Discussion -- June 2011 Challenge

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Re: DISCUSSION the 75 Word Challenge JUNE 2011

PM:
'm guessing most people here aren't experts on Kipling , so submitting an entry based on reading a few of his poems or short stories should suffice.

The last few Challenges have been exactly that, and pushing ourselves beyond our comfort zones has seen some exceptional entries ; I'm guessing this month will be no different.
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IF only.
 
Re: DISCUSSION the 75 Word Challenge JUNE 2011

Well, that was a first. A double first. Actually, a triple first.

Not only have I got an** entry ready before the official opening date of the Challenge, but after playing with it in my head at odd moments over the afternoon, I wrote it out just now without pausing once, which is unheard of for me, and it came to exactly 76 words. Since the *ahem* error has been corrected in the Challenge, I had to make one slight alteration to lose a word, which actually fits the scansion better anyway.

Mind you, thinking of a title will probably take me the next 3 weeks...


** not necessarily the entry I'm going to post, though, since although I'm happy at my Kipling, it's a bit short on the nourishment.
 
Re: DISCUSSION the 75 Word Challenge JUNE 2011

The Judge said:
** not necessarily the entry I'm going to post, though, since although I'm happy at my Kipling, it's a bit short on the nourishment.
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This was much the same for me. It was done and dusted and I was quite pleased with it and then.... uhhh where does the nourishment fit in to all this....

A few choice expletives and back to the drawing board
 
Re: DISCUSSION the 75 Word Challenge JUNE 2011

digs said:
Puck of Pook's Hill is Kipling, right?
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Yes. I read that in my youth. Not my extreme youth, but all eras of my youth are long ago now, and I have only the dimmest memories. I do vaguely remember some very good things and some things that were not so good. Anyway, because I've already read Puck I decided to read the sequel Rewards and Fairies now. I may browse through the first book online, though, for some of the parts that impressed me.

I also printed up a ton of his verses, Just So Stories and some ghost stories. (Over the years I've read his stories in various anthologies, but it would be too much trouble to hunt up those now for a refresher course.) I figure that out of all this I should pick up on a style I like.

I'm wondering, whether this month is going to a yield a large crop of parodies.
 
Re: DISCUSSION the 75 Word Challenge JUNE 2011

I don't think I've ever read any Kipling, at least not in English. I've heard the name, of course, but apart from the Jungle Book I didn't even know he had written anything else.

This may well be the first 75-word challenge I won't be able to take part of, since I haven't got the foggiest idea even of where to start.
 
Re: DISCUSSION the 75 Word Challenge JUNE 2011

Chel said:
This may well be the first 75-word challenge I won't be able to take part of, since I haven't got the foggiest idea even of where to start.
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You and me both Chel. :p





I just hope this doesn't raise ideas in any future winners to follow a particular author's style....*Fingers crossed*
 
Re: DISCUSSION the 75 Word Challenge JUNE 2011

Chel said:
This may well be the first 75-word challenge I won't be able to take part of, since I haven't got the foggiest idea even of where to start.
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Just wing it. Worst-case is no one votes for you.
 
Re: DISCUSSION the 75 Word Challenge JUNE 2011

Chel, have a look at some of the Just So stories, which will give you a flavour of his writing for children. They are all very short, easy to read and mostly fun. (The ones with the wretched Taffy drive me potty, though.)

His poems are very different -- the ones which I know most are written as if from a British soldier's POV, and because of the use of vernacular, cant words and dropped aitches and the like, they can be a bit difficult to follow at first (though I love them!). But he also did elegaic, and the poem from when he lost his only son in WWI is heartbreaking. He also wrote short epitaphs, including:

My son was killed while laughing at some jest. I would I knew
What it was, and it might serve me in a time when jests are few.

and

If any question why we died,
Tell them, because our fathers lied.
 
Re: DISCUSSION the 75 Word Challenge JUNE 2011

slack said:
Worst-case is no one votes for you.
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Welcome to my world. Can I offer you a cup of tea and a scone.

Joking apart guy, "A Challenge," is exactly what it says on the tin. I've never written a poem in my life. The nearest I came was when I bought the wife some floweres and wrote on the card.

Roses are red.
Violets are blue...

Blah de blah de blah.:)

So, I've written mine. Now it may be rubbish in your world, but with my talent. It's absolutely slendiferous in mine!!:)
 
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Re: DISCUSSION the 75 Word Challenge JUNE 2011

Poems aren't actually all that hard once you really get the hang of them, GC. That being said, getting the hang of poems IS hard, and I still need to get a little more polished.



