Discussion -- August 2011 Challenge

[paranoid marvin]

Re: Discussion AUGUST 75 Word Writing Challenge

Re: LittleMissy. One of the great things about the challenge is stretching the old grey matter by manipulating your story into 75 words without losing the core message. I'm sure you'll get there. Also worth checking on this thread for acceptable hyphenations as one word instead of two.

Re: Perp. Thanks for the great summary. Having re-read my entry I was wondering if I had been a little too obscure, but thankfully not.

Re: Slack. I actually read it as a solar flare or similar natural disaster (mainly because of the title). Nuclear or not , it was a very emotive entry and proves that so much can be communicated in so few words. Very,very impressive.

 

[The Judge]

Re: Discussion AUGUST 75 Word Writing Challenge

I did a few drafts for last month's challenge, though, obviously, didn't enter. I just couldn't get anything within 75 words limit that was actually coherent as a story

Why don't you put one of last month's efforts up, then, and see if we can help? http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/529972-improving-our-challenge-stories-read-first-post-10.html

 

[Perpetual Man]

Re: Discussion AUGUST 75 Word Writing Challenge

Wow! Just wow. I am humbled. THANK YOU PERPETUAL.

My pleasure, I calls 'em as I see 'em.

I have to say that one of the things I find with doing these comments and trying to keep them all positive, is when (the very very odd) one turns up that I don't like (or more likely don't understand) it can be quite hard to find the positive things to say.

On the other hand when there is one or two that really jump out at me as I am going through them as being absolutely superb, it's hard not to say how great I think they are an unbalance the other comments.

The fact that everything is so good makes it so much easier.

This month has had a couple that I think have excelled already. That is frightening in the best possible way

 

[LittleMissy]

Re: Discussion AUGUST 75 Word Writing Challenge

Why don't you put one of last month's efforts up, then, and see if we can help? http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/529972-improving-our-challenge-stories-read-first-post-10.html

As much as this would help there is just one teeny-tiny snag...

Noting how my attempts fell flat and refused to be within the 75-word limit and, after staring at them for two days (I'm a terror for leaving my PC on overnight - usually due to downloads and/or game updates) without being able to manipulate them quite the way I wanted... *coughs*... ahem... I closed the Word document and might have neglected to save them

But, I'll try and remember the thread you've linked if I don't enter this month. Or, even for future months, if I have more than one story... or just want some quality criticism on what I posted

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Re: Discussion AUGUST 75 Word Writing Challenge

I find that thesaurus.com is a helpful entity in the pruning of stories. Sometimes the right big word can take the place of several smaller ones -- or even the right smaller word can do the same on occasion. This works particularly well if you happen to be working on a poetic entry.

Also, sometimes the story just has to be approached from a different angle, or a different point of view, before it falls into place. Some of my 75-word ones have been wrangled around through numerous angles before the right one comes along. The 300-word ones in particular do that to me -- I end up with a dozen totally different takes by the time it's all put together to my reasonable satisfaction.

 

[Parson]

Re: Discussion AUGUST 75 Word Writing Challenge

I'm probably weird, but I am usually able to reduce my word count by ruthlessly cutting out things that seem nice to me, but really don't move the story forward. I've sometimes found that active verbs often get more said in less words. Perhaps others of you don't have this problem but I use a lot of passive verb tenses.

 

[Oskari]

Re: Discussion AUGUST 75 Word Writing Challenge

Adjectives and adverbs are some of things that all writers (poems, short stories, novels) should question in their own work. I'm not suggesting they aren't useful, but their usefulness, especially in very short works, need to be questioned.

Having said that, the toughest writing is the short form. The only way to survive is to be brutal - nothing we write is too sacred for the editor's axe!

 

[LittleMissy]

Re: Discussion AUGUST 75 Word Writing Challenge

Thank you all for the advice

After much deliberating, re-editing and... ummm... re-editing I came up with something I think I'm happy with.

So, I did it! I posted up my Number two story and hope that it is okay and within the rules!? I count it at 71 words, but if I've mis-counted please let me know and feel free to pull the story.

 

[chrispenycate]

Re: Discussion AUGUST 75 Word Writing Challenge

There, you see. It's obviously impossible to write anything that short, but you've done so.

Doesn't it feel good?

 

[Ursa major]

Re: Discussion AUGUST 75 Word Writing Challenge

Looks to be under 75 words, LittleMissy, although I'm not a moderator (and they may use different, arcane, methods for counting).

The main problems generally involve hyphenation (when the poster thinks the combination is one word and the mods think it's two or more) and inadvertent concatenation, where the novel word is obviously to be counted as the two acceptable ones. I didn't see a case of either of those.

 

[LittleMissy]

Re: Discussion AUGUST 75 Word Writing Challenge

There, you see. It's obviously impossible to write anything that short, but you've done so.

Doesn't it feel good?

