therealljidol

Welcome to LJ Idol, the 20th Anniversary Edition.

I imagine a lot of you reading this are going to be Idol veterans who know all the ins and outs but some of you haven’t been around for awhile so I should probably refresh you.

What is LJ Idol? It’s been referred to as an “onling writing competition that has been strapped into a roller coaster with iffy brakes”. Honestly? That’s still a pretty good description.

People are usually more interested in the basics though, so here it is: I post a sign up sheet. You comment and link your official declaration that you will be playing. I use that information to create the weekly polls.

(Note: if you’re playing from a new account/not your main one) let me know so I can keep track of alts.)

Every “week” I post a Prompt and give you a specific deadline. That is your creative jumping off point. You can literally do anything you want with it - in the past we’ve had short stories, non fiction essays, poetry, comic strips, songs. The format is yours. The word count. In other words all of those things that you may have encountered elsewhere in your literary travels, that’s all you. I don’t want any part of it. ;)

You create your entry in your own Dreamwidith or Open ID compatible space and post it to the Prompt thread for that week by the deadline.

I take all of those entries and put them into a poll that will also have a deadline and a listed number of contestants who will be eliminated. Anyone with a Dreamwidth or Open ID account can vote for their favorites. When the poll ends, people are eliminated and we repeat the cycle until there is only person left. They are the Winner and receive ENDLESS GLORY!! (and maybe an icon. I have someone working on icons for this season. Hopefully that comes together and I can give out an icon again. First time in a very long time.)

Have you REALLY been doing it for 20 years? Yes. 20 years. In a row. We've taken breaks in between seasons but there has been an Idol season/mini season/special event that has taken place every calendar year.

Why did you start LJ Idol? I was really bored. :) It started out as just a joke title that I came up with, and then started figuring out "Wait - how would that work??? OMG, I think this could BE A THING!" 9 people signed up for the first season. At the height of our LJ days it maxed out at over 300.

I started it a few years after my first divorce. The 20th Anniversary is kicking off as I'm going through my second! The more things change...

Why is “Week” in quotes? An Idol week isn’t a standard week. It varies in length entirely depending on real life circumstances

I Know You Love Twists and Turns, what sort of Hell are we walking into? The best kind. :) Sorry. Honestly, I did a special “Oops All Twists event” last time to counteract that this is going to be a lot more “back to basics” in the approach. There *will* be some twists, like contestant only voting and such. I wouldn’t be too shocked if I were you to see immunity show up at some point. But in general I want this to be more laid back of an event. As fun as it would be to absolutely freak people out over some insane twist, I’d much rather people enjoy the experience.

That said, the Wheel of Chaos WILL be returning this season. Which seems like the antithesis of what I just said. It does make sense though. Or as much sense as I ever make! <3

Is there a cost? Yes. A deep and dark mark on your very soul that you will never fully be able to remove and an inner voice that keeps you up at night. Oh, you meant “Does this cost money”? No. In the 20 years of LJ Idol there were 3 special events that involved a $5 donation to play, as a fundraiser. This isn’t one of them.

That said, I DO have a Patreon https://www.patreon.com/c/u70027 Rewards have varied over the years, the one right now is feeling good about yourself AND exemption from being attacked by the mostly trained rabid pack of wolves that has been known to wander through Dreamwidth. Also invisibility to bears. (Note: That last one has not been tested)

If you want to drop something in the hat before, during or after the season - my email is clauderainsrm@gmail.com you can use that in PayPal/Venmo/Cash App/Zelle. The rewards for that are pretty similar to the Patreon ones. Except you are ONLY safe from bears riding unicycles wearing little pointy clown hats.

When is the Sign Up Sheet going up? In a few days.

When will the first prompt be posted? A few days after that Sign Up Sheet goes up.

How long do people have to sign up? Until the deadline of the first prompt.

Are you always this vague? Maybe.

Is this restricted on who can sign up? I originally conceived this as an ultra exclusive "All Stars" kind of thing. I tried my best to represent all of the seasons proportionally as equal as I could. But of course that meant there were a LOT of fantastic writers who were in bigger seasons, or more recent ones, who didn't end up on the list. After all, there are approximately 1,100 former contestants and I restricted myself to 150. (Only after I hit the point that I couldn't cut any more. It was painful at 300 and became just an exercise in self torment to go any deeper than that. )

But as fun as it was to go through the backlog and revisit Idol memories and compile it, when push came to shove I couldn't pull the trigger.

