DISCUSSION THREAD -- October 75 Word Challenge

[StilLearning]

Darn, I posted in a hurry and I've just re-read and seen that the software's eaten some of the spaces! Too late to change it now.

On an happier note, there're a lot of very well crafted, moving, stories so far!

 

[Juliana]

Thanks Scott!

 

[hopewrites]

has anyone else noticed in these challenges that those who get the most out of their 75 words are not trying to put too much in?

I ask because I recognize in the piece I wrote and probably wont post for this months challenge (i'm hoping to write a better one, or at lease fix this one) that it fell into the later category. I'm sitting here bawling my eyes out so I cant read straight over it, and when I had someone come read it over my shoulder they said "very nice." when I coaxed a more in depth answer she said "well its like walking in at the moving part of a movie isnt it, everyone who has watched the whole thing is crying like babies and you just walk past and go 'meh'" and as I sat here trying to figure out how to cram the rest of the story in under the word limit, it hit me.

I cant tell this story in 75 words or less, if i want to tell an impacting and complete story I'll have to tell one that takes less set up, less world building, less character exposition. because I just dont have the word count available to do those parts of this story justice.

 

[StilLearning]

Very much so.

 

[Grinnel]

I love these 75 word challenges.

I can't seem to write a note to my son to remember to make out the garbage unless it's at least 500 words long. I love hating to cut out the words until the end product makes some kind of sense (I hope).

Anyway, it's as good as I can make it with my current skill set.

 

[billhafan]

This was my first attempt at the 75 Word Challenge, and like others, I too often write a shopping list that's longer! I really enjoyed the challenge, and just hope it's enjoyed and that I managed to get across the feel I wanted in the piece.

 

[Kylara]

Some most excellent entries! I quite like being the first to post, it means I can read each one as they come up! Rather than posting on page 4 and then starting at the beginning until I want to take mine down! haha, can forget about mine and enjoy everyone elses...I forgot it was Halloween this month...ooops?

 

[David Evil Overlord]

...I forgot it was Halloween this month...ooops?

D'oh! The month with Halloween in it...writing about zombies would have been appropriate!

 

[FeedMeTV]

Come now! Writing about zombies is always appropriate

 

[Perpetual Man]

Aber – There is something perfectly normal in this one, rather than reaching for the stars man has already reached them, and communication has become the norm. The mundane nature of the letter just makes it all seem more real. Clever.

Luiglin – And suddenly I was back to my childhood watching the old Republic serials being played on summer holiday mornings. This was a different approach once again, but one that was good enough to make me smile. Perfect for stirring the coals of memory, and wonderful in its own right.

Al – I’m not sure whether I actually like this one, but it is a superb and different take on the theme, and a definitely alternate take on the Hollywood scene, probably quite truthful to in it’s own way. A message to the stars indeed. Just hope they are listening.

Clippedwolf – Good lord are these things determined to try and make us cry? Another one that pulls strongly on the heartstrings, painting a heart-rendering story with such depth in so few words. The loss of a parent is more than enough, but a dying child’s dream to rejoin with him in the star? Oh where did I put those tissues?

Scott – And next up a funeral for a little boy, his ashes transported into space. Just as well I had those tissues out, but there is a glimmer of hope here, that even though the death of a child is horrendous, the fact it united his possibly estranged parents gives it all an emotion that twists in different directions.

 

[Abernovo]

Thanks for the kind, and always welcome, review, Perp.

 

[BigJ]

For some reason knowing somebody is going to come along and write a brief review of every entry makes me that much more nervous about everything I'm going to enter going forward. Odd that knowing everyone will read it in deciding who to vote for didn't do it.

Aaaaaaaaaand I just noticed I somehow botched the formatting on my entry. Left two empty lines everywhere I meant to leave one. Frustrating.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Yes, it does that -- it's another IE9 thing, I believe. When I post from work, Safari on Mac, the formatting doesn't do those weird things.

The other one is the spacing, where it randomly removes spaces between words. At least that one didn't get you!

If it's any consolation, I didn't notice -- and I'm likely not the only one.

 

[Perpetual Man]

For some reason knowing somebody is going to come along and write a brief review of every entry makes me that much more nervous about everything I'm going to enter going forward.

Don't worry BigJ, the most important rule of my comments is that they are positive. (It's quite easy to do because of the quality you all turn in!)

 

[Kylara]

Formatting note: If you use Notebook (C&P into it) and then C&P into the reply box is should work. Notebook removes all formatting, so if you get it right in Notebook (spacing paragraphs etc) then you should be fine.

It is one of the easiest ways to move text around without it ruining the terrible format leaching software the company I was working with over the summer used...

Ah, reading the reviews...If I've missed something and Perp hasn't, I go back and re-read and then it ends up on my "short-list" *sigh* and here I was thinking this month would be easy to work on, being able to read as each is posted...hah yeah not going to happen!

 

[Luiglin]

And suddenly I was back to my childhood watching the old Republic serials being played on summer holiday mornings.

I love all the old Flash Gordon serials. It now seems amazing to me that they only ever did three of them as it felt like hundreds as a kid. I've got one on DVD and the only way to watch it is one episode per night.

Cheers again Perp for the review.

 

[Perpetual Man]

There were only the three but then there was Buck Rogers as well, and that was nearly interchangeable with the same actors, effects etc...

 

[Perpetual Man]

Oooh a double post!

Big J. – When I started reading this it felt like a song, a melody that danced through the head, aided and abetted by prose that called such delightful images to mind. The final line snatched all of that away, but not in a bad way, wonder replaced by laughter. Excellent.

SciFrac – What an excellent little entry this is. A marvellous piece of rhyme with a beautiful story as well. There is a sadness that weeps from it, so slight that it is hard to notice, but the fact that sometimes one man can forgive an argument, while another can never let go andall that comes with it, rings true.

Matle – Something almost philosophical here and another, different take on the theme. As in so many of these stories it is what is not said that gives the story resonance and depth. What are the two men doing? Your imagination fills in the gaps, giving an infinite amount of interpretations, a clever trick, but very effective writing.

billhafan - And yet another interpretation of the theme, one that takes us into the genesis, the heart of one of the most famous paintings of all. You can almost see the artists working, desperate to paint the image he sees before the memory is taken. Beautiful.

Chris – As always something that is though provoking and clever, normally I’d look things up to make sure my interpretation is right, but I’ve not got the time, so I’m going to say I think there are references to different myths and legends, those of the sky and stars all. Given the time I’d have a fine time delving into this one and seeing what I could find!


I just need to say that as I always do I'm marking off the stories that I really enjoy as I'm going through them, and after fifteen entries I realised I'd marked off an incredible percentage of them. It's going to be a really, really long short-list this month!

 

[billhafan]

Hi Perp, many thanks for your kind review, and especially for making the time ; really glad you enjoyed my take on the stars, and look forward to entering in the future, as this one (my first) has been a really enjoyable challenge. Now waiting to enter my 300 worder - and just hope that stands up okay ... seemed a lot of words, after this one

 

[Parson]

Well I've posted. It's quite a change from my usual fare, but it made me smile (frankly it made me chuckle) but my wife says I'm weird so don't go by me. Hope a few people smile as well.