DISCUSSION -- July 2015 300-word Writing Challenge (#18)

[chrispenycate]

That's what's been attempted by stickying the latest month, so as to have a (marginally) different colour, and to draw the eye to the latest block. But it's partly the text - "read first post" doesn't immediately say "This is where the offerings are displayed". But longer titles just get hidden by the software that wants quick, snappy recognition.

We need the 'seventy-five/one hundred/three hundred information, the month, could possibly shorten the word 'discussion' (although this is the one least critical - we assume. Anyway, the concept is reasonably clear), but the entire message (without acronyms)? And if it isn't set in stone the actions to take, someone will use the excuse to do something wrong - there are plenty of 'posted in the wrong thread' entries to move as it is.

 

[farntfar]

edit: by the way @farntfar you confused me with your avatar - i called you @TheDustyZebra for a second there...

I've been using that avatar for some time now, M.O. and I think TDZ has only recently changed.

I have to say that if she's trying to look like me, I think it's probably a mistake. (Still considerably better when talking of avatars than to attempt to look like me in real life.)

 

[Moonbat]

Wow, what a bunch of stories. I have been so busy that I've only just managed to read them all and vote
So a quick thanks to Phyre and HSF for the votes.
Here is my shortlist, shorter list, and votes

Droflet
Ashlyne B Watts
Titanium Ti
cats cradle
alc
ihe
cascade
victoria silverwolf
mad alice
little star
joan drake
void – mmorpg
remedy – charlie
DG jones – roots
phyrebrat – what little girsl are made of
the storyteller – extermination
Mr Orange – herba ferrocia
johnnyjet – guts and glory
a fare wells – lost in the brambles
sancho – saint peter of tau ceti e
perp – ashes to the winds

 

[johnnyjet]

Wow! A vote! Thanks, Moonbat!

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Thank you chrispy, thank you Phyrebrat and thank you johnnyjet for the mentions!

And wow! Moonbat, I am very grateful for the vote, thanks so much!!

Very interesting voting--best of luck to all contenders, CC

 

[Droflet]

Hey a mention from Moonbat. Ta muchly.

 

[Dan Jones]

Hey a mention from Moonbat. Ta muchly.

Ditto!

 

[Sancho]

Thanks for the mention Moonbat

 

[Ashleyne]

Ok. Shortlist:

What's More Fearsome Than A Snufflemagoo? by Alchemist

MMORPG by Void

And Charlie by Remedy

Extermination by The Storyteller

My votes go to:

Budding Enterprise by The Dusty Zebra

The Copper Snakes by Joan Drake

And Dragon Bones by Juliana

 

[Mr Orange]

Thanks for the shortlisting @Moonbat

 

[willwallace]

Thanks to Damien Barker for the vote

 

[Kerrybuchanan]

Off topic, but @Ashleyne. B. Watts I'm loving your profile pics these days. Have you started to ride recently or is it something you've been doing for years? I might be slightly horse-obsessed. Just very slightly....

 

[Void]

First of all, apologies for the hugely belated thank yous for every single vote and mention that has come my way! I'm really grateful and just absolutely thrilled that you guys liked my story!! Obviously the lateness of the thanks is a testament to how long it has taken to find the words to properly express my gratitude (and has absolutely nothing to do with being on holiday for the last three weeks...).

It's been really tough to figure out who to vote for (as it always is with these challenges!) because the quality and breadth of the different stories has been just wonderful to read through!

However, after much deliberation I've finally managed to pick three to vote for:

Droflet: for an insightful (if cynical!) story that left me thinking

Remedy: I just loved how effortlessly you captured the childlike voice to tell a genuinely compelling tale, just wonderful!

Starbeast: If I could vote for Red Dwarf-style joy twice I would!

I started to put together a shortlist and realised that it was laughably long so I won't post it, because it may take more steel that I have to cut it down to something that looks sensibly short!

p.s, I have just been stung by a wasp as I was about to post this. Is this karma punishing me for not posting a proper short list?! O____o

 

[Ashleyne]

@Kerrybuchanan thanks. I've only started recently, so I'm still a complete novice.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

p.s, I have just been stung by a wasp as I was about to post this. Is this karma punishing me for not posting a proper short list?!

Ohhhh Bowlerrrr, do you know anything about this, hmm?

