Discussion Thread -- September 2014 75-word Writing Challenge

I really liked a lot of the stories but here is my short-ish list

Winterlight
Juliana
Perpetual Man
DEO
Phyrebrat
Martin321
Teresa Edgerton

My vote was between Teresa and Phyrebrat but Phyre won it with a beautifully written story.
 
Many thanks to everyone who's listed or mentioned my story (and to ratsy for the almost vote). Thank you Hermit the Frog for the vote!

_______

And now for my lists, long and short:

jimness
Glen
David Evil Overlord
johnnyjet
Hermit the frog
Michael Colton
Groot
Juliana
Perpetual Man
chrispenycate
StilLearning
The Dusty Zebra

It was a difficult choice between chris's beautifully written story and Juliana's claustrophobic gem (I think I've been in that room). In the end, I voted for Juliana.
 
Right, a stolen moment of time devoted to my voting habits this round :)

When I reread the theme and genre (as I always do before voting on these) it occurred to me that the story should be ABOUT anthropomorphism, not just have it in...
I also only had about an hr to reread all the stories in and vote, so I didnt take notes (sorry to anyone whom I considered but dont remember considering [not that you would know any better than I at this point who you are]) and all I can remember is that it came down to @Glen and @Perpetual Man
With out going back to read them again I cant remember why I decided as I did, but I remember it being close.
 
You're welcome, Juliana and springs! And thank you, Juliana, for the listing. :)

Parson said:
Cat's Cradle: Thanks for the short listing. I guess my very dark story did not put you off.
Click to expand...

:) No, Parson, dark does not worry me! A good story is a good story, whether dark or light!
 
right. sleepless night, so I had time to go back and reread.
Loved both for the use of dialog.
@Glen 's "woof" was brilliant to me in showing how we change for those we love, while the owners dialog gave excellent commentary on the dilemma each pet owner goes through when someone points out that their pet is not, after all, human.
@Perpetual Man 's half-a-word shows just how quickly our thoughts can disappear on us. Even thoughts that are out to rule our cosmos.

aside: what does it say about my mental state that I didnt find @Parson 's story "dark"?
 
Interesting how there were some shared themes present - nature, animals, robots, kitchenware?!

Whoop, a mention! Thanks ratsy!

I whittled my list down to:
Mr Orange - That very first line just brimmed with power even before Akiri opens up his wrath, I really liked the pacific island culture choice
TheDustyZebra - Seems waiting for a sniping entry paid off, a standalone subject choice, very clever and relatable, something tells me you are a pro at these!
Springs - One of the first entries that stuck out for me and throughout, as magical as it was saddening
Cat's Cradle - The upper class satire was delivered brilliantly, so much life in so few words, really great and laugh out loud funny too!

But my winner in the end was Glen - Just ended up as such a wonderful take on man's best friend, the surprise at the end of the story, and the choice to 'wuff' instead of 'woof' was really endearing.
 
So, my shortlist:
Saviour - Talysia - I liked that this felt like a complete concise story without being shredded to pieces, and that there was enough in the "Princess? Usurper? Birthright?" line to pick at and wonder about.
Sublimation - Victoria Silverwolf - I loved the relationship between the title and the story, and the sensuality of the imagery.
Knight Light - Juliana - Great last line, and a nice mini-exploration of something most people can remember feeling. As I mentioned before, I love the Monster Snorkel.

But my vote goes to:
The Moral Growth One Evening Of Those Inside A Dishwasher - Cat's Cradle - Clever and funny and with a little hint of a message hidden amongst the amusing imagery. Just an excellent use of the theme.
 
I enjoyed getting back into the challenge this month. I loved the stories that made me see characters in unlikely places. For me these were:
  • Victoria Silverwolf - weather with a character
  • ratsy - a weapon with a character
  • Flyerman11 - A flower (?) as character
  • Encephylops - A book! “…my creaking spine…” as character (got my vote)
  • hopewrites - an ensemble of kitchen characters
  • johnnyjet - our old friend, the character K as a menagerie

Thanks for the vote Winterlight, and thanks for the callouts to cat’s cradle, martin321, Teresa Edgerton, hopewrites.
 
Thank you for the kind words, WinterLight! Your words made me very happy! And you're welcome, Glen! Loved your story!

And Robert, thank you, it's wonderful to receive your vote! Thank you for your thoughts, too. I have missed the theme a bit on some of the past challenges, and I tried hard this time to write something that fit the concept, as I understood it.

Wow! :)

ps--I wanted to say though that I really miss Starbeast in this challenge...I think this theme would have been a dream match-up for him. Hopefully he returns very soon!
 
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You're welcome Juliana and Winterlight!

Thanks Glen for the shortlist! and I see I've received a stealth vote from Flyerman. I'm blown away...thank you
 
A quick thank you to Juliana, Ratsy and Teresa for the mentions.

My shortlist was far too many to be short, but one jumped out at me and just appealed from the first read through, so the vote goes to Teresa (as in the olden days when I was around a lot more, everyone else - you're on the shortlist!)
 
I found that theme of this challenge just did not catch me, but some rose above the theme to become very memorable.

Short list:
Perpetual Man: Delicious Dealings with Dimwitted Dieties -- Clever, Clever, Clever
Culhwch: Felis Familiaris --- To find that I liked this story was amazing. I loathe it when people treat their animals like they were their babies. But this so caught the demeanor of a cat.
The Judge: Love --- Men so love their vehicles. Nicely done.
Teresa Edgerton: Foreboding --- This so caught the feeling of being afraid of the dark, and this time there was something to be afraid of.
TheDustyZebra: Three and Twenty Black Days, Even as we try. This one made me smile a lot.

The vote receiver? ---- TheDustyZebra (even if I shudder to think what next she might Faust upon us, if she should win.)
 
That was fun, the first 75 word challenge I’ve entered. I wasn’t going to write anything as I had no inspiration and then I remembered some things my kids said years ago.



It had to be Teresa’s for me, it just hit the right note. You know the thing, takes you right there or brings back vague half forgotten memories.



There was something in all the entries that I enjoyed, no shockers there then. The ones that I made a note of were:



Hex

Victoria Silverwolf

Juliana

Michael Colton

HareBrain

PhyreBrat



Thanks loads for mentioning me Victoria, Cat’s and Teresa.



I’ll definitely be playing again.



Mark
 
Thanks for the longlisting, chrispenycate :)

My shortlist:

Void – Conker Season

A. Fare Wells – Weighted Matters

David Evil Overlord – A New Position To Apply(ance) For...

Culhwc – Felis Familiaris

Ursa Major – Be Prepared

The Dusty Zebra -- Three and Twenty Black Days, Even as We Try

My vote goes to (*drum roll*) Nixie – Bridge of Sighs
 
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