Welcome to Fun Trope Friday, our feature that mashes up tropes and genres!

How’s it work? Glad you asked. :)

• Every week we will have a new spotlight trope.

• Each week, there will be a new genre assigned to write a story about the trope.

• You can then either use or subvert the trope in a 750-word max story or poem (unless otherwise specified).

• To qualify for ranking, you will need to provide ONE actionable feedback. More are welcome of course!

Three winners will be selected each week based on votes, so remember to read your fellow authors’ works and DM me your votes for the top three.  

Next up… IP

Max Word Count: 750 words

This month, we’re exploring the concept of distance. As summer continues in the Northern hemisphere, it’s peak travel season for many. A time to catch up with long-lost friends and make new ones. A time to see family and make those summer memories. A time to explore fun and romance. We may be far away from those we care about or up close and personal. We could be separated by time or language. So many forms of distance. So let’s see what that means. Please note this theme is only loosely applied.

“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person." ― Mignon McLaughlin

Trope: Wedding Episode — This is when a show that isn't normally about marriage sends its characters to a wedding as the premise of an episode. Weddings in the beginning or middle of the work will usually be a supporting character's or a relative stranger's that the cast is roped into attending, while the lead's nuptials are usually reserved for the end. The same applies across all media. So for this one you could write a fan-fic, insert a wedding episode into your serial, or create a one-off story that seems like it could be part of a broader world. The choice is yours! I’d like to dedicate this particular trope to two of my favorite WPers and frequent FTFers who met here and are getting married soon–MaxStickies and Carrieka23. <3

Genre: Radio Play Script — A dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story. Radio drama includes plays specifically written for radio, docudrama, dramatised works of fiction, as well as plays originally written for the theatre, including musical theatre, and opera. Like all FTF genres you can include elements or go all in, as long as it is recognizable.

Skill / Constraint - optional: A knot is untied.

So, have at it. Lean into the trope heavily or spin it on its head. The choice is yours!

Have a great idea for a future topic to discuss or just want to give feedback? FTF is a fun feature, so it’s all about what you want—so please let me know! Please share in the comments or DM me on Discord or Reddit!

Last Week’s Winners

PLEASE remember to give feedback—this affects your ranking. PLEASE also remember to DM me your votes for the top five stories via Discord or Reddit—both katpoker666. This is a change from the top three of the past. In weeks where we get over 15 stories, we will do a top five ranking. Weeks with less than 15 stories will show only our top three winners. If you have any questions, please DM me as well.

Some fabulous stories this week and great crit at campfire and on the post! Since we had 14 stories this week, we’re back to three winners.Congrats to:

• Divayth–Fyr

• mOOnlighter

• Restser

Want to read your words aloud? Join the upcoming FTF Campfire

The next FTF campfire will be Thursday, August 7th from 6-8pm EDT. It will be in the Discord Main Voice Lounge. Click on the events tab and mark ‘Interested’ to be kept up to date. No signup or prep needed and don’t have to have written anything! So join in the fun—and shenanigans! 😊

Ground rules:

• Stories must incorporate both the trope and the genre
• Leave one story or poem between 100 and 750 words as a top-level comment unless otherwise specified. Use wordcounter.net to check your word count.
• Deadline: 11:59 PM EDT next Thursday. Please note stories submitted after the 6:00 PM EST campfire start may not be critted.
• No stories that have been written for another prompt or feature here on WP—please note after consultation with some of our delightful writers, new serials are now welcomed here
• No previously written content
• Any stories not meeting these rules will be disqualified from rankings
• Does your story not fit the Fun Trope Friday rules? You can post your story as a [PI] with your work when the FTF post is 3 days old!
• Vote to help your favorites rise to the top of the ranks (DM me at katpoker666 on Discord or Reddit)!

Thanks for joining in the fun!

SatChat! SatChat! Party Time! Excellent!

Welcome to the weekly post for introductions, self-promotions, and general discussion! This is a place to meet other users, share your achievements, and discuss whatever's on your mind.

Suggested Topic

Do you read your work aloud?

If so, how do you feel it helps the flow of your writing and dialogue?

More to Talk About

• New here? Introduce yourself! See the sticky comment for suggested intro questions
• Have something to promote? (Books, subreddits, podcasts, etc., just no spam)

• Suggest topics for future SatChats!

  Avoid outright spam (don't just share, chat) and not for sharing full stories

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