Strangely, yes it does feel good. Though I will admit to some slight terror *coughs* jitters as to any resultant critique ('though I will say, I welcome it all), this is a first for me! As I said in my intro apart from some very bad poetry in my early years I never really tried my hand at writing. As firsts go, I think this one is okay

Looks to be under 75 words, LittleMissy, although I'm not a moderator (and they may use different, arcane, methods for counting).

The main problems generally involve hyphenation (when the poster thinks the combination is one word and the mods think it's two or more) and inadvertent concatenation, where the novel word is obviously to be counted as the two acceptable ones. I didn't see a case of either of those.

Thank you for the agreement, and heads up on hyphenations! I had a few of those in my Number One story, so will keep an eye out for them if I enter again in the future!

 

[The Judge]

Re: Discussion AUGUST 75 Word Writing Challenge

Yep, with my arcane, esoteric and generally obscure counting methods I get it to 71 words as well, so all's fine. If you do ever get a hyphenated word you're not sure about, LittleMissy, first of all check in a good dictionary and, if you can't find it, contact one of the mods and we can have a pow-wow about it.

Anyway, well done! A grim little tale, that. (In a good way, that is!) Don't worry about critiques, though. We discourage critiques in this thread, since this is meant to be a fun Challenge and not taken too seriously -- though we encourage compliments! If, when voting is over, you are interested in feedback, then you can use the thread I pointed out before, but there's certainly no obligation to do so, and some months we don't have anyone at all put work there.


A lot of good entries as ever. I'm still battling with ideas this month. I have some thoughts, but nothing that is coming together as a story.

 

[MstrTal]

Re: Discussion AUGUST 75 Word Writing Challenge

I am having the same issue Judge.

I have two ideas so far and both of them are circling around in my brain like two hungry lions ready to pounce on a wounded gazelle!

 

[Ursa major]

Re: Discussion AUGUST 75 Word Writing Challenge

Almost as if they're playing with it? That sounds... er... horrible....

 

[paranoid marvin]

Re: Discussion AUGUST 75 Word Writing Challenge

But can they be pried out?

 

[Bob Senior]

Re: Discussion AUGUST 75 Word Writing Challenge

Howdy,
I have posted my entry, but it is not my story. My story continues to rattle around in my head and seems to get longer instead of shorter. The one that I posted popped into my head and was down on paper in 5 minutes and posted in 10 minutes. Now I can play (HMMM) around with my story as long as I like. As it takes shape it is more like a very long joke and at least makes me chuckle out loud.
Bob

 

[Perpetual Man]

Re: Discussion AUGUST 75 Word Writing Challenge

Telford – I’m not sure that I get it even though I know the song, but I felt there was a certain air of creepiness to it that recalled Fatal Attraction. It was unsettling, and the possible psychocic linked to a song really made the story.

Boneman – I don’t know whether this one was meant to scare me, but it certainly amused me. The images it called to mind of a team of people playing vampires at baseball, at night. I’ve been thinking about it every now and then and chuckling at the images it brings to mind. Loved it.

Bedlamite – This one felt to me lightweight, but it is a deceptive snare, for the more I thought about it the deeper and darker it became. There was just the hint of something sinister, but grew and grew with each reading, which I really appreciated.

Star Girl – There was the feel of an old classic to this one, a murder hidden within the confines of a play, where only one person is aware of what is going on (well two I suppose if you count the victim), it leaves questions which enrich what has been written. Loved it.

Chris – Nice to see Chris is up and running, and I really enjoyed the story as well. Some really good words to start with, enough to give even the hardiest of monsters something to chew over, and I liked the idea that a human could find it inconceivable that monsters might crave oblivion. Unfortunately the monsters did not feel the same.

LittleMissy – A first entry, and for someone who was concerned about taking part it’s a really strong one. There is a simplicity to the story that suits the subject tremendously, really adding to the impact of the last few lines. A great first entry.

Bob – Bobs entry this month wrong footed me a little bit. I thought it was a play on the old story of the oil companies closing in and closing down things that might challenge their dominance in the fuel market; how anything that might challenge that is closed, bought or otherwise removed. But the ending where it seems to be a play gives it another twist all together. Tying my brain in knots... (in a good way)

 

[Bob Senior]

Re: Discussion AUGUST 75 Word Writing Challenge

Howdy,
Thanks Perp Man (I think), not sure what wrong footed means? You are right, it tells what would happen if someone ever comes up with that 200mpg carb. Hope your brain gets un-knotted soon.

 

[Perpetual Man]

Re: Discussion AUGUST 75 Word Writing Challenge

Been a busy few days, so my brain is all over the place any way!

Wrong footed generally means to put someone off balance, to trick them into going in the wrong direction - basically in this instance I thought too much.

Great story though, Bob. I always like this kind of thing.

 

[Droflet]

Re: Discussion AUGUST 75 Word Writing Challenge

Thanks for you comments PM; generous as ever. Yeah, I guess the relationship to the movie Play Misty For Me was a little too vague. Oh well, back to the keyboard.