DISCUSSION THREAD -- September 2020 75-Word Writing Challenge

[AstroZon]

AstroZon offers a nostalgic look at what the future used to be.

Thanks Victoria. When I was a kid, Venus had tropical forests and dinosaurs!

 

[MikeAnderson]

Quit making me sound better than I am, Vic!

 

[Parson]

@Victoria Silverwolf .... Aphrodite Awaits .... Victoria takes the idea of living in luxury while soaring through the clouds, and gives it a whole new unforeseen twist.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

chrispenycate ponders the way in which all of creation is interconnected.

 

[Parson]

@chrispenycate .... A star is born .... Chris turns some memorable phrases as he versifies on the importance of stellar dust.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Daysman stresses the importance of properly calibrated equipment.

 

[Starbeast]

The Muse arrived last night. I had to pick it up at the train station.

Thanks @Bren G for this challenge.

 

[Bren G]

The Muse arrived last night. I had to pick it up at the train station.

Thanks @Bren G for this challenge.

Hi @Starbeast. My pleasure! I hope your muse doesn't pack her bags and head home any time soon. Can't wait to read it!

 

[paranoid marvin]

Glad you're back in this month Starbeast. Your entries never fail to make me laugh!

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Starbeast warns of the necessity of choosing your allies carefully.

paranoid marvin sings of the mighty power of the forces of nature.

 

[Parson]

@Daysman .... Field Test .... Daysman left me thinking "And the cow jumped over the moon."

@Starbeast .... Those Who Dwell in the Mist .... The Beast left me sputtering what? hmm? and Oh no!

@paranoid marvin .... It's Only Natural .... P. M. has just written sense from nonsense by exchanging science for fantasy.

 

[Parson]

@BT Jones .... The Electric Sea .... BT J s;hows us how the wisdom of the aged changes in the ages.

 

[BT Jones]

@BT Jones .... The Electric Sea .... BT J s;hows us how the wisdom of the aged changes in the ages.

I had to read that sentence back 3 times to make sure I was pronouncing it right @Parson !!

 

[C.C.]

There are already a lot of great stories! It will be hard to pick one and hard to compete!

 

[Cat's Cradle]

This group really does create fine stories, @C.C., you are right! But please do try ... don't think of it as competing, but as entering - that's how I look at it. It's all for fun, comradery, and writing practice.

ps - there's plenty of time to enter, too. Stories don't have to be in till 11:59pm GMT, on the 23rd of September (I think that's the ending time).

 

[C.C.]

This group really does create fine stories, @C.C., you are right! But please do try ... don't think of it as competing, but as entering - that's how I look at it. It's all for fun, comradery, and writing practice.

ps - there's plenty of time to enter, too. Stories don't have to be in till 11:59pm GMT, on the 23rd of September (I think that's the ending time).

Thank you for the supportive response! I really would like to actively start participating in these writing challenges! Definitely great practice among worthy peers!

 

[chrispenycate]

Oh, do join in. We're always looking for new blood (or ichor). And never forget, your principal opponent is yourself (isn't it always?) The votes, short lists and mentions are sprinkles on the cupcake, nice enough, but not the critical reason for entering.

Count your words carefully - it's a real drag to be disqualified - and if you're not sure, contact any of the mods aboard as to hyphenated or invented words, and note that if you humbly denigrate your story, or your abilities, you're likely to get a slap round the face, or somewhere equally dissuasive.

Unless that C.C. stands for Central Casting, in which case you are already one of my characters, and a sneaky way for me ti ease in a second entry. That would be confusing (for me, at least) and the rules in the two formal challenges are strictly enforced. Hoping to read you soon.

 

[Astro Pen]

There are already a lot of great stories! It will be hard to pick one and hard to compete!

I came third once So mediocrity can make the lower slopes of the podium.

Seriously, how it works for me is that I take the idea and write my 75 word entry, but then expand that idea into a full short story of 1000 +
and file it for submission elsewhere. Writing a longer piece afterward also relieves the frustration brought on by the 75 word limit.

That said that is why the "secret shutin santa" was such a release, because I was able to write straight in at my normal flash fiction length of around 1000-1200. (I think that one is closed now but watch for the next if you find the shorties constrictive)

 

[Parson]

@Hugh .... Undercover .... Hugh writes a tale which brings us into the "shadowy" world of espionage.

@Ambrose .... 22 October 1707 .... Ambrose puts us in touch with a bit of cloudy history and an unmitigated naval disaster.

@Justin Swanton .... Love in the Clouds .... J. S. brings cold hard a calculated realism into a loving family with their heads above the clouds.

 

[paranoid marvin]

I came third once So mediocrity can make the lower slopes of the podium.

Seriously, how it works for me is that I take the idea and write my 75 word entry, but then expand that idea into a full short story of 1000 +
and file it for submission elsewhere. Writing a longer piece afterward also relieves the frustration brought on by the 75 word limit.

That said that is why the "secret shutin santa" was such a release, because I was able to write straight in at my normal flash fiction length of around 1000-1200. (I think that one is closed now but watch for the next if you find the shorties constrictive)

Yes, definitely worth entering, and trying to fit a story into 75 words helps you be really inventive with your word choice. For instance in one of my poems I only had one word left and had to somehow describe a heavy weight needing 3 syllables and rhyming with fate - managed (somehow!) to come up with 'hundredweight' which fitted perfectly with a mine. I was really chuffed, and would never have done that if I had unlimited wordage.

I've even won once, and I can tell you that it's a fantastic sense of achievement. Even getting mentions , shortlistings and votes leaves you with a smile on your face, and of course Victoria and Parson always have insightful comments to make (sometimes finding hidden depths I haven't myself!)

I can guarantee that the more you enter , the more you will improve, and if you're needing any extra help then just stick it in the 'improving our 75 word stories' after the competition is over for some helpful critiques.