Discussing the Writing Challenges -- November and December 2010

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re: Discussing the Writing Challenges -- September and October

Are you a member of an SFF affiliate, Boneman?

In some organisations - admittedly those that have little to do with voting - this would give you an extra vote. ;):)
 
re: Discussing the Writing Challenges -- September and October

Ursa, I always knew you were punny, but ever since this last Writing Challenge I look for puns within wordplay within riddles within jokes within pure insanity in every little thing you write. I think I'm developing a reading disorder.
 
re: Discussing the Writing Challenges -- September and October

Boneman you are right I missed that, thank you kindly. My shortest list was between yourself and HB. I think I voted for you a brilliant story with all seven sins as actual characters, very clever.
Mouse I wasn't on the list you posted, but thanks for thinking I was
and DFM mentioned me, so I retract my aforementioned lamentation and I swap it for a whoop, and a few thanks

Thanks, merci, gracias.
 
re: Discussing the Writing Challenges -- September and October

digs said:
Ursa, I always knew you were punny, but ever since this last Writing Challenge I look for puns within wordplay within riddles within jokes within pure insanity in every little thing you write. I think I'm developing a reading disorder.
Click to expand...

:)

(Don't forget to find all the puns made from anagrams of what I post. ;):))
 
re: Discussing the Writing Challenges -- September and October

Moonbat said:
Mouse I wasn't on the list you posted, but thanks for thinking I was...
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Oh. Well you were supposed to be on there!

----

Here are my other attempts for this month.

Extinction

“You’ll make yourself sick on those things.”

Mathias shrugged and lifted another of the burgers to his lips. “I don’t care. These are the best things I’ve ever tasted.”

“You’ll get fat.”

“I don’t care,” Mathias said again. Grease dribbled down his chin.

“You’re partly responsible for their decline, you know.”

“Whatever,” Mathias said. He continued to shovel food into his mouth, not caring that unicorn burgers were illegal.
---
Lazy Beast

“I’m not angry. Being angry requires too much effort.”

“But you still want rid of him?”

“Of course! He’ll only try to steal my gold again. Or kill me.”

“Or leave a princess on your doorstep.”

“Yes. I have no desire for a princess. They squeal far too loudly.”

“You frighten them.”

“I don’t know why. I’m attractive, aren’t I?”

“Rather dashing for a dragon.”

“Yes. So. Kill the knight for me.”
---
Small, Green and Handsome

The water’s surface is smooth and clear as glass. Crickets chirrup all around.

“Am I the most attractive thing you’ve ever seen in your life or what?”

A sniff. “You look like a frog.”

“Yeah, but what a frog! I’m divine.”

A sigh now. “Whatever you say, man.”

“I tell you, I’ll be outta this pond in no time. No princess will be able to resist me.”

“Right.” A pause. “Big head.”
---
Man Magnet

I wish I had her eyes. My lips are better, of course, and I’m more intelligent, but her eyes are so pretty. I wish I was rich too. That might attract him. Maybe I should lay off the chocolate and get off my backside and go out and get him.

But I’m a witch. I should be able to get what I want. I know, I’ll kill her.

Problem solved.


----

And this is the one I was going to post right up to the last minute, when I changed my mind, wrote something else, and posted that!

Goldilocks and the Love Affair

Once upon a time there were three house-proud bears.

And a girl.

After breaking and entering, the girl ate all the food in the bears’ home, slept in the beds, and destroyed the kitchen furniture (probably jealous of all the mahogany).

When the bears returned, they caught the wretched child and threw her in the basement.

But Daddy Bear fell for the girl and released her.

Later, they eloped and lived happily ever after.
 
re: Discussing the Writing Challenges -- September and October

Ha, I like the frog one, Mouse! But not as much, I think, as the one you posted.

Moonbat, you were on my original shortlist (I think you always are), but I somehow missed when I had to come up with that list again because the other one was at home. Sorry about that!

I didn't write any extras this month. One was quite enough. :)
 
re: Discussing the Writing Challenges -- September and October

I'm working some crazy hours at the moment, so I won't be able to post up the new thread until sometime after five pm on the 1st (otherwise known as, er, tomorrow); thought I'd mention, for those raring to go with the new challenge!

And this theme picking is harder than it looks...
 
re: Discussing the Writing Challenges -- September and October

digs said:
I find it so hard to come up with my first idea, and when I do I'm usually so relieved that I instantly write it down and submit it before allowing myself to explore anything else...
Click to expand...

I voted for yours this month. Sometimes going with your first inspiration is good.

