Discussion -- 300 Word Challenge #10

Fitzchiv said:
Apologies - moderaters feel free to delete my post.
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I'm not sure you're giving too much away when a reader has pointed out your story was about zombies, and you reply by saying that the theat isn't necessarily made up of zombies. It isn't as if the identity of the threat is key to the story (and the bird's presence suggested some other type of threat).

The problem comes when someone asks if a story is about, say, vampires and the author replies either, "Yes," or "No, they're werewolves," or something like that.


However, I would warn you against posting in the thread Springs mentioned (Improving our 300 Word Stories -- READ FIRST POST!) until after the voting (including a tie-break, if it proves necessary) is over.
 
Well imagine if McDonalds used only lab grown beef. They would have the support of Peta but not the church maybe. It is very interesting though.
 
Big "Thank You" to Glen and Starbeast for the 'listings! Glen, I genuinely appreciate your comments.

What a challenge this is. I'm blown away by the standards set here. Blown away.

Now, a shortlist was never going to be easy was it but I'd feel a fraud if I attempted to judge on technique, grammatical correctness, or similar criteria. As ever, I have to go with why twelve stories stand out for me.

Shortlist:

Victoria Silverwolf -There's a reserved quality about the telling of this tale that is entirely right for its subject; simple and beautiful.
Tywin - Neatly done! I love how this resolves back on the opening theme.
Bowler1 - A lovely inversion of a widely-held perception. Really effective use of so few words too; the description of the Carrion Post moving with the wind, for example.
Mr. Orange - Impressive! The story twice in 300 words. Both times rich with detail and with distinct voices. A good strong story too.
Perpetual Man - Lovely brooding piece, as befits the teller.
The Spurring Platty - Absolutely delightful! After reading through for the first time, I read it aloud to my youngest (10) who genuinely loved it; like all 10 year olds, he's not easily impressed!
mosaix - Really nice pace to this, with a wickedly dry endgame!

springs and Luiglin - special mention for the wonderful coincidence of these stories in sequence. Between you, you made me very misty-eyed! Both wonderfully evocative of that sense of wonder we have as children, and poignant reminders of the one great certainty.

My votes go to:
.
johnnyjet - Can I show preference? Hope so. If we'd only had yours vote this would taken it jj, I wish I'd written this.
Phyrebrat - I found myself lost in this tale - there's a liquidity in the use of language that I found entrancing.
The Judge - Right, that's the comments for my avatars this year sorted! Seriously though, I really enjoyed this. What with corvids featuring so heavily in heraldry in the middle ages, I couldn't help but see the banners, flags and standards arrayed against battlement, field and sky...!!
 
Thanks for the short(ish)list, Starbeast!

I've only got one vote sorted out so far. Excellent material all around. Voting is definitely proving to be more difficult than the writing was. I foolishly thought sleeping on it over the weekend would help.

Needless to say (but I'm going to say it anyway), it did not.
 
I would say that you do not know how hard it was for me to come up with my votes, but then everyone has been in the same boat, being smacked over the head with the shining quality of stories.

So my shortlist:

Tywin
Springs
Mouse
Hoops
JohnnyJet
BigJ
Phyrebrat
Boneman
Ursa
Alc.
TJ

With the votes going to:
Mouse
BigJ
and Phyrebrat

Quick thanks to JohnnyJet for the mentions, and I think that's it!

No it's not, a big thanks to DEO for the stealth vote!)
 
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Strewth! (nods to the thread that considered whether this was still used...) I go away this time for a boozy wedding weekend, and come back to find three more votes!!! Incredible, and than you so much Mouse, Mosaix and Johnnyjet all people of impeccable, if questionable, taste. I may just stay away until the last day ;):eek:

And many thanks to Alchemist, Starbeast and Perp for the shortlistings, and Tactical Loco for the very shortlisting.

Now to re-read and choose my own list.
 
Thanks for the vote, stormcrow, and the nice comments! I am humbled and honored.

And thanks to springs, Mr Orange, Mith, Starbeast, Glen, and Perpetual Man for the short listings. (I hope I didn't miss anybody.)
 
Thank you, Glen, and my favorite Galactic Benevolent Being for the shortlisting.
 
thanks to stormcrow and starbeast for the mentions, an danyone else who has mentioned me and i've missed it... which i may have done seeing as i've been up in the welsh mountains getting motorbikes out of holes for the last 5 days....
 
Mr Orange said:
thanks to stormcrow and starbeast for the mentions, an danyone else who has mentioned me and i've missed it... which i may have done seeing as i've been up in the welsh mountains getting motorbikes out of holes for the last 5 days....
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I think that's called "field research" if you're a creative writer. ;)
 
Hard choices this month:

Victoria for her interesting story of prison, chess, and freedom.
Tywin for focusing on the engineering and magico-technical possibilities of this month's image.
Boneman for a very good first-person account of a wizened raven.
 
What's not to love, Tywin? Nazi secret plans, yard decorations, and Norse gods! :)
 
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