DISCUSSION -- JULY 2019 300-word Writing Challenge (#34)

[Luiglin]

Five of us have zero votes. Never mind, I suppose its the taking part is the joy of it.

I've only just started doing OK. One part of me thinks that I must be getting better. Then the other side points out that I've probably just worn people down after being here so long

 

[Starbeast]

Five of us have zero votes. Never mind, I suppose its the taking part is the joy of it.

I fairly often feel that way, however I'm cloud-nining it this month!

The last few months I've been pretty dry for votes and mentions. I think I may be heading in the opposite direction of Luiglin. Or my evil boss at work may have a voodoo doll of me, that she is punting like a football, in her backyard.

 

[Rafellin]

Five of us have zero votes. Never mind, I suppose its the taking part is the joy of it.

Currently flying by with zero votes, zero honourable mentions... And a story for my next fantasy anthology.

The inspiration was err.. Inspirational and writing it was fun.

Which, at the end, is the only absolute rule about being an author: "Have fun. Above all – and always – have fun."

 

[Hugh]

Currently flying by with zero votes, zero honourable mentions... And a story for my next fantasy anthology.

The inspiration was err.. Inspirational and writing it was fun.

Which, at the end, is the only absolute rule about being an author: "Have fun. Above all – and always – have fun."

I hope you’ll explain your story once the voting has finished. It was my preferred choice and I would definitely have voted for it, only I couldn’t quite understand who was talking to who, and how many voices were involved. It was frustrating as I would have liked to vote for it.

 

[scarpelius]

I hope you’ll explain your story once the voting has finished. It was my preferred choice and I would definitely have voted for it, only I couldn’t quite understand who was talking to who, and how many voices were involved. It was frustrating as I would have liked to vote for it.

Same here.

 

[Tywin]

Honorable mentions:
- Starbeast
- Raffelin

 

[The Judge]

Lots to like this quarter, though I had some hard thinking to do, as at least one excellent story for me didn't seem to hit the genre, and since that's usually an automatic disqualification from the shortlist, I went back and forth for a long while, and in the end broke my own rule and added it. And that shortlist:

Cat's Cradle -- The Dinner Table​

Daysman -- Falling​

Garfunkel -- A Type of Bird​

J. C. Scoberg -- A Dark Deal​

johnnyjet -- Down Among the Dead Time Travelers​

mosaix -- No Trouble​

Phyrebrat -- Suffer The Children​

Vaz -- Howl​

And after a good bit more too-ing and fro-ing I finally plumped for the stories from CC, Phyrebrat and Vaz.

Not one of my better received stories, so I'm all the more grateful for the kind mentions CC, Starbeast and Phyrebrat, and most especially for the lovely vote johnnyjet!

 

[Starbeast]

Honorable mentions:
- Starbeast
- Raffelin

Thank you sir. You startled me with an honorable mention. You put a smile on my face.


Oh my gosh. This is the tense part of the voting period, for this 300 challenge. I need a bottle of cold water.

 

[Hugh]

Lots to like this quarter, though I had some hard thinking to do, as at least one excellent story for me didn't seem to hit the genre,

Can you clarify re genre, as I didn’t know there was one. I have difficulty with visual cues so used the “inspired by” to form word associations and then the opposites of these associations until I came up with an idea. I’m new to the 300 words so I may have got the wrong end of the stick as to what is acceptable.....

 

[Luiglin]

As far as I've always understood the image is there to inspire. If you see aliens and I see shopping trollies in an image of a milkshake then that's fine. There is no genre.

 

[Starbeast]

@Hugh It's like a Rorschach Test (a.k.a. Ink Blot Test). You interpret, what you see. Then write a story about it.

 

[Luiglin]

@Hugh It's like a Rorschach Test (a.k.a. Ink Blot Test). You interpret, what you see. Then write a story about it.

That's a way better explanation than my alien, shopping trollies, milkshake mash-up

 

[Phyrebrat]

It has to be some form of ‘speculative fiction’ which is difficult for me sometimes as I’ve often found I’ve written a story that is more a lyrical report of something that has happened or is mundane in some other way.

Thank you to @The Judge for the new vote!

pH

 

[Luiglin]

It has to be some form of ‘speculative fiction’ which is difficult for me sometimes as I’ve often found I’ve written a story that is more a lyrical report of something that has happened or is mundane in some other way.

Thank you to @The Judge for the new vote!

pH

Aha, so the pic is the Schrodinger's cat - both alien and shopping trolley - while it is accepted that entries should be speculative.

I've never given the 300 that much thought before.

It was a good job I didn't submit my daily diary of working my fingers to the bone at the proverbial work coal face then

 

[Starbeast]

I see, shopping carts.

 

[Culhwch]

The 300 worder is always SFF, but can be any genre within that very, very broad framework. As the 75 worder allows for more flexibility with genre, at the whim of the reigning champion, and as this is, you know, an SFF forum, we decided that the 300 worder should always adhere to that. It's always helpfully noted in the first post, too!

 

[Rafellin]

I hope you’ll explain your story once the voting has finished.

Same here.

Will do, once the voting is done.

 

[farntfar]

Great stories everyone.
My favourites were
@Cat's Cradle @J.C. Scoberg @chrispenycate @dannymcg @Perpetual Man @Parson @Garfunkel and @M. Robert Gibson
with my votes going to Cat's, Chris and Perp

 

[Luiglin]

Congrats @Cat's Cradle on the win. Great bit of storytelling.

Thanks nixie, chrispenycate, mosaix, Perpetual Man, Marvin, dannymcg, Peter V, M. Robert Gibson and J.C. Scoberg for the votes and the mentions folks. I believe that's my best 300 to date. Who'd have thought a tale about a cannibalistic old man and his dog would do that?

I must be wearing you down.

 

[mosaix]

Congratulations, CC!