Discussion Thread -- SEVENTY-FIVE WORD WRITING CHALLENGE -- January 2014

[Parson]

Parson, you need to read up on your folklore, Hex's entry was stuff you need to know for the spiritual health of your flock.

This and bunch of other stuff I know nothing about.

Or at least in case there are any baby-snatching fairies in his area. You never know what they'll be up to. (Although I hear church bells are effective against them, and Parson should have access to those.)

Huh? I do have access to church bells, both the big "Come to Meeting" bell and little colored ones our Sunday School Kids play to the delight of the congregation.

Thank you

(and: eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! bounce bounce bounce! THANK YOU!!!)

The demon virus seems to be over, so everything is good this morning. What's a gridiron?

I should mention The Replacement by Brenna Yvanoff, which was the book I'd just read when I wrote my 75 worder. Parson, all the answers you seek (or not) lie within...

I do not seek answers to those kinds of questions. ---- Unless they come up in this place, which they often do.

A changeling is (mostly) from the Irish mythology I think - the fairies take a healthy baby and leave a sickly one in its place. Usually the human mother is aware of the switch, either on a conscious or subconscious level. Lots of various reasons why the fairies do it and lots of local traditions around it. ( Not sure if you knew all that. Sorry if so. )

Ok, now I begin to understand (see previous huh?). I read changeling and being from the S.F. side of this forum, I thought "Shape Shifter." Sounds pretty grim.

Actually, the belief was more wide-spread than that, and -- as with most folklore -- there were countless variations. The parents usually caught on to the truth because their good-natured infant started having screaming tantrums. (Think of all the mothers of colicky infants terrified that their real babies had been switched for goblin children. Real goblins -- need I say? -- would never have any part of anything like that!) Or the baby rapidly grew sick. Or started to look like a withered old person. (This kind usually was old, perhaps even centuries old, being a fairy) Also, it might give itself away by acting too precocious ... like talking when it was only a few weeks old.

In some stories, though, the fairies didn't leave a baby fairy or even an old one. They enchanted a piece of wood and left that in the baby's place. Which is where, Parson, I imagine Hex's story comes from, one way or the other. Although hers is spookier (and more poignant) than any I've read.

This changeling business gets more and more grim.

There seem to be lots of changeling stories all over northern Europe and Scandinavia -- also Egypt, apparently. There's a not-very-nice essay about where the stories may have come from and the things they were supposed to justify (cruelty and infanticide). All pretty grim.

Parson shivers! This is grim stuff indeed. The Christian church has always been strongly opposed to infanticide in all of its forms.

Fairly offensive, yeah.

But rather too red; obviously not properly cooked yet,

Ah! Comic relief!

It is now easy to see why Hex's story did not connect with me. I knew absolutely nothing about what the myth of "changelings" and it is easy to see now why her story won so handily. I will repeat with much more conviction:

Great job Hex!!

 

[johnnyjet]

Congratulations, Hex!

And a special thanks to AMB for the surprise vote!

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Belated thanks to johnnyjet, Brev and Boneman for the mentions.

I hadn't the slightest idea whether I even hit the right end of the field, much less the edge of the target, as far as genre. I should have been able to come up with a dark fairytale, as I do collect them, but none of that sort came to mind and I had to go with what did. From the general lack of mentions, I'll have to assume I missed, which is not surprising.

 

[Bob Senior]

Congrats, Hex, great job.

Way off topic---watching the news, I see gridlock in the sunny south with 2.6 inches of snow, thousands stranded for more than 24 hours. I feel for them but up here we won't even bother getting out the broom for less than 4 inches.

 

[Erin99]

Well done, Hex! A deserving winner brilliantly, chillingly told. I love the imagery. Unfortunately, I haven't read most of the stories, cos I've been making websites for a friend of the family, so all my spare time has gone to that. Which is why, consequently, I didn't vote (as well as I forgot, with everything). I wouldn't vote if I couldn't sit down and properly digest every entry...

