Discussion -- May 2011 Challenge

[Arkose]

Re: DISCUSSION -- The 75 Word Challenge May 2011

I really wasn't going to use this story, but my other stories running 300+ words and all this talk about mice and snow white I couldn't help myself.

Mouse: not sure if I voted for the story I am referring to but if I didn't, I really should had, since it literally was my first idea/thought.

Hopefully, I bring it some justice.

 

[Anne Martin]

Re: DISCUSSION -- The 75 Word Challenge May 2011

Geez, I should have read this thread before I posted. You can all ignore my entry. I was under the impression that urban fantasy WAS vampires etc, at least that was what it was on other forums I've been on. Ah well, an hour wasted.

I need a head-banging smilie.

*head, desk, head, desk ... hard*

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

Re: DISCUSSION -- The 75 Word Challenge May 2011

Well, vampires can fall under it, AM, but "urban fantasy" relates to stories of the fantasy genre but take place in the real world, be it future or present. I'm not sure about the past, I think that takes place as "medieval fantasy" but don't quote me on that.

 

[Ursa major]

Re: DISCUSSION -- The 75 Word Challenge May 2011

As long as your story has the necessary narrative bite, Anne, I'm sure it'll be okay.

 

[Perpetual Man]

Re: DISCUSSION -- The 75 Word Challenge May 2011

Gary Compton - Well I never saw that coming. I hardly know where to begin. Gary... I'm nearly speechless. Ursa a she? A prostitute? This was unexpected and good solid story as well, with plenty in there to entertain. Loved it.

Karn - This is a perfect (good) groan rendering ending. A simple piece of word play that is entertaining and clever. A lovely little tale, that looks at the aftermath of war, but all part of positioning to get to that final word!

Moonbat - This had all the hallmarks of something funny, but has an underlying message that is both serious and profound, told in a simple but near perfect way.

Mouse - Something completely different (well from the twisted fairytale of the last couple of months); although that being said there is still something magical about this. Rats called Paul and Philip planning the downfall of the storyteller, or is it all delusional paranoia. A great, and different little tale.

Arkose - What is it with the stories all of a sudden? Character assassinations right across the board. First Ursa and now Mouse? I'm glad it's all done with tongue in cheek or I'd be getting really worried. With the stories starting to overlap and interlink like this how far away are we from a massive 75 word challenge, which is one story in its own right! Good story Arkose, and certainly entertaining.

Anne Martin - I liked this one. There was a feeling of loss and loneliness, of time passing and things changing slowly. And there is an element of friendship between wolf and woman as they hunt together. An extra nod for the name I think... Another excellent story.

Had one of the busiest days in a long time today, and am a bit frazzled so apologies if these comments are a bit... weird.

I'm on holiday next week (and being experimented on, but that's another story all together) so not sure how much I'll be around to do these comments etc. I probably will be... but you never know.

Think I really should post my story before I forget...

 

[Arkose]

Re: DISCUSSION -- The 75 Word Challenge May 2011

Your assuming that Jasmine knew which way was front, and even how to load it. Wouldn't it be more Disney to have the RPG shoot the wrong way.

 

[Perpetual Man]

Re: DISCUSSION -- The 75 Word Challenge May 2011

Your assuming that Jasmine knew which way was front, and even how to load it. Wouldn't it be more Disney to have the RPG shoot the wrong way.

It depends who's standing behind...

 

[Gary Compton]

Re: DISCUSSION -- The 75 Word Challenge May 2011

It depends who's standing behind...

Please don't mention the behind word. See the 300 word discussion for details.

 

[Mouse]

Re: DISCUSSION -- The 75 Word Challenge May 2011

I really wasn't going to use this story, but my other stories running 300+ words and all this talk about mice and snow white I couldn't help myself.

Mouse: not sure if I voted for the story I am referring to but if I didn't, I really should had, since it literally was my first idea/thought.

Hopefully, I bring it some justice.

I don't know whether to be flattered or scared!

No, really, whenever anybody mentions me or when Parson actually dedicated a story to me a while back, I'm beyond flattered. It just makes me grin like a loon.

And is that Aladdin's Jasmine?! Knew she was evil.

Mouse - Something completely different (well from the twisted fairytale of the last couple of months); although that being said there is still something magical about this. Rats called Paul and Philip planning the downfall of the storyteller, or is it all delusional paranoia. A great, and different little tale.

Cheers, dude, for making me sound good again.

Chrispy, I forgot. No, I didn't get yours until I read Perp's comments! Now it all makes sense.

