Re: DISCUSSION, 300 Word Challenge, April
Well here it comes....
Karn - The first story ever in the 300 word challenge, and an excellent start. In some ways the opening is similar to mine, but soon wanders off in a different direction. I love the idea of magic fading and the bitterness it ensues. The clock becoming a tower too, grim and foreboding a reminder of the past. Good start!
Gary Compton - I laughed, and laughed at this one. Most of the 75 do not have the room to be this funny, simply because of the lack of space, they raise a smirk or a chuckle, this made me grin from the start. A great interpretation of the picture
Alchemist - This was an epic in its own right managing to squeeze character, plot and a grim twist right at the end. Not only did it work well, it could work as something longer too!
SJAB - First time around I did not take all this in, but the second time around there is an inspired beauty to the story, it works effectively with the speech alone, the different ages of man talking to Death or time, and how perceptions change with age.
Brev - Not sure what to think of this one. It is the first that does not have a direct reference to the clock and yet time plays a very strong part in this story. It has some superb qualities. The idea of something lying to escape through millennia is good enough, but the last line is a real cracker. Might be slightly controversial but wow!
Talysia - Almost a complete mythology built up here, with some great names to boot. I loved the idea of a god staying behind , and like the ticking of a clock reaching that distant point when a decision has to be made. Well written and a good little story, the only problem - what did she decide? What did she decide!!!
Templar - This one made an impression simply because it was different, almost grounded in the real world, but with that single unreal and perhaps humorous moment. It has a sense of being recollection rather than imaginative creation, which really adds to the story. As with all of them so far I enjoyed it immensely.
Mosaix - This is a story that follows a familiar theme, a time traveller going back to comfort his own loved one in the minute of death. It reminded me a bit of the Doctor Who episode Father's Day, but different at the same time. The writing is superb, well presented and gives the whole story an emotive feel I especially liked some of the earlier bits with the Timeline Studies Group - stringent rules but a little heart.
TE - A very different one, at least I thought so, a moving romace story that beautifully envelopes the theme of both this and the 75 word challenge too. I really enjoyed the way it was written, the way time seems to slow down for the reader as the clock sounds out its chimes, A modern fairy tale indeed.
Perp - As always won't comment to much on my own, only to say that I'm not 100% happy with it, and should have spent a little more time tightening it up. But then I had other things to do. Honest.
MstrTal - Yet another cracking story and a grim and dark one it is too, some nice twists and turns as you read it. The lone figure looking over the dead, the dead killing, the dead soon to rise, the watcher a vampire. All really good, but I really liked the mention that the skeleton o the clock was in fact its builder.
Chris - Oh dear, give a man a great and powerful device and he won't be able to resist playing around with it until he mucks something up. Or perhaps improves it. It's nice to see Chris' work in this extended form, he always comes up with some clever stuff and this was certainly no exception. I love the idea of man thinking he knows what god wants.
Sapheron - A unique and different interpretation, one that looks at time rather than a specific clock. A great progression of understanding, almost an old story in presentation, trying to teach a lesson about wasting time, that something deemed important actually contradicts they are trying to teach. Great entry.
Golden Apples - Ah, Golden Apples, Golden Apples, Golden Apples. What can I say about this one. Either inspired or an act of desperation, but either way clever. There's not much more that I can say about it other than it keeps perfect time.
Spurring Platty - In its own way this was a remarkable piece. It has very little to do with the clock, but the presence of time is underlying throughout, and the last few lines tie in very nicely. A good example of what this challenge could well become using pictures as the reference, such abstract and yet relevant work could become truly special.
Mouse - A superb little story that has little to do with Snow White... the first thing that struck me is the power of some of the lines here, that fit nicely and serve to make the tale even stronger. It's all tied up nicely with a great turn of phrase at the end, rife with double meaning - what another great story.
Aun Doorback - A tragic little ditty this one. I loved the story itself and the name of Horus as a main character. I really like the idea of a time keeper keeps the time based on the clock rather than keeping the clock on time. A nice little twist that he saved so many except himself and his family. Probably one of those that would work excellently in a longer form too.
Anne Martin - Another story that could quite easily be expanded into something longer. I saw it as something of a snapshot of life super-imposed by this Project Dark Star and what it had come to mean to Eamon. I liked the feeling that anyone there could be working against him.
Exploder666 - A first time poster on the first 300 word challenge and what a story it is too. In some ways it reminded of the fate of humanity in Babylon 5 (without the Earth being destroyed), but delivered with such a wonderful flavour, the last 'man' waiting to tell the tale of his world and in so doing is drawn back into a physical aspect. A cracking first post.
Parson - And there was I thinking the 300 worder would escape a Snow White mention> But it's okay because Parson has come up with a brilliant story, with a nod of a head to a certain regular contributor, and is superb in its own right. It is certain to make us regulars chuckle. Also some good double-edged sword philosophy not to forget some thought provoking ideas, Hickory Dickory Dock.
Slack - I enjoyed this one, thought it was well written and a great idea. I'm not sure that I fully appreciate the ending, but it leaves it rather open for me which is sometimes the best way to go. Was it his blood or hers? Is in giving her new life at the expense of his own just part of it or something more sinister? Whatever the answer it's another cracking tale. It seems that in this 300 word challenge , the vote is going to be just as hard to choose as in the 75.
As always - no offence intended, and I try and say something nice about everything, if I missed anyone or misinterpreted apologies
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