Discussion thread -- January 2016 75-word Writing Challenge

[Ursa major]

The Challenge closed to new entries 18 minutes ago, and voting is open at the link below:

POLL -- JANUARY 2016 75-Word Challenge -- READ FIRST POST!​

 

[Starbeast]

@HareBrain Moral: Always tip for services rendered, or BANG. Hair bent for leather entry.

@The Judge My honor to read, your Honor. Prefectly trimmed and wonderfully styled story.

@Ursa major I agree, bureaucrats are a bunch of rotten zombies. Excellence from beyond the grave.

@Mad Alice "Baby, go let your mama, tie up the, cowboys. Let her, grab mullets, while dodging flying bullets. Cause ma's hair, is the, wayyyyy".



I tip my cowboy hat to the lot of ya. Yall did real fine, whipping up, a mess of hairy tales. It's voting time, so, yall come back now, ya hear?

 

[Ihe]

Alright, I'm the first voter this time! (Too many good ones--had to include all my mentions, all well deserved) As such, it is my honour to display my list of cool, fave, and awesome (vote):

Jo Zebedee
Droflet
Venusian Broon
Ratsy
Ashleyne B Watts
DG Jones
Johnny Jet
Robert Mackay
Parson
Bob Senior
Bowler1
Phyrebrat
StilLearning
TDZ

 

[Droflet]

Okay, the usual, you're all terrific, blah, blah. Long short list indicates how hard this month has been. I found five winners, but of course, you're all winners for having a go. SO:

Beasty, Jo, Cul, VB, Ash, Chris, DG, Shyrka (nice first entry), Robert M, Parson, Bob S, Kerry, Willw, StillL, HB. All worthy winners. But I'm a sucker for clever wordplay so Dusty gets the gold from me. You have no shame.

 

[Droflet]

Opps, forgetting my manners. Thanks for the mention Ihe.

 

[Parson]

My goodness, two mentions out of two? Thanks so much Ihe and Droplet.

 

[Lex E. Darion]

So many fab choices!! It's amazing what one can do with so few words!

My vote is in but here are some mentions:
DG Jones - A man and his hoss never parted
Robert Mackay - Nowt wrong with only having whiskey
Tywin - Silver'll get you every time
Jo Z - Who doesn't love a story from a dog's POV
Ihe - God don't live here anymore - stark tale
Stil learning - Death by braid
Ursa - I feel like a zombie at work too
Hex - Funny - always read the small print
Culhwch - Don't send a man to do a woman's job

but my vote went to Littlestar for breaking my heart

 

[Shyrka]

I got a mention?! Thanks @Droflet, I can die happy.

I really struggled to pick a winner; my 'short list' was 15 entries long! I did manage to whittle it down to a few favourites: Jo Zebedee, Ihe, Mosaix, LittleStar & Bowler1's entries were all up there but in the end Cat's Cradle edged them out. Turns out I'm a sucker for religious zealotry in my westerns.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Wow! Thanks so much for the vote, Shyrka! I wasn't expecting anything this month, and your vote really made my evening. Thanks again! CC

 

[Starbeast]

Thanks for the mention Drof.

Short List

Victoria Silverwolf - Culhwch - Jo Zebedee - Drof - Mr Orange - Glen - Venusian Broon -

Ashleyne B. Watts - J5V - DG Jones - Johnnyjet - Parson - Bob Senior - Bowler1 - Tim James -

Willwallace - HazelRah - Phyrebrat - TheDustyZebra - Ursa Major



Winner

"Sometimes Moments is All You Have" by LittleStar
​

 

[Tywin]

Thanks for the mention, Alex!

 

[Droflet]

Thanks, Beasty.

 

[willwallace]

Three stories tickled my fancy this month, with two just falling short of garnering my vote by a hair(feel free to groan ).

TDZ with OK, Sally On, and Parson's Saved by a Wild Hair both made me laugh. But I had to vote for-

Venusian Broon, and his entry Reminiscing about the Slight at the OK Salon was the one that did it for me and got my vote.

good job by all!!

 

[Parson]

Wow, thanks Willwallace for placing me in the top three, and also Thanks to Starbeast for the short list.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Wonderful stories, and a permanent wave to HareBrain for the inspiring genre/theme pairhairing! (*sigh*...I imagine if the theme had been 'fish' I'd be thanking HB for the inspiring pairherring.)

So, enough of that. Choices...

Honrables: Ashleyne, Serge Alexandr, War.Earth, Parson, Vaz, HareBrain

Semi-finalists: JoZ, Glen, pambaddeley, Ihe, johnnyjet, Shyrka, Robert M., TDZ

Finalists: Venusian Broon (a good tale, and my favorite last line of the challenge), LittleStar (great idea, and a really moving story).

My vote went to VB! And for the simple reason that it was my favorite story this month!
Best of luck to all in the voting, CC

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Wow! Lots of mentions, and a lovely vote. Thanks all! Go, Rusty! (I have still to read and vote!)

 

[Venusian Broon]

My choices in the style of Tim James' Gunfight at the Chronicles Corral, OK?

I rode into Chronstown slowly, the sun's baked me hard and there's dust in every crack but I ain't in no hurry. The good people of the town are about, skittery like nervous prairie dogs. Starbeast is outside his salon, while Culwch is at the sheriff's office talking about somit. Both Glen and Tywin are at the undertakers burying bodies. Pambaddeley is staring me astride his new gawd-damn big furry odd-looking hoss while I give a nod to the lady promenading near the store, Ashleyne B. Watts. Odd fur dress though...

I think johnnyjet & Kerrybuchanan both got a bit of the sun today, rabbiting on about barbers. Meanwhile Bowler1 is on his verandah, trusty raygun in his lap, mumbling.

I stopped near the salon, just in time for willwallace and HazelRah to come in talking 'bout the end o' the world. If it is, so be it, what I've got to do won't take long.

StilLearning is outside, looking all mystical-like, while Ursa Major says hello. Queer smell off him though, I don't mention it - it must be a grave issue.

I likes them all, but the ones that I want are all in the saloon. I go in.

Ratsy's behin' the bar. Lovely golden locks, but the sores near his mouth ain't pleasant. DJ Jones and Phyrebrat are too busy swapping horror stories to worry too much about my presence. Chrispenycate is tuning the piano and the barber Harebrain is at the bar, sipping firewater and playing with his long scarve. I ask him where the game is. He points at the back.

There's only two left. It's The Judge on one side of the green baize table, Mosaix on the other. They're holding their cards close to their chests, not taking their eyes off each other. Well I'm here to break the deadlock. I pull out my peacemaker, and with a sigh, shoot Mosaix down. "I'm sorry," I tell him as he fades, "I loved the dialogue." Then I turn to the Judge. "Looks like, Ma'am, that you've won my vote."

 

[Mr Orange]

thanks for the shortlisting SB

 

[Vaz]

Thanks for the honourable mention CC!

Now to business

Short List

Drof, Parson, Ratsy, Phyre, Hazelrah & Dusty - All Awesome!

Vote Winner: LittleStar - Beautiful, Loved it!

 

[Droflet]

Many thanks for the short, Vaz.