Discussing the Writing Challenges -- November and December 2010

[Perpetual Man]

On many different levels!

Writing the things is hard enough, and then you have to choose one to vote for!

 

[sloweye]

Indeed, you think you've made up your mind and some git sweeps in last second with a real good'un

 

[No One]

Nice appraisal of the stories so far Perpetual Man - and thanks muchly for the mention.

Personally, I just couldn't find an angle to work from and was really starting to believe that I'd sit this month out (aside from voting of course). Then, while reviewing Robert Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy, I came across the phrase "88 degrees of melancholy" and that just really struck me. Suddenly I had a title and it sort of snowballed from there.

I thought yours was excellently constructed too and I agree that Oxman's also threw me first time round, but it is a great play on the theme. Still too soon to draw any final conclusions though, as there could/should be as many as 20 entries to come.

 

[Mouse]

Mouse - Very clever and well written, a lot of hidden bits. Maybe a little too intelligent for me

You're having a giraffe. Intelligent? I don't do intelligent.

(Thanks!)

 

[Bella Donna]

Thanks for the mention, PM. I liked yours, too.

When it comes to the voting, I'll certainly be pushed to work out which one is my favourite.

 

[The Judge]

Erm... guys... you do realise it's only the 9th and we've still got 2 weeks and -- I hope -- at least another 20 works of art to come...?! All this drawing up of premature short lists is worrying! (At least for those of us on whom the muse has not yet seen fit to bestow her grace. It's bad enough having to fight to overturn Karn's early decisions without everyone else joining him... )

And Mouse, without getting out my crystal ball and tarot cards to spy on your future, I think there may be a slap coming your way very soon (well, as soon as Teresa comes in...)

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

Now now, be nice, Your Honor. I plead the Fifth.


Oh, wait, you're not a U.S. citizen....um....I'm clamming up!

 

[Ursa major]

It isn't Karn's fault that others are muscling in on his approach.





Probably.

 

[Perpetual Man]

Erm... guys... you do realise it's only the 9th and we've still got 2 weeks and -- I hope -- at least another 20 works of art to come...?! All this drawing up of premature short lists is worrying! (At least for those of us on whom the muse has not yet seen fit to bestow her grace. It's bad enough having to fight to overturn Karn's early decisions without everyone else joining him... )

Well.... I'm pretty sure that there will plenty of more excellent entries yet, including your own, but I had ten min.. well perhaps twenty minute... okay half an hour free (read as meant to be working) and I thought I'd make a comment on everything so far. I'll do the same for everything else a bit later rather than try and do it for all of them at the end.

I'm certain my preliminary short list will still be short, just longer

 

[sloweye]

Oooooo, i'm likeing SF's one

 

[StormFeather]

It's poetry again - sorry! I'm not really any good at it, and my brain seems to be able to only follow one pattern. But, yet again, my ideas refused to be written any other way.

At least I can relax now and read the other stories with pleasure, instead of being petrified that someone else would write my ideas up better than I could!

Edit: Thanks Sloweye!

 

[Ursa major]

SF socks it to us, I think.

Seasonal and in a good way.

 

[Perpetual Man]

Oh indeed, another absolute cracker from SF (And yeah, that's a Christmas cracker)

 

[sloweye]

I don't belive it, someone beat ursa to the punn

 

[chrispenycate]

At least for those of us on whom the muse has not yet seen fit to bestow her grace. It's bad enough having to fight to overturn Karn's early decisions without everyone else joining him...

Would you like my spare, Yeronner? Well, the idea; I suspect someone would notice the difference in writing styles.

You're having a giraffe.

And how would you cook that? It's almost as complicated as my dragon recipes (take one extremely long skewer, attach itto an armoured knight and horse, then insert forcefully into mouth of beast and keep charging…)

 

[Perpetual Man]

I don't belive it, someone beat ursa to the punn

Whoops I hope I don't get into any trouble

 

[The Judge]

Would you like my spare, Yeronner? Well, the idea; I suspect someone would notice the difference in writing styles.

I may just take you up on that, since I've had nary a glimmer of an idea to date.

It's almost as complicated as my dragon recipes (take one extremely long skewer, attach itto an armoured knight and horse, then insert forcefully into mouth of beast and keep charging…)

First catch your dragon, as Mrs Beeton would say. And presumably the recipe is for Dragon Flambé?

 

[Mouse]

And Mouse, without getting out my crystal ball and tarot cards to spy on your future, I think there may be a slap coming your way very soon (well, as soon as Teresa comes in...)

No fair!

And how would you cook that? It's almost as complicated as my dragon recipes (take one extremely long skewer, attach it to an armoured knight and horse, then insert forcefully into mouth of beast and keep charging…)

Ouchy! Sounds painful.


Also liking SF's poem.

 

[chrispenycate]

No, that's for roast suckling dragon à la broche. Otherwise the lance is too long to be held horizontal.

But it's more often a recipe for knight flambé dans son propre jus, with horse's d'ouevres.

 

[Ursa major]

Chris's recipe provides one definition of lance a lot.


* Wonders how big the bucket for wings would have to be. *