DISCUSSION THREAD -- October 2020 75 -Word Writing Challenge

[Ursa major]

Please note that this poll will be closing at one of (the later of) the advertised times (which is, unfortunately, an hour after 23:59 on the 28th of October GMT).

While it could have been closed by now, I've left it open because, while the correct time was given in the post in the poll thread, the incorrect time was given at the bottom of the poll -- because the wrong time had been input into the poll software (due to it being input by someone who was half asleep at 01:00 BST on the day, so they forgot to take into account the ending of daylight saving between then and now) -- and so if anyone was basing their timings on that incorrect time, they might have lost their vote.

With luck, the same person who added the wrong time into the software will be around (and at least half awake) in 50 or so minutes time to officially declare the result (assuming that there is no tie-breaker needed by then).

 

[Ursa major]

The poll has now closed and we have a winner:

Congratulations, Danny McG!​

​

 

[-K2-]

@Ursa major ; Thanks for the generous mention. That's some pretty tall company you're placing me with. Thanks so much.

@Danny McG ; Congratulations on your well earned win! Spade Baddies are the worst!

K2

 

[Droflet]

Onya, Danny. I bet you didn't think you'd be waking up to this. Well done, mate.

 

[BT Jones]

43 entries this time, and lots worthy of high praise.

Longlist (and it is long):
@-K2-
@BT Jones
@Daysman
@Cat's Cradle
@Luiglin
@paranoid marvin
@Moonbat
@scarpelius
@jd73
@Phyrebrat
@Ursa major
@Starbeast

Shortlist:
@BT Jones - spooky, scary and original.
@Cat's Cradle - great fun. You really can’t help some people!
@scarpelius - a really different take on the theme, and an original take on Hell.
@jd73 - vivid imagery, and the set up for a great story.
@Starbeast - this one made me laugh out loud, until I worked out what happened to Yogi!

My favourite:
@jd73 - the forest at Trollbridge - it was a great read, and it felt like a breath of fresh air for some reason. The story created a whole world for context which gave it great depth, and if that had been in the blurb on the back of a book I would have wanted to buy it.

Special mentions:
@Matchu - I really liked this, but couldn’t work out exactly what had happened to the youngest son because I was struggling with the dialect, so had to mark it down for that reason even though the failure was mine.
@telpereon - If I read this one right, Odin gets his just deserts from his wife Freya - a great theme, but I wasn’t confident enough of my understanding to mark it higher.
@jackwinabox57 - I loved the atmosphere of legend in this, but I wasn’t clear about what the final line signified so had to mark it down.

There was so much good stuff on offer I had to get really picky; I’m not surprised the voting has spread so widely across the choices!

Thank you everyone!

Thanks for the short list @Provincial!

 

[wagtail]

Congratulations, @Danny McG !!!

 

[Bren G]

Congrats @Danny McG !!!!

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Many congratulations!

 

[Parson]

Congrats Danny! I was going to speak like an 8 year old, but in the intervening "60" years, I've forgotten how.

 

[Danny McG]

Thanks all who voted and mentioned me, esp thanks to pyan for that final vote.
Six votes is amazing in this challenge, the competition can be very fierce.

Ta everybody for these congratulations, I'm settling down again for second sleep (tummy rumbling from this diet woke me up!) and my first task tomorrow, after coffee, is to think up a theme for the November challenge

 

[Droflet]

Oh, I forgot something. My vote went to Kerry Buchannan for something quite unique. A sublime example of good storytelling, fine prose and sticking exactly to the theme. And, according to her, it just popped into her head. Grrr, I hate genius level writers.
Honorable mentions to everyone else who braved the challenged and made life difficult for everyone casting a vote.

 

[BT Jones]

Thanks all who voted and mentioned me, esp thanks to pyan for that final vote.
Six votes is amazing in this challenge, the competition can be very fierce.

Ta everybody for these congratulations, I'm settling down again for second sleep (tummy rumbling from this diet woke me up!) and my first task tomorrow, after coffee, is to think up a theme for the November challenge

Looking forward to something dark and twisted, @Danny McG!

 

[Droflet]

Oops, forgetting my manners. Many thanks to Victoria and Parson (and others) for their marvelous reviews. They remain a constant source of encouragement to all participants. I haven't posted here in years so it's a real treat to see that the quality of their reviews has not waned in the least. Onya, guys.

 

[Danny McG]

Many thanks to Victoria and Parson (and others) for their marvelous reviews. They remain a constant source of encouragement to all participants

I totally agree with this.
A sentence or two from either of them can give you a real lift.

(It makes me realise why the pro writers are always wanting reviews )

 

[mosaix]

Congratulations @Danny McG !

 

[Perpetual Man]

Congratulations to Danny. It was on my shortlist.

Thanks to Luiglin for the vote. I so nearly did not enter that it was the first time I managed to be the last story in.

 

[Hugh]

Many Congratulations @Danny McG Godfather of Kidpunk

 

[Hugh]

This month the "Shoehorn Award" for insertion of literary references by hook or by crook goes to @Ursa major

 

[Daysman]

Congrats @Danny McG !

 

[Luiglin]

Congrats to 7 year old @Danny McG, you deserve 10p worth of 1/2p chews from the corner shop and this weeks Beano.

Edit: apologies I forgot to add thanks to @Peter V and @M. Robert Gibson for the votes and the mentions folks.

I wanted to roll out the standard slasher movie trope of a camp of students in the woods murdered, leaving a sole survivor for the last reel... and then make them a disgruntled accomplice who'd missed out on the 'fun'.