Discussion -- April 2015 75-word Writing Challenge

A fun, and sometimes mind-bending challenge this month, that I sincerely hope that we never repeat again.

Muchos gracias to the listings by Grimward and Cat's Cradle

My list and vote:

Holland – A Writer’s Wrath

Ratsy – Living Memoir

Juliana – Choose Your Own Adventure

Starbeast – The Quiet Side of My Real Life

Moonbat - Epic Spelling War at the Mountainous Moon of Madness

Phyrebat – To Be or Not

The Judge – Not All Quiet on the Western Front


My vote went to Starbeast for writing one that I connected with. I need to track you down and buy you a beer SB (if I can ever get away for a minute from the job and the family).
 
Wow, that was great. So many great stories. I think the genre worked really well, so many little references to older stories or Chrons members. I really enjoyed reading all of them. I wasn't even sure what Meta-fiction would mean before I started, but the varied way people approached it has opened my eyes.

Thanks to Karn for the vote :D (that has made my day) and others for the mentions
Ok, so the shortlist, shorter list and vote

Culhwch – Off the page
Ashleyne b watts – mouth to mouth
luiglin – spoiler
remedy – 75 words
holland – writers wrath
ratsy – living memoir
telford – learning curve
Springs (aka Jo Zebedee) – daylight robbery
TitaniumTi – Generation gap
A Fare Wells – white space
Big J – I'm a storyteller not a miracle worker
High Eight – While the iron is hot
Glen - writer's blocked
Mosaix – the case of the Shropshire writer
The dusty Parson – The Parson's quest/You complete me
 
Note and amendment to world domination plan, version 4H - Must win more 75 word entries.

Parson and TDZ made me laugh being so closely linked, good job. Crystal, Moonbat, High 8 and Perp also get mentions. My vote went to THE JUDGE, well done.

I'm very surprised that RAY GUNS were not enough to save me from being off theme, I thought everyone loves RAY GUNS.
 
This was such a creative month, wasn't it? What an inspired choice, CC :)

Thank you Perp for such a great comment this month, both in style and content, and to Tywin and Victoria for the mentions.

I notice the shortlists this month seem to be on the shorter side, and this is true of mine. This is really because I liked all of the entries and had to be really brutal with my choices so that I could compile a shortlist. I like my meta cooked rare so I winnowed out ones that weren't, and there were a couple where I wasn't clever enough to see where the conflict was, so they went for making me feel stupid :D

Which left me with:

My shortlist (in no particular order)
Ihe
Starbeast
HB
Chris

Scrapping for the Vote
Culhwch
Ratsy
Victoria Silverwolf
Perpetual Man
The Judge

It was a battle between ratsy and Cul in the end I gave it to Culhwch

pH
 
A great result from the interesting genre this month - with Perps meta-reviews as an added bonus.

There was a clear winner from the get go for me - until the very end!

@Culhwch absolutely nailed it and admirably, instinctively, with an entry appearing immediately - strong stuff
@Ihe I felt wrote an unending sweeping epic saga of knowing fiction with just three letters - 'ETC'. Very clever.
@HareBrain deserved dues for trailblazing the Chrons introspect which was a theme this month. And personifying the entry, giving your entry humility? I never thought I would feel for a 75-word entry. Boggling.

My winner in the end was @The Judge !
Who offered a very funny tale which was at the same time actually very deep. This one particularly rang true for me - nice one!
 
Thanks for the mentions Phyre and Bowler, greatly appreciated.

Now for a quick read through and vote. I hope.

And back with time to edit:

Once again there were loads that could have been added to my shortlist, so in the end I listed those that particularly appealed to me.

Cul
Remedy
Victoria
HB
Crystal
BigJ
Sancho*
High Eight*
TE*

By pure coincidence the last three enter into a three way tie, with the vote going to Teresa by a cat's whisker.
 
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The first quarter of 2015 has been a busy and newsy one here at the paper, so it's nice to have a moment or two to return to The Chron for something more refreshing.

Many good stories as always. Ones that I particularly enjoyed included ratsy's, willwallce's, Starbeast's, Bob Sr.'s and cascade's. Further, I waffled back and forth between three, Ms. Silverwolf's, telford's and High Eight's and would vote for each if I could. Vote goes to Victoria's prose. Salute.

Oh...and thanks for the mentions and listings, folks.
 
I have to go away more often. I peeked in a couple times while away...I admit it...

I must say that when I saw the challenge this month, I had no idea what meta fiction was. I am just glad I wrote something that worked for a few of you :)

So here are my thanks, and I will be back later to read over and vote.

@Grimward – I like ‘Quietly spooky’

@Luiglin – Top Three!!! Thank you so much!

@Remedy - thank you for the Runner-Up listing, that is great!

@A. Fare Wells – Thank you for the mention!

@Victoria Silverwolf - thanks for the short-list and thanks again for the reviews J

@Cat's Cradle – a short-list! Woohoo, thanks!

@Tywin – thank you very much for the listing

@Phyrebrat – I am more than pleased that I was there scrapping for the vote with Cul. Thanks dude.

@Juliana - it means a lot to get a vote ever, so thank you so very much for choosing my ‘tail’

@Moonbat - a vote! Wow, thank you so much. This is fantastic.
 
