Discussion thread -- SEVENTY-FIVE WORD WRITING CHALLENGE November 2013

[Parson]

Congrats Cul!


And Harebrain, Sounds like a great deal for you.

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

Come on, Cul, let's get December out of the way here.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Yeah, nice try, but you don't get away with leaving out 1st that easily.

This is why I love you guys! That was my first thought, after weaving my way through that convoluted list.

My first thought, before I finished the weaving, was, of course:

** That was, incidentally, Cul's 4th win, and HB's 4th second place.

"Surely that means that HB is due for a taffeta fitting?"

 

[HareBrain]

"Surely that means that HB is due for a taffeta fitting?"

Fitting? They have my measurements on file. Actually, they have them memorised.

I, too, am keen to see what December will bring. And I'm sure Cul isn't one to buckle under the strain of choosing a top-notch, original-yet-not-offputting theme and genre for THE MOST IMPORTANT CHALLENGE OF THE YEAR!!!!!!!

 

[Perpetual Man]

Right my little monstrosity: The second I saw the style my first thought was Quantum Leap.

Yup, that's right the time travel television show. In the first season there was an episode called Play It Again Seymour. Sam leapt into a private detective, the news boy, Seymour lived and breathed the pulp detective novels and spoke in a lingo that was drawn from the books and was almost impossible to understand.

But it kind of stuck, and when the challenge came up I knew immediately I was going to try and right something using the language presented in these novels.

I probably came on a lot heavier than it would have been in the actual novels, but that was the nature of the 75 word challenges.

It does actually make sense...

honest.

 

[Brev]

Well done to Cul for a great story, and to HareBrain for running it close.

I don't think we need an explanation of mine...do we? Although it might have been better with Martin321's title...

 

[Starbeast]

Congratulations Culhwch​

Thabks SB, PM and springs for the shortlistings.

Starbeast,your entry is excellent as always. Do you realise how hard it is to make someone laugh with just 75 words? And you manage it every month; that truly is a gift.

Thank you for that awesome complement Paranoid Marvin. I always try to keep my sunny side up. And I like to have fun with whatever I do. But, I have written some very dark tales here too.

Keep those great poems flying Marvin.

Ratsy - Nixie - Victoria Silverwolf - Starbeast - The Dusty Zebra

And for no reason other than I enjoyed it a lot Nixie gets the vote.

Thanks for the listing AnyaKimlin. You're also in my listings too.

Huge thanks to everyone else who mentioned or shortlisted my bit of foolery. On the basis of this reception, I've successfully pitched the TV show, and you're all invited to the launch party. (Cash bar.)

You're welcome HareBrain, you've written an outstanding tale. Way to go on the tv show!

Congrats to you, Cul. Thanks to stormcrow for the vote and all the mentions, peeps.

You're very welcome Karn Maeshalanadae.

Congratulations Cul - I really like your story.

Big thank you to TDZ and TJ for your mentions, so pleased to have those

You're in my Short List too Remedy. Good stuff.

Thanks again to everyone who mentioned my story. After reading the quality of entries I was not expecting that at all.

Strange that there were so many humorous ones and I wrote 3 before deciding and they were all a little dark. My wife told me I had to post the one I did, even though I was leaning towards a different one.

Hope next month's is a fun one. I had a blast with last years December one...It Twas the Day Before Christmas and all through the crypt....

Firstly, you're welcome. Second, good choice for your entry. An lastly, speaking of creepy X-mas tales, I wrote a very dark one last year, while everyone else wrote pleasent stories. Bad move on my part, not word was said about my entry. No worries though, I was in a rotton mood at the time, and I took it out by writing an exceedingly violent tale. I really liked it, and I felt better getting the darkness out of my system.

 

[jastius]

Firstly, you're welcome. Second, good choice for your entry. An lastly, speaking of creepy X-mas tales, I wrote a very dark one last year, while everyone else wrote pleasent stories. Bad move on my part, not word was said about my entry. No worries though, I was in a rotton mood at the time, and I took it out by writing an exceedingly violent tale. I really liked it, and I felt better getting the darkness out of my system.

okay, starbeast...
Xmas Evil: The Return of Charles Croydon, by starbease
starbeast has done a complete one eighty in this torturous tale of a twisted fiend back from the grave and out for blood. the twists and turns in this tragi-comedy, show us that even horror can be hilarious...

 

[Culhwch]

Thanks, all. It's December in less than two hours here, but unfortunately I must report that I'm not yet close to choosing a theme and genre. Hopefully inspiration strikes by morning!

 

[Boneman]

Thanks, all. It's December in less than two hours here, but unfortunately I must report that I'm not yet close to choosing a theme and genre. Hopefully inspiration strikes by morning!

NO! NO! - just a title will do!!!

 

[Ursa major]

I'm not sure calling you Sir Boneman, or even Lord Boneman, is going to help.

​

 

[nixie]

Congratulations Cul

 

[alchemist]

Now, what you've all been waiting for, the monthly statistics...


