GEM of the NILE
Giant Expanded Model of the Noveling In Limited Epic
June 1 – August 31
100,000 words

Like the NILE, the GEM is a strength and endurance writing challenge.
Unlike the NILE, the GEM is longer, harder, and carries with it an adventure all its own.

Let’s get the basics out of the way first.
Participation is mandatory.
Pace, effort, schedule – they’re all up to the individual.
Each participant is challenged to write 100,000 words between Friday, June 1st and Friday, August 31st.
The Grand Prize will be awarded to the first person to reach that goal.

Read those three points again. Memorize them. Got them? Good. Let’s move on to the fun part!

Though the GEM is an official FLOWE challenge, it’s less about the destination than it is about the journey. Every writer – indeed, every book within every writer – will uncover a different adventure in the art of writing. Some are time travelers, hopping to whichever scene calls loudest and stringing them together in the end. Some are merchants, carrying their treasure of words along pre-established routes to a final glory. Still others are explorers, weaving through wilderness from start to finish, but delving into all the caves and forests along the way. Some will prove tenacious tortoises, others speedy but distractible hares. As such, no journey can be measured against any other. But GEM is a challenge, and participants need a way to gauge their progress. How are we to manage this? Simple.

GEM is also a Choose Your Own Adventure.

Everyone begins at the same place: Lucky Pockets, a local college hang-out. As each participant achieves writing milestones, they will be given a new choice that will determine the course of their own, personal adventure. Only by achieving a full 100,000 words will you discover your own ending. Choose wisely, and you may end up a wealthy pirate lord or princess of a faraway land. Choose poorly, and you may be eaten by a grue. The more you write, the more you choose!

There may also be exercises, polls, questionnaires, or mini-challenges designed to keep the muse enslaved and active that could win you bonus choices or improved luck.

Your challenge. Your choice. Your adventure.

Playing the GEM Choose Your Own Adventure

1. Fill out your pre-GEM questionnaire. Your answers will choose your starting direction.

2. On June 1st, start writing!

3. Every time you reach a writing milestone (see below), you’ll be given a new tidbit of your own, personal story and an opportunity to make a choice.

4. To find out where your choice takes you, you must continue writing.

5. Your adventure will reach an ending when you complete a total of 100,000 words.

Choices

There are four ways to reach a choice point.

1. Reach a milestone.

2. Successfully complete a monthly challenge.

3. Find a “move ahead” token.

4. Achieve a FLOWER’s Option.

Tokens

Tokens are awarded at the end or beginning of side quests and a select few may be uncovered by certain randomly-selected choices and/or milestones. Some are instantly put in play while others may be hoarded until a more fortuitous time. All come with individual directions.

- Move Ahead: Receive one free choice.
- Master of Choice: Make one choice for another player.
- Peek Into Unknown: Reveal choice directions.
- Time Rewind: Use this token to go back and change your last choice.
- Create-A-Character: Allows the bearer to create a character in another player's Sacred Secret story. When two are collected, the bearer may use both to create a single character in their own SS story.
- Name Bot: The Name Bot token forces another player to name a character in your story, free of charge.
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FLOWER’s Options

The FLOWER’s Options are side quests. They involve your writing, your board participation, interaction with other players, and anything else the FLOWER deems suitable. Some are mini-exercises designed to test your imagination or determination. Others require only your input, while still others involve frequent board check-in. They are many and varied, and will only be revealed when available. Players have one chance to accept side quests, and not always at the same time. If they pass, the quest may appear later on in the story or may be lost forever. Side quests are designed to add flavor to your challenge and spice to your adventure (as well as keep you involved!). They are entirely optional.

Monthly Challenges

Each month will have its own target goal. Reaching them will enhance your adventure, but they, too, are optional.

June: Write 15,000 words and complete a side quest.
July: 40,000 words.
August: 45,000 words and three side quests.

Milestones

GEM milestones are as follows (in number of words reached):

Winning

The first person to successfully complete their adventure wins.