Yes, Brian's already looking into that, I think, as others have mentioned it.
Yes, I'm sure that's right. I had a mooch around the other votes after posting and they all suggested membership number.
DISCUSSION -- July 2014 300-word Writing Challenge (#14)
- Thread starter TheDustyZebra
- Start date
Victoria Silverwolf
Vegetarian Werewolf
It's very difficult for me to describe exactly how I come up with the notions that go into creating one of these 75 or 300 word stories. The best I can say is that the theme or the image suggests something to me, and I see where that takes me.
I can tell you that this particular image suggested all kinds of things to me. I considered (and rejected) such ideas as a human colony on another world, many generations after the landing, having vague myths about their origins in the sky; and about prehistoric humans visited by beings from another world, and the way in which they imagine journeying to the stars. (As you can see, the starscape was the most evocative part of the image for me.)
I then thought about the water and the rocks in the image, which suggested beings who lived in both environments. This led to telling the story from the point of view of one of these creatures. My primary goal was to stay true to that character's feelings and sensations, was making her someone for whom a reader could feel empathy.
(Whether these are aliens who had been visited by humans, or the sentient descendents of modern Earth animals, after humanity is gone, and who were visited by aliens, or possibly by returning humans, is left as an exercise for the reader. It's often a good idea to leave just a bit of mystery in a story for a reader to ponder. Fiction should be neither transparent nor opaque, but translucent.)
(But if you must know, I was leaning to the first possibility. I like HareBrain's suggestion that these are otters better than my own idea.)
I can tell you that this particular image suggested all kinds of things to me. I considered (and rejected) such ideas as a human colony on another world, many generations after the landing, having vague myths about their origins in the sky; and about prehistoric humans visited by beings from another world, and the way in which they imagine journeying to the stars. (As you can see, the starscape was the most evocative part of the image for me.)
I then thought about the water and the rocks in the image, which suggested beings who lived in both environments. This led to telling the story from the point of view of one of these creatures. My primary goal was to stay true to that character's feelings and sensations, was making her someone for whom a reader could feel empathy.
(Whether these are aliens who had been visited by humans, or the sentient descendents of modern Earth animals, after humanity is gone, and who were visited by aliens, or possibly by returning humans, is left as an exercise for the reader. It's often a good idea to leave just a bit of mystery in a story for a reader to ponder. Fiction should be neither transparent nor opaque, but translucent.)
(But if you must know, I was leaning to the first possibility. I like HareBrain's suggestion that these are otters better than my own idea.)
Well, I did vote (two ancients and a modern
) (and maybe my vote even made a difference, but probably not) but my short list is so disorganised I don't dare give out citations.
Congratulations, your Honour.
) (and maybe my vote even made a difference, but probably not) but my short list is so disorganised I don't dare give out citations.Congratulations, your Honour.
I thought they were otters, too. Independently of HB, as it happens, because I didn't see his otters comment until yesterday.
When I was trying to think of something to write, I had an image of a young woman going down to the river at night, but since I had no idea what she might be doing there that left me without a plot.
Then I started thinking about Rusalka, the Slavic water spirit. Sometimes these spirits are supposed to be young women who have died before their time, often through suicide after being jilted by their lovers, or left pregnant and unwed. Sometimes they will lure any young man they meet down into the water. I had a picture in my mind of dead girls lying in the water with their hair spread out like nets. Then I thought about all the ballads where girls are drowned by jealous sisters or faithless lovers. Those songs never really tell about the experience of drowning. When I thought about that, and what it would be like when a vengeful ghost came back my story wrote itself from there.
Then I started thinking about Rusalka, the Slavic water spirit. Sometimes these spirits are supposed to be young women who have died before their time, often through suicide after being jilted by their lovers, or left pregnant and unwed. Sometimes they will lure any young man they meet down into the water. I had a picture in my mind of dead girls lying in the water with their hair spread out like nets. Then I thought about all the ballads where girls are drowned by jealous sisters or faithless lovers. Those songs never really tell about the experience of drowning. When I thought about that, and what it would be like when a vengeful ghost came back my story wrote itself from there.