A good month with 49 entries and 8 new entrants, no doubt due to the excellent theme and genre which someone had chosen, and also a good showing with the 48 votes -- in all three respects this makes November the second best month of the year so far, beaten only by the June figures. (Hmm. Thinking about it. Guess who helped choose June's theme and genre... I think I see a pattern here. )

For the year to date we have now had 380 stories from 106 entrants, including 40 members who have entered for the first time, and we've accumulated 328 votes. 19 of us have completed all 8 Challenges for the year, and 7 members have missed only one month, another 7 only 2 months. But we still have a long tail of 44 members who have entered only once this year -- a large number of those are newbies, but also some old-timers who are rationing their appearances. Stop slacking at the back!

The big change in the year's leader board is that thanks to his magnificent win Cul** has jumped straight into 4th place with 16 votes, just behind Victoria who is 3rd on 17 and alchemist who is 2nd with 23, and he's edged out DEO who is now 5th on 14 votes. HareBrain has also trampled over several people and he's hopped into joint 7th place with Hex on 11 votes, just behind paranoid marvin who is 6th with 13, and a hare's whisker ahead of Boneman and reiver who are joint 9th on 10 votes apiece.

So things are hotting up as we get to the last third of the year. Can Cul cull more votes? Will HB hop further? All this and more next month.


** That was, incidentally, Cul's 4th win, and HB's 4th second place.

*wakes up*

So I'm in second. That can mean only one thing -- a three-votes-each battle royale to end the year!


(surely)




(anyone?)

 

[Ursa major]

Well, if you lot only got three votes each month, that might provide an opportunity to win for the rest of us.

 

[Dream Walker]

Culhwch, congratulations on a well deserved win. Really nice little story.

 

[Starbeast]

okay, starbeast...
Xmas Evil: The Return of Charles Croydon, by starbease
starbeast has done a complete one eighty in this torturous tale of a twisted fiend back from the grave and out for blood. the twists and turns in this tragi-comedy, show us that even horror can be hilarious...

You see the good in me shine through. How sweet. Thanks for the review.

Maybe there wil be a sequel: Xmas Evil 2: Charles Croydon Rises Again

Shocking horror for the holidays? It would be fun. But I need to see what the subject for December will be first. If Horror, who knows? Maybe I'll write about Frankenstien's Monster, or, something. I'll reply in the December discussion thread.

*wakes up*

So I'm in second. That can mean only one thing -- a three-votes-each battle royale to end the year!

(surely)

(anyone?)

How about, if I get 50 votes in December, would that get me first place this year?

 

[Hex]

I just wanted to see (hideously late -- sorry): Thank you so much for the mentions, and DEO, thank you for the vote

Well done, Cul -- that was a very powerful story and another well-deserved win.

 

[Phyrebrat]

As promised, my proper shortlisting (now my hangover has lifted) in order of posting.

Perpetual Man – Dead Man’s Secret
There’s a lot to like in this, but mainly it grabbed me because of its snappiness and technical excellence. It reads like a shorthand; a noir patois, and for that it went into my shortlist and stuck in my mind (envious) the first time I read it. And I need to thank you for educating me. I learnt a new word for ‘stole’.

Martin321 – Deadly Whispers
The accomplishment here for me was that we have what we think is the main purpose of the story, but then it becomes far more deep with the two last lines. I really go for things like this – I hate to call them twists because that seems too superficial a term – and it makes the story so much bigger because it calls into question the simple characteristic of a psychic detective. What else has he heard, and how has he acted on information in the past?

Chrispenycate – Pink?
This had me tripping over in a similar way to Perp’s with its rapid machinegun narrative. I read it a number of times as I was not sure I was ‘getting’ it. I particularly liked the clever (or perhaps theme-sensitive) use of ‘agonised scream’ to refer to possibly the collapsing bed and/or a someone underneath, and using ‘blow’ regarding the shower curtain. And the oblique reference to a minimalist Danish furniture manufacturer made me smile.

Crow. – The Tenderloin
Reminded me of an old X-files episode for some reason. This was my other lead-runner for vote. It was a stand-off between Reiver33 and Crow. but Crow.’s I'm not sure I understood the story enough in The Tenderloin, and so I couldn’t identify if it really was detective fiction or not (I know, we all draw our lines in the sand; this was mine). Both had some lovely turns of phrase – I said earlier in the thread about Reiver33’s “Stab of a neon sign” line which I loved, and the thing that hooked me in Crow.’s was ‘The ribs crack open distantly, and bow, like a monkey grinder's tuxedo front.’ particularly the tuxedo comparison, which is genius.

Alchemist – Telling Tales
Another psi-gifted detective whose other gift is changing the subject when his knack for knowing is close to being questioned. It’s tidily written and the last line made me go ‘ahhh’ because it was just a lovely resolution.

Ursa Major – The Psimple Act of Murder
Crammed full of story and concept, and all in great voice, too. Don’t know what else I can say.

Jastius – Time of the Wolf
You chronners keep doing this to me: make me change my position on things I don’t like. I'm always whinging on here that I'm no fan of (epic) fantasy, werewolves, vamps but you keep exposing me to variants of these which I love. Like this one. Great idea.

Congratulations to Cul on a big victory and everyone who entered. I’ve not looked at the theme for December so I’ll hit reply now and see what this month’s winner’s legacy is

pH

 

[Ursa major]

Thanks for the mini-review, Phyrebrat.

 

[alchemist]

Thanks for the review and shortlisting, phyrebrat.