Discussion Thread -- September 2014 75-word Writing Challenge

[johnnyjet]

Congratulations, Teresa! Glad I was one of the votes that took you over the top.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Thank you so much everyone (and a big, big thank you to those who voted for my story). In a month with so many outstanding entries, I am astonished that I won.

Someone asked a few pages back what was the line that came into my mind and generated a story. It was: I have always been persecuted by inanimate things.

Which has always been all too true.

And, Karn, a Halloween theme there shall be!

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Congratulations. A fine job, considering the tremendously high level of entries.

 

[Droflet]

Terrific story, Teresa. Well done.
Stillearning, you've made my day with your vote. Thank you so much.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Congrats, Teresa! Fab story. (Psst choose a genre we can do in 75 words.... Pleaseeeeeee )

On another note, when this month's theme came out one of the very active news stories in the UK was about parents who had disappeared with their very sick son, Aisha King, from a London hospital. It turned out they wanted him to get specialist treatment abroad but felt, rightly or wrongly, that if they opposed the proposed treatment regime they may be denied access to their son and not be able to be with him in his 'deepest, darkest hour'. That statement hit something with me. From there, I thought about what animals showed similar behaviour - wanting to be with their loved ones at the end - and one of the theories of beached whale pods is that one of the pod is ill and the others accompany them.

And then, again!, I forgot the speculative element, and I had to hastily add a magical elixir just after I posted!

 

[Talysia]

Congratulations, Teresa!

 

[Bowler1]

Well done Teresa and a convincing win in the end. I look forward to seeing what you pick for next month.

 

[hopewrites]

Congratulations Teresa!
So many entertaining stories this month

 

[The Judge]

Congratulations, Teresa!


And thanks for the sneaked-in shortlisting HB!

 

[Void]

Congratulations Teresa Edgerton! Your story was wonderfully written =)

 

[Hex]

Congratulations, Teresa! It was a brilliant story and the end stayed with me for a long time...

 

[David Evil Overlord]

Congratulations, Teresa!

 

[mosaix]

Congratulations, Teresa!

Thanks for the mentions / short lists, Telford, Springs, Chris, TDZ and Farntfar.

Thanks for the votes, TEIN, TacticalLoco and UM.

 

[The Judge]

Someone asked a few pages back what was the line that came into my mind and generated a story. It was: I have always been persecuted by inanimate things.

This is annoying. Is it a quote, or your own? I feel I should know it from somewhere!

 

[Culhwch]

I don't think I ever thanked nixie for the vote, but it was much appreciated! And thanks as well to everyone who mentioned or listed my story!

I was very surprised to be in the running this month. I had the idea for the story early on, but didn't think much of it, and when I tried to write it, it didn't come to much of anything. I started working on an alternate, but when my wife asked me what my two ideas were, she much preferred the original. A bit more work and I thought it was at least presentable, and she thought it was more than that. Shows how much I know...

 

[Remedy]

Congratulations Teresa, excellent story.

My vote went to HareBrain for the gritty imagery. There were many stories I should have mentioned, it was a brilliant month! After my read through - HB's stuck with me the strongest.

Thank you to any who mentioned mine. I too, missed the speculative part of the challenge.

My story explanation: Last Saturday, a polecat broke into our duck cage and killed our four-year-old male mallard. My girlfriend and I had rescued him from a busy road and raised him from a day-old duckling. So my story was mostly non-fiction, even down to the lightning storm and cigarette. Tough to write, but I felt like it captured our last encounter. We've spent the last week predator-proofing the duck house for our other two - they've been sleeping in the kitchen downstairs at night.

 

[Ursa major]

I'm rather hoping that the action and background of my story is up-front and obvious -- please say if it wasn't -- and so needs no explaining, but in case anyone missed the meaning of the title (or the other meaning of the title)....

The more obvious implication of the title (to the extent that anything's in any way obvious at all about it) is that the narrator has been prepared for his role as the person who will make "first" contact with a powerful alien star-republic. But in using a well known motto, I hoped that some people would see it as a hint that "Edward" was a scout, in the sense of scouting out the Sol system. (This begs a number of questions -- including: why do any scouting that involves educating someone, unless you're engaged in setting up a series of preconceptions? is "Edward" really the president of his republic? does the Republic exist at all? Is it all stage management? -- but that wasn't really the point of the story.)

 

[ratsy]

I wanted to give something human emotions that would not be able to convey them to the outside world. What would be worse than being a sword and killing people if you hated it? You are just a piece of steel, with no way to ask your owner to hang you up above the warm mantle and let you sit. Instead you are flung in battle, rattling against armour, other weapons, and then thrust into the soft spot on the human, killing him and bathing in his life-blood.

So that is where my story came from, just an idea of something being trapped in itself.

 

[nixie]

Congratulations Teresa

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Once again, congratulations to Teresa! It seems the stories are getting better and better each month. I am so excited to see what you have in mind for us for the witching season of October!

I hope I will not sound too sappy when I also say thank you to the other entrants and the site and the challenges themselves, too (hah! anthropomorphism, indeed!), for the opportunities they present for us to create...to practice writing...and to produce little works of fiction that would in most cases, I think, not exist if not for the Chrons challenges. A year ago I never could have imagined writing fiction, and now it's a given monthly that I will be creating at least one story that other people will actually be reading! And that a hobbyist is in the same challenge with published authors, and those aspiring to publish, well it's humbling, and exciting, and tremendously rewarding. So, yes...that's me being a bit sappy, and onwards to October!