Re: Eric/Calleigh #27: Coffee Tastes Better With A Little Cu
Guys, the whole idea is to suggest unique/funny elements - so things like tinsel, pumpkin pie, and whipped cream are too commonplace (and they're things you find in Christmas stories, anyway). They also need to be unique so that the author has to use his/her head in figuring out how to tie them together into the story. For example, one year we had 'snow in Miami' and people had to figure out how to make it snow in Florida. I think someone had a snow cone, and I had snow in a can, stuff like that. But they don't need to be Christmas related. Since we're writing Christmas stories, I'd say maybe the less related to Christmas they are, the better. We don't wanna have 5 elements that you'd end up finding in a Christmas tree, anyway. That would make it too easy. One year we had 'the Carlton dance' and that was tons of fun.
Also, single elements, I'd say, also fall into the 'too easy' category. So if you suggest a cat - make it harder. What kind of cat? What is the cat doing? Any author could cover this in a single sentence. "As Eric and Calleigh were walking down the street, a cat crossed their path." Same with the horse. What's so special about these animals? Make it more unique. Maybe 'an aggressive one-eyed cat' or 'a whiny cat' a 'three-legged cat', whatever, things that are so cool the author will WANT to incorporate them into the plot and not just mention in a sentence.
I think I really wanna keep the cranky elf element that we didn't do last year, but since we're getting too many suggestions we might have to put them all to vote. So if you all want, keep suggesting and we'll narrow them down.
I also need to know who's participating because I'm thinking of giving those people more benefits than the people who aren't - like maybe they get to read all the stories first and only their elements will be taken into consideration (it's kind of unfair that the people who only read get to decide what we have to write, anyway). Also, all the people who are participating - let me know and if you finish your story, you'll get a reward in the mail.
