DISCUSSION — May 2018 75-Word Writing Challenge

Hugh said:
My understanding of the genre is informed by wikipedia
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The development of weird fiction did not end with the demise of the authors you mentioned, but is still with us today, much of it under the heading of New Weird, which that Wiki article happens to mention.
 
Ursa major said:
The development of weird fiction did not end with the demise of the authors you mentioned, but is still with us today, much of it under the heading of New Weird, which that Wiki article happens to mention.
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And I have as yet read very little SFF beyond the 1970s. One day...
 
I've voted!
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Couldn't get into it which is ... weird because I love the stuff.
So here's a few obs.
Loads of great entries.
These stood out.
@Mr Orange - Beyond - 'a waivering figure' gets me there.
@D3athw4lker - The Crossing - reads quickly the first time.
@Perpetual Man - A Lifetime - conjured strong visuals and emotions.
@M. Robert Gibson - Dance of the seven - it's that last line ...
@Phyrebrat - The Jilted - well creepy. Is the woman based on a folk story character/moteif?
@Stable - Release - feels like a classic Weird fiction. a 350 page version please.
 
@The Judge Truth is stranger than fiction. And your piece is a bit too real. Sex change operations are quite popular in Iran so as a way to avoid the death penalty for homosexuality. So, I couldn't vote for you because...you cheated!

Iran's Thriving Sex-Change Operations Industry

@Perpetual Man your piece was eloquent and flowed nicely and built up to a fitting end. However...

I voted for @Ashleyne. Sooo wierd. I still don't quite get it, but its creepy and a little funny and I have to keep reading and reading it to try and figure out what kind of mess is going on there.
 
Ursa major said:
While we can't explain our entries until after the voting is over, I don't think I'd be breaking the rules by saying, "No cigar." (Sorry. )
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Curses! Next time!

Seriously, I'm constantly intrigued by how people interpret my entries and how it can morph into something I didn't intend in their perception.
 
Ursa major -- This deceptively quiet tale show how thin the line is between the ordinary and extraordinary.

unbusy thing -- The depiction of a bizarre form battle reveals the insanity of warfare in this powerful story.

The Judge -- This allegorical fable addresses an important issue in a memorable way.

TheDustyZebra -- Through the use of myth, the author creates a portrait of the universal fate of humanity.

Mr Orange -- This eerie poem paints a portrait of a chilling transformation through free verse.


__________________________________________________________________

This was a very difficult challenge. There were many entries that were difficult for me to understand. Thus, my short list is quite limited. For managing the arduous task of fulfilling the requirements, while also being comprehensible and creating a compelling work of fiction, I selected these four names.

Perpetual Man

johnnyjet

The Judge

TheDustyZebra

For similar reasons, I cast my vote for a writer who makes a most memorable debut.

D3athw4lker
 
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Shyrka said:
Curses! Next time!

Seriously, I'm constantly intrigued by how people interpret my entries and how it can morph into something I didn't intend in their perception.
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Yup. Writing is a mirror of our own filter/lens of life and we populate our stories with things informed from our cultural capital. Readers populate our stories from their own perspective so therefore it’s important to be aware and accept that.

I recall a rather heated debate here a year or so ago where a (now-departed) member was ranting about how he/she wanted to get the exact image they had in their mind onto paper so the reader didn’t ‘get it wrong’. No matter how much we said it’s an impossible task, he wouldn’t have it. In the end I think prams and the throwing of toys featured heavily before the inevitable exeunt.

I quite like other people telling me what they saw in my stories, though.

pH
 
Sigh! This was a hard job. It's never easy to vote, but this time was more difficult than usual. It seemed that this was a particularly hard challenge. Be that as it may, I found some that appealed to me quite a bit.

@Victoria Silverwolf .... "The Discovery"
@Peter V ..... "In the Eye of the Beholder"
@nixie .... "Wedded Bliss" ----- I may never get that image out of my mind. Why couldn't it be a lovely one. And don't ever say "I can't write."
@mosaix .... "Proof at Last"

And the story that I loved and was very timely but I just couldn't make it Weird Fiction...... @The Judge "To be - Veiled - or not to be"

My vote went to the truly wonderful story that was able to bring S.F. along with Weird Fiction and a wonderful Veil story.
@Shyrka -- "Seek Not, Lest You Draw Their Attention."
 
Thank you for the lovely vote, @Parson. I'm aiming to have the last few reviews done today and then I'll turn my eye to voting.
 
I voted for Cat's Cradle - The Cosmic Matryoshka, which I thought was outstanding. Even if it made me a little itchy.

Honourable mentions go to:
Luiglin - The Dance
Shyrka - Seek Not, Lest You Draw Their Attention
unbusy thing - Veil Wars 101
The Judge - To be – veiled – or not to be

Also many thanks to Graymalkin for the vote - at current speeds the 350 page version will be ready in July 2037. They will not be large pages.
 
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