I found this picture really hard to get inspiration from. (Places generally do stretch me more than things for some reason.) i had just come back from a holiday in the woods inspired to write a forest based sci fi so it should have been ideal, but wasn't. In the end the loneliness of it, and the bleached rocks, made me think of a last stand, and that made me wonder whose last stand it was. I knew the pov character was male, and had a female with him, but I didn't realise Tom was their lover, or even known to them until I wrote the last paragraph.
So for all the readers who had to go back and read it again in the light of that knowledge, so did I! It didn't change much, though, so it seemed to be just a part of the story that was right.
So for all the readers who had to go back and read it again in the light of that knowledge, so did I! It didn't change much, though, so it seemed to be just a part of the story that was right.
I loved that last paragraph! That's what gave the story its emotional punch.
Boneman
Well-Known Member
Congratulations to the Judge!! Blimey, that was close... And congratulations to all the stories - wasn't a bad one amongst 'em.
I see the link in mosaix's story as being the fact that the guy came from the stars. Andromeda, specifically, which is bound to be in the picture somewhere, with all those stars.
Spot on, TDZ.
Train of thought: Stars, galaxies, aliens, an alien walks into a bar...
johnnyjet
Western PA High Tech Country Boy
A big congratulations to the Judge!
And thanks, TDZ, for the short-listing and your wonderfully evocative posting. Those were all clearly great lines.
And thanks, TDZ, for the short-listing and your wonderfully evocative posting. Those were all clearly great lines.
ratsy
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2008
- Messages
- 4,643
Sorry to hear that Kylara. That doesn't sound like a good string of luck.
So another month and a half until the next 300 word story.
I think I will just take a line from each previous victorious story and merge them together for next story
So another month and a half until the next 300 word story.
I think I will just take a line from each previous victorious story and merge them together for next story
Congratulations TJ. You're getting rather good at this, aren't you? I think your bridesmaid dress will be getting withdrawals...
There must be something in the ether about the otters, Victoria, because like HB and TDZ, I also saw otters in your story!
ph
There must be something in the ether about the otters, Victoria, because like HB and TDZ, I also saw otters in your story!
ph
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2006
- Messages
- 6,381
When I first saw the picture I thought, 'Wow! Got an idea already!'
I'm not sure whether it is just me (like many parents with young kids I've been subjected to Frozen a time or two), and my first thought was of the stone trolls, and I started formulating a story along those lines.
But while I was writing I came up with the opening sentence I actually used, and it took me to a different place, both in story idea and in the way I normally write.
It just flowed out like it is. I did not have the time to play with as I would normally, but I was quite happy with it simply because it was so different. I did not expect it to receive many comments, the fact that it did made my day, and the fact That Cat's Cradle voted for it made it all the more special.
I kept thinking to the Sekrit Santa exercise that rolls around the Chrons, and had to wonder if anyone would have guessed it was me that had written this entry?
I'm not sure whether it is just me (like many parents with young kids I've been subjected to Frozen a time or two), and my first thought was of the stone trolls, and I started formulating a story along those lines.
But while I was writing I came up with the opening sentence I actually used, and it took me to a different place, both in story idea and in the way I normally write.
It just flowed out like it is. I did not have the time to play with as I would normally, but I was quite happy with it simply because it was so different. I did not expect it to receive many comments, the fact that it did made my day, and the fact That Cat's Cradle voted for it made it all the more special.
I kept thinking to the Sekrit Santa exercise that rolls around the Chrons, and had to wonder if anyone would have guessed it was me that had written this entry?
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2006
- Messages
- 6,381
If I in away inspired Ratsy's idea and the moderators love it then I'm glad to be associated.
If they hate it, then it was all Ratsy.
If they hate it, then it was all Ratsy.
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2006
- Messages
- 6,381
Now I'm starting to feel guilty....
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