DISCUSSION THREAD -- September 75 Word Challenge

[EricWard]

Man. Why so few entries this month? Something against dinosaurs? Or something against science fiction?

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Ha! We used to sweat every month about whether we'd get to 42, and now 53 is "so few".

 

[chrispenycate]

Man. Why so few entries this month? Something against dinosaurs? Or something against science fiction?

Fifty three? That's nowhere near a record, but not so bad. And there are still (consults list) Boneman, High Eight and Moonbat, of the long term regulars, and Hopewrites, James Coote,Kiffinyjean, Phoenix the writer, and TacticalLoco who've got very good recent records and could always come up with a last-minute entry (and that's not always been a figure of speech, either; we've had 11.59 posts, although the worst perpetrators have already submitted this month). Plus any number of possibles who might be sitting on entries in case a new, genial idea surfaced.

Not a record breaking month perchance, but nothing to be sneezed at; Personally I'm happy with anything over 42, and here we're comfortably into the fifties. now when I set the theme, forty four!

 

[paranoid marvin]

Quality not quantity is what is most important. More than half a century of excellent entries is a goodly sum methinks.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

For those on chris's list ... there are less than two hours left.

 

[James Coote]

yay! Made it (just!) I wrote the story in my head whilst decorating earlier this week, but instead of just writing it down straight away and submitting, I left it.

Cue mad panic when I remember about 2 hours before the deadline

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Ahh, much better than the mad panic from remembering 2 hours AFTER the deadline, as someone (Moonbat, I think?) did once!

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

56 stories -- not bad! Congratulations, everyone, on a month of great stories.

 

[Ursa major]

Here's the link to the Poll:

http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/537848-poll-september-75-word-challenge.html
​

 

[kshRox]

I liked bonemans.
Was actually kinda touching as well as funny

 

[Culhwch]

Okay, I've evidentally missed something. What's with all the shopping trolleys?

 

[Perpetual Man]

Ahh, yes the shopping trolleys. Right back before the challenge was posted and I was ruminating on just which direction the challenge would go, the subject of said things was raised, and a couple of people took it to heart and ran with it.

When I posted the challenge it seemed only fair to include them somewhere... hence the shopping trolleys optional in the challenge!

 

[Jo Zebedee]

My shortlist:

Teresa raised asnigger
Abernovo and his polite faux pas
TEIN, i didn't quite get the joke but it seemed universally funny
Rj dando, another i sniggered at
James coote, for most subtle use of a shopping trolley

Shorter list

Starbeast, anyone who loves monty python has to smile, andthe tucked in tail... Well.
Dante, i know that professor, i do
Crystal haven, the school of childcare i recommend

And my vote went to the one that made me laugh out loud

Feed me tv and their sulky dinosaur

 

[Luiglin]

Ok ... top 3 for me,

Paranoid Marvin - read it while thinking as an American voice over man
Aun Doorback - in space no one can hear you scream 'fetch!'
Boneman - poor grandpa

But ny vote went to Hex - I can hear Vincent Price even now

 

[Boneman]

I liked bonemans.
Was actually kinda touching as well as funny

Thanks very much! I nearly didn't get it in, as I got stuck on the Motorway outside Oxford, but it gave me more time to think about it.

And Thanks Luiglin for a top three!! Great start to a cold, miserable, rain-swept day.

 

[Bowler1]

Mentions
Hex
Crystal haven
Parson – who used Poo just like me
Culhwch
Aun – again, no vote but nice
The cute Bear

Vote to Paranoid Marvin. I really liked this one, well done.

 

[Moonbat]

DOH!!!

Dagnammit, I missed it. I didn't have a very good story but I was going to enter.
Oh well.

 

[Perpetual Man]

Aun – When reading this for the first time it felt somewhat straightforward, but that is the wonder of the 75 worder, you sometimes have to wait for the every end for the payoff, and this was the case here. A snort of a nigger at the thought of that raptor playing fetch with the arm, but made all the lighter because of the fact there was no violence or bloodshed. There is something just right in a cyborg using his arm to play fetch. At least I hope it was his cybernetic one...

Rosethorn – Practical jokes are a staple of humour amongst the human race, and a simple prank can keep everyone amused (except the person it is played on). I aw this in two ways, either the prank was the tool placed close to the dinosaur completely flummoxing the professor, or the sudden noise was the prank, which means there was something discovered that might change everything we know about dinosaurs....

Highlander – One of the impressions I get from some of these stories is that the dinosaurs sure were stoopid. The number of times they have dismissed the comet in the sky, or underestimated we pesky mammals means it is only fitting that we replace them. Loved the story, the characters came across well, and a certainly smiled when reading it.

TDZ – Yay! Another shopping trolley, and it fits perfectly with a story that really mad me smirk. A shopping trip that sees everything destroyed – like going to a supermarket and finding the shelves bare was a great idea, but the line about the menu changing was brilliant. Well presented with a killer punchline.

Ursa – Oh the misunderstandings that can come from language eh? Have to admit I really did chuckle when I got to the end of this one, I can just imagine someone hearing shouts coming from behind a closed door and misunderstanding completely what the shouts are about! Great story, well executed and all the more funny in that it’s not a made up name!

 

[paranoid marvin]

Many thanks for the vote Bowler1 , and Luiglin for the short listing.

Moonbat, please post your entry anyway!

Starbeast, you didn't disappoint and I gladly give you my vote this month.

You're a funny guy!

(hopes Starbeast isn't really Joe Pesci)

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Moonbat, please post your entry anyway

After the voting, of course ....