Discussion thread - SEVENTY-FIVE WORD WRITING CHALLENGE July 2013

[Starbeast]

Hi folks - sorry I've been missing a while - computer went belly-up. I really must make an effort to write something for this challenge. Maybe next month.

Nice to see you again. Sorry to hear about your computer, but things do happen to PCs.

My little computer was savagely attacked by a multitude of viruses, including that fake FBI virus that shuts down your computer. I was searching for wallpaper one day and Wham-mo! Fortunately I have excellent protection now and the bugs are gone.

Hope to see you in the challenges next month.

Wow. Thanks to TacticalLoco and mosaix for the short-listings, and thanks to BigJ, JordanSC5, NovaZero, springs and Starbeast for the votes!

You're very welcomed Glen. I liked the mystery and creepiness in your story.

Last day of voting and only 25 votes cast as we go to press...

It's like a ghost town around here. I guess the good weather is getting people to go out and about, nothing wrong with that. Perhaps we'll get a flood of votes today and tonight.

Thanks for the shortlisting, mosaix.

Meanwhile, there are many photos of the colour orange to be enjoyed and voted upon here if you have five minutes.

Thanks for the reminder Alchemist, I forget about the photo challenge now-and-then. I'll head over there now.

 

[Abernovo]

Thanks for the listing, stormcrow.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Thanks for the shortlistings, Tactical, Starbeast and Perp.

One story stood out for me this month - Culhwch you got it.



Sorry to hear about your sad news Perp, hope things turn out ok for you and your family.

 

[The Judge]

Hmm. We're a bit adrift on votes at the moment, aren't we?

Anyway, my shortlist:

alchemist - Bad Day At The Office -- a brilliant use of a single voice
Boneman -- Blank Canvas -- poetic and moving
chrispenycate -- Crime investigation sorcery -- CSI, eat your heart out...
Culhwch -- The Discovery of a Lifetime -- poignant and a clever title
NovaZero -- Into the Fire -- a neat story of man's eternal quest for knowledge
reiver33 -- One Step Ahead -- suspenseful and ominous

This was one month when, despite the shortlist, I didn't have a big struggle -- alchemist's tale of surprise, lies and revenge had me from the start and he gets my vote. A special mention, too, to Lenny for a very fishy story which made me smile, and to Ursa for a perfectly groan-worthy last line.


Thanks for the mentions/shortlistings TDZ, Bowler, Luiglin, alchemist, Lenny , Venusian, Boneman, Moonbat and TacticalLoco -- you each get a specially inscribed leaf. And t'riffic thanks to Abernovo, Chris and stormcrow for the votes -- a small seeding is on its way...

Sorry to hear the bad news, Perp.

 

[Abernovo]

And t'riffic thanks to Abernovo, Chris and stormcrow for the votes -- a small seeding is on its way...

No problem, Your Honour.
Hold on, what's that rattling outside, like stalks on the ground? If I'm not back in a minute...

 

[chrispenycate]

Got there!

I'm running late on everything this month (well, considering the state of my right foot, walking late, when I'm not crawling late).

Still, my brutally reduced "short" list has a strange alphabetical distribution:-

Abernovo's triple wight cross
alchemist's bewitching possibility
Lenny's hook in cheek tale
Luiglin's lactic libation
SleepyDormouse's scary fairy
stormcrow's subterranean timeslip blues
TheDustyZebra's explanation of stupidity's persistence (despite it being a negative survival factor), and

The Judge's trififying botanicals.

If my chart is correct, those who submitted this month but had not yet voted when I came to preparing this are:- AJB, AMB, BetaWolf, Grinnel, Hex, johnnyjet, Mporter, PhillipAEllis, Redman02, reiver33, RoninJedi84, SleepyDormouse and Ursa Major.

And it didn't look as if anyone who didn't submit voted.

Thank you Victoria, Starbeast and especially Perp (for having pointed out the lack of final verdict; television drama, certainly, but which?) for your commentaries; thank you Glen, Venusian Broon, mosaix and Starbeastfor mentioning the story.

Now, am I going to get anything together for the 300 worder? So far, my muse has not been crowoperative.

People scared of harmless little me? Now, the Judge, she's scary (I've actually met her, and intend to repeat the experience now I'm installed in the UK). I'm a pussy cat.

What have you done to your foot?

@Aber – I don't know. My gear arrived and I started classifying books into shelves (only a small mallet required) socks into pairs, sweaters into the top of the wardrobe with backup duvet… all those little details.

Then suddenly, one of my feet wouldn't take my weight, let alone boost me up a ladder. I hadn't twisted it, or done any outrageous efforts. That was over a week ago, and it's not back to normal yet, and I'm still doing the formalities to get myself signed in to a medical practice (tomorrow, blood tests).

Right now, it's got most of the strength back, just hurts (a major improvement).

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Thanks, Stormcrow for the mention!

 

[Abernovo]

Thanks for the listing, chrispy.
What have you done to your foot?

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Thanks for the mentions, Tactical Loco, stormcrow and chrispy!

Darn it, forgot yet again to do the photo challenge -- off to vote, anyway!

 

[Dream Walker]

Just in from work and just voted, Crispenycate.
You can take me off the naughty list now, .
As for my vote, my top three aside from Tywin for whom I did vote because of the traces of Mickey Spillane that had me grinning, were;
Albernovo, Redman and Tactical Loco.
And much appreciate the listing, Victoria Silverwolf, Lenny, Bowler1 and Moonbat

 

[jastius]

voting time.. you guys make it so difficult.. [ puts ice bag on head and sets to..]

