DISCUSSION THREAD- January 2019- 75 Word Writing Challenge

[Phyrebrat]

Word's word-count is a bit silly when it comes to punctuation.

But Scrivener’s word count is perfect.

<goes off to pick up his commission cheque>

pH

 

[Heijan Xavier]

Should I submit even though the finished product will receive far less editorial attention than it deserves?

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Pages is also reliable, as is Appleworks (if anyone still uses that now that Apple doesn't support it anymore) but I still do a final hand count to catch any words that are run together, because those can throw off even the most reliable machine count.

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Wow! This month's entries are dauntingly good. The voting should be interesting.

 

[Artoriarius]

Can't believe I'm this late - it's been a busier month than usual by far.

Unused (Cathbad) - I could've sworn I watered the Tree of Creativity just last year! Or was that the year before...?

Glacial Embrace (D.A. Xiaolin Spires) - And this is why I keep saying we should nuke every uninhabited world in the solar system, just to be sure.

... from his blood a dragon will rise (scarpelius) - Now, see, what you're supposed to do is get somebody else to make the leap. Then you get the dragon.

Planted (elvet) - Remember: Always check the woods for ents, dryads, and other tree-based beings before you start cutting.

The Root of All Good (Karn's Return) - This is why we don't let the demons decide who goes to Hell anymore.

Last Contact (Victoria Silverwolf) - Remember: Always check the woods for aliens, symbiotes, and other sentient trees before you start cutting.

The Damned Drilling (Cat's Cradle) - If you're pleading for mercy, the demons consider that a job well done.

Police Action (Daysman) - On the bright side, he won't have had his lucky coin in the first place for very much longer.

Entanglement (Tisiphone) - I'm sure they just wanted to offer a counterpoint to what she was pondering, is all.

The Haunted House (Calliopenjo) - I think that's where you book it and come back with a flamethrower. Unspeakable spirits of ineffable evil hate flamethrowers.

Rooted in History (D3athw4lker) - This is the thing that always annoys the Belmonts, you know. This whole coming-back-to-lifeundeath thing. If he could just not do that, it'd be great.

No title as yet (Bagpuss) - Always be careful while planting, lest you be planted yourself.

And The Neighbours Are Quite Nice... (mosaix) - Such a lovely place to stay a while. Such lovely, lovely trees.

The Hanging Tree (Culhwch) - As the old folk saying I just made up this moment goes, "Ne'er hang an innocent man on the hanging tree, lest the hanging tree hang thee!"

Square Up to Satan (dannymcg) - Really, it's the rounding Old Scratch is offended by. He doesn't accept anything other than thirteen digits, you know.

The Beanstalk Feeds (Pedro Del Mar) - Now they've got no cow, no money, and no garden. The farm's ruined for sure.

Tree of Life (Vaz) - And so a cosmic ending turns into another beginning. Aren't they all, really?

Mandragora Cries (M. Robert Gibson) - Always wear earmuffs when uprooting mandrakes, my granny used to say; and those words have served me well my entire life.

Enough (Ivy Moser) - The dwarves were right! The trees are plotting against us! Why didn't we listen?

How the Trees Grew (nixie) - Remember: Always check the pub for local gossip, local rumours, and other lesser-known local facts before you begin cutting.

Cheating never prospers (Ian Fortytwo) - They took it a lot less well at the chess club when I had sixteen queens on my side of the board. Don't know why.

A Kick in the Teeth (Shyrka) - As it turns out, that was the troll's armpit. Kicking each other in the armpit is how trolls say hello, you know.

Game Night (Luiglin) - To be fair, the Dark Lord was probably cheating. (...Is it stereotyping if I say that? I feel like it is.)

Ancestry Commandeered (johnnyjet) - Two words guaranteed to cause trouble: "Remain Calm".

Flowers and Weeds (HazelRah) - Could be worse. Could've been a watermelon.

Love vs. Law (Parson) - You can't kill a religion; you can replace it, or you can alter it somewhat, but you can't kill it.

Modelling Love in the Age of Big Data (CTRandall) - This is the geeky equivalent of a romcom, I think.

Gardener's Dilemma (Hugh) - Remember: Always check the wood for vikings, squirrels, and other world trees before you start cutting.

Harvester (David Evil Overlord) - Could've been worse. The Venusians wouldn't have been too happy if it had been them, you know.

Autumn Light (LittleStar) - I... have no jokes here. Lovely verse - well done.

Abject Stupidity (Perpetual Man) - This seems like something that'd happen in Dwarf Fortress. (I mean that as a compliment, of course.)

Root Day (Vince W) - This is why you never take the alien plants back to the home planet until after you're sure they mean you no harm.

DENILE DAILY NEWS (Bob Senior) - It's a fair-oah cop. At least he didn't blame his mummy. So that's how the Sphinx got its scarab-y nose job. (I'll stop now.)

My Place - For Padraic Fiacc (Jo Zebedee) - It's a terrible thing, when someone you consider a Great Influence passes away. At least their works are left as a continuing inspiration.

Delirium (Teresa Edgerton) - Remember: Always check the wood for mindworms, regrowing saplings, and other eldritch infestations before you start cutting.

