Discussion thread - SEVENTY-FIVE WORD WRITING CHALLENGE July 2013

[The Judge]

There is a wide range of ideas, covering all sorts of topics, how do you compare?

Comparisons are odorous, neighbour Bowler.

I don't compare, but I "mark" each story, assessing it for adherence to theme and genre, technical competence, story, ending, use of language, originality, etc. That gives me my short list, and then I re-read and think and basically choose the one which resonates for me.


Anyhow, after spending all month unable to escape the John Donne quote which first came to me -- "O my America, my new found land" (and which involves discovery of a sort **) -- an afternoon gazing at my rosamundi finally gave me the seedling of another story, and I've posted with some hours to spare. I had fun seeding it with other stories, too, though word constraints meant I couldn't give Masen's full name as I wanted. (A prize for anyone who guesses her first name(s).)



** The poem's title is Elegy XIX: To His Mistress Going to Bed and includes "Licence my roving hands and let them go/Behind, before, above, between, below..."

 

[Boneman]

Boneman -- a philosophical prose poem

I hadn't considered that, thank you!!

 

[Jo Zebedee]

It's a lovely poem, your honour. Very sensual.

I normally go for the ones that made me stop and go ooooh I liked that, and then the one that stuck with me most at the end. I have now turned into one of those pedants who struggles to vote for something with poor punctuation. I sort of figure that, in a writing comp, you should be able to manage 75 words in a reasonable state. I feel bad about this cos all my early entries - and quite a few later ones - would have been disallowed on that basis.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

The Judge -- a horicultural encounter told with sardonic wit

________________________________________________________________

For whatever it might be worth, I tend to judge a 75 word entry on how well it tells a complete story, as well as its emotional impact, originality, and technical skill. I also have some prejudices. I am unlikely to give my vote to a poem or a humorous story unless it is extremely well-written.

 

[chrispenycate]

Wow. Got in after 'er 'onnor. And not because I was spending a lot of time trying to polish it, either, just desperation. This moving lark doesn't agree with me one little bit.

 

[stormcrow]

Reading through this month's entries, like so many other months, it's amazing to me how any of us can call it at all! Isn't the mind a clever thing!

 

[Luiglin]

Quite simply I vote for the story I like the most. It doesn't have to be original, tweak my sentiment, tickle my funny bone, scare the pants off me or expand my consciousness at the enormity of life, the universe and everything ... I'm a simple soul

 

[Ursa major]

Well, I'm currently the Lanterne rouge, but only (I hope) in terms of time of posting.

The muse (if you can call such a feeble creature that) was very late this month, and parsimonious in her offering, an idea for a title (involving an Austrian composer's biblically named descendant), but nothing else. This arrived about 7pm (BST), and it's more suitable version (now included in the entry, but not as the title) popped into my head as late as 20:21 (while I was watching the 'Mazarin Stone', a conflation of two Sherlock Holmes stories, on ITV3).

Oddly enough, the first draft - whose genesis had to wait until the season finale of CSI was over - came out as exactly 75 words (far fewer than normal for these "early" efforts), so there was room for some much-needed improvement in the time available; not that shuffling words around necessarily leads to any improvement....

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

chrispenycate -- a unique mix of crime fiction and fantasy

jastius -- a mysterious, evocative account of hope rising out of despair

Ursa major -- a clever variation on a literary classic

 

[Ursa major]

The Challenge thread is now closed to new entries.

And the poll is up here:

Poll - July 75-Word Challenge​

 

[Ursa major]

Thanks for the summary, Victoria.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

A very short short list this time.

"Learning Curve" by Dream Walker

"The King is Dead" by David Evil Overlord

And the vote goes to

"Bad Day at the Office" by alchemist.

 

[Starbeast]

Victoria Silverwolf, Perp and Starbeast, thank you for your kind reviews! pH

You're welcome Phyrebrat.

Discovery
(part eight)​

Boneman - Truely a fine portrait of man in love with a mystical being. With a fantastic fantasy tale written like a romantic poem, which took me completely by surprise. Illuminatingly beautiful. Well done sir.

The Judge - Science fiction is hybridized with dark leafy humor in this botanical offering. Spooky story of a homicidal plant creature, which would make a great tv episode for Tales From the Darkside.

