Writing Challenge Discussion -- FEBRUARY 2011

[Brev]

Nice theme, digs. Not so dark as some of our past themes.

oops..
I missed that memo.

Brev has obviously been hanging out here too long.

Not long, but I learn quick.

 

[chrispenycate]

I thought it was when the chief warrior got the runs, and the tribal shaman told him to chew two inches off the end every day, and when, at the end of the strap it hadn't cleared up… then again, it might be Brazilian underwear, or Australian footwear…

Spider Robinson, wasn't it?

Look, I'm working on mine, ok? Getting the physics, the scansion and the rhymes lined up in so few words isn't easy (not that anyone here's going to contradict me about the physics); do you think I could persuade the attachments to accept a MIDI file of the melody?

Oh yes, congratulations, digs, and hard luck Perp; very close.

 

[Ursa major]

Well there goes any chance of a vote from TJ (even though Boneman made me do it).









(In case anyone's interested, there was a gunfighter called Frank Leslie, though his nickname was slightly different.)

 

[HoopyFrood]

Blimey, you guys have had your weetabix today....it's only the first day, people!

 

[nixie]

Blimey, you guys have had your weetabix today....it's only the first day, people!

And I'm getting nothing apart from Ulysses

 

[alchemist]

My head nearly exploded already. Ursa, good grief. Boneman, arrrggghhh! Brev, how long did that take? (familiar with F.E.A.R. by Ian Brown?) And that's just the last few. Mouse's is great too.

I've got two so far. They've been sent to my critics for choosing.

 

[HoopyFrood]

My brain's mush at the moment and definitely not getting some of these stories, it seems...All I've done is somehow managed to put Cartoon's Witch Doctor in my head after reading Boneman's...

Whoa, just caught onto Brev's. Wow.

 

[J Riff]

Goodness me... there are so many puns, we will need something to keep them all in ... how about this nice crock? Yes, the Pun Crock.

 

[Ursa major]

Blimey, you guys have had your Weetabix today....

Definitely, in my case.

 

[Boneman]

Well I've got the opposite problem to Nixie and No-One - I've got five (Yup five) with a sixth percolating in the back of my drug (legal) addled brain, and no idea which one to go with. Just read them to Mrs Perp. and she really liked 4 of the five and refused to choose between them, but I can't seem to stop the stories coming....

Any chance you could let us know what drugs you're on? Is creative writing listed as a side-effect?
I'm soo glad I've posted, the standard seems to have multiplied exponentially with just the ones that are in.

 

[Perpetual Man]

Any chance you could let us know what drugs you're on? Is creative writing listed as a side-effect?
I'm soo glad I've posted, the standard seems to have multiplied exponentially with just the ones that are in.

Hmmm, they put me to sleep quite easily, but I do seem to have some pretty spectacular dreams - technically I suppose they are mind altering - so there may be something to it. If you really need to know though...

 

[cornelius]

I got a mention last time, it's enough to get me worked up for this month's challenge. Unfortunately, I have a bit of an "overload" of ideas. But they're all part of of my book in a way. Need to think of something NEW.

 

[Moonbat]

I have written two so far, both have been edited to 75 (or less) words, but I am now in the tricky position of choosing which one to enter, hopefully before I have any more ideas.

On another note, I noticed that my entry last month caused a bit of discussion. I missed most of it. So I will now explain. The title was a reference to the Beatles songs, Blackbird, written by Paul. It has been said that the song was about the civil rights movement in America (specifically the black people's struggle in the southern states) and so my tale was similar but for the civil rights of machines. After a plane crashes, the intelligent Black box is taken in for questioning, blamed and then tortured, sparking a nationwide protest and march for the civil rights of Machines/A.I

I'm sure most of you got that, but I had to refrain from explaining it until the month had past. It got one vote, so one of my more succesful entries.

 

[Brev]

Brev, how long did that take? (familiar with F.E.A.R. by Ian Brown?).

Whoa, just caught onto Brev's. Wow.

Glad it caught your attention amongst the other excellent pieces.

 

[cornelius]

Don't take this bad, guys, but you're just too talented. Mouse did too well of a job in opening the thread. HB's story had me thinking to a similar experience I had (we even had coffee, no sex tho). I had a little trouble with Sloweye's pace (the punctuation had me a little puzzled) but I got the message. Gary's gives a new dimension to the subject. I had a similar idea but I'm working on a different one. I'll look up the song Wannabewriter refers to.It has a nice pace to it. In the piece bookstop wrote, I like how it seems that there's just some people talking about something random, but the heavier note at the end does make you think a little about how the media works nowadays. Boneman did a great job at capturing a scene in so few words. Oxeman makes me think about a book, but I can't quite put my finger on it. I like his choice of words (clawing at my ears) and the underlying thought. Brev's story is just excellent. The lay out makes it look longer, but it's not. Strong images in a just a couple of words. A whole battle. Great stuff. Ursa made me chuckle, but that stopped when I read Greenkidx's entry.


