Good idea. I'll apply this change to my previous posts right now.
Writing Contest: Main Thread
- Thread starter Miranda Brawner
- Start date
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- contest
Good idea. I'll apply this change to my previous posts right now.
@FriendlyGhost
Really liked the content of your document.
Very impressed by the actual document. How did you create that authentic look?
Really liked the content of your document.
Very impressed by the actual document. How did you create that authentic look?
Thank you for the kind words.
Just a bit of visual trickery, really. For the text, I wrote the translated text first in MS Word, copied it, removed all the [comments in square brackets], put it in a mediaeval-style font (Hentimps Circlet, to be precise - a free download I found) and adjusted the letter and line spacing to make it a bit closer together, as in most real mediaeval documents. I then adjusted the page setup and zoom so that I could take a screenshot of all of it together, then used paint.net to remove the white background from that screenshot, leaving just the text. The parchment background is one I found - if you search for 'old parchment with rough edge' or something like that, you'll find a few, including ones which are free to use, like this one. Similarly with the seals - I found some freeware pictures of old seals and cropped them with paint.net to remove bits which didn't fit with the ATL. I then combined all of them, with a wood texture as background to suggest it was lying on a desk. The original file I have is bigger than the one I posted, but reducing the size not only made it small enough to post here, but also helped to hide some of the joins...
If you look closely enough you'll see that the document is exactly the same as the translation apart from the [comments] - since the contest is about the writing, not the picture, I didn't take the time to 'reverse-translate' it into more authentic mediaeval words (and I'm not an expert in that, so it would have been wrong!
).That's really cool. I appreciate all the time you put into it.
One day left to submit entries for the first contest. I'm very impressed by the entries so far. I will open the voting thread tomorrow.
If you haven't voted for the winner of the first contest yet, make sure to do that, since the voting is closing soon.
Congratulations to @FriendlyGhost on winning our first contest! FriendlyGhost now has the opportunity to start a new contest. They are free to post a new thread for the contest at any time. If FriendlyGhost decides not to choose a topic, or is absent for 3 days, then we will decide as a group what topic to do next. Thanks to everyone who participated!
Thank you to everyone who voted for my entry, and the other contestants. It's a bit late here now so I'll post the next contest tomorrow.
@Miranda Brawner
The next contest should run for two weeks, closing on Monday 23rd, so just before Xmas, with voting over the next three days. Unfortunately* I'll be on a ferry with no internet on 23-24 Dec, so won't be able to post the poll. Would you prefer (1) the contest to finish earlier (2) the contest to finish later (3) the voting to start later (4) someone else, probably you, set up the poll on the 23rd ?
Sorry for the hassle!
I'll post the contest later tonight, even if you don't reply by then - I can edit the timings later if needed.
*Unfortunately for this contest I mean - otherwise it's a good thing, for seeing the family!
The next contest should run for two weeks, closing on Monday 23rd, so just before Xmas, with voting over the next three days. Unfortunately* I'll be on a ferry with no internet on 23-24 Dec, so won't be able to post the poll. Would you prefer (1) the contest to finish earlier (2) the contest to finish later (3) the voting to start later (4) someone else, probably you, set up the poll on the 23rd ?
Sorry for the hassle!
I'll post the contest later tonight, even if you don't reply by then - I can edit the timings later if needed.
*Unfortunately for this contest I mean - otherwise it's a good thing, for seeing the family!
@FriendlyGhost Thanks for letting me know. Glad you get to spend time with family. How about we start the contest today, and have it run through Friday the 20th, so that you'll get a chance to vote before your trip?
Reminder: there is another week for the contest - it will close at 12noon GMT next Friday (20th).
Still no entries for the second writing contest?
I guess I picked a bad subject.
@Miranda Brawner - if there are no entries by the closing date/time of noon GMT tomorrow, I suggest that @SeaBos is invited to come up with a new contest, since he was the runner-up in the first poll. The alternative is to extend the entry deadline, but with Christmas and New Year coming up, I'm not sure that would make much difference.
I guess I picked a bad subject.
@Miranda Brawner - if there are no entries by the closing date/time of noon GMT tomorrow, I suggest that @SeaBos is invited to come up with a new contest, since he was the runner-up in the first poll. The alternative is to extend the entry deadline, but with Christmas and New Year coming up, I'm not sure that would make much difference.
That sounds like a good plan. I'm sorry I wasn't able to come up with something. We'll see what SeaBos feels like doing.Still no entries for the second writing contest?
I guess I picked a bad subject.
@Miranda Brawner - if there are no entries by the closing date/time of noon GMT tomorrow, I suggest that @SeaBos is invited to come up with a new contest, since he was the runner-up in the first poll. The alternative is to extend the entry deadline, but with Christmas and New Year coming up, I'm not sure that would make much difference.