Also, in case any read that I'd written a story this month but then noticed I didn't enter: yes, this month I made the mistake of reading the challenge theme**, which spurred my mind when I really couldn't afford to be writing - especially stirred after reading Teresa mentioned HP Lovecraft is considered a dark-fantasy author (what an amazing author... though I thought he was "weird" or "horror"). I didn't want to post my story in the thread, since I wouldn't be reading everyone's stories and it wouldn't be fair. I thought about posting it here, after the challenge was over, but there's little point to that, now, so I'll just put it on my site instead so it gets a home, and one day I may polish it. It always feels wrong when a story gets abandoned in the cold (no pun intended).

Again, well done, Hex! By the sounds of it, a VERY deserving winner - I know I loved it!

And it's nice to see this challenge is still going. I remember its infancy! There seems to be waaaaay more entrants these days.


**I try not to, because I'm struggling with writing as it is, and I shouldn't add more to my list. And if I get inspired, there's no hope...

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Huh? I do have access to church bells

That is what I said, isn't it? If you have an outbreak of the more evil sorts of fairies in your area, be sure to ring them.

These stories are grim, but like all folklore they give insight into the hopes and fears that exist deep in the human mind, through all ages and all cultures, which is why they are so widespread. Life was hard in the days when people believed in these things, and they were surrounded by so much that they couldn't understand or control, much more than we are. Mind you, for every woman who thought her child might have been switched for a changeling there were probably half a dozen women in her small community reassuring her it was only colic.

Want to know, or not, I've greated this highly scientific diagram to show the similarity between American (or Canadian) football fields and gridirons:

Thanks for the pictures, Tywin. Although the grill looks just like the racks my daughter uses to cool her cakes!

Teresa mentioned HP Lovecraft is considered a dark-fantasy author (what an amazing author... though I thought he was "weird" or "horror"

Well, you know how sub-genres tend to overlap.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

An interesting thing in my part of the world, Parson, is that the Priests and Ministers would be expected to be au fait with such mythology, as they would be central to the parishes they support (especially the rural parishes.) Without an understanding of - and a healthy respect for - such beliefs, they would be unable to support their flock.

Here, farmers won't cut certain trees down in their fields for fear of the wee folk - still, not historically, we have loads of blackthorn trees in awkward places - and the mythic world, whilst not real (? As someone close to the Glens-land I would never say for sure), is very close to us, and those who safeguard us.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

I had to be away from the computer for a week, so I didn't even get to review all the entries, let alone vote. For the sake of completeness:

Culhwch -- Through the use of heroic fantasy, the author points out how limited we are against the forces of nature.

HareBrain -- Within the setting of a grim near future, this vivid tale reminds us of the importance of connecting with other people.

Ursa major -- This sly and subtle comedy provides a lesson that it is best not to meddle with things that are better left alone.

The Judge -- By taking us inside the mind of a wicked narrator, the author shows us the darkness that dwells inside out own hearts.

Brev -- The epic scale of a story combining ancient myth with futuristic apocalyptic dangers fills the reader with a sense of awe.

Mith -- Within this tale of revenge lies the deeper message that even our awareness of our own misdeeds may not be enough to prevent them.

Phyrebrat -- With a sharp sense of irony, the author shows us that the race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong.


My very short list would be Hex, Parson, and HareBrain. I'm not sure who would get the final vote of these three. Thanks to all the kind folks who offered me a mention or a vote.

 

[Ursa major]

Thanks for the mini-review, Victoria.

 

[chrispenycate]

Well done, Hex! A deserving winner brilliantly, chillingly told. I love the imagery. Unfortunately, I haven't read most of the stories, cos I've been making websites for a friend of the family, so all my spare time has gone to that. Which is why, consequently, I didn't vote (as well as I forgot, with everything). I wouldn't vote if I couldn't sit down and properly digest every entry...

Also, in case any read that I'd written a story this month but then noticed I didn't enter: yes, this month I made the mistake of reading the challenge theme**, which spurred my mind when I really couldn't afford to be writing - especially stirred after reading Teresa mentioned HP Lovecraft is considered a dark-fantasy author (what an amazing author... though I thought he was "weird" or "horror"). I didn't want to post my story in the thread, since I wouldn't be reading everyone's stories and it wouldn't be fair. I thought about posting it here, after the challenge was over, but there's little point to that, now, so I'll just put it on my site instead so it gets a home, and one day I may polish it. It always feels wrong when a story gets abandoned in the cold (no pun intended).

