DISCUSSION -- October 2017 300-Word Writing Challenge (#27)

[Dan Jones]

I feel encouraged.

And that's the best bit about the challenges! Nothing compares to the feeling of being encouraged. Good on ya!

 

[Starbeast]

Many excellent entries. However, I finally came up with my Long List, Short List and **** Favorites ****: 10. In a Bakery, Far, Far, Away – Starbeast.

Thanks to the mentions by Peter V and Starbeast and for the vote (yay!) by dannymcq! Very nice considering how tough the competition was this time!

You're very welcome, Johnnyjet. Excellent and creepy tale that you have written. And a big THANK YOU for you mentioning my story.

Special mention to Starbeast, whose highly enjoyable tale of compete and utter nonsense easily made me LOL more than once ("Tall, black and bitter, Like my dad!"). And it was a special treat for Sekrit Santa fans!

Thanks for the wonderful comment, Dan Jones. I enjoyed your unique entry as well.

When the voting is over, I'll explain the weird reason why I wrote it.

 

[DelActivisto]

caliopenjo

wruter

Spoots



Runner: starbeast

 

[SPoots]

caliopenjo

wruter

Spoots



Runner: starbeast

Thanks very much. I'm really encouraged to have got votes on this!!
Yay verification!

 

[Phyrebrat]

I've just finished my second read through of the entries and still have seven winners. I'm going to eat and see how I can make a decision on the top three.

pH

 

[Cathbad]

Hey, you! Yeah, you know who you are.

Thanks for the stealth vote!

 

[LittleStar]

Maybe in January with have a picture filled with a basket of happy piglets and one of those tennis balls with a smiley face on it for them to play with... You guys can't make dark and scary from that, surely!

(Note to self: write a happy story next time too!)



My shortlist this month
Ihe
Luiglin
Wruter
Kerry
Starbeast
Joshua jones
Dan
TJ


But my three vote-getters are:-
Victoria
Mosaix
Vaz

Good work everyone

 

[Joshua Jones]

Thank you @Ihe, @Starbeast, @AlexH, @SPoots, @johnnyjet, and @LittleStar for the mentions. No votes yet, but this isn't terribly surprising, given how good the stories were this quarter.

I hopefully will be able to make a proper shortlist shortly. Votes went to @Kerrybuchanan, @Bashfull, and @The Judge.

 

[Starbeast]

@Victoria Silverwolf

I was looking at my Finalist post and noticed your name wasn't included, I must have accidentally deleted it. Big GOOF on my part, sorry. I feel like an idiot donkey brain.

Outstanding and mysterious story. Keep up the AWESOMENESS, Lady Victoria.



Finalists & Votes (original list*)

@Ashleyne - VOTE - Beautiful
@Cat's Cradle
@Ihe
@Cathbad
@dannymcg - VOTE - Tremendous Drama
@Luiglin
@Victoria Silverwolf *
@Joshua Jones
@mosaix - VOTE - Creepy Cool
@johnnyjet
@Teresa Edgerton
@Dan Jones
@ratsy
@Ursa major
@TheDustyZebra

Runner: starbeast

Why thank you very-too-much. Ya made may night, less dark.

My shortlist this month
Starbeast

Good work everyone

I highly agree with you, LittleStar. Everyone did a spectacular job. And thank for the wonderful mention. I'm grinning like a possum eating a sweet potato.

Thank you @Ihe, @Starbeast, @AlexH, @SPoots, @johnnyjet, and @LittleStar for the mentions.

You're very welcome bro. Diabolically delightful tale you wrote.

 

[Phyrebrat]

Okay, albeit kicking and screaming, having to narrow my nine votes to three, here're my choices:

Shortlist, favourites, votes.

Ashleyne
Victoria
Chrispy
DA Xiaolin Spires
Spoots
Joshua Jones
Johnnyjet
Vaz
Teresa
Alex-H
Talysia
Bashfull
Dan
ratsy
TJ
TDZ

I knew two were going straight into my vote-list on the first read-through;

Victoria's Venetian elegiac symphony was not only evocative but anyone who knows me knows my obsession with the Renaissance in Italy, and anything Florentine or Venetian will turn my head so sharply it'd fall off. The story suggests a darker presence behind the hood, but the reveal shows otherwise, is a lovely twist and reminiscent of the Gorgons myth.

Dan's killer driver struck a personal note for me. My brother was killed in 2011 by a young boy driving too fast. This happened in Saudi. Part of the law there has what is called - chillingly enough - a blood debt. My father was approached by the authorities and asked if we wanted to pursue the family and child for damages for my brother's death. My father's response was that this child has to live with the accident for the rest of his life, he's suffered enough without us chasing him for money. Somehow before I got to the end of Dan's story I divined the man had been involved in an accident and so the reveal struck me. The complexities of these things are Gordian and I think Dan's story alludes to that in only 300 words. Not all killers are wicked. On top of that were the wonderfully described entities and a horror fan like me can't pass that up.

