DISCUSSION THREAD -- January 2021 75 Word Writing Challenge

[The Judge]

And the first 75 Word Challenge thread for 2021 is open! JANUARY 2021 75 Word Writing Challenge -- READ FIRST POST!!

Theme: Rescue/Escape​

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Genre: SF, fantasy or horror​

Good luck everyone!

 

[Provincial]

And already @Victoria Silverwolf is in with an entry! Fabulous.

A timely and welcome theme. Since most writers are trying to escape from something, this should be a particularly well-attended party.

 

[Perpetual Man]

Hmmm, I like this. First idea, had I been inclined to write it, would have been around a thousand words, so it might be a little to long. But it would have been brilliant.

 

[The Judge]

Well, you do know that Kraxon magazine wants SFF stories of around 1000 words...

Get writing and see if you can sell it!

 

[The Scribbling Man]

Just to clarify, is the theme "rescue" AND "escape" or is it either or?

 

[The Judge]

I'm looking at it as either/or -- an "extraction from a difficult situation" as the immortal HareBrained one would have it -- so to my mind you can choose whichever you want. But if you can get both in, all well and good!

 

[Peter V]

Just to clarify, is the theme "rescue" AND "escape" or is it either or?

I was broadening the appeal by offering either but feel free to incorporate both

 

[Calliopenjo]

I do apologize for my absence. Things got sorta kinda out of hand. I'm here now though. lol. I hope everybody enjoyed their holiday and I wish everyone stays safe. I'm looking forward to this month's challenge. It does sound interesting. I'll see what I can do with it.

 

[JS Wiig]

First time posting in a challenge. It was the first thing that came to mind, hope it's not too dark...

 

[Starbeast]

@Calliopenjo Nice to see you again bro. My situation is also keeping me from here. I'm currently using a cell phone to log in. And, I too missed last month's challenge.

@Peter V Congrats btw. Interesting challenge choice for this month. And thanks for letting us have more flexibility with the theme & genre. I'm pretty sure I can meet the deadline for January (with or without computer).

And Happy New Year to everyone!

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Iwroteathing considers the disadvantages of inappropriate technology.

AlekseiVashchenko offers a chilling study of a threat hardly seen.

Calliopenjo knows that everything has worth, no matter how inconsiderable it seems.

JS Wiig perceives hope when all seems lost.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Guttersnipe shows that there is more than one way to accomplish a difficult task.

 

[therapist]

I wrote a story about a wasp drowning and getting rescued but then killed for being a wasp, could that count as horror?

 

[Parson]

Sigh! I let life take over my schedule for a couple of days and I'm way behind on my comments.

@Victoria Silverwolf .... A Hero's Welcome .... Sometimes Super Heroes not only save their friends, but find that their friends can save a piece for them as well.

@Iwroteathing .... A Pour Investment .... Sometimes poor investments are seen as pour investments.

@AlekseiVashchenko .... Planet Earth - Part 2 .... Sometimes an escape and a rescue are the same thing.

@Calliopenjo .... To The Rescue .... Sometimes all you can do is put your stick in the hole and hope.

@JS Wiig .... ‘Till Death Do Us Part .... Sometimes the last escape is a grand reunion.

@Guttersnipe .... Escape Artist .... Sometimes escape is not really necessary.

@paranoid marvin .... Hunter's Moon .... Sometimes the hunt takes an unexpected turn.

 

[Iwroteathing]

I wrote a story about a wasp drowning and getting rescued but then killed for being a wasp, could that count as horror?

Yes, definitely! Horror for the wasp. Like an insect version of Misery.

 

[stevietee]

Ok, there's my submission in. Thought I better get it out of the way before I return to work and writing takes a back seat. Hopefully it qualifies as a 'horror'?

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

paranoid marvin sings of the worm turning very much indeed.

stevietee mourns for those who experience and witness suffering.

 

[Danny McG]

Ok, there's my submission in. Thought I better get it out of the way before I return to work and writing takes a back seat. Hopefully it qualifies as a 'horror'?

Yeah it does, I had a very similar story in mind but a kid took a beating from a drunken mother.
Now I gotta do a major rethink!!!

 

[Phyrebrat]

I wrote a story about a wasp drowning and getting rescued but then killed for being a wasp, could that count as horror?

My opinion would be no, depending on its execution (haw haw haw).

Look at it this way: a human drowning, being saved, then being killed for some reason could be a ‘normal’ thing - but if you read ‘Not Waving, but Drowning’ drowning really does become more than ‘drama’ and has a horror element.

Mind you, the wasp might be sentient in which case fantasy...

That’s the thing about these challenges; if you’re chasing votes, you’ll find there are diverse practices on how people vote.

I’d always recommend to try to hit the challenge themes and genre straight on. Often we see people who use homophonetic (I made that word up ... I think) phrases or puns on the subject (not genre). That’s something I think is a bit of a ‘trick’ and would have to be exceptionally good for me to consider even shortlisting it.

I stopped doing the 75 challenges a while ago because I struggle to write fantasy and so often the themes or genre come from that end of the speculative fiction spectrum, I’d be hard pushed to keep a good record of entering the 75s. I’m going to give this one a try because of the horror element allowed.

I have an idea - I think it’s to do with escape.

pH

 

[therapist]

Thanks, you're probably right and it leans more towards drama. I'll submit it anyway. Normally everything I write is sff, but I was thinking too much about rescue/escape and forgot about the genre restrictions.