Discussion Thread -- August 2017 75-word Writing Challenge

[Vaz]

Shorty List

Luiglin
Teresa
The Judge
Word Warrior
Shyrka
Cidetraq
Hazelrah
Dan Jones

Vote

Littlestar

v

 

[Perpetual Man]

really was wrenched when it came to voting this month, vacillating from one to another, so narrowing it down to one was a case of the most innocuous things possible, even down to the use of a word that took my fancy.

It came down, in the end to my SB and TJ, with TJ just squeezing it at the last.

And many thanks to Cathbad for the vote!

 

[Bob Senior]

Howdy,
Thanks Victoria and Parson for the kind reviews.
Thank you Johnnyjet for the listing, saved my butt from being totally lost among all the great stories.

I must say what a great job the Parson is doing with the reviews, keep up the good work.

Voted for Luiglin, good story, made perfect sense to me.

Parson the new place looks real nice, that's more concrete than I've seen in some time, they've had my road torn up all year, welcome to the dust bowl.

Bob

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Hmmm. Not a lot of votes cast as yet, I see, and the deadline fast approaches.

 

[TitaniumTi]

Short list:
@Luiglin @Victoria Silverwolf @Stable

Vote:
@chrispenycate

 

[Luiglin]

Hmmm. Not a lot of votes cast as yet, I see, and the deadline fast approaches.

I'm contemplating. However having canoed a fair few miles on a river today the rest of my body is telling my contemplation to sleep on it.

Cheers for the mentions and for the vote @Bob Senior.

 

[Phyrebrat]

...and for the vote @Bob Senior.

There you go! See?

pH

 

[Vaz]

I'm always frustrated with my writing. We all should be IMO. Whether we're unpublished, or reach GRRM level fandom, we should be frustrated. Frustration means we're not happy with our writing and know we can improve. The day I feel comfortable is the day I stop telling stories, even if I only tell them to myself.

Edit: many thanks to The Music dude Peat and our high flyer JohnnyJet for the kind mentions.

v

 

[Phyrebrat]

But repeated frustration can lead to despondency and withdrawal, which is counter productive. Like a broken laptop...

pH

 

[LittleStar]

Hard to choose my winner from two stories this month, and it's so tight at the top as it is. But choose I must.

Shortlist
Victoria
Teresa
Starbeast
Dan

With Hazelrah missing out on the win by a tiny margin.
My vote goes to Perp this month

 

[TheDustyZebra]

chrispy -- Tendering my Resignation
Cathbad -- Just Another Bounty
CC -- The Black Market
Vaz -- Pieces from the Whole
Stable -- The Little Boat that Could
JJ -- So Near and Yet So Far
Peter V -- The Last Night
Travis Woodward -- The Loneliness of Singularity
Bob Senior -- The Contraption
*Dan Jones -- I Believe that the Heart Does Go On*
ratsy -- Sacrifice
The Big Peat -- End of the Line


And tremendous, grateful thanks to Teresa for the mention!

 

[farntfar]

My short list
Chrispy
Cathbad
Dannymcg
Dave Barsby
Luiglin
Cat's Cradle
HazelRah
Mosaix
Ratsy
TDZ

but my vote goes to
Stable for The little boat that could.

 

[Abernovo]

Thank you for the mention, @Phyrebrat.

Just finished reading the entries again, and found there's still time to edit, so here goes...
There were, as ever, some great stories.

@Teresa Edgerton was on form, as ever;
@Perpetual Man had me on the verge of tears (you are evil! - and a very good writer).

There were two stories which could have taken my vote, and which I enjoyed reading more than once:
@HazelRah transported me to a workshop I could visualise and almost feel in The Maker, with the toymaker coming to life through emotion; and
@TheDustyZebra put a steampunk spin on fairy tales with To Love the Babe, which I'd definitely buy if made into a novel or set of short stories.

Unfortunately, only one vote is allowed, so that went to @LittleStar.
To Be Beautiful was simple on the face of it, but full of deep emotional insights. Who hasn't felt unsure of themself? The story was, itself, just beautiful, and so wonderfully positive, it won me over.

 

[Ashleyne]

Thanks, Parson, for the shortlisting!

My shortlist:

Cat's Cradle - The Black Market

Teresa Edgerton - From Herr Drosselmeyer's Workshop

Joshua Jones - The Sacrifice

I voted for Perpetual Man - Forever

 

[Luiglin]

Now that my limbs are working once more here are my fave three with the vote going to @Vaz.

@Vaz - ferros soul
@mosaix - tender-hearted luddite
@Dan Jones - you have to recycle

 

[Vaz]

Many thanks Luiglin. Made my day!

v

 

[Danny McG]

Oh wow!
I got a mention on a short list.
It feels much cosier than thinking you're being disregarded

(Wags tail against the floorboards)

 

[The Judge]

I dunno. The theme of "Tenderness" and it leads to yet another feast of dismemberment and death...

As ever, some pieces that for me didn't quite hit the genre -- either of them -- or the theme, and several others I didn't understand, all of which at least means I could prune off some entries quickly in arriving at my shortlist, which is a bit shorter than usual as I've been ruthless:

HazelRah -- The Maker
LittleStar -- To Be Beautiful
Perpetual Man -- Forever
Teresa Edgerton -- From Herr Drosselmeyer's Workshop
TheDustyZebra -- To Love the Babe
Word Warrior -- Make me numb or else I die​

This one wasn't easy and I kept changing my mind, but finally I plumped for TDZ's sweet story of sacrifice, just ahead of Word Warrior and Perp's tales.

I'm delighted to see my story had some attention, especially as the punchline would have made no sense to anyone unacquainted with one of her most famous songs, so dirty-ditty, risque *ahem* thanks for the mentions/shortlistings Stable, Parson, Phyrebrat, johnnyjet and Vaz, and innuendo-laden, but oh-so tender mega-thanks for the lovely vote Perp!

 

[chrispenycate]

I have voted - even if I didn't own up to it straight off.

My short list was:- Dave Barsby, HazelRah, Luiglin, Parson, Perpetual Man, ratsy. Teresa Edgerton. and Vaz, with Vaz finally getting the vote - all this international travel is slowing me down.

According to my probably not quite accurate lists, the votes we are missing are:- AstroZon. Cat's Cradle. cidetraq. D.A. Xiaolin Spires. Dan Jones, Dave Barsby. HazelRah, Ihe, Joshua Jones, Peter V, ratsy, Shyrka, Starbeast and Ursa major but we do have: Wruter, David Evil Overlord and farntfar who voted without submitting.

Thanks very much farntfar, johnnyjet and TheDustyZebra for the mentions, and, of course, Heijan Xavier, TitaniumTi and nixie for the votes - whooee, three votes, I'll have to throw things out ultra-fast without corrections more often.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Running late, so here are my lists;

Honorables:
Cathbad, Victoria, Perpetual Man, Peter V, LittleStar, TDZ

Shortlist:
Stable, Travis Woodward, HazelRah

Finalists:
cidetraq, Teresa, johnnyjet, TJ

Vote:
johnnyjet's moving story.

Thank you to all who listed my story!!