DISCUSSION THREAD -- July 2021 -- 300 Word Writing Challenge #42

[farntfar]

Thank you Victoria.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Great opening story farntfar.

 

[Parson]

@farntfar .... Cross? .... farntfar tells us the story that you expect you're reading and then you discover the story that you're really reading,

@Rafellin .... The Forest Ring .... Raf sends us on a spiritual journey where the known and the suspected intersect with truth and beauty.

@Astro Pen .... Continuations .... A.P. weaves us a tapestry of beautiful visions and then reality comes to call.

 

[farntfar]

Thank you Parson.
And thank you too P M.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Rafellin: The sensory details contained in this saga of an extraordinary journey draw the reader into its surreal world. The most poignant aspect of this remarkable voyage is the return to its origin.

Astro Pen: A combination of richly imagined visions and harsh reality fills this moving portrait of loneliness. The ending allows the reader to wonder about the distinction between what we sense and what we believe.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

AltLifeAStory: This thoughtful allegory offers a philosophical look at the necessity for balancing seeming opposites in order to create a proper whole. By anthropomorphizing abstract principles, the story allows the reader to consider its theme in a concrete way.

 

[AltLifeAStory]

@farntfar The internal dialogue is very potent for getting into the mind of some single parents who truly deal with these thoughts and feelings. Stories like this allow a significant amount of empathy for those going through harsh situations, specifically in relation to their family life.

@Rafellin This story offers a powerful internal dialogue that make you think. The imagery and the colors offer interesting images and perspectives in the mind. It's almost as if the story has a color palette which is fascinating. The integration of the title and the story feels like a cool idea.

@Astro Pen This story tugs at the heartstrings. This also offers the reader an insight into the mind of those that deal with the significant challenges of life by escaping within the realities of their dreams. Gets you thinking about how other people cope with their challenges.

@Victoria Silverwolf This story offers the reader an exciting sense of wonder. The contrast between the normal life of the protagonist vs. the new and exciting life that he will get to experience is a joy for the reader. The contrast feels important and interesting.

 

[Parson]

@Victoria Silverwolf .... Eclipse .... V.S. paints us a story out of whimsy and insight with just enough of both to make a lyrical feeling of peace with adventure.

@AltLifeAStory .... Symmetry .... ALAS weaves us a creation myth which flows together in a way that underlines a truth greater than the sum of its parts.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

WhitneyW12: The use of sensory detail to create a feeling of calm and meditation adds to the poignancy of this tale of endings and beginnings. The way in which the author avoids melodramatics makes the theme more powerful.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

G.T.: The reflective structure of this hypnotic story aptly mirrors its introspective theme. By conveying the mystery at the heart of the tale through the differing visions of observers, it offers a study of ambiguity.

 

[Parson]

@WhitneyW12 .... Peace .... WW12 writes a story that left me with tears in my eyes. I can almost hear my Master softly say: "Welcome home."

@G.T. .... Pareidolian .... GT teaches me (us?) a word which perfectly sets the stage for a story of connections and communication, or perhaps not.

@atsouthorn .... The Fourth Dimension .... Atsouthorn reminds us that sometimes a sacrifice does not feel like a sacrifice, but rather like the best of possible choices.

 

[Parson]

@BT Jones .... Glossing the Globe .... BT reminds us that sometimes a performance report is not only bad news for the dodgy performer, but also for everyone involved, like, say, us.

 

[BT Jones]

Incidentally, the image for the 300 reminded me a lot of this rather excellent symphonic prog album.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

atsouthorn: The combination of two divergent viewpoints, one universal and unfamiliar, and the other personal and relatable, creates a unique reading experience. In this way, we learn to appreciate both the transcendent and the ordinary.

BT Jones: This tongue-in-cheek allegory offers a sardonic look at the most critical problems facing humanity in a light-hearted way. By examining this crisis from a cool, objective viewpoint, the nature of the threat is made undeniable.

 

[Lawrence Twiddy]

Hey beautiful people, looking for a little bit of feedback on a query I have before I post my 300 story.

So the word count reads 301 because I have one potty word in it which I applied like this as not to be to profane and show some censorship - "f**king". So in essence it is one word. Will this still be accepted?
If not, it really is not a problem, the word can be easily changed I just felt like this term portrayed the emotion I required.

Thanks for any help!

 

[The Judge]

Yep, we'd accept "f***king" as one word. You did right in putting in the asterisks like that, but in fact if you hadn't, it would have been (well, should have been...) wholly asterisked out by the software, ie ******* which I find makes it less impressive as a cuss word!

But do make sure that it really is the offender in pushing you over word count -- I've just checked and as I suspected Word treats the asterisked version as one word so it shouldn't make a difference.

Just to remind everyone, always be careful of hyphenated words or neologisms and get confirmation from a mod about them before posting. And never rely on Word or anything else -- always count by hand by way of a double check!

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Well, there's me... a different sort of story for me popped into my head. It wanted to be soo much longer, but I hope I cut it down to size so it's still interesting. Looking forward to reading all the stories inspired by this wonderful photograph, at voting time. Good luck with your writing, those yet to enter, CC

 

[The Judge]

Great story, CC, and it's not in any way impaired by being cut!

 

[Cat's Cradle]

*beaming* Thanks so much, TJ!

 

[Lawrence Twiddy]

Yep, we'd accept "f***king" as one word. You did right in putting in the asterisks like that, but in fact if you hadn't, it would have been (well, should have been...) wholly asterisked out by the software, ie ******* which I find makes it less impressive as a cuss word!

But do make sure that it really is the offender in pushing you over word count -- I've just checked and as I suspected Word treats the asterisked version as one word so it shouldn't make a difference.

Just to remind everyone, always be careful of hyphenated words or neologisms and get confirmation from a mod about them before posting. And never rely on Word or anything else -- always count by hand by way of a double check!

Brilliant, thank you TJ

Good advice as well, I have relied on Pages for my word count as I was being lazy and the task of counting by hand seemed too monotonous to begin. But I'm back from squash and feeling productive, so I shall double check now by hand Hopefully it will be up shortly.

CC your story was sharp and great, I could not tell where your cuts where made
I had the same issue, my story easily wanted to be 1000 words. I do believe at some point I'll write the full version I had beat sheeted down as I really enjoyed creating it.