I'll try to come up with something this month but I am definitely not promising anything....
 
Re: DISCUSSION the 75 Word Challenge JUNE 2011

All you need to do is get the word at the end to ryme with the next one. Stay within 75 words and mention some sort of grub.

Simples!:)

See extract of one of Kiplings exceedingly good poems below:

The Ballad of Boh Da Thone


oh Da Thone was a warrior bold:
His sword and his rifle were bossed with gold,

And the Peacock Banner his henchmen bore
Was stiff with bullion, but stiffer with gore.

He shot at the strong and he slashed at the weak
From the Salween scrub to the Chindwin teak:

He crucified noble, he sacrificed mean,
He filled old ladies with kerosene:

PS: This poem here is nearly as long as my WIP:eek:
 
Re: DISCUSSION the 75 Word Challenge JUNE 2011

Gary Compton said:
All you need to do is get the word at the end to ryme with the next one. Stay within 75 words and mention some sort of grub.
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Poems aren't quite that simple GC. Word choice plays a bigger role than you might think because if you want rhyming poetry-which can indeed be hard enough-you also have to choose words that contain just the right amount of syllables as to keep the rhythm nice and smooth. It's that last part that can get you hung up.
 
Re: DISCUSSION the 75 Word Challenge JUNE 2011

Huh. I just realized my word processor counts ". . ." as two words, and "..." as one.
 
Re: DISCUSSION the 75 Word Challenge JUNE 2011

Karn Maeshalanadae said:
Poems aren't quite that simple GC. Word choice plays a bigger role than you might think because if you want rhyming poetry-which can indeed be hard enough-you also have to choose words that contain just the right amount of syllables as to keep the rhythm nice and smooth. It's that last part that can get you hung up.
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Ssssh I know that.

But this is such a gargantuan task for me. I'm trying to be blasé about it, in a hope, that I can blag my way through it.

Please don't tell anyone:eek:

Onwards and upwards.
Backwards and downwards... see you've got me doing it in my posts now!!:)
 
Re: DISCUSSION the 75 Word Challenge JUNE 2011

slack said:
Huh. I just realized my word processor counts ". . ." as two words, and "..." as one.
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Normal punctuation isn't counted as a word within the Challenges, so ... to your heart's content.


And a reminder to everyone -- COUNT BY HAND! Do not rely on your computer to get it right.



EDIT: Gary -- you don't have to do a poem, y'know. In fact, on behalf of poetry lovers everywhere... :p :D
 
Re: DISCUSSION the 75 Word Challenge JUNE 2011

Blimey, you miss a couple of days and everything goes mental. Eight pages of June chat and t'ain't even June yet! :D

Congrats, Chrispy! I had a minor freak-out when I saw the theme... 'Nourishment' is food, right?!

I'm ok with the Kipling stylee. I've not read any of his work but I've just been perusing his poetry and I love the stuff written in an accent! I know nothing about Kipling other than he was from India, but whereabouts in the UK did he grow up? What accent did he have?! Some of his poems read very westcountry to me (yes, I know that's daft, any poem I read is going to sound westcountry, but still!) Happy!

I'm especially loving:
Now there ain't no chorus 'ere to give,
Nor there ain't no band to play;
An' I wish I was dead 'fore I done what I did,
Or seen what I seed that day!
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Seen what I seed?! Ok, I'd say 'seen what I sid' but still. Yayness! And it gets better:

I 'eard the knives be'ind me, but I dursn't face my man,
Nor I don't know where I went to, 'cause I didn't 'alt to see,
Till I 'eard a beggar squealin' out for quarter as 'e ran,
An' I thought I knew the voice an' -- it was me!
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Where I went to? You can't get much more Somerset than 'where's it to?' :D :D

Happy Mousey. (Someone'll come and tell me that he never stepped foot in the westcountry now, but hey ho!)

I was going to say something else but I forgot.

Oh yeah, I've got an extra story from last month, the 'sensible' one. I'll post it in a sec. Gonna go read the posts now...
 
Re: DISCUSSION the 75 Word Challenge JUNE 2011

The Judge said:
EDIT: Gary -- you don't have to do a poem, y'know. In fact, on behalf of poetry lovers everywhere... :p :D
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It's done and I love it, so it's probably rubbish:)

I'm going for 1st post so anyone else trying to take my prize be prepared for the consequences:eek:

I think it's a great theme - really testing and thought provoking.
 
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