Writing Challenge Discussion -- January 2011

[No One]

Wow, three mentions AND a vote! Certainly didn't expect that, especially given the overall quality and quantity of entries this month. Thanks to Slow, Cul, and Talysia! And to whoever it was that voted for me - I want to have your babies.*



*figuratively speaking of course. I am male, just to be clear.

 

[sloweye]

*figuratively speaking of course. I am male, just to be clear.

Science is always making great leaps, careful what you wish for

 

[GreenKidx]

Thanks Chel and TheEndIsNigh for the shortlist mentions!
I'm actually seeing that going through the shortlists are a great way to find stories you might have missed!

 

[cornelius]

I have a vote!!! So many great stories, it's been a pickle to pick one, but I picked J-WO. Someone must have missclicked. But it's very much appreciated.

 

[crys]

For me it eventually came down to a choice between two. After much obsessing I chalked one up for Perpetual Man, with a mention in despatches for StormFeather.

 

[No One]

Science is always making great leaps, careful what you wish for

Meh, either way's good for me. Maybe I can raise a generation of chronners with a hereditary disposition of voting for me...

Oh, and I suspect my vote will be in a little late this month. It's proving...difficult.

 

[Oxman]

Someone must have missclicked. But it's very much appreciated.

No, not a mis-click, Cornelius. I'm the guilty party! After re-reading the entire lot again and getting torn between entries, you crept in towards the end, pipping Teresa and Stormfeather to the post.

I liked the double wording of "old into new", but most of all, I liked the hellish idea of endless repetition; the protagonist constantly having to unwittingly overthrow his tyrannical, older self time and again. Well, at least that was my interpretation of it.

Probably the toughest choice so far to pick a favourite!

 

[cornelius]

No, not a mis-click, Cornelius. I'm the guilty party! After re-reading the entire lot again and getting torn between entries, you crept in towards the end, pipping Teresa and Stormfeather to the post.

I liked the double wording of "old into new", but most of all, I liked the hellish idea of endless repetition; the protagonist constantly having to unwittingly overthrow his tyrannical, older self time and again. Well, at least that was my interpretation of it.

Probably the toughest choice so far to pick a favourite!

Thank you very much indeed. Your interpretation matches my goal, I was thinking of Kallor from the Malazan Book of the Fallen series (A king/emperor who claims his empires fell by his own hand) but I wasn't sure if that idea was getting through. It's hard to put that into words when you only have 75 words, especially if you only allow yourself to spend 15 minutes on the story.

I'm glad you've picked it up, after all it's a nameless piece in what I believe is a high-quality and diverse range of stories.

It surely is a motivation to enter the next couple of competitions. Thanks again.

 

[Perpetual Man]

For the challenge last month I did my best to give positive comments to every individual story - because they were all so good, and I really wanted to do the same this month, but a sudden increase in workload... sigh. Other than saying (again) that everything was superb, my first series of cuts left me with 37 entries which just underlines the quality of the tales, every cut has been a huge decision and so very hard.

I've cut the not so short list down to a medium list, but everyone else is on the honourable mention list - and I mean everyone!

My medium list is: Slow, Doz, Talysia, Greenkidx, Hoopy, Teresa, R M Tobias, Chel, JRiff, Chris, Allanon, Ursa, Sleepy Dormouse, fitzchivalry, Dubrech, Aphrodite MC and Cul. So that's down to 17, and a final shortlist to come and the clock is ticking.

(and thanks for the vote crys - that three more votes than I have managed since I started doing this - I'm humbled)

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Yes, my long list is practically everyone. By making some very hard decisions, I've narrowed it down to a short list:

SPendleton
Perpetual Man
The Judge
HareBrain
Moonbat
Gamblor
StormFeather
J-WO
cornelius
digs
Culhwch

and a shorter list

Perpetual Man
HareBrain
J-WO
Culhwch

 

[Moonbat]

I am really struggling to vote this month. Usually one story jumps out at me during the month and I find that it made such a strong impression that I can't help but vote for it. But this month there have been so many great stories that I can't narrow it down to one. So I've been going through them again and again and it's not getting any easier. I have taken a leaf out of Chris' book and told myself to be really harsh with grammar and spelling, so I have managed to whittle the list (only slightly) down.

But I must have read my favorite 6 stories about ten times each, and they stay just as strong on multiple readings. I'm finding it really hard to take the plunge.

My original list of 17 (which had already excluded some fantastic stories) has been whittled down to 6, they are (in no particular order)

Digs - such a great tale, with (as someone else pointed out) deep emotional impact
Ursa - Funny as always, strong punchline and a unique take on the theme.
Hoopy - Can't deny the appeal of this, love the thought of the mammals winning
Alchemist - Great idea of mage & machine, love the netmind's talk
Perpetual - A front runner and no surprise, brilliantly constructed and faultless
Chel - I love stories that include code as part of the tale, really well done.

So I will labour on and see what further harsh dismissals I can justify. The Chronicles 75 word comp has started strongly in 2011, can the quality stay as high throughout the year, or is this a sign that we (you lot) are getting better at this flash fiction malarky?

 

[cornelius]

Thank you for the mention, Teresa

 

[paranoid marvin]

Thanks for the vote of confidence TIEN!

Some great entries this month, and looking like its going to be a rewal special entry that wins

 

[Perpetual Man]

I've managed to narrow it down to the final 7.

And although I did not have the time to write comments on everyone's this month (and I really wanted to) I thought I'd try and do it for the final seven, in some ways it is a good policy as it helps me really think about the stories and suddenly what as I type about one it clarifies...