Hmmm... this won't be easy

 

[Perpetual Man]

Back in December I took the time to write a little something about each entry, much as Cornelius has done above, but last month time and the number of entries overwhelmed me and I never got around to it. This month I wanted to try and do the comments again - it helps make my mind up at the end of the month! So:


Mouse - An excellent entry to kick things off, thought it was fun and a nice alternative view of the popular Disney view of Snow White. It made me smile, had to go back and look at the older entry and that made my smile wider.

Hare Brain – Did not leave much of an impression after the first reading, but just re-read it and thought it was brilliant (perhaps I missed it first time around), fun, quietly humorous, and a lovely example of fate.

Sloweye – Another cracker, they certainly kicked off well this month (again). I love the idea of there being a power in song and music and Slow catches that well here.

Gary Compton – I felt this one on two levels, and enjoyed it all the more for it. Well written and constructed, it is a theme I’ve seen before, but really enjoyed the way it was presented here.

Wannabewriter – I thought that this one was something a little bit different, based on a song rather being a song, the writing style standing out as different from the normal fare here. Excellent. Will have to look the song up, and good lord isn’t it a long one!

Book Stop - Hmmm, first one I seem to be missing something on, well written though, and I like the ideas presented. I think it might be one of those that would reall start to sing with a few more words!

Boneman – Really liked the Shamanic imagery and the ending, stuck with me afterwards. Guest appearances aside another spellbinding entry.

Oxman – Another superb entry, and yet another original interpretation of the theme, the siren song is deeply rooted in mythology, and I loved the way that it is used here.

Brev – This one has me stumped, I really like it, I’m probably just missing the point – I do have a good excuse about not being able to think clearly at the moment However it is one that I just love the structure and wording of, reading it again and again. (Feel a bit on the outside of this as others seem to be catching it)

Ursa Major – Uh oh, here we go I bearly know where to begin with this one. The puns and wordplay start with the title and don’t let up, superbly synthesised, it’s bound to be popular, it leaves the mind singing. An excellent reminder that when it comes to pun, the Ursine Master rocks.

GreenKidx – ahh, a simply written but poignant piece that really hits the right notes (ahem). I can’t really say much else about it, other than it is excellent.

I'm not commenting on who may have made my shortlist as I'm sure there are plenty more stories to come - so far too early to start making harsh decisions, but at this stage the level of writing so good again they'd probably all be on my shortlist anyway.

Haven't got a clue when I'll be getting mine up this month...

 

[Wannabewriter]

The 'Friends of Mr. Cario' was a song by Jon Anderson and Vangelis in 1981. The lyrics, if you look them up, refer to to classic Hollywood films in the 40s and 30s like The Maltese Falcon, but also spin a tale of a detective investigating a murder. My piece is straight out of the beginning of the song with the sentences mixed. I love this song



-Ursa's piece is great, nuff said.

-Greenkidx's story makes me sad in a good way I can really tell whats happening.

-Oxman was cool the way madness in a song can stall a hero's quest, 'siren’s ballad' ect.

- Mouse thats about Snow White right? creepy....

-Harebrain that happend to me exaclty, including the break up lol, not her song

-Sloweye singing power on! ahhhh and the world is hopeful once more.

-Gary Compton 'death is a sad song with a happy ending,' heard that from someone...

-BookStop A radio station? and her lover calls every time this specific song is played, but it wount last forever?

-Boneman That story lingers on

-Brev 'the scream of a crowd must be appealing to all but the smallest ears,' heard that somewhere too.

-Precise Calibre did the universe end? I hope not. wounder what that would sound like.

 

[Precise Calibre]

If the first entires of this month are any indicator, I'm going to have a much harder time selecting my choice this time around - a quandry I did not arrive at last month.

 

[The Judge]

Good grief. That's all I'm saying. Good grief.


Actually, that's not all -- Ursa, you missed out the township's feral dogs, whose bach is worse than their bite...

 

[Boneman]

Good grief. That's all I'm saying. Good grief.


Actually, that's not all -- Ursa, you missed out the township's feral dogs, whose bach is worse than their bite...

And whur's the guy that shot my paw?