Discussion Thread -- APRIL 2020 -- 300-Worder Writing Challenge (#37)

[Cat's Cradle]

That's cool that you're going first. You'll be fine, so post away (when ready).

edit: Good story to start us off, AP! Nice going.

 

[Parson]

@Astro Pen .... Retrospective .... A. Pen writes a story where the future sees the reflected past. And what the future sees might just change the world.

 

[Astro Pen]

Ok its in. I'm not discussing the work as such but it has stripped my paragraph indents. They disappeared when I posted. Is that normal?

 

[Parson]

Yes, it is normal. That's why everyone leaves a double space between paragraphs. You've still time to put the in. You have an hour to edit your story. I'm hoping for the sake of my review that you don't change the words of your lovely story. I really liked it and consider it an early favorite.

 

[The Judge]

Ok its in. I'm not discussing the work as such but it has stripped my paragraph indents. They disappeared when I posted. Is that normal?

Always. It's more noticeable in Critiques with the much longer posts, and we regularly have to step in and help with the formatting. We can't do that in the Challenges, but as Parson says you've time to make any edits you want, including leaving a clear line's space between paragraphs (or fiddling about with the indent if you prefer, but it's more longwinded).

 

[Phyrebrat]

Also for future help: click preview instead of posting the message and you can see how it’ll look!

WYSIWYG

pH

 

[Parson]

@Rafellin .... New Us .... Rafe lets us see that there's a broodingly argumentative art in our choices of decor. But fine wine makes everything okay.

 

[BT Jones]

Does anyone else find the whittling down of the idea to 300 words by far the hardest part? It seems to take me 5 minutes to get the idea, fifteen cumulative minutes of daydream time to flesh it out, then about 2 hours making it fit the limit.

 

[BT Jones]

Also, excellent idea for a inspiration trigger @The Judge. A picture paints a thousand words (although, in this case, you have to divide that by 3.33333).

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Does anyone else find the whittling down of the idea to 300 words by far the hardest part?

Yes! I'm lucky in that I have ideas quickly, and write a rough draft quickly (not in 5 minutes, but often within a day of seeing the photo, and letting it percolate), but an original draft of 500-600 words is usual for me. Then it's the cursed editing. Cutting scenes, occasionally cutting/condensing characters...painful, all of it.

The key is to not post till you're happy with your story. I've learned to give the 300 worder a few days rest, before doing my final draft. Seems there's always something in each piece that can become better, with ageing. CC

 

[Astro Pen]

Does anyone else find the whittling down of the idea to 300 words by far the hardest part?

Verbal Jenga.

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

Well I have entered my well timed piece. Thank you for the challenge.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

There's mine. I'll admit to taking inspiration both from ChrisG's striking subject (pun intended), and another thread at the site.

I always look forward to reading the dozens of new short stories we'll have by the end of each 300 worder. We'll end the challenge on April 30th, and most likely declare a winner by May 15th. Just a wish that we, and all our loved ones, remain safe and healthy by then, and that things seem brighter for the world, as well. Hang in there, everyone, and good writing, CC

 

[elvet]

I am so blank for an idea, it's scary. I feel like I'm trying to formulate something out of nothing. Hopefully a spark will come soon and give me an idea to work with.

 

[Guttersnipe]

Reading others' stories makes me feel as though I should've put more thought into mine. I feel like I had to write about the "holiday" because I've been storing it in my head for years.

 

[Parson]

@Guttersnipe .... "One Dark St. Agnes' Eve" .... The snipe tells a tale that befits the tradition of the famous Keats.

@BT Jones .... Haven .... BT sees the future in the past. A time the Bard would write about. A time in which Kings rule and give rare, rare privilege.

@Bren G .... Vive la Révolution! .... Bren brings us into a world Dan Brown would love. It's filled with mystery, nuance, and danger.

@Ian Fortytwo .... Between Tick and Tock .... Ian walks us about a quiet land in a nice bit of Science Fiction.

@Cat's Cradle .... Scenes From a Bucharest Museum .... Cat draws us into a museum which draws it's patrons into it's art.

 

[Marvin]

I am so blank for an idea, it's scary. I feel like I'm trying to formulate something out of nothing. Hopefully a spark will come soon and give me an idea to work with.

I was thinking earlier. If the pic doesn’t inspire me to write something, maybe I shouldn’t?
Not being disparaging of the pic, sometimes we are inspired, sometimes not.
Otherwise you are just writing a 300 word short story.
I mean if you wanna write a story anyway, go for it. Use some other inspiration. Rarely do many people go on to discuss the thought process behind a story.

 

[BT Jones]

I was thinking earlier. If the pic doesn’t inspire me to write something, maybe I shouldn’t?
Not being disparaging of the pic, sometimes we are inspired, sometimes not.
Otherwise you are just writing a 300 word short story.
I mean if you wanna write a story anyway, go for it. Use some other inspiration. Rarely do many people go on to discuss the thought process behind a story.

@Marvin, I felt the same way at first. The image summons an era and a place that doesn't particularly inspire me. But then I just thought I could literally pick up the contents of the room and transport it to a time and a place that I was inspired by, and the rest followed. For me, the objects in the picture were the seed for the story that followed and its themes of privilege, greed, and holding onto the past.

I have to say I like the way you can take any part of the picture and use it any way you want.

But I totally get that it isn't for everyone. Having said that, isn't that exactly why its called a 'challenge'?

 

[Karn's Return]

First 300 in quite a while...just got something put together.

 

[Parson]

@Karn's Return .... Late For Tea .... Karn channels, or would that be re-channels, Lewis Carroll to find a world where nothing is as it's supposed to be.