Chrispenycate - The facts are sorted out by a shaman who helps in a crime investigation to discover, "Who Done it?" I was highly intrigued by this very cool detective story which delved in magic. Good surprise ending.

Jastius - This unique treat explodes with a surreal atmosphere of wire, circuit boards and memory chips crying out for help in a blackened day of change. But, return with full force to shock the world of humanity. Electrifingly delightful.

Ursa Major - Astoundingly awesome alternate ending to my favorite Robert Louis Stevenson story about Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde. You took that great classic tale, chopped off a limb, mixed in the right chemicals, and presto! I love it!

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Nearly bedtime, but I managed to get the lists put together!

Tywin -- Someplace "Private"
Hex -- (Self-)Discovery of the Ancients
Luiglin -- High on a Hill Stood a Lonely Goatherd...
*Mr Orange -- That Which You Seek*
ratsy -- Together Forever
Glen -- What A Find!
cab -- Boldly Going Where, Wait Hang On...
reiver33 -- One Step Ahead
Perp -- What's in the Box?
alchemist -- Bad Day at the Office
TJ -- T'riffic

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I was torn between BigJ, Johnnyjet and Glen, but in the end went for Glen because it pulled me in so quickly with its immediacy.

 

[Perpetual Man]

Thanks for the shortlisting TDZ.

Is it bad to say that I could not even remember what I had written this month, until I saw the title in your listing?

Mosaix – Sometimes it is the idea within a story that makes it so good, and how it can lead to other ideas. In this case a disease so terrible that it can only be dealt with by euthanasia, the twist here is that the son killing out of love needs to be killed himself. But... what if the disease is actually seeing the disease in others?

BM – A beautiful examination of life and the wonders it can bring. There is almost a peaceful feeling in reading this tale, a watercolour journey through one man's life and beyond. It could all be a momentary gift from the sprite, or could it be something more? Waking from life as though it is but a dream?

TJ – I'm not sure whether I was meant to but I could not help but snigger at the end of this story. The whole idea of seeking new things, making money off them is nothing new, but the callous nature of what it takes to capture them is something else again and it is what really makes the tale something special. When it comes to profit everyone is expendable. Great title too.

Chris – An alternative take on the popular type of television crime drama. It shows progression in a world where shamanism is an active working thing, and raises the question as to whether the mystics are there for their abilities or whether they are capable of manipulating others and situations for their own ends. The oblique nature of the end where it can be a number of things is superb.

Jastius – A song of the future, and one that captures the feeling of events becoming mythology. Like any legend things are changed by the telling and the passage of time so you have to strip down to the basics to ascertain the truths. In a world where technology has died, the only escape is the skies, and whether that is a metaphor or a shuttle called Discovery, the answer leads to hope.

Ursa – A nicely pointed out argument about the ridiculousness of physical transformations in fiction. Of course they are impossible, but there are those who are always going to believe and then prove everyone else wrong. Of course the reasons behind those transformations might have more to it, crossing realities, swapping people over. Of course it's all manoeuvring to get to the pun-chline, a groan-worthy great in this case!

 

[Bowler1]

Mentions.

Springs and AMB – A daunting start to the competition for me.
Dream Walker – Robots, cool.
Victoria Silverwolf – That was a bit chilling.
PM, Great title and vote, a nice feel to the writing, well done.
Sleepy – You’re a bit of a natural at this 75 words.
Phyrebat – A regular mention for me, worryingly!
Judge – You almost made it, no doubt confirming the weaknesses in my selection process!

I enjoyed this month, and my post was a surprise even to me and I wrote the thing! My idea has evolved into a story, so I’m happy already and ahead of the game in my books.

 

[mosaix]

Going to be very difficult to choose this month.

I tried to write an entry this month without using the letter 'e'. It is so difficult. Thought I'd done it a couple of times but going back over found at least four or five!. I gave up in the end. How that guy wrote a fifty thousand word novel without an 'e' is beyond me.

 

[Ursa major]

How that guy wrote a fifty thousand word novel without an 'e' is beyond me.

Some authors are solely dependant on alcohol...?

 

[Luiglin]

Top three for me ...

TacticalLoco - good subtle reworking of the vampire myth
BigJ - reads like a comic, I can see the artwork panels
The Judge - great tale, brilliant title

The vote goes to StarBeast for a fantastic conversation thread that left me grinning

Thanks for the shortlist DustyZ.