Discussion Thread -- March 2016 75-word Writing Challenge

[Victoria Silverwolf]

J5V -- By making use of the language of modern science, the author is able to create a truly cosmic vision.

 

[Droflet]

I'm in. Not being a fantasy reader or writer I took this in a different direction. Sorry, serious writers, my muse is drunk again.

 

[Mr Orange]

I haven't been able to get past Ashleyne's first sentence yet.

Flashbacks...

Umm.... Huh?

 

[Shyrka]

Since I enjoy receiving Victoria and Starbeast's reviews so much I thought it was only fair to have a go myself. I can't promise to do them with the same dedication or style but here goes:

Ashleyne B. Watts – A curious tale of loss and discovery. As out there as deep space.

Cathbad – A classic, cautionary tale of not messing with things you do not understand.

Ajid – Mind-expanding in more ways than one.

Victoria Silverwolf – This inter-planetary romance highlights the wonders of our own world.

Vaz – A classic sci-fi yarn of abduction and impending horror.

J5V – Laced with delicious science, this tale of transcendence opens the mind to another state of being.

Droflet – A fairytale rivalry takes to the stars. Is the Exithog made of bricks, I wonder?

 

[Shyrka]

Argh - I wrote up both of my ideas and choosing between them was like picking a favourite child. In the end I went with the first one I had. Maybe I can stick the other on my blog or something.

 

[chrispenycate]

After all the voting you can put it here in the discussion thread, letting everyone read it and compare to your final choice. Either that, or keep it until a compatible theme pops up…

 

[J5V]

I'm liking the entries so far. No "What was that all about?" (yet!). Some themes are emerging.

Since I enjoy receiving Victoria and Starbeast's reviews so much I thought it was only fair to have a go myself. I can't promise to do them with the same dedication or style but here goes: ...

I've fancied having a go at that, but one thing stopped me: what if I don't understand an entry, or completely miss its point? Also, there's a knack of keeping it objective, and brief enough to not be an uninvited critique. @Victoria Silverwolf (et al) seems to get it just right.

 

[Droflet]

Thank you, Lady Victoria, for all the encouragement I need for the month.

 

[Shyrka]

I'm liking the entries so far. No "What was that all about?" (yet!). Some themes are emerging.

I've fancied having a go at that, but one thing stopped me: what if I don't understand an entry, or completely miss its point? Also, there's a knack of keeping it objective, and brief enough to not be an uninvited critique. @Victoria Silverwolf (et al) seems to get it just right.

You're not wrong and the last thing I was to do is offend. That said, if one does miss the point it's probably useful for the author to know.

 

[Droflet]

It happens to the best of us. Being less than the best I can attest to that.

 

[J5V]

if one does miss the point it's probably useful for the author to know

Yes, I've seen past entries that I didn't understand, and wondered how, if at all, to tactfully ask the author. I suspect that the one-line summaries are not the place to do this

 

[chrispenycate]

It is very easy when cutting text that short to produce something incomprehensible, without the author (who saw all the intermediate stages) recognising the loss. At a guess, before I started exploring verse forms, my 'yer wot?' enties were about thirty percent. Now, of course, that's risen considerably - but nobody expects to understand poetry, so that passes. But even this experience is valuable in the larger canvas of commercial writing - it points out that overediting can, in refining the details, lose the overall story.

 

[J5V]

It is very easy when cutting text that short

Hm... That doesn't usually happen with me though. I'd never thought about it, but I tend to start with brief notes of the ideas I want to include. Those notes then expand into the required word count. Only if I run into difficulty by exceeding the word count, will I run the risk of accidentally chopping core meaning from the story.

I do this more by accident than design, but the act of getting ideas down really quickly by writing in note form, lets me put flesh on the bones of a story, rather than carving away at its form, to accidentally lop off an arm.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Hm... That doesn't usually happen with me though. I'd never thought about it, but I tend to start with brief notes of the ideas I want to include. Those notes then expand into the required word count. Only if I run into difficulty by exceeding the word count, will I run the risk of accidentally chopping core meaning from the story.

I do this more by accident than design, but the act of getting ideas down really quickly by writing in note form, lets me put flesh on the bones of a story, rather than carving away at its form, to accidentally lop off an arm.

Yes, I tend that direction, myself. I've hardly ever had a long story that I had to chop down to meet the count. I start writing, and when I see that it's going to be too long, I stop and start over, so I generally don't end up with 150 words to cut in half, as some folks do. And in the 300, I usually write them on paper because I know how much paper it takes for a 300 and if it appears to be running over that space, I start over. I suppose it's still cutting a long story, technically, but it never gets that long.

 

[Parson]

Ditto, DZ .... I start with an idea and usually an end I want to get too, everything else is word count and progression toward the end. (And once I was 1 word over!! Sigh!)

 

[Vaz]

Thanks for the lovely review Victoria & Shyrka

 

[Pentagon]

Hello all,

Pleasure to meet you all - new to forum but just entered. I only found your forum at the end of last months deadline

Some incredibly diverse entries!

Best
Pentagon

 

[Vaz]

Welcome Pentagon and nice first entry!

 

[Pentagon]

Ty Vaz. To add to the discussion of incomprehensibility, I see it as the risk of being too ambitious. We all have amazing stories to tell but how many themes can you force in 75 words!

Good practise to make yourself think what do I actually need and what do I just thinks cool.

 

[Cathbad]

Great entries so far. Your first, Pentagon? Dang! It's a good'un!