TDZ's autmnal chill tale was another one that resounded with me simply because of the times I went through similar rites of passage with my friends as a child. I grew up in Oatlands Park and down the small road from my bedroom window was the Pavilion-esque Boating Industry House which we were convinced was haunted. It wasn't. Then, everyday on my way home from Cleves School, we would pass a dilapidated house where it was known 'The Witch of Weybridge' lived. I don't know where or why that belief came from beyond the house's poor state of repair, but it stuck with us kids. Reading TDZ's story really took me back to those days when we used to steal up the paths of those buildings and try to look in the windows. The description and wonderful turns of phrase in this story really resounded in me, reminding me of a Bradbury flavour of Something Wicked This Way Comes.

pH

 

[SPoots]

Okay, albeit kicking and screaming, having to narrow my nine votes to three, here're my choices:

Shortlist, favourites, votes.

Ashleyne
Victoria
Chrispy
DA Xiaolin Spires
Spoots
Joshua Jones
Johnnyjet
Vaz
Teresa
Alex-H
Talysia
Bashfull
Dan
ratsy
TJ
TDZ

I knew two were going straight into my vote-list on the first read-through;

Victoria's Venetian elegiac symphony was not only evocative but anyone who knows me knows my obsession with the Renaissance in Italy, and anything Florentine or Venetian will turn my head so sharply it'd fall off. The story suggests a darker presence behind the hood, but the reveal shows otherwise, is a lovely twist and reminiscent of the Gorgons myth.

Dan's killer driver struck a personal note for me. My brother was killed in 2011 by a young boy driving too fast. This happened in Saudi. Part of the law there has what is called - chillingly enough - a blood debt. My father was approached by the authorities and asked if we wanted to pursue the family and child for damages for my brother's death. My father's response was that this child has to live with the accident for the rest of his life, he's suffered enough without us chasing him for money. Somehow before I got to the end of Dan's story I divined the man had been involved in an accident and so the reveal struck me. The complexities of these things are Gordian and I think Dan's story alludes to that in only 300 words. Not all killers are wicked. On top of that were the wonderfully described entities and a horror fan like me can't pass that up.

TDZ's autmnal chill tale was another one that resounded with me simply because of the times I went through similar rites of passage with my friends as a child. I grew up in Oatlands Park and down the small road from my bedroom window was the Pavilion-esque Boating Industry House which we were convinced was haunted. It wasn't. Then, everyday on my way home from Cleves School, we would pass a dilapidated house where it was known 'The Witch of Weybridge' lived. I don't know where or why that belief came from beyond the house's poor state of repair, but it stuck with us kids. Reading TDZ's story really took me back to those days when we used to steal up the paths of those buildings and try to look in the windows. The description and wonderful turns of phrase in this story really resounded in me, reminding me of a Bradbury flavour of Something Wicked This Way Comes.

pH

Huzzah! Many thanks for placing mine among your favourites.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

reminding me of a Bradbury flavour of Something Wicked This Way Comes.

Oh wow. Funny, when I was messaging people frantically to come up with a word I was stuck on in the first lines, I said I needed to go read that really quick.

Thanks so much for the vote (of confidence)! I shall treasure it forever.

 

[Calliopenjo]

Yay. Someone liked my story. Thank you. lol.

I do apologize for being a bit lax in my voting duties.. I think with my muse going on vacation she took with her my brain. Not sure on that one but I think so. So, if the voting is still going on, I will do that tomorrow. I promise.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

The voting is still going on, through the 15th. Or that portion of the 15th that falls prior to midnight GMT, anyway.

 

[Shyrka]

After much deliberation, I decided upon the following:

Shortlist

Grandmother's Garden, @Ashleyne
Up the Garden Path, @Peter V
The Veil, @Victoria Silverwolf
Twilight Bravery, @chrispenycate
Pas Ce Soir, @Wruter
Changeling, @SPoots
The Demon of Whitecastle, @Joshua Jones
Dial M for... @mosaix
Tidying Up, @Teresa Edgerton
Suburban Legend, @Talysia
Model Citizens, @The Judge
The Wherewithal, @Ursa major

Votes

A LONG WAY HOME, @Kerrybuchanan
The Rogue of Roses & The Goddess, @Vaz
Convalescence, @Dan Jones

 

[Kerrybuchanan]

Thank you, @Shyrka

 

[Talysia]

Many thanks for the shortlistings, TitaniumTi, Ihe, SPoots, AlexH, Phyrebrat and Shyrka - they're much appreciated!

 

[Calliopenjo]

I actually voted. Yay!

Have a good weekend everyone.

 

[Danny McG]

Another! (Coughs and splutters with excitement) Another! Another!
I got another vote!
Thank you very much.
Four. I can't believe it, gotta go back and see who stealthed me now.
Edit: @jackwinabox57 thanks for voting

Four!!!!!!!!

 

[DragonAether]

For whoever voted for me.... I want to hug you.