The Boring Approach.

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You have an assignment due at midnight and you don't know what to write. <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>You wrote a story in class a few weeks ago. You like that story, you like it a lot. <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>[[Use that story|2]] <</timed>><</linkreplace>> <</timed>><</linkreplace>>

Great! One problem. It's only 150 words, you need 500. <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>Okay, that's not too bad. You're 30% there. <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>[[Make the story longer|longer]] <</timed>><</linkreplace>> <</timed>><</linkreplace>>

Easier said than done. <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>It doesn't need to be longer. It's perfect just the way it is. Any more and any less would take away from its message. <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>[[Give it a go anyway|go]] [[Write a new story|more]] <</timed>><</linkreplace>> <</timed>><</linkreplace>>

One big story? Two little ones? <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>What genre? Style? What's the message? What do you want to say? <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>[[Sci-fi?|scifi]] [[You don't even know|give up]] <</timed>><</linkreplace>> <</timed>><</linkreplace>>

Worth a shot. <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>You add a few more characters, introduce another conflict, and give it a setup. <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>But none of it feels right. The new conflict, funnily enough, conflicts with your original one. The point of the story gets lost. <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>[[Oh well|nope]] <</timed>><</linkreplace>> <</timed>><</linkreplace>> <</timed>><</linkreplace>>

Now what? <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>You're allowed to submit more than one story. You could do that, or just write a new larger one? But you don't have any ideas; back to square one. <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>[[Write some sci-fi, you like sci-fi|scifi]] [[Be lazy; write a story about writing stories|boring]] <</timed>><</linkreplace>> <</timed>><</linkreplace>>

You have a sci-fi world you've made that you can set a story in. But that's just the starting point, the setting; what's the story actually about? <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>[[You have no clue|give up]] <</timed>><</linkreplace>>

Well here we are. <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>You know it, I know it. This is where we are right now. The boring approach. I—I mean, you—are so stuck that the only way to get unstuck is to write about how stuck you are. <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>[[But that doesn't unstick you|stuck]] <</timed>><</linkreplace>> <</timed>><</linkreplace>>

But look! You made a story, right? It's got words, it's got a character—I guess?—It's got a beginning and it's got an end! <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>[[Fantastic!|done?]] <</timed>><</linkreplace>>

The boring approach worked! However, it's too long to submit both the story and this game. <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>[[Submit the game|cheating?]] <</timed>><</linkreplace>>

But isn't that cheating? <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>I mean? Is this creative? You picked an extremely unoriginal idea and just typed it out in 30 minutes, is this what you want to submit? <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>I mean, I think it's lazy. But do you? <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>Does pointing out how unoriginal a story is make it original? <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>[[Yes|yes]] [[No|no]] <</timed>><</linkreplace>> <</timed>><</linkreplace>> <</timed>><</linkreplace>> <</timed>><</linkreplace>>

You really think so? I mean I just lampshaded an entire story. <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>Whatever, that's my opinion, and you have yours. <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>[[The end|Title]] <</timed>><</linkreplace>> <</timed>><</linkreplace>>

Yep, I didn't think so either. <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>[[The end|Title]] <</timed>><</linkreplace>>

You're stuck. You can't think of anything. <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>Well, you can think of one thing. <<linkreplace ">>">><<timed 10ms t8n>>[[Go the boring approach, write a story about writing stories|boring]] <</timed>><</linkreplace>> <</timed>><</linkreplace>>

The Boring Approach. By Liam Latz [[Start|Start]]