Because part of Idol's charm is that it IS open to everyone. We have professional writers right beside people who just started writing because it's fun. People with all sorts of motivations for coming, all existing in the same space and forming this community that I love so very much. I DO have a cap in mind for how many contestants before I close up the list. But I'm sure we will be fine.

So, if you are signing up and know people who might want to join in the fun, invite them. If you're a former contestant are finding out about this RIGHT now, - sign up when the Sign Up Sheet goes live! I've been seeing names in the comments of the last few posts that I haven't seen in years. That feels so good. I've really needed this. Thank you.

I’m sure there is a ton of things I’m not thinking of right now - so comment below with your questions and I’ll try to make something up. :)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

aggienaut

"I did a special “Oops All Twists event” last time to counteract that this is going to be a lot more “back to basics” in the approach. "

Oh thank the rotating monkey lord ::kisses the ground::

From:

clauderainsrm

I'd be careful invoking the Rotating Monkey Lord. No one is safe from him if He decides to show up!!

From:

aggienaut

They say its a bit of a game of roulette with him

From:

halfshellvenus

Word. :O

From:

clauderainsrm

Do I want your first born?
At this point in my life? No. Save them for a trip to the volcano to appease the fire gods.

From:

serpentpixie

I don't know about my first-born but I'm pretty sure my second-born is herself a fire god and cannot be appeased.

From:

drippedonpaper

Sounds like my second born...

From:

adpazd

Are you sure? She's pretty awesome and you can put her to work.

From:

bsgsix

He's 14 1/2. You know, if you wanna BORROW him for a week or two, just let me know.

Otherwise, the Volcano Gods may be coming PRETTY soon... ;)

From:

halfshellvenus

Eeee! So happy to see you here! How've you been?

From:

gardeningatnight

More laid back of an event sounds almost my speed.

I mean, it's probably a little faster than my speed, but I can make do.

From:

erulissedances

Unfortunately I'm going to have to pass this time. We're still trying to get the shop closed and locked, and I'm working 7 days a week. I'll comment when I can, read when I can, and participate as I can, but no writing this time.

- Erulisse (one L)

From:

ofearthandstars

Hmmm. Based on recent events, I may actually need invisibility to bears.

From:

drippedonpaper

I hope you will compete? :)

From:

bleodswean

So sorry about the "bookends", G.

Always excited about Idol returning like the Inquisition!

From:

rayaso

I'm glad you'll be back! I love your writing. Does this make Gary the Grand Inquisitor, our very own Torquemada? If he ran Idol like the Inquisition, it would add a certain spice.

From:

bleodswean

I'm glad YOU will be back, sir!

LOL, we are nothing if not willful, unrepentant heretics but the twist is that we are willingly subjecting ourselves!

From:

bsgsix

Hey friend! Good to see you - and I will be returning as well! I look forward to writing with you and our other talented friends for certain.

Returning like the Inquisition is... apt. And yet, here we are, and we are willing. The masochism is real. :)

From:

adore

Wheee!

From:

serpentpixie

Ha. Typical. Week 1 is probably going to clash with moving house (those of you who know the English conveyancing system will understand what a hectic tangle of solicitors and dates and uncertainty we are currently drowning in)... Of course it is.

I'll still be signing up, though. Out of curiosity, I went back to LJ and looked back at what I wrote in 2011... all I could think was that 2011 me would be so absolutely furious with how dull and un-creative and un-playful my life has become.

From:

adpazd

I've been letting you torture me in various ways for almost 30 years, why should I stop now? 😁

From:

dizzydog

Hi again everyone! *waves hello and distributes cookies*

Is there gonna be a week 0 / practice round? I've wandered so far off of social media I think I'm mostly made of rust when it comes to this posting stuff.

Is everyone wearing pants this time?

From:

bsgsix

Wait... are pants required?

*Shows herself to the door*

:)

Seriously, though, I think there's usually a Week 0 or intro week; there was in the past, anyhow. But it's been a few years for me. G, you doing an intro to kick it off?

From:

dizzydog

I remember there being a definite LACK of pants in the green rooms of yore sometimes, I can't imagine us all getting formal at this point!

Ohhhhhh, intro post. I need to start thinking about that now just in case, it gets harder every season to do it differently :D

From:

bsgsix

I was definitely confused, because I also remember a lack of pants in the green rooms! Just wanted to make sure nothing changed TOO much there!

And indeed! I'm hoping there is some kind of intro post, but I'm curious to see how it all plays out. Looking forward to it either way!