R M Tobias Something about this just appealed to me, the double meaning running through the tale an excellent bit of imagination, and some great wording.
I just loved the idea of some young hacker just turning the internet off.

Chel There are so many news stories of new viruses and new dangers posited by online communities, that the ultimate sanction just appealed to me - and there is a lot more to the story than that!

Allanon Although the hidden word at the end might have been a bit controversial, I think it really made the story, a look at something that really happened and is often forgotten - the cola wars. It's so easy to forget that there was a time when certain global concerns were not as big as they now are!

Sleepy Dormouse There was something about this I just liked, simple, well described and evoked the feeling of familiarity while being a step forwards as the human race moves up and on.

fitzchivalry I loved the underlying humour of the piece, and the sense of misdirection, the idea of the rats revolting - not the first time they've been called that... when you think about it there are so many rats out there, they're so ferocious, why would a single cat be safe?

Dubrech An alternative history of France, with magic! I just enjoyed the alternative take of the revolution, the reasons given for the uprising and the humour of the reasons behind the Eiffel Tower, all just gave me such fun.

Aphrodite MC Finally my last shortlister. This one caught me as being something totally unexpected, perhaps a little too real amid the fantasy and SF. It had a strong theme, catching two meanings of the word 'Revolution'; the ongoing cycle of someone caught in a violent relationship, and the sudden brutal revolt against the oppressor. Small scale but no less epic.

And that's it, the process worked and I've decided on my choice for the month. So my vote goes to AphroditeMC.

I'm chuffed to have made so many shortlists this month, that alone is enough to put a big smile on my face.

 

[Parson]

Wow! Voting was a task and a half. --- With this many entries, to say nothing about this many good entries, I may have spent more time contemplating my vote than contemplating my story. If we get many more entries I might start lobbying for a 25 word limit.

On to the short list: (Not so short)

Teresa Edgerton — REGI-CIDE
Chel — He who lols last lols best
Chrispenycate — Till a lot, guru raconteur
Hilarious Joke — The One that Got Away
Allanon — A New Dawn
Ursa major — Chaos Theory
mosaix — And So It Begins…
fitzchivalry — Food chain
AphroditeMSC — Until Death Do Us Part


Now on to the list that made me wish I had 2 votes. Both stories were almost perfect for me. I gave them each a 9 out of 10.

StormFeather — A Different Axis --- This was a gem of a story with a smug Gaia at the end. It is a memorable story for sure!
Mouse — The Girl at the Bus Stop --- This story almost made me cry. That Mouse could get such pathos out of a 75 word story speaks volumes for her abilities.


In the end I voted for StormFeather but I keep thinking that only 2 votes would be fair to these stories.

 

[StormFeather]

StormFeather - Fantastic one again. You have a true story teller’s gift.

During the hard times this week, your lovely words have kept me smiling! Thank you

StormFeather — A Different Axis --- This was a gem of a story with a smug Gaia at the end. It is a memorable story for sure!

. . . . .

In the end I voted for StormFeather but I keep thinking that only 2 votes would be fair to these stories.

Parson, you have cheered me up and given me a lovely warm glow - just the ticket on a day when it's been snowing, yet again.

Thank you to all who have mentioned me so far - I'm really, really chuffed to bits. And for those of you who have voted for me, Nixie & Parson and the others, a HUGE Thank You - this has become a great week!

I've taken a different tack this month, and have printed out all of the stories. I'm going to sit down with a lovely glass of red wine and contemplate the stories properly, now that pressure is off elsewhere. Looking forward to the 'me' time that this will be

 

[My Atomic Tales]

I did something similar to My Atomic Tales, but he did it better.

A compliment is always welcome, but there's no need to denigrate your own abilities. Whenever I see a topic on these boards I tend to just start typing, which is one reason why I didn't even include a title. Let's just pretend it was deliberate.

My Atomic Tales, Untitled: A lovely, poignant little short. And muskets and swords always make for a winner...

Poignant? I hope you're not accusing me of being anything other than a shallow hack with poor editing skills...

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Only a little more than a day to vote, everyone, and we've only 30 votes in. That's just a bit over half. Don't forget that the voting ends tomorrow at one minute to midnight GMT.

I know how hard it is to decide. I haven't cast my vote yet, either. But for the new participants especially, a reminder that the regular voting does not end on the last day of the month. We save 2 days in case we need to break a tie.

 

[My Atomic Tales]

Only a little more than a day to vote, everyone, and we've only 30 votes in. That's just a bit over half. Don't forget that the voting ends tomorrow at one minute to midnight GMT.

I know how hard it is to decide. I haven't cast my vote yet, either. But for the new participants especially, a reminder that the regular voting does not end on the last day of the month. We save 2 days in case we need to break a tie.

I voted. Like my life depended on it. This despite the fact that my literary masterpiece languishes like a dog with scabies. Oh, the horror...when I think of the many seconds I spent putting it together and then clicking the 'post' button.

I may just sulk in a corner until my genius is recognised.

Failing that, I'll take the opportunity to say 'congrats' to the winner. I tend to visit this forum at irregular intervals so I'm not always up to speed with what's going on, so well done mysterious (to me) winner and may your printer never run out of ink.

P.S. Vote for me, Teresa. You may just save a kitten.

 

[chrispenycate]

P.S. Vote for me, Teresa. You may just save a kitten.

Oh, no; Kitten votes are Mine! http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/1403996-post8.html

And I've already posted