Mouse, I like your frog story. But I think the Unicorn story you entered in the Challenge was the right one.
 
re: Discussing the Writing Challenges -- September and October

I actually liked J-Wo's a lot. It had a "ringing true" quality about it. Seventy five words is just too ridiculously short for me to take seriously. Also, I'd like to see what some of the criteria people are using to choose winners in these things.
 
re: Discussing the Writing Challenges -- September and October

Ta, TDZ and Teresa. I did like the frog one too, but didn't think it was a complete story.

The one I posted was the one I spent the least amount of time on! Weird that. I think that sometimes when we fiddle with stories too much they start to lose something.
 
re: Discussing the Writing Challenges -- September and October

ScrambleEggHead said:
I actually liked J-Wo's a lot. It had a "ringing true" quality about it. Seventy five words is just too ridiculously short for me to take seriously. Also, I'd like to see what some of the criteria people are using to choose winners in these things.
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For me, it's generally that there is more to the story than meets the eye. (By which I don't mean all the hidden meanings.)

For instance, this month I voted for Teresa's story, because while both characters were exhibiting Pride, the King was simultaneously giving us Hope, the hope that Lilit would be tamed (or destroyed).
 
re: Discussing the Writing Challenges -- September and October

Well, my idea was more that she would be redeemed rather than tamed. (The runes on his hands, in case anyone guessed or wanted to know, are stigmata.)

Which leads into my answer to your question, ScrambleEggHead. Short fiction, even short stories that are much longer than 75 words, often poses more questions than it answers, so when deciding what story I will vote for I'm as likely to vote for something that leaves me considering different possibilities as one that ties everything up neatly.

However, after deciding whether I think that an entry has at least some relevance to theme and genre, I do look for something that has an actual story. And by a story, I don't mean a complete story (because short fiction doesn't always offer those), but that something happens to somebody, or somebody does something. In other words, I'm not looking for a description, or an essay, or a character monologue. Although the last of those could qualify as a story by somebody else's criteria, and I wouldn't argue with that. In fact, if the entry had enough impact, I might stretch my definition to include that, too. I like it when a story describes some sort of transformative moment, but that isn't essential.

And beyond that, what I look for is stories that have a strong emotional impact on me (making me laugh would count, although as an American I think I miss out on a lot of the catch-phrases and in-jokes that are perfectly obvious to members from the UK), and stories that create strong visual images in my mind. These last two, of course, are totally subjective, but they count very heavily in my decision.

I have no trouble taking some of these stories seriously. I know that many are written just for fun, and laughter is a great gift to share with others, but there are also stories that handle serious ideas in a serious way, and do this in just 75 eloquent words. And oh yes, that's one more thing: the skillful use of language impresses me.
 
re: Discussing the Writing Challenges -- September and October

Ursa major said:
Are you a member of an SFF affiliate, Boneman?

In some organisations - admittedly those that have little to do with voting - this would give you an extra vote. ;):)
Click to expand...


Ooh! Good point! (I think....) My son reads a lot of scifi, and I've been trying to get him to register here and put a little gentle persuasion to stimulate him - "if you don't vote for x/y/z (not me, that would be immoral!) then I'll cut you out of the will!:eek:
 
re: Discussing the Writing Challenges -- September and October

Teresa Edgerton said:
Well, my idea was more that she would be redeemed rather than tamed. (The runes on his hands, in case anyone guessed or wanted to know, are stigmata.)
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I did not guess this, nor would I have guessed it. When I think runes, I think magical, Norse-like, letters and/or words. For me saying "stigmata" would have completely changed the story.

Ursa -- Handel? Hallelujah Chorus? Or is there bawdy tune by Handel that I know nothing of?

Mouse -- The story you posted was better than any of the others you considered.
 
re: Discussing the Writing Challenges -- September and October

Parson said:
I did not guess this, nor would I have guessed it. When I think runes, I think magical, Norse-like, letters and/or words. For me saying "stigmata" would have completely changed the story.
Click to expand...

Yes, writing or symbols of power, in this case written on his hands and spelling the word "salvation." I was attempting to be poetic, but I was pretty sure the word salvation would make it clear enough that there was some sort of religious symbolism going on, people would be put off, and the story would probably get no votes. I posted it anyway, because it resonated for me.

Maybe nobody understood it, and I tied with TIEN (and his biblical references) for second place -- in which case, it looks like I was wrong in so many ways.

Fortunately, I couldn't be wrong on one point, which was that I liked it better than my other stories.


Ursa, you intrigue me. How could this music by Handel be less appropriate for a family-friendly site than TJ's poem about Leda and the Swan? Or, as a moderator, should I not ask?
 
re: Discussing the Writing Challenges -- September and October

I found last month's to be a real tricky theme (NB: tricky does not equal bad).

For mine, it was a three-way split between digs', Boneman's, and J-WO's, but I ended up going for digs because his was more SFF.

Congratulations Hoops!
 
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