You could put it on here you know little robin; It's been done before (by me, among others) and it means everybody gets to look at it.

Again, well done, Hex! By the sounds of it, a VERY deserving winner - I know I loved it!

And it's nice to see this challenge is still going. I remember its infancy! There seems to be waaaaay more entrants these days.

Actually, there were 46 entries, against 43 for the very first. We have never fallen below the answer to life, the universe and everything (42) and almost all fell between this and fifty (record 75, but that was in early 2012 – lots of sixties and near around then.

**I try not to, because I'm struggling with writing as it is, and I shouldn't add more to my list. And if I get inspired, there's no hope...

Way off topic---watching the news, I see gridlock in the sunny south with 2.6 inches of snow, thousands stranded for more than 24 hours. I feel for them but up here we won't even bother getting out the broom for less than 4 inches.

Yes, back in the UK after 40 years in Switzerland I'm hearing complaints about it being cold – it's January, and it's raining, not even trying for snow. It's just about managing to go below zero (that's 32° for you) on non-rainy nights. That's not classifiable as cold – barely winter, more cool autumn (fall).

Not that I'm that enthusiastic about going back to a continental climate.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

It's just about managing to go below zero (that's 32° for you) on non-rainy nights. That's not classifiable as cold

Where I live -- and we don't have a great range of temperatures compared to other places, even in California -- that's about as cold as it ever gets. We're not acclimatized and we don't have the equipment to warm our homes -- too expensive when you're only going to use it a few days out of the year -- so we're not happy on those days.

 

[Glen]

As someone close to the Glens-land...

Austraya?

 

[Ursa major]

For those unaware of a certain 1930s novel.... My story is based on a well-known quote from Cold Comfort Farm, "something nasty in the woodshed" (almost certainly involving mollocking). Allusions to the novel in my story (and its title) include:

• 'Stark' (the family owning the farm are called the Starkadders)
• 'Howling' (the name of the village closest to Cold Comfort Farm)
• 'Ada' and 'doomed' (Ada Doom owns the farm and is the character who saw "something nasty in the woodshed")
• Amos (Ada Doom's son-in-law)
• Flora** (the novel's heroine)

** - Flora - also known as Becel, Fruit d'Or and Promise - is a margarine.

 

[Erin99]

You could put it on here you know, little robin

Little robin!!! Heh. You know, I put that avatar back for you, Chrispy.

And blimey! Okay, so there were way more entries at the start than I remember. One thing I do remember is that I took about an hour to properly go through each entrant to get a shortlist, let alone a final winner. If the challenge was only, say, ten entrants, I'd probably manage it much better!

Gah! I'm trying to rush this post so I can get on with a website today, but my brain is taking aaaages to decide what to say. Urgh. Maybe I need another rest day. I haven't been myself lately, not helped by the fact that I'm not doing well on my antibiotics (and yesterday I got another three months' worth!!!) and I'm really not looking forward to getting tested for Huges Syndrome when I stop putting off making a docs appointment and if I can even get tested while being on antibiotics.

Anyway, I didn't realise people posted entries after the challenge. I thought no one would care, cos the fun of the month is over and it's time to think about next month's. TBH, it's not half as beautiful as Hex's, cos it's dry and formal - Hex's really packs a punch emotionally, and the writing is wonderful (and the second... oh, my brain's forgotten the right word, the one that means it's told from the "you" POV... Well, it works, anyway) - not that that would have stopped me posting it. As some may see, it's huuugely inspired by Lovecraft (he can really be classed as dark fantasy?! MAD!), like a lot of my short stories are. I also would have looked for a synonym for one of the "ice"s if I'd been entering, but this is still a rough version cos I just had to get the words down. Anywho, I'm not after comments on it. I just like to know he's out there instead of sitting in a dusty PC folder.

Beyond the Wall of Humanity


Tendrils of ink sinuously reaching. Rippleless fluid, slithering in a hell of eternal ice. No man should look upon such and live, for it is a thing beyond age.

It draws me. I am ice groaning step by step. What have I done? It is too late to undo my foolish ambition, my pride.

I cannot cease walking. I am scared. May the world escape my fate, for it is I who sinned.​

Oops. Sorry for popping in just after you, Ursa! I'm glad you made that clear, anyway, cos I've never heard of Cold Comfort Farm. Very clever!

