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

[The Judge]

my story easily wanted to be 1000 words. I do believe at some point I'll write the full version

Do! And not only from the enjoyment of writing it aspect. I've taken two of my 300s and turned them into serials for Kraxon, so not only enjoyable, but profitable! I'm pretty sure Jo Z took one of her Challenge stories and made a novel out of it, and Phyrebrat has had Challenge stories published elsewhere and used ideas from them in longer pieces.


Speaking of Kraxon, as I was, if anyone thinks to take a 300 worder and turn it into a 1000 word piece for the monthly story, acceptance for publication will depend on how the original story is treated. If the long version is simply the original writ large, with more description/dialogue/whatever, then it's unlikely to be accepted under the already-published rule. However, if the long story uses the original only as a starting point, and it grows into something very different, that's another matter. If anyone wants to try his/her hand at a submission then more details here Magazine Submissions 2021 and if more guidance about translating a particular 300 into the 1050 required would be helpful, just PM me and I'm happy to chat about it.

 

[Lawrence Twiddy]

Do! And not only from the enjoyment of writing it aspect. I've taken two of my 300s and turned them into serials for Kraxon, so not only enjoyable, but profitable! I'm pretty sure Jo Z took one of her Challenge stories and made a novel out of it, and Phyrebrat has had Challenge stories published elsewhere and used ideas from them in longer pieces.


Speaking of Kraxon, as I was, if anyone thinks to take a 300 worder and turn it into a 1000 word piece for the monthly story, acceptance for publication will depend on how the original story is treated. If the long version is simply the original writ large, with more description/dialogue/whatever, then it's unlikely to be accepted under the already-published rule. However, if the long story uses the original only as a starting point, and it grows into something very different, that's another matter. If anyone wants to try his/her hand at a submission then more details here Magazine Submissions 2021 and if more guidance about translating a particular 300 into the 1050 required would be helpful, just PM me and I'm happy to chat about it.

Amazing to hear that you, Jo Z and Phyrebrat have used ideas from the 300 worder and had success with expanding on them. Isn't it great when an idea takes off and evolves almost by its self in your mind and on paper - or the preferred laptop.

The 1000 worder I'd like to write from my 300 'Forgotten Shores' would definitely not just be longer version of the same story. It has a whole other side to the story with the forgotten past of the protagonist and also her future. But I had to wrap it up as neat as I could for the 300

I will wait though and let my 300 get some cobwebs and almost be a forgotten shore , so it's full version is fresh and exciting (hopefully). Then it would be amazing to look at submitting it.

 

[Parson]

Even better, Nathan Hystad, a one time member, wrote a 75 and used the idea as the starting point for a whole series of books: The Survivors. Book one The Event has been rated over 1000 times and there are now 18 books in the series.

 

[Parson]

Grrrr! It seems as if one of my posts just vanished into the either. Back to the drawing board.

@Cat's Cradle .... Tommy in Time .... What do you do if you know how things are going to end, or do you? Do you save yourself?
C.C. great story! I'd like to read more of it.

@Lawrence Twiddy .... Forgotten Shores .... Sometimes horror can wear the face of an island of Paradise.

 

[Lawrence Twiddy]

Even better, Nathan Hystad, a one time member, wrote a 75 and used the idea as the starting point for a whole series of books: The Survivors. Book one The Event has been rated over 1000 times and there are now 18 books in the series.

wow that's incredible!

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Thank you for the kind words on my story, @Lawrence Twiddy and @Parson!!

 

[Peter V]

Well this is going to be difficult.

I am used to a high standard in the 300 but the consistent quality of the entries so far has really set the bar. There are already more than three entries that fall into the category of "no way that entry is not getting one of my votes".

What is one to do?

 

[The Judge]

Wait for mine, of course!

 

[Mon0Zer0]

I must say, writing flash fiction is quite tough - trying to fit a beginning, middle and end into 300 words really makes you focus on sticking to a core idea and communicating it in as few words as possible.

I can easily see how some of you have turned yours into longer pieces - they're great exercises, and they really help with idea generation, too.

Cross - A nice little bait and switch on the narrator's part there!

The Forest Ring - A bittersweet tale about coming home.