 

[Gary Compton]

Re: DISCUSSION -- The 75 Word Challenge May 2011

Gary Compton - Well I never saw that coming. I hardly know where to begin. Gary... I'm nearly speechless. Ursa a she? A prostitute? This was unexpected and good solid story as well, with plenty in there to entertain. Loved it.

A prostitute...

No! A businesswoman with a very good product, and an affordable price.

 

[Anne Martin]

Re: DISCUSSION -- The 75 Word Challenge May 2011

Thanks for the kind words Ursa and PM. I wrote 165 words and cutting to 75 was tough, especially the last 8.

 

[Gary Compton]

Re: DISCUSSION -- The 75 Word Challenge May 2011

Thanks for the kind words Ursa and PM. I wrote 165 words and cutting to 75 was tough, especially the last 8.

You never PM me any more Ursa, not since I wrote a story about you and got your sex wrong

I still think your'e wonderful though.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Re: DISCUSSION -- The 75 Word Challenge May 2011

A prostitute...

No! A businesswoman with a very good product, and an affordable price.

"She's in sales." (a la Pretty Woman)

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Re: DISCUSSION -- The 75 Word Challenge May 2011

Geez, I should have read this thread before I posted. You can all ignore my entry. I was under the impression that urban fantasy WAS vampires etc, at least that was what it was on other forums I've been on.

As has been explained before in this thread, it doesn't have to be vampires, werewolves, paranormal romance, contemporary, etc. It certainly can include those elements, but the genre is much broader than that. I haven't read you story yet, but I'm guessing it fits. (And it doesn't have to take place in our world, Karn, or any given time period.)

See the Wikipedia article. I'm sorry I don't have time at the moment* to dig up the link and post it, but you can Google it.


*Borrowed time on someone else's computer to make a very quick visit here.

 

[Anne Martin]

Re: DISCUSSION -- The 75 Word Challenge May 2011

Thanks Teresa. I've read the article now. It seems to be a very loose definition, actually. Almost everything I've written would fit into it - city setting, prevalent 1st person POV, insecure protagonist - but this 75-word ditty is my first vampire story. After reading all the stories posted before mine, I was wondering where all the vamps were. Then I read the first couple of pages of this thread, with several posts discussing witches and Frankenstein, and became nervous. At least the article mentioned LK Hamilton, so I guess I'm in the ballpark at least.

 

[Ursa major]

Re: DISCUSSION -- The 75 Word Challenge May 2011

It is up to those who vote to decide whether a story fits the rules (other than the one about word length). Of course, one increases one's chances of getting votes by not giving voters an extra reason to discard one's entry.

(The process is a bit like submitting to agents and publishers: it's best not to give one's readers any excuses** to move onto someone else's work.)





** - Unless there's an opportunity to slip in another pun or two....

 

[Anne Martin]

Re: DISCUSSION -- The 75 Word Challenge May 2011

Of course it is, but it's the challenge of following the rules within the given parameters that is important to me. If I win, that's a bonus, but I'm not holding my breath. I just want to feel that I've given it my best effort.

 

[Ursa major]

Re: DISCUSSION -- The 75 Word Challenge May 2011

...it's the challenge of following the rules within the given parameters that is important to me.

I agree. I'm a great believer in rules being important in driving creativity, either in finding how to make an idea fit within the rules or in encouraging artists to bend them (because how can one rebel when there's nothing against which to rebel?).



(I'm thinking mainly of the way the composers of "classical" music reacted to the strictures of various forms/harmonic schemes/etc., but the same dynamics must apply to all the arts.)

 

[Lucky_Lola]

Re: DISCUSSION -- The 75 Word Challenge May 2011

I bit the bullet and finally decided to post... I think if I'd waited any longer I would have torn my entry apart and put it together again another dozen times without changing a single word!

This month's challenge has been a tough lesson for me in the art of word selection, chiefly that I should stop treating individual words as minutiae in my greater work and instead be more... deliberate. I'm not sure I managed to convey enough of the story to make it 'whole', but we shall see.

Great genre/theme, Ursa, I enjoyed having the chance to get a little autobiographical (although I could have done without the week-long headache )

 

[Brev]

Re: DISCUSSION -- The 75 Word Challenge May 2011

Thanks Teresa. I've read the article now. It seems to be a very loose definition, actually. Almost everything I've written would fit into it - city setting, prevalent 1st person POV, insecure protagonist - but this 75-word ditty is my first vampire story. After reading all the stories posted before mine, I was wondering where all the vamps were.

ahem, cough, ahem....