Discussion -- 300 Word Challenge #10

[Glen]

Maybe we should have thread for all the 300 wd stories that looked like they were going to make it but flatlined. "300wd Graveyard"? or "300wd Morgue"

 

[stormcrow]

Tough break DEO.

(I was a little worried about my own and will have to be more diligent in future)

 

[TacticalLoco]

Seeing as I just posted yesterday, the judges message made me start.
Now with mixed feelings I say very sorry DEO. You story was a good one.

 

[Bowler1]

Bummer DOE. Next time eh!

 

[David Evil Overlord]

Thanks, guys. I assume there's somewhere for me to post it after the voting and such?

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Yes, you can post it in this thread as soon as the voting is over. I am sure that those of us who haven't had the opportunity to read it will welcome the opportunity!

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Hoopy Frood -- Makes use of the rythyms of a folk rhyme to tell a complete dark fantasy, made more complicated by the varying versions of the rhyme.

stormcrow -- Presents two intertwined points of view to create a remarkably complex tale.

TacticalLoco -- An unusual and daring mix of science fiction and fantasy themes to present an open-ended story with mucb left to the reader;s imagination.

Mr Orange -- Offers us glimpses of two times in the protagonist's life, allowing us to see the illusions of childhood destroyed by the reality of adulthood.

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

You all are doing a good job with the reviews, they're much appreciated.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Starbeast -- a lightning-paced, surreal farce that could make an animated cartoon

 

[Tywin]

TacticalLoco: Really love the way that it seems like the day is saved, but there’s this ominous uneasiness hanging over everything. Kind of like they will pay the price for not questioning what they found.


Mr. Orange: Very thought provoking use of 300 words here. So the man in the trees is a guardian tasked with rounding up free folk. He doesn’t sound happy about it, but his tone also leaves me thinking that he believes that it’s the only way to save humanity.


Starbeast: Crazy. A lot of fun to read, and would be even more fun after a bottle of Klingon Moonshine.



BetaWolf: A future path of facebook. I’ll need to push a like button (or maybe use a rubber stamp) for your story.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

BetaWolf -- a highly original vision of a future that reflects the past

 

[Perpetual Man]

Ratsy – I am sure there is an argument that could be made for people learning by their mistakes, and in the same way there are those that would say the guilty party has a duty to try and put right what they made wrong. That being said the first thing that stood out for me was the beautifully constructed alternate take on zombie mythology. I just loved the way the disease that was slowly revealed, the pacing was absolutely spot on which is no mean feat. Drawing on themes and ideas that are slowly becoming more real in our world, it makes you wonder how far things could go, a suitable allegorical warning. And of course there is the nagging feeling that in creating a superior form of humanity, is our professor creating something worse?

Hoops – Taking an old rhyme and rebuilding it into a story that is beautifully constructed and well told and just to underline things it has that slow burn to a chilling final line. In fact the one major regret I have with this is I happened, by accident to see the last line before I read the bulk of the tale so it lessened the impact somewhat. I particularly liked the construction of the lines, with the alternate takes on the counting, each sentence giving over the idea of popular perception, while the second gave the more subtle account that was nearer the darker truth. Another superb entry.

Stormcrow – One of the great things about these challenges is the wide ranging stories that can appear, and with it comes the dumbfounding creativity that permeates the stories. This is certainly an example of imagination at work, taking an idea that could have been presented in a manner that was laughable and turning into a story that not only works, but works extremely well, and is somewhat chilling. Who will be able to look at the crows in the same way again? It captures the feeling of the bird too, allowing you to realise there is so much more in the knowing crook of the head they do.

TL – The description of the vast junkyard in space was the first thing that really took my attention in the story. The basic description was just about perfect in telling us what had been found and how it looked. This coupled with the described journey really gave the story a solid opening structure that served it well for the end. It is strange how people could find so much usable debris and not ask how it got there or why. The answer of course is it was either someone else trying to escape/destroy something or a trap. Or both. The rough description of the creature is again spot on, giving you just enough to picture the bird entity in your head, and the chill of what they are carrying home. It makes you glad to know we don't find out what happens next.

Mr Orange – A superb story of a future that while being different may well be plausible, if not in the actual story, then in the warning it carries. That mankind could be seen as a threat is almost understandable, and in the context of this story it is carried through. The society is a punishment from something the species HAS done not what they might do. But there the line is blurred. Is the punishment to cruel? Is the deception behind the incarceration needed? How will mankind learn if they do not know what it is they are being punished for. This could well be the basis for a longer work, intriguing and rich with potential as it is.

 

[ratsy]

Thank you for the review Perp, much appreciated


And on a side note....this is post 1000! Drop the streamers and pour the champagne!

 

[Perpetual Man]

A pleasure as always Ratsy....

And you didn't put up a piece for crit as your thousandth post? Uhoh...

 

[HoopyFrood]

Hoopy – Very disturbing.

I think this has been the reaction to pretty much everything I've written

Thanks for the reviews and nice comments, reviewer people!

 

[Perpetual Man]

No problems, Hoops. One of the best things about these challenges is that everyone is so good it makes writing the reviews so much easier.

It just becomes harder deciding on where the votes are going to go....

 

[BetaWolf]

Thank you, Victoria and Tywin.

 

[Mr Orange]

Victoria, tywin and perpetual man, thank you very much for your reviews. Each of you has picked up on one of the things i was trying to get across so really glad they all came through.

Again, thanks a lot for taking the time to review mine and everyone else's stories.

 

[Perpetual Man]

SB – Some frenetic and fun madness with the master of fast paced mayhem. How it is possible to sit here and try and do this story justice is beyond me. It is just so insane. And that is in the best possible way. On first reading I finished this with a stupid grin on my face, and that sums it up better than any analysis ever could. Who cares about unstoppable alien invaders and apparently helpless rednecks? It's the sheer joy that has obviously gone into the tale and the way it bleeds into delivery, from the use of different coloured fonts, to the ka-boom, to the totally left field last line. Brilliant. And it makes sense too!

BetaWolf – What an incredibly inventive idea! Face Book reinvented as a none digital physical entity, a thing of real books, letters and post. People doing their best to keep in touch off the grid, without becoming part of what could conceivably be a greater whole. Could this be an attempt to opt out of the digital age, and in doing so creating a non-digital version of that which they are trying to get away from? Beautifully told, and as stated a great idea.

 

[TacticalLoco]

Starbeast, Victoria, tywin and Perpetual Man, thank you all for your kind words and reviews. Much appreciated.