 

[The Judge]

More than a few stories I didn't understand this quarter, I'm afraid, and for some reason a number of the SFs felt very samey even though they weren't alike in substance, so I was looking for something a bit different and/or quirky when I came to drawing up my shortlist, which is:

alchemist -- What's More Fearsome Than A Snufflemagoo?
Droflet -- Entanglement
Glen -- kansa
Moonbat -- The In-Screwed-Tempo-Mental Blues
Phyrebrat -- What Little Girls Are Made of.
Remedy -- Charlie
The Storyteller -- Extermination
TheDustyZebra -- Budding Enterprise
TitaniumTi -- Untitled
Victoria Silverwolf -- Pipe Dreams

I had no trouble choosing my three best of those, though, since I loved each of them from the start (perhaps because they eschewed the pessimism of so many of the other stories), and my votes go to alchemist, Victoria, and TDZ.


My, that was a real surprise reading the thread, since I wasn't happy with my piece this quarter, but I ran out of time and words to polish it as I wanted and make certain aspects clearer. In any event, silver-plated thanks for the mentions/shortlistings Victoria, Titanium, CC, VB, Vaz, The Storyteller (thanks for the lovely compliment), alchemist (ditto), LittleStar (also ditto!), DGJ (a lovely review, thank you, but Freudian? Moi?!), Remedy and Phyrebrat and super-shiny bright argentine solid silver thanks for the votes Droflet, Kerry, Cascade (thanks for the lovely mini-review), Sancho (another ditto), farnfar, Juliana, Chris p, johnnyjet, and TDZ, and for the stealth votes Joan, Robert Mackay and hardsciencefanagain.

 

[TitaniumTi]

Thank you for the listings, Juliana, Chrispenycate, Moonbat and The Judge.

 

[Mad Alice]

Right, that was a two weeks full of dithering to decide my votes. (Only a little less difficult then passing a kidney stone, this voting thing is!)
The legend is as follows; (aka, the brilliant lot whose amazing stories made voting between them sheer agony)

Votes;
*If I Had Three Extra Votes*; Second Runners Up;
Third Runners Up; Honourable Mentions.
Though everyone that entered a story put in an excellent piece of work, and to my mind you all deserve an acknowledgment. (If I had enough votes, I would have voted for every last one of you.).

Be careful what you yearn for -- Luiglin
Entanglement -- Droflet
The Pipes, The Pipes -- Ashleyne. B. Watts

untitled -- TitaniumTi

On the Tempting of a Practitioner of Social Engineering, and His Response to Same -- Cat's Cradle

Dragon Bones -- Juliana

They Think It’s Art -- Rafellin

The General's Plan -- HazelRah
What's More Fearsome Than A Snufflemagoo? -- alchemist
*Escape out of Steelbark -- Ihe*
They don’t grow on trees… -- Cascade

Searching for Emma --holland

Journey’s End -- willwallace

Pipe Dreams -- Victoria silverwolf
Le Scorpion -- Jo Zebedee
To Ascend -- LittleStar
untitled -- Damien Barker

The Copper Snakes -- JoanDrake
MMORPG -- Void
Charlie -- Remedy
Roots -- DG Jones
kansa -- Glen

The Weed -- Robert Mackay
What Little Girls Are Made of. -- Phyrebrat
Crew Members -- Brian Rogers

A Lifting of the Veil. -- Venusian Broon
*The Tree of Life -- ratsy*
Extermination -- The Storyteller
Cornucopia -- Kerrybuchanan

The Webs -- Twistedlemon

The Breadstick or the Carrot. -- farntfar
Creepers -- Vaz
herba ferrocia -- Mr Orange
Guts and Glory -- johnnyjet

Lost in the Brambles -- A. Fare Wells

Saint Peter of Tau Ceti e -- Sancho
Moving On... -- mosaix
Kryton Discovers a 1980's Rap CD called, "Metal Tree - The Gathering" -- Starbeast

Ashes to the Winds -- Tim James
Budding Enterprise -- TheDustyZebra

The In-Screwed-Tempo-Mental Blues -- Moonbat

The Silver Sweetbriar -- The Judge

*Guilt -- Fitzchiv*

Decision Tree -- Ursa major

That done, I thank everyone who mentioned my own little piece;
Moonbat upon his shorter list, Johnny Jet for the shortlisting, The Dusty Zebra for the listing, Vaz for the honourable mention, Titanium Ti for the mention and mini review, Cat's Cradle for the Honourable listing, And Droflet/ Telford for the Favorite.
　
I am absolutely thrilled that there were three people who actually voted for my story! Thank you so much, Rafellin, farntfar and holland.

This place really is filled with lovely people.

 

[holland]

Muchas gracias for the vote

Btw, the third person who voted for your story was A. Fare Wells, not me (I hope I still get to keep the vote you gave me )

 

[TitaniumTi]

Thank you for the listing, Mad Alice.