Discussing the Writing Challenges -- November and December 2010

[Perpetual Man]

Acrostic? That's a new word for me, what do you know, I've learned something - very topical as mj offering this month was acrostic too. (and now I've used it.)

 

[sloweye]

Acrostic? i hope it came with a helmet, those acros players can get rough!.....

Oh, hold on.... i'm thinking of lacrosse...sorry

 

[Bella Donna]

Did anyone here actually play Lacrosse? I've never seen a match before.

 

[chrispenycate]

If an agnostic only believes in things that are provable, an acrostic only accepts a limit when it has been physically demonstrated it is impossible to pass.

Unfortunately, by then he's usually an exacrostic, but that's a minor price to pay for sticking to your principles.

 

[J Riff]

On my list of extreme shortness so far it's Nixie's BagPuss and Gypsy-cursed Mosaix neck and neck, Reiver moving up on the rail.

 

[nixie]

On my list of extreme shortness so far it's Nixie's BagPuss and Gypsy-cursed Mosaix neck and neck, Reiver moving up on the rail.

Thank you

 

[mosaix]

On my list of extreme shortness so far it's Nixie's BagPuss and Gypsy-cursed Mosaix neck and neck, Reiver moving up on the rail.

And that's a thank you from him as well.

 

[HareBrain]

I haven't actually read the stories yet, never having properly caught up from a week's absence, but I have to say the thought of reading about Bagpuss being sacrificed fills me with trepidation.

Mind, I can see the mice doing it, egged on by Prof Yaffle. I always thought it couldn't be a coincidence that the song the mice sing is the one sung in the film The Wicker Man when they're burning the policeman ...

(If it turns out Nixie's story has in fact used this connection, I'll vote for it!)

 

[StormFeather]

Took the kids to see Santa yesterday, and felt incredibly guilty! I hope he doesn't hold my poem against the kids . .

Loving the stories so far - yet again there have been such diverse responses to the theme. My shortlist so far is pretty much every entry. And more great stories to add, I'm sure . . .

 

[Allanon]

Well, i'm happy, i made Perpetual Man's shortlist, i don't care if i get a vote, i just like that somebody enjoyed my story!! WOOP!

 

[HareBrain]

I've now read them all, and there are a lot of good ones, and several that look likely to reveal more on further readings. Probably top of my list if I had to vote now would be Oxman's (was toying with a similar idea myself, bah!), but there are several others within a whisker.

Talking of whiskers, I did like Nixie's story, though I couldn't help regretting the lack of murderous pyromaniac mice.

 

[Ursa major]

So it didn't ... er ... match your expectations then, HB?

 

[sloweye]

Two more good'un's in there now from Digs and Star Girl.... Damn you! It's hard enough to make a choice

 

[Boneman]

Hee Hee! Just read Moonbat's entry - brought a tear to my eye (ouch). But he was being circumspect about it... (Ursa made me do it!)

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Too busy and too tired and too overwhelmed this month. I just caught up reading all the stories so far, posted mine, brought my reading up to date in this thread. I can't slap Mouse because after reading through so many messages I don't remember what it was she did to deserve it. (Aside from wanting to pickle Ben Barnes ... but wait, that was in another thread.)

So many excellent entries; it will be hard to decide this month. If only Santa were kind ... Well actually, he's bringing us a new computer. Possibly any minute now. But going by bitter experience, I fear that it may take my husband days of talking to technical support people before he gets our accounts properly set up again. Shouldn't be hard, but invariably it is. I told him I had some things to catch up on so not to set up the new computer until tomorrow.

If things go well, I'll be back so soon you'll never miss me. If things go ill ... who knows? So in the meantime, someone please delegate yourself to chastise Boneman, Mouse, and Karn as needed.

 

[Parson]

T.E.

I liked your story a lot. I also noticed your careful spelling of sacrifice. I couldn't help but think that it was aimed at me, at least just a bit.

Hope things go well with your new PC. or is it a Mac?

Laptop?

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Thank you, Parson. But no, I hadn't read this thread or tried to work out the puzzle in your story when I named mine. I was just trying to make my title suggest "mighty letters." Unfortunately, we have limited fonts to work with here, and that was as close as I could come without making the title enormous.

Although now I guess I don't have to try to figure out what was hidden in yours. (Which I thought very powerful, even without a hidden meaning.)

The new computer is a Mac Mini, like my computer -- except newer, and it will be connected to the internet, which mine will never be.

John will start switching things over from this one some time tomorrow morning. With luck, by the time I get home from tea with my two best friends, everything will be set up and working. But let's just say I won't be betting the farm on that eventuality.

 

[Allanon]

TE, I very much enjoyed your story. It was touching, and made me silent while I re-read it which as some can tell you I'm not often silent!

Another story I like is Dubrech's, very good!

Saying that, there are about 10 that I'm struggling to pick my favourite out of at the moment! They're all so good, and I suspect they'll be more before the deadline!

 

[sloweye]

The choice just gets harder and harder.

 

[Bella Donna]

That's because they're all so good. I might have to use eeny meeny to pick a winner.