 

[Artoriarius]

Should I submit even though the finished product will receive far less editorial attention than it deserves?

I'd say go right ahead - if it's good, you'll find out, and if it's not good, nobody will mind.

(Well, except Complaints Georg, who lives on a forum and complains about over 10,000 posts each day; but he's rather passé these days adn should not be counted.)

 

[Peter V]

No update from my friend regarding my first effort. I contacted him today and he told me he had not had time to look properly for the story he claims is extremely close to mine. I did tell him it was surely too cold to be playing golf and with nothing else to do there is no excuse. I won't repeat his reply.

Nonetheless I have trialed over an alternative and it must surely be my most arduous attempt at a 75. I looked back through all the versions and tweaks, thinking I was probably in double figures by now but to my horror, my latest iteration is actually the nineteenth version.

And I am still not happy with it.

Just to rub salt in the wounds, story number one had one minor rewrite and it was done.

Moreover this has completely detracted from any attempt at the 300. I will not be sending that one to my friend (if I actually get round to writing one)

Moan over.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Should I submit even though the finished product will receive far less editorial attention than it deserves?

Submit. I wrore mine and posted after one word count. It’s a bit of fun

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

If by "editorial attention" you mean that you want a critique on your story, Heijan Xavier, then after this month's challenge is over, and a winner chosen, you can take that story and post it in the Improving Our 75 Word Stories thread. Otherwise, I am not sure what you are asking. People don't post their stories in the Challenges for editorial attention. It's a writing exercise, and as Jo said, also meant to be fun.

There are the reviews of course, and we all appreciate those who take the time to write them. But the reviewers try to be even-handed in the amount of attention they pay each story, because every story that meets the challenge of theme, genre, and word count, deserves recognition.

 

[Cathbad]

I won't say which story it was, but I almost hit the "Like" button, realized it was against the rules, but almost convinced myself to do it, anyway!!

-Cathbad Maponus, Anarchist Wanna-Be

 

[HoopyFrood]

All right, I have caved in to peer (well, Nixie) pressure.

 

[Luiglin]

I won't say which story it was, but I almost hit the "Like" button, realized it was against the rules, but almost convinced myself to do it, anyway!!

-Cathbad Maponus, Anarchist Wanna-Be

Give yourself to the Dark side.

 

[nixie]

Give yourself to the Dark side.

I really wouldn't encourage others to break the rules.

*pats Wally*

 

[Luiglin]

I really wouldn't encourage others to break the rules.

*pats Wally*

Pats Wally? That's not the East Side Pats Wally aka Knuckle Crusher Wally aka Size 10 in face Wally aka Pats the Kitten Rescuer?

 

[Heijan Xavier]

If by "editorial attention" you mean that you want a critique on your story,.

I probably should have replaced that phrase with “revision.”

 

[nixie]

Pats Wally? That's not the East Side Pats Wally aka Knuckle Crusher Wally aka Size 10 in face Wally aka Pats the Kitten Rescuer?

Wally my large crocodile companion, we feed him spammers and apples, he does occasionally take chunks out of people who he thinks upset his friends ( his excuse, and he's sticking to it), he's also the reason no one wears leather in cracked pot.

 

[Parson]

@Vince W .... Root Day .... Vince tells a tale that points us to the fact that real danger is not always really apparent.

@Bob Senior .... DENILE DAILY NEWS .... Bob lays the truth between the lines of many puns.

@Jo Zebedee .... My Place - For Padraic Fiacc .... Jo's story pulls at the heart strings of the Irish literary legacy.

@Teresa Edgerton .... Delirium .... T.E. questions life, intelligence, and madness in a short 75 words.

@Artoriarius .... A Successful Experiment .... Art reminds us that the success of an experiment is in the eyes of the beholder.

@Heijan Xavier .... Roots of Freedom .... Heijan waxes philosophical as he considers what is truly free.

@Peter V .... From Small Acorns .... Peter retells the essence of the Pandora myth from an meglamanic point of view.

@HoopyFrood ... The Tree on the Village Green .... Hoops draws us toward eternal sadness at the treatment of humans by other humans.

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Okay, wow! Nixie and Dusty have obviously stirred up the troops. Good job guys!

 

[Artoriarius]

Roots of Freedom (Heijan Xavier) - I never listen to the roots; they're just trying to get people to join them in the dust, anyway.

From Small Acorns (Peter V) - On the bright side, if the Tree reaches just a little higher, it'll breach Heaven and the demons can leave that way.

The Tree on the Village Green (HoppyFrood) - Hanging parties are the worst kinds of parties. Well, second-worst.

 

[Luiglin]

Game Night (Luiglin) - To be fair, the Dark Lord was probably cheating. (...Is it stereotyping if I say that? I feel like it is.)

Unfortunately, not in his present incarnation but not to worry, the Minion does it for him.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I probably should have replaced that phrase with “revision.”

Ah, I see now. Since I became an editor, when I see any reference to editing my mind has a tendency to go to outside attention, though when I was doing more writing myself I probably would have thought first of self-editing and understood what you meant. So the mistake was mine.

 

[Ursa major]

The challenge is now closed to new entries.

Voting is open at the link below:

POLL -- January 2019 75-Word Challenge -- READ FIRST POST!​

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