I liked this month's competition so much, I decided to write down my thoughts, impressions and/or what I liked about each story so that I could share them. This is the first time I've done this, so I'm a li'l nervous. Here goes:


Off the page by Culhwc – This spooky tale made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. It's uncomfortable, reading when someone's looking over your shoulder.


The Sworalaa's Compaint by Cat's Cradle – A humorous tale of an assumptive narrator. Has anyone ever even bothered to ask trees and animals what their real name's are for their species?


Spoiler by Luiglin – The dark lord rebels against his creator, altering the story in humorous fashion.


Seventy-five by Remedy – A story that resonates with the mental stream I have every time I'm composing story for these seventy-five worders.


A Day in the Life of... by Bowler 1 - The author asserts his ever threatening presence with this dark, dangerous story.


Wooing Sophie by Cascade – This tale has a subtly defensive tone, giving me the impression that the narrator isn't use to lowering his boundaries, but is willing to only for Sophie.


The Writer's Wrath by holland – The author answers his character's insubordinate complaints with ruthless fury.


Sinister Information Snatcher by serendipty – A clever and imaginative tale, ending on a brilliant pun.


Living Memoir by ratsy – A wonderfully written metaphor for life itself, wrapped in and around a story.


A Change of Heart by kerrybuchanon – The author offers romance. Then she pulls it away, emotionally devastating the character.


20,000 Leagues In 80 Days by willwallace – Blatently, historical detail is tossed away for the sake of colouring the story.


Choose your own adventure by Juliana – Makes me wonder if I'm resented by all the stories I've left unread.


The Perfect Crime by Victoria Silverwolf – A suspenseful throwback to the classic detective novel, coupled with the frustration of reading a book only to find there're pages missing.


Ouroborosby Perpetual Man – The narrator's writes himself into a paradox, not knowing where he begins or ends.


I'm Talking to You by johnnyjet – The characters overpower the author. Writer boy faces the consequences of his own imaginings.



Learning Curve by telford – The student takes brutal payback from his condescending teacher.


Learning How to Handle a Woman by Tywin - A story showing that the idea of controlling a woman is nothing more than fiction.


Alpha and Omega by Ihe – A powerful exhibition of cynicism.


DAYLIGHT ROBBERY by Springs – In geeky fashion, Jed pays his way into a novel.


The Quiet Side of my Real Life by Starbeast – A touching tribute to the hope self-confidence one can receive when taking part in these seventy-five worders.


No Reason At All by KarnMaeshalanadae – The characters question their author, painting him as a tyrant without motive.


TO NOT BE READ UNTIL THIS DAY’S DATE by WinterLight – An elegantly written story which offers the reader a chance to take part.


Generation Gap by TitaniumTi – An argument between classic and modern prose, ending on a hilarious last line.


CHEKOV'S GUN by DG Jones – An unspoken tension lurks in this game of bluffs.


Conflict of Little Interest by Hairbrain – The author tears down the fourth wall to start a conflict with the story above.


Logos by Chrispenycate – A story depicting the required duality of organisation and chaos.


And so the story goes by crystal haven – A never-ending narrative which give the effect of a mirror reflecting an identical image tunnel.


Epic Spelling War at the Mountainous Moon of Madness by Moonbat – A humoursome (or humorsome) look at how petty arguments are between US and UK spelling.


Struck on White by Jastius – A reminder of how stories unwritten can fade away over time.


To be or not by Phyrebrat – The author has to make a choice, and gives in to their dark side.


White Space by A. Fare Wells – The frustration of not being able to get your story down no matter how much you type...


INSIDE OUTby Bob Senior - A tale that spares a though for the characters trapped within a writers mind.


I'm a Storyteller, not a Miracle Worker by Big J – The subconscious became a character trying to put a story in the writer's mind.


Ever been afraid of the thing that you made? by Sancho – Amutilla accepts her role as villain and menaces the writer himself.


WHILE THE IRON IS HOT by High Eight – The characters team up to protest their authors lack of compassion.


When a wizard writes your spellcheck program, and its effect upon your character by David Evil Overlord – The spellchecker becomes a character obsessed with altering the story, against the authors wishes.


Writer's blocked by Glen – A depiction of how stunted a writer can feel if they try to please everyone.


The Case of The Shropshire Writer by Mosaix – Sherlock Holmes solves a mystery where the author turns out to be the villain. I loved the dry humour in this story.


The Parson's Quest by Parson and You Complete Me by The Dusty Zebra – Parson brakes character to go on a selfish quest. The Dusty Zebra is an instrument of karma, snatching Parson's story away to use as her own.


GIVE MY REGARDS TO NED STARK by Teresa Edgerton – The writers vows to execute the character who failed to live up to expectations.


Not at All Quiet on the Western Front by The Judge – The author shows mercy by letting her character live on after death.


Winning Comedy by Ursa Major – The narrator switches places with the reader, trapping them within a story.

I'm gonna take some time to think. Then I'm gonna come back with my vote and shortlist.
 
What a project Ashleyne! Well done and thank you. :D

I've thought about attempting such an undertaking, but never quite steeled myself for the task. Did you enjoy it? :)
 
Thanks for taking the time to do that Ashleyne, I really enjoyed reading the comments. I figured that was a perfect description of me without taking the story into account.
 
Thanks for the honorable mention, Kerrybuchanan :)

And a wonderful job of giving us your thoughts on every entry, Ashlyene :) :) :)
 
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