Continuations - No one is really gone, when you can dream of them.

Eclipse - The sorcerer finds his apprentice. For some reason the man in the hat sounds like Nicol Williamson from Excalibur to me.

Symmetry / Asymmetry - a father and his daughter engage in some crafts.

Peace - Not all warp gates are bridges to this dimension.

Pareidolian - Twice this week, Neptune's been seen in the waves.

The Fourth Dimension - Turns out eternal return is a test.

Glossing the Globe - The big man delegates the small stuff to his underlings.

Hortense Sepsentia - Zombie killing: not for debutantes.

Tommy in Time - you can't escape destiny.

Forgotten shores - Ain't no white bears on a tropical island paradise!

 

[Parson]

@Mon0Zer0 .... The Wounded Sky .... The unseen dangers are often worse than those you expect to encounter.

 

[Parson]

@Guttersnipe .... "Home Beyond Stars" .... In the far future "earth" may achieve the mythic status that "home" has.

@JS Wiig .... Cave of Illusion .... In the land of illusions truth can be found, but the cost may be too great too pay.

 

[Mon0Zer0]

Home Beyond Stars - It's easy for our descendants to forget where they came from.

Cave of Illusion - Would we recognise true treasure if we found it?

Worlds apart - Savour the time with your loved ones, one day it may be too late.

 

[Luiglin]

Amazing to hear that you, Jo Z and Phyrebrat have used ideas from the 300 worder and had success with expanding on them. Isn't it great when an idea takes off and evolves almost by its self in your mind and on paper - or the preferred laptop.

The 1000 worder I'd like to write from my 300 'Forgotten Shores' would definitely not just be longer version of the same story. It has a whole other side to the story with the forgotten past of the protagonist and also her future. But I had to wrap it up as neat as I could for the 300

I will wait though and let my 300 get some cobwebs and almost be a forgotten shore , so it's full version is fresh and exciting (hopefully). Then it would be amazing to look at submitting it.

Often thought about doing that but chickened out.

Edit: I better start my 300 worder, do I go creepy horror, creepy humour or creepy horror humour?

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Terrific story, @Peter V!

 

[Peter V]

Terrific story, @Peter V!

Thank you CC. Ditto. In fact a really impressive collection so far. Voting is going to be really difficult.

 

[Lawrence Twiddy]

Often thought about doing that but chickened out.

Edit: I better start my 300 worder, do I go creepy horror, creepy humour or creepy horror humour?

Creepy horror humour!! Easy decision, with your prose I’m sure it will make for a great 300 worder.

 

[atsouthorn]

Some really great stories that made me think, and have stoked my imagination. Can't get any better ... or can it?

 

[Parson]

@Peter V .... Worlds Apart .... Peter leaves us on pins and needles is it too little too late, or is it the great escape? Stay tuned.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

PigMonkey: The deceptively mundane narrative style of this imaginative tale provides a sharp contrast to the bizarre world it corrects. Through the eyes of an adolescent, a very peculiar reality becomes almost familiar.

Cat's Cradle: Through the use of the manifold paradoxes of time travel, the author examines the question of how great a price we are willing to pay to protect others. Like intersecting timelines, the problem is far from simple.

Lawrence Twiddy: The relentless self-pursuit of guilt comes alive in this psychological allegory of crime and punishment. Perhaps, as the tale implies, there are sins too terrible to contemplate.

Mon0Zer0: A combination of hard science fiction and surrealism results in a unique and compelling adventure in this offbeat story. Like the protagonist, the reader is swept away.

Guttersnipe: The fact that the past is never fully revealed to those of the present comes across in this wry and ironic story. The seemingly simple language of the tale conceals philosophical depth.

JS Wiig: An outside adventure becomes a journey into oneself in this blending of external and internal exploration. The warning that one does not always want to find the thing for which one is searching renders the story an effective cautionary tale.

Peter V: Elements of exploratory science fiction are used to create a story of human emotions in this moving piece. It is fitting that the author offers a note of hope in the midst of impending tragedy.

 

[Guttersnipe]

In all honesty, I'm not too happy with my story. I wrote it when I was low on sleep and anxious to get my foot in the door. But I am happy to hear something positive about it.