 

[TheDustyZebra]

(and the second... oh, my brain's forgotten the right word, the one that means it's told from the "you" POV...

Err...that would be "second" person. Clearly the word has slipped your mind.

And your story is beautiful! I can't say I understand it, but I'm not awake yet, so the fault may be mine.

 

[Erin99]

Heh, no! Then it's a bad story, cos stories should be understandable on some level. I didn't want to give too much away - I thought being vague and leaving it up to reader interpretation would work best here - but I should have dropped more hints, even something. I'd wondered if I should add stuff about him being a scientist and his experiments and such, but I thought it might change the tone and direction and be too clichéd. But now I see it needed it. Ah well! I'm still glad I posted it, even if it falls flat on its face.

 

[Parson]

An interesting thing in my part of the world, Parson, is that the Priests and Ministers would be expected to be au fait with such mythology, as they would be central to the parishes they support (especially the rural parishes.) Without an understanding of - and a healthy respect for - such beliefs, they would be unable to support their flock.

Here, farmers won't cut certain trees down in their fields for fear of the wee folk - still, not historically, we have loads of blackthorn trees in awkward places - and the mythic world, whilst not real (? As someone close to the Glens-land I would never say for sure), is very close to us, and those who safeguard us.

Hm, quite the opposite here. Of course in the plains of Iowa farmers are a lot closer to a scientist farmer, rather than the subsistence farmer of bygone days. I hear things about plant population, herd management, herbicide carryover, GPS location for area specific fertilization, prophylactic antibiotics, etc. etc. Of course even a small farmer in my part of Iowa runs a business whose value would be several million dollars, with a gross income usually in the 7 figure bracket. There's not too much truck with "wee folk" etc.

Now the local town gardener might plant potatoes on the dark of the moon or Good Friday, or some such mucky muck, but I would never be the go-to person for mythology. (Although I have been known to mock astrology from the pulpit.)

My very short list would be Hex, Parson, and HareBrain. I'm not sure who would get the final vote of these three. Thanks to all the kind folks who offered me a mention or a vote.

Wow, Thanks, Victoria. It's much appreciated.

Beyond the Wall of Humanity


Tendrils of ink sinuously reaching. Rippleless fluid, slithering in a hell of eternal ice. No man should look upon such and live, for it is a thing beyond age.

It draws me. I am ice groaning step by step. What have I done? It is too late to undo my foolish ambition, my pride.

I cannot cease walking. I am scared. May the world escape my fate, for it is I who sinned.​

​

This is a real scary setting!

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Leisha -- A vivid and chilling piece of Lovecraftian horror.

 

[Abernovo]

Congrats, Hex!

 

[Phyrebrat]

Hex, what can I say that hasn't already been said? You walked it! Or - as my delightful charges would say - 'You totally merc'd it, man!' *

It may have been a bit premature of me, but when I read your entry I pretty much knew you were my winner. It (not the story, but the skill) made me think of those times when you (one) seem to hit a seam of inspiration and magical stuff just comes out. Anyway - enough gushing and CONGRATULATIONS.

On another note many thanks to Victoria Silverwolf; even though the contest had ended, you so generously reviewed those entries that came after your last report, and I was really pleased to see your words.

And Parson I'm so glad I'm not the only one befuddled by all this Dark Fantasy malarkey. Watching your muddlement unfold throughout the latter part of this thread had me in stitches. However, I must admit to knowing what a changeling was..

So you want Tooth Fairy to be the theme?

Ohh now there's a thought! I'd be up for some nasty tooth fairy story. Coincidentally I referred to them in another thread.

I didn't want to post my story in the thread, since I wouldn't be reading everyone's stories and it wouldn't be fair. I thought about posting it here, after the challenge was over, but there's little point to that, now, so I'll just put it on my site instead so it gets a home, and one day I may polish it. It always feels wrong when a story gets abandoned in the cold (no pun intended).

I think you should! Especially if it's Lovecraftian.

{Edit - I started writing this thread yesterday and since then you have posted it! I loved it. It made me think of The Colour out of Space for some reason. Glad you chose to put it up.}

Feb here we come!

pH

*from the verb 'to merc' - from the word mercenary. Meaning to successfully smash/plunder/win etc...