Discussion thread -- August 2016 75-word Writing Challenge

Congratulations, StilLearning! It's a very nice story, well done!
It was such a close vote, and it seemed for awhile that a number of stories could win (but not ones involving angry robots :)).
Calliopenjo, I think you are doing fine! Honestly, hang in there, and keep writing. It's been said before, but really, the purpose of these challenges isn't to win, but to improve your writing. TJ had a great thought - post your story in the 'improving our stories' thread. You'll get honest feedback, and some ideas on what you might want to work on for the next challenge (and perhaps in your non-challenge stories). But honestly, you owe us nothing...I'm sure we're all just happy you're entering the challenges each month.
Greetings, Elventine. I wanted to mention that there's also a quarterly 300-word writing challenge that will be coming up in October. Here is the link to the most recent one, this past July. This is a blast, and you'll have four times the words that the monthly challenges allow! MORE WORDS!! What's not to love! :)

300 WORD WRITING CHALLENGE #22 -- VICTORY TO WRUTER!

Finally, thank you to Glen, Starbeast, and Drof for the mentions (I hope I haven't missed anyone...though since it was a story about angry robots, I kind of doubt there are more!:)).
 
Thanks for the short lists Nixie and TBP.

A special thanks to Droflet, Moonbat and UM for the votes. :)

Thanks (I think) to Chris for the theme.

A weird month (what else?) for my entry. More votes than short lists - never had that happen before.

Roll on September.
 
Droflet said:
Get out the whips for Calli. Enough of this slap business. The whip, the whip. Or call in Jo. The hardest slapper on Chrons.
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*Starbeast's talking horse buddy strolls up to him* "Hi Tonto. Why the big grin, my palomino, pal o' mine?"

"I know something I won't tell, I won't tell, I won't tell. I know something I won't tell."

"Oh. You've got a secret?"

"Yup. It will cost you fifty dollars, Starbeast."

"That's ok, I'm not paying fifty bucks for your secret."

"Yes you will. Or I'm telling. It's a secret about you."

"What are you playing at horsey?"

"You talked about your story before the voting ended, and no one picked up on it. Therefore, YOU get a SLAP."

"Well...I...I..er.."

"I, I, er, nothing. Fifty bucks, or I'm telling."

"I'm not paying you one cent..."

"HEY EVERYBODY!!! STARBEAST...!!!"

"SHHHH..ok, ok. Here's fifty bucks."

"Put it in my saddlebag. Thank you. By the way, people know about it any way."

"What do you mean?"

"Members are reading this post right now. Look. There's one of them now."

"...eep." *Starbeast runs away*

"Mu-ha ha ha ha ha ha haa. Easy money. Well reader? Don't just sit there...AFTER HIM!!!"
 
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My vote: Employment of Choice -- Robert Mackay


My shortlist:
The Spider Lady -- Ashleyne. B. Watts
A trip to the Linear -- Ajid
A Piston of Existence -- Moonbat
Mr Benevolent they call me – Luiglin
A True Ghost Patrol - Prson
Not Nellie, the Other One -- Perpetual Man
From Riches to Rags -- LittleStar

Thank you all ever so much for the votes chrispenycate, Jo Zebedee, The Big Peat, EmeraldTempest. Thanks you as well for the mentions Cathbad, Parson, The Dusty Zebra, Glen, Starbeast, Phyrebat, Moonbat, HazelRah, Shyrka, Mad Alice, Ursa Major.

I will admit to having followed the voting on and off in the hours up to the deadline. At one point I think we had a five way draw, and I honestly believe it could have gone to any way, right up to the deadline. The standard of stories was really good – I know I always say that but it’s true and it makes this a brilliant pastime to have. So, genuinely, well done and thank you everyone for the stories.

OK, thinking cap on, will come up with a theme and genre asap – I hope I can match this month's, it was a real challenge!
 
It wasn't so much guilt for the story, it was guilt for not participating more. The month has been nuts.

The description might have thrown me off, and truth be told, I don't do horror. I still remember Cujo and getting angry why didn't anybody ever take him to the vet or put him out of his misery. Of course, I didn't watch the entire movie so I have no idea. lol. Anyway, congratulations to the winner. A round of gingerale to everybody.
 
BTW did I imagine it but was an entry removed from this months 75? I'm sure I read an entry early on that wasn't there later when it came to rereading for the voting.
 
mosaix said:
I'm sure I read an entry early on that wasn't there later when it came to rereading for the voting.
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As far as I can tell -- and there are a couple of different ways for me to tell -- I don't think an entry has been removed.

If someone didn't simply replace their first attempt -- the one you read -- with a different one (which can be done during the editing window), perhaps the entry you read earlier was in this month's 100 Word Anonymous Challenge.
 
Thank you Victoria and Shyrka for your couplets and review, respectively.

Many many thanks to Vaz, TJ and ThomasG for the votes. Thanks also for the mentions and shortlists from TDZ, Cat's Cradle, Cory Swanson, Droflet and Ashleyne.

I spent the month casually thinking about what to write. I had this word, 'eepers' or 'meepers' in my mind, and wanted to create a job role, but it never came to anything beyond 'Eeper, Eeper, Chimney Sweeper' which I couldn't wrangle into anything so I half-resolved to just let go and let God. In light of the votes, I think I might try this laissez faire attitude from now on as I really threw it out in about ten minutes and then just had to query a compound word with the mods.

Well done again StilLearning.

pH
 
mosaix said:
Quite right UM, I have this very minute found the story in the 100.

I blame it on my age.
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I wouldn't sweat it. I've left my debit card in the card reader in my local Tesco's self-service till three times in the past fortnight. Today when I went in the security guard even came up to me and said, 'We have something belonging to you.'

Mortified.

pH
 
Congratulations StilLearning, and thanks for the mention.

My story started out as something totally different, but incredibly long and rewrites and murderous editing did not help one bit, until I used the word Pachyderm instead of elephant. For some reason paradigm popped into my head at the same time and that was it, I had to write something with those two words in.

There was a lot lacking, especially concerning the New Weird, so as I often do tried to add something to the tale by setting myself a challenge, in this case one I have used before, but it is fun. The story has (or should have) two acrostics in it, benevolence and malevolence. However there are two fails.

The first as Chrispy pointed out was that I have spelt both words wrong, totally my fault and I should have double checked.

The second was working the word antithesis into the middle of the story, so you had benevolence antithesis malevolence at the beginning middle and end.
 
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