DISCUSSION -- April 2018 300 Word Writing Challenge #29

[The Judge]

While we wait for voting to end in the tie-breaker poll in the 75s, the new Challenge year starts with the 300 Worder, and a great Challenge it's going to be.

Since the images were neck and neck until my final vote, for this quarter we're having the runner-up from December's Image Poll, namely Door in the Mountain. And the Challenge thread is here 300 WORD WRITING CHALLENGE #29 (April 2018) -- PLEASE READ FIRST POST!!


And we're delighted to announce that for this Challenge we have A PRIZE!!

Our very own Dan Jones,
author extraordinaire, globe-trotter, AI expert and general misfit misanthrope mastermind
(I knew it began with "m")
is offering an ebook of his new novel
MAN O' WAR
to the winner of the Challenge
(with the option of the paperback instead if the winner is from the UK)​

So get your thinking caps on and start those stories! We want to see a record number of entries chasing for Dan's book!

As usual, the thread is closed until the 10th, so you've got lots of time to write and polish and prink and polish some more.

Good luck everyone!

 

[Phyrebrat]

Dammmmit. I just ordered it on Amazon before I came to France. Where's my incentive? Okay,okay, maybe if I do well, @HareBrain can send me the sequel to The Goddess Project.

Yours Sprained Ankledly in France,

pH

 

[Joshua Jones]

Thank you, @Dan Jones, for offering this incentive. I have enjoyed your work in the challenges, so I love the idea of reading your novel.

Do you have a description of it you would be willing to post here as extra incentive?

 

[The Judge]

Dammmmit. I just ordered it on Amazon before I came to France. Where's my incentive?

You could always flog one of them if you won!

Yours Sprained Ankledly in France,

That's going to put a kink in your pirouettes! Serves you right for drinking too much lambig and then jumping off a dolmen!

Thank you, @Dan Jones, for offering this incentive. I have enjoyed your work in the challenges, so I love the idea of reading your novel.

Do you have a description of it you would be willing to post here as extra incentive?

*hits head against laptop* I forgot to include links.

Anyhow, here's Dan's press release thread which links to the Amazon and other pages Man O'War Released Today!

 

[Dan Jones]

Thanks, TJ, for the announcement! I only hope that this incentive doesn't drive the challenge to record low numbers.

More seriously, I couldn't have written MOW without the support of Chrons, so I wanted to put a copy up as a thank you to everyone.

 

[Perpetual Man]

It's really kind of you to offer the prize Dan. I think one of the things that always stood out for the 300 word was the prize, so it is nice to see something back. Perhaps it is a trend that could be started with all you writers out there offering a book as a prize every now and then.

Umm. As for the picture I took one look and an idea popped straight into my head. I know it goes against the grain (and the rules) but the opening paragraph seemed so powerful that I just have to share it:

'In a hole in the ground there lived a Boggit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a Boggit-hole, and that means comfort.'

Thinking about it, it seems a bit familiar, can't quite put my finger on it.

 

[Starbeast]

Firstly. Nice photo Chris Green
Secondly, @Dan Jones , you are a very cool guy for the offering a book prize.
Thirdly, @Perpetual Man , keep your fingers away from Boggit holes.
And fourthly, I can't remember the original idea I had for this photo (4 photo choice in December for the January 300). No worries, I got time.

 

[Danny McG]

'In a hole in the ground there lived a Boggit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a Boggit-hole, and that means comfort

I had a similar idea, mine starts with..
"Marley was dead"

 

[Ursa major]

"Marley was dead"

A night on the tiles can have that effect....

 

[Heijan Xavier]

It's really kind of you to offer the prize Dan. I think one of the things that always stood out for the 300 word was the prize, so it is nice to see something back. Perhaps it is a trend that could be started with all you writers out there offering a book as a prize every now and then.

Umm. As for the picture I took one look and an idea popped straight into my head. I know it goes against the grain (and the rules) but the opening paragraph seemed so powerful that I just have to share it:

'In a hole in the ground there lived a Boggit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a Boggit-hole, and that means comfort.'

Thinking about it, it seems a bit familiar, can't quite put my finger on it.

Way to much info dump in the first line.

No one who writes like that can be successful...

...right?

 

[Rafellin]

Thanks to Dan Jones for donating the prize. Good man.

Interesting picture. I thought it was a miss for me, then a little while ago the story arrived, whole cloth. Love it when that happens.

 

[Heijan Xavier]

'In a hole in the ground there lived a Boggit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a Boggit-hole, and that means comfort.'

Thinking about it, it seems a bit familiar, can't quite put my finger on it.

Can you explain the idea of a Boggit? I’m from the southern USA so My English is not very English at all.

Is a Boggit like, anyone not from Dublin?

 

[Cathbad]

396 words.

We got us some cuttin' ta do!

Dang-it.

 

[Perpetual Man]

Can you explain the idea of a Boggit? I’m from the southern USA so My English is not very English at all.

Is a Boggit like, anyone not from Dublin?

A boggit is a fictional character, invented to confuse grockels. There a two breeds of boggit; land boggits and water boggits, the later are particularly rare and unique to The Lizard in Cornwall. They are half hare, half fox and have very sharp teeth. A boggit hunt takes place every year on the 9th September.

All very localised to this part of the world - 'grockels' mentioned in the above are tourists/people who aren't Cornish.

and...

Something from my very distant youth

 

[The Judge]

It's the 10th, so the 300 Challenge is officially open for entries!

 

[Cathbad]

Egads!

I better get to editing!

 

[Luiglin]

Damn, I'm struggling with the 75 let alone the 300.

 

[Dan Jones]

I have something, but it's going to be a bit, um, "out there." Probably for the best. I don't want to go and accidentally win the bugger, given the prize on offer.

 

[Luiglin]

I have something, but it's going to be a bit, um, "out there." Probably for the best. I don't want to go and accidentally win the bugger, given the prize on offer.

Right, that's you down for one of my votes (if not all three) ;p

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Rafellin -- This heartrending vision of apocalypse leads one to ponder whether one's actions are effective.