CHILDHOOD RECLAIMED -- springs///
Someplace “Private” -- Tywin/////
Of a Miner and a Minor -- stormcrow///
Un-Discovered Secrets -- Bowler1/
High on a hill stood a lonely goatherd ... -- Luiglin///
That Which You Seek -- Mr Orange//
A Sober Discovery -- PhillipAEllis/
Even The Fallen Angels Can Love -- Karn Maeshalanadae//////
Test Time -- Redman02////
Together Forever -- ratsy/
Black Box -- Venusian Broon////
What a find! -- Glen/
Boldly going where, wait hang on... -- cab///
Contamination -- Victoria Silverwolf//
Dr Trillium's Discovery of the Herb from the Burb -- Starbeast///
Five Times Must Mean Something -- BetaWolf/
Finding out the hard way -- Abernovo////
Enlightenment -- AJB
Discovery -- MPorter/
Over the Edge -- BigJ/
A second introduction -- Moonbat///
The King Is Dead... -- David Evil Overlord////
What's In the Box? -- Perpetual Man//
Sweet Stolen Waters -- johnnyjet/
Dark Discovery -- TacticalLoco/
Bad Day At The Office -- alchemist/////
The Collector -- Grinnel/
The Shed -- Sleepy Dormouse///
A Finger-Lickin Discovery -- Phyrebrat//
Into the Fire -- NovaZero/
Uncomplicated -- RoninJedi84/
Genius Denied -- TheDustyZebra////
Survival Of The Fittest -- mosaix/
Blank Canvas -- Boneman/////
T’riffic -- The Judge//
Crime investigation sorcery -- chrispenycate///
Edward's Story -- Ursa major/

short list / ---shorter list // ----- even shorter/// -----
really short //// ------ hobbit-sized ///// ------ winner//////

next time can i just, like, have to do brain surgery instead..? i am sure it would be easier...

i've voted chrispy, honest i have..
and as for 300 ideas are there not crows or ravens or something on that tower that the guys in the fluffy hats have to take care of.. ? that is an english thing right? .. but isn't it a castle or a proson or a zoo thing.. i am not sure..

am going to find aspirin..

 

[Ursa major]

Another varied bunch, making it difficult to comapre them. But compare them I did.

My list (in which each category is ordered by time of posting):



Honourable Mentions:

• Discovery by MPorter
• The Discovery of a Lifetime by Culhwch
• Fishing For Ideas by Lenny
• Genius Denied by TheDustyZebra

Runners Up:

• Love On The Rocks by paranoid marvin
• Bad Day At The Office by alchemist
• Survival Of The Fittest by mosaix

Winner:

• T'riffic by The Judge

 

[stormcrow]

Thanks for the shortlistings Chrispenycate and jastius!

 

[David Evil Overlord]

Thanks for the shortlisting, Stormcrow

And thanks for the really shortlisting, Jastius

Special thanks to Starbeast for thinking I would be a good reviewer...ah, if only I had the time...

 

[Ursa major]

Thanks for the shortlisting, Jastius.

 

[Ursa major]

And we have a Winner:

Congratulations, Glen!
​

 

[mosaix]

Congratulations, Glen!

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Thanks for the really shortlisting, jastius, and the honorable mention, Ursa!

And congratulations to Glen, well done!

*trying to remember whether Glen is one of the people we aren't supposed to vote for, due to dastardly choices of theme and genre*

 

[Starbeast]

Thanks for the shortlistings, Tactical, Starbeast and Perp.

You're welcome Paranoid Marvin. Ever thought of creating a book of poetry?

Thank you Victoria, Starbeast and especially Perp (for having pointed out the lack of final verdict; television drama, certainly, but which?) for your commentaries; thank you Glen, Venusian Broon, mosaix and Starbeast for mentioning the story.

Now, am I going to get anything together for the 300 worder? So far, my muse has not been crowoperative.

Then suddenly, one of my feet wouldn't take my weight, let alone boost me up a ladder. I hadn't twisted it, or done any outrageous efforts. That was over a week ago, and it's not back to normal yet, and I'm still doing the formalities to get myself signed in to a medical practice (tomorrow, blood tests).

Right now, it's got most of the strength back, just hurts (a major improvement).

First off, I'm glad to hear your foot is recovering. Thank God for that.

Second, You're welcome Chrispenycate. I really liked your most unusual (but cool) detective tale, reminds me of those fantastic old pulp comics of yesteryear.

And finally, I hope you're able to crow-u-late a 300 word tale. I'd love to see your take on the photo.

voting time.. you guys make it so difficult.. [ puts ice bag on head and sets to..]

Dr Trillium's Discovery of the Herb from the Burb -- Starbeast///

next time can i just, like, have to do brain surgery instead..? i am sure it would be easier...

as for 300 ideas are there not crows or ravens or something on that tower that the guys in the fluffy hats have to take care of.. ? that is an english thing right? .. but isn't it a castle or a proson or a zoo thing.. i am not sure.. am going to find aspirin..

First off, Just relax, I'm sure you'll come up with a 300 word idea. You've got time.

Second, I agree about the tonage off great stories this month. My short listings included about thirty stories. I racked my brains trying to chop it down. Then it was rough to choose one, but it surfaced after a day or so.

And finally, just call me pinky. Thanks for the short listing. You made my afternooon.

Special thanks to Starbeast for thinking I would be a good reviewer...ah, if only I had the time...

A big welcome, back at you Overlord. Hey pal, your few humorous words said a lot.

Congratulations Glen!​

 

[David Evil Overlord]

Congratulations, Glen!