.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

  1. Come to this site and look for the most recent topic in the sidebar or pinned to the top of the Weekly Challenge Topic category.
  2. Write a 100 word story.
  3. Record that story with whatever voice recording/editing software you have.
  4. Send the sound file and text of the story to isfullofcrap (at) gmail.com in an email with:
    • A subject line of WEEKLY CHALLENGE (this avoids Gmail’s spam filters).
    • The name that you want me to use in the show.
    • A topic that you want me to add to the list (if it’s challenging, I’ll add it).
    • A URL where people can learn more about you.
  5. Tune in on Sunday for everybody’s stories.

Recordings that come in after the Sunday morning deadline will be posted separately on the feed.

Good luck, and if you have any questions, write me at: isfullofcrap (at) gmail.com (I will tell you to read this page again.)

And, as always, keep it brief!

JUST GOOGLE IT

PLUG YOURSELF:

Introduce yourself and your work in a short shameless plug as part of the audio recording. Hawk your books, invite people to your writing challenges, and plug your website…

Hey, this is John Smith from the JohnSmithcast at johnsmithcast.org, and here’s my story on the topic of Topic.
STORY
Well, that was my story. Thanks for listening. If you want to learn more about my writing, come by johnsmithcast.org – there’s a link to my new book “I Am Afraid Of Clowns” for sale in the Amazon Kindle store.

MUSIC AND SOUND EFFECTS:

Use royalty-free music and sound effects when possible, or at least follow Fair Use guidelines.

THE TOPIC:

You do not have to use the topic as a word or words in your actual story. Let the topic inspire you.

For example, one week I used the topic of “spy” in the word “raspy.” Another week, I wrote a story on the topic of “fear” from the perspective of a scared person without actually using the word “fear.”

See? Be clever. Use the topic as a diving board and not a diving bell.

RECORD IT YOURSELF:

I don’t like to record stories for other people because:

  • It ends up with my tone, my pace, and my voice.
  • So, I did it with the midget voice, but some contributors found that insulting.
  • It’s hard to read a really bad story with a straight face.
  • A few contributors deliberately included tongue-twisters and complicated stories just to messwith me.
  • A contributor complained that I didn’t quite get the tone of their story.

IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT…

If you don’t like something here, start your own storytelling podcast. Good luck with it. No, I really mean that.

DOES IT HAVE TO BE 100 WORDS?

Close your browser window and leave, please. You’re too stupid to participate.

RECORDING SOFTWARE

Here are some applications that you can use to record your story:

Web
Audio Expert
Mynah
Soundation
Audio Converter (Convert any sound file to MP3)

Windows
Audacity – Tutorial
Natural Reader (Text To Speech)

Macintosh
Audacity – Tutorial
QuickTime – Tutorial

Linux
Audacity – Tutorial

iPhone
The built-in “Voice Memos” can be used to Share via Email
iTalk
Audio Memos Free
SpeakIt (Text To Speech)

Android
Voice Recorder
Voice Recorder