Discussion - October 75 Word Writing Challenge

[Ian Fortytwo]

Congratulations to @Margaret Note Spelling .

 

[Hugh]

Many many congratulations @Margaret Note Spelling

and I much appreciated the mentions from @The Judge @D3athw4lker @Parson and thank you also for the lovely comment @Starbeast

 

[Luiglin]

Congrats @Margaret Note Spelling a storming win.

Thanks for the vote @Shyrka and for the mentions folks.

Just forget, didn't have time to post but I just loved the rhythm of @Mr Orange's piece.

I went with fable, although I'm not sure if the life lesson was obvious enough. I didn't have the words left or, to be honest, the desire to explain it as part of the tale itself. I wanted to leave it at the point where folks would either get it or not. Myna had the unique ability to mimic other birds. While other birds saw this, he didn't and kept kept seeking out more beautiful songs which unfortunately led to his downfall. The moral? Never live in in anyone else's shadow.

 

[elvet]

Well done @Margaret Note Spelling ! I had never heard of Plato’s Cave before, so I thank you for that introduction.
As soon as I saw the challenge, I knew I wanted to write about a sundial. The verse part of it reminded me of childhood rhymes we would sing when skipping rope or playing. Many of of those had much older (and sometimes more ominous) origins. That was my link to the fable part, though I realize now that I missed the true definition. At any rate, as simple a poem as it was, it was harder to compose that a regular story. My hat goes off to @chrispenycate and anyone else who writes verses for our challenges.

 

[The Judge]

Congratulations, Margaret! A lovely story.

Legal-eyed, camel-laden thanks for the near-miss shortlisting Phyrebrat, and for the stealth vote Ursa! (I do miss seeing your count-down shortlistings, Ursa -- I know you're busy at the poll's end, but could you not give us the jury's results next day?)


Re my story, as I mentioned, I plundered Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Apparently there's an English saying/expression -- one I've never heard of -- "To wrangle for an ass's shadow", meaning to argue over trifles. To quote from Brewer:

"The tale told by Demosthenes is that a man hired an ass to take him to Megara; and at noon, the sun being very hot, the traveller dismounted, and set himself down in the shadow of the ass. Just then the owner came up and claimed the right of sitting in this shady spot, saying that he let out the ass for hire, but there was no bargain made about the ass's shade. The two men then fell to blows to settle the point in dispute. While they were wrangling the ass took to its heels and ran away, leaving them both in the glare of the sun."​

​

I'm sure all the men around Demosthenes were thrilled by this anecdote, but being a woman I immediately started asking questions about the enormous plot hole. How had the owner got there without his own mount? And if he had one, why didn't he use its shadow? Not to mention how much shadow could one small donkey give anyway. And in the spirit of DS9's Garak and the wrong moral being drawn, why didn't either of the two men think to tether the bloody donkey to stop it running off? Hence my revised version, which I'm delighted amused so many of you!

I have to come up with November's theme and genre.

It's okay, I've already got a few ideas about that. But I'm definitely going to have to beg someone for help with the formatting and technical parts of setting up the threads. When does it have to be up by? Is the text-coloring mandatory? Do I get to pick it, or is there a designated coloring for each month's challenge?

I know nixie has already contacted you about approving the theme and genre, but just to confirm that one of us** can deal with putting both threads up and making the links if you'd prefer. (Copy-and-pasting might seem the easiest way, but the formatting is usually stripped out so it can get a bit complicated if you want everything centred...) It doesn't have to go up before 1 November, and even then there's no great rush, so if it doesn't go up until later in the day where you are, there's no problem. Text colours are optional but can be useful for highlighting stuff, and the colours can be whatever you want, though most often less is best as otherwise the clash can be rather overwhelming and obscure the actual message!

** by that I mean the mods who are involved with the Writing Challenges -- me, nixie, Ursa, TDZ, chrispenycate, Culhwch, Teresa, HareBrain and pyan -- though not all of us are active in the Challenges at any one time (for instance, HB is usually curled up in his form asleep, only emerging to win with a story that has underwear in it).

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Congratulations, @Margaret Note Spelling! It's a very good story, and well-deserved (and overwhelming) victory. Looking forward to your Challenge choices.

 

[Vince W]

Congratulations @Margaret Note Spelling. A commanding win.

 

[Artoriarius]

Congratulations, @Margaret Note Spelling! A well-deserved win if ever I saw one!

And thanks for voting for my story—I'm glad you liked it!

 

[Margaret Note Spelling]

I know nixie has already contacted you about approving the theme and genre, but just to confirm that one of us** can deal with putting both threads up and making the links if you'd prefer.

Thanks, that's reassuring. Can I ask what usually happens when a newbie has to post the challenge?

 

[Parson]

Thanks, that's reassuring. Can I ask what usually happens when a newbie has to post the challenge?

You don't want to know.

 

[Margaret Note Spelling]

I do! I do!

 

[Margaret Note Spelling]

Please?

 

[The Judge]

Naughty Parson! Now isn't the time to hint at the ceremonial sacrificial rites. celebrations.

Can I ask what usually happens when a newbie has to post the challenge?

I don't think we have a "usual"! It's up to the winner -- if he/she wants to post and is happy to cope with the software, we let them get on with it! If, though, the winner is less happy or simply doesn't have the time, then we'll do the necessary. Whatever you're comfortable with. By the way, have you got a nice white linen gown? It looks good on the altar in the photos.

 

[Margaret Note Spelling]

I'd be happy to participate in any weird sacrificial ceremonies (especially if they include big drippy candles) celebrations.

Oh, especially if they include big drippy candles.

Photos? Altar? I'm not sure I've got anything made of linen. Will cotton work as a substitute, or is it not eldritch symbolic enough?

 

[Phyrebrat]

Congratulations @Margaret Note Spelling
pH

 

[scarpelius]

Congratulation @Margaret Note Spelling .

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

Well done @Margaret Note Spelling

And thanks to @D3athw4lker for the vote

And thanks for the mentions everyone who mentioned.

And thanks for reading everyone who read.

 

[Mr Orange]

Just forget, didn't have time to post but I just loved the rhythm of @Mr Orange's piece.

thanks @Luiglin. unfortunately for me I got it into my head to do this month in the form of a limerick well before I had any idea on the theme and genre. fable definitely fits the limerick form better than a myth does, but I still needed a massive shoehorn to try and get it to work. on the plus side, it came out at 66 words on the first go so there was no issue with needing to cut out words.

 

[LittleStar]

Congrats, Margaret Note Spelling. A very convincing win for a good story!

And thank you very much, Cullwch, for the vote I’ve just seen. Not sure I’ve had one of them for a while

My own entry went down the myth route. An attempt to show the myth to explain a sun that sets for months at a time... in this case a Hero/sun god swallowed by a dragon and reborn ready bright and early for sunrise

 

[mosaix]

Well, I waited all week for a vote and then two came along together. A bit like busses. Thanks T.J. And Pb.

Thanks everyone else who mentioned / shortlisted my entry.

I went down the fable route with a Brer Rabbit story as T.J. noted. Once I had the idea it almost wrote itself.