DISCUSSION THREAD -- October 2021 -- 75 Word Writing Challenge

[Cat's Cradle]

A lot of fine reads this month, and good choices from Victoria Silverwolf for genre and theme.

Here are my lists:

Longish Shortlist:
JS Wiig, Mon0Zer0, Victoria Silverwolf, WSDuffy, Valtharius, Perpetual Man, marvin

Vote Contenders (there were many this month I could happily have voted for - some great stories this Challenge):
Betok_Haney, nixie, Peter V, Phyrebrat, johnnyjet, sule, The Judge

I voted for Betok_Haney's sweet story of loss and rediscovery. I think we'd all like a camera such as the one in B_H's tale. Great title, too. But again, to my mind there were an awful lot of stories worthy of a vote.

Big thanks to @nixie and @Starbeast for the listings, and I am very grateful to @Betok_Haney and @Wayne Mack for the votes.
Best of luck with the voting, all, the rest of the way. Looks to be a close one! CC

 

[Hugh]

I voted for @sule : I really enjoyed the combination of good writing and quantum theory

Joint runners up:
@paranoid marvin : I have a weakness for, and envy of, well-written doggerel
@Ambrose : I loved the simplicity.

Others that caught my attention, in random order:
@Moonbat
@nixie
@Valtharius
@Luiglin
@Daysman
@Phyrebrat
@Peter V

And many thanks @Betok_Haney and @Marvin for your short-listings. Much appreciated.

 

[JS Wiig]

@Cat's Cradle thanks for the mention!

 

[Cat's Cradle]

You're welcome, JS! I like your 300 worder, too.

 

[Margaret Note Spelling]

I can't decide. I just can't.

I'm sorry!

 

[nixie]

I can't decide. I just can't.

I'm sorry!

Eeney meaney myna mo, works in these situations.

 

[Luiglin]

I can't decide. I just can't.

I'm sorry!

I'm unbiased, a neutral, my nickname is Switzerland... honest... trust me. Plus a vote for me will not affect the outcome other than boosting my fragile, and yet still impartial, ego

 

[chrispenycate]

I can't decide. I just can't.

I'm sorry!

It's all right, Magrat (oops, spelling, of course) we're quite tolerant toward anybody who hasn't submitted a story and doesn't manage to vote (vert grateful to those that do, of course, such as Fibreglass Cyborg, G.T., and Wayne Mack.

It was a tough vote - why can't we get more mediocre writers - but I've reduced my short list to:- Betok_Haney, JS Wiig, mosaix, Peter V. reddishbird, The Judge and Valtharius, with Betok_Haney getting my vote.

And, as usual, gratitude to Parson and Victoria for the analises . Oh, no real surprise for my lack of mentions, now back to the 300er where I'm hardly advancing either.

 

[Moonbat]

Oh, no real surprise for my lack of mentions, now back to the 300er where I'm hardly advancing either.

Bordering on a slap there Chrispy, I'll settle for a gentle nudge. I may not vote for them (at least not this time) but I always enjoy your 75 word sonnets.

 

[Daysman]

Tricky month, great selection of hauntings — here's my faves and vote:

• @Victoria Silverwolf
• @Betok_Haney (vote)
• @Cat's Cradle
• @Luiglin
• @Starbeast
• @Phyrebrat
• @paranoid marvin

Thanks to @Marvin , @Starbeast & @johnnyjet for your votes, to @Hugh , @Elckerlyc , @Provincial , @BT Jones , @WSDuffy & @Betok_Haney for your listings, and as always thanks to @Parson and @Victoria Silverwolf for your comments.

Have a great what's left of Thursday!

 

[Starbeast]

My vote went to @Betok_Haney .

Shortlisted.
@Starbeast
@mosaix
@Parson

Well done, everyone

My ghostly runners-up are
Forever Sailing a Sea of Stars - @Abernovo
A Word To The Wicked - @paranoid marvin
Something Weird Happening - @Ian Fortytwo
Containment of Evil - @Starbeast
A Change in Focus - @Betok_Haney

And my ghost vote goes to
Doomed to Repeat - @Bren G

It was an interesting round of stories and more so, when I discovered who I vote for. You see, I move the left side of my browser to hide the names of each writer while I read them so there is absolutely no bias involved, and low and behold I picked the person who voted for me! I was in need of humour today so it fit the bill perfectly!

Short List
A Change in Focus - @Betok_Haney - a ghostly photobomb radiates love at ground zero
Looking Past the Present - @Peter V - a heart-warming tale of the love that binds us together
Containment of Evil - @Starbeast - Bringing the Peanuts gang into the future was pure genius! The only thing missing was Bart Simpson's famous admonishment.
In Social Medias Res - @Phyrebrat - social media as divined by a social medium. This story was very clever indeed!

Vote
Not a Yuletide Canticle - @M. Robert Gibson - A humorous behind the scenes look into this classic tale that leaves us with a 'punchy' ending.

I can't decide. I just can't.

I'm sorry!

Tricky month, great selection of hauntings — here's my faves and vote:

• @Victoria Silverwolf
• @Betok_Haney (vote)
• @Cat's Cradle
• @Luiglin
• @Starbeast
• @Phyrebrat
• @paranoid marvin

Thanks to @Marvin , @Starbeast & @johnnyjet for your votes, to @Hugh , @Elckerlyc , @Provincial , @BT Jones , @WSDuffy & @Betok_Haney for your listings, and as always thanks to @Parson and @Victoria Silverwolf for your comments.

Have a great what's left of Thursday!

Many thanks for the mentions and comments.

Reviewers @Victoria Silverwolf & @Parson keep up the awesomeness.

@Margaret Note Spelling For me it's very difficult to choose, and much easier to write a story. It takes me days to think about a single winner, because of all of the talented people here.

 

[Bowler1]

It's nice to be back Starbeast and back at the hard to get right 75 words. Not my turn this month, but there's always next month.

 

[Starbeast]

@Bowler1 Of course. There is still time to enter the 300 Challenge, my friend.

 

[Bowler1]

@Bowler1 Of course. There is still time to enter the 300 Challenge, my friend.

Nothing clicked for me on the 300 word picture this time, so I won't attempt to force an entry. I'll stay on feels like safer ground to me on the 75 word turf.

 

[Astro Pen]

Vote to @Peter V because it reminded me of the first ghost story I ever wrote.
I can pm it to you if you like, Peter.

 

[Ursa major]

​

The poll has closed and we have a winner:

Congratulations, Betok_Haney!​

​

 

[sule]

Congratulations to Betok_Haney for the well-deserved win!

I would like to thank Victoria Silverwolf and Hugh for giving my story their vote, as well as johnnyjet, Parson, Provincial, Luiglin, Elckerlyc, and Cat's Cradle for giving it a mention.

 

[Parson]

Congratulations @Betok_Haney. It was a very good story!

----

For my story I kept going back to what David Weber called "sensor ghosts" which sometimes were actual ships and sometimes were not. And as I started down that road all of sudden humor and "Space Ghost" found their way into my story and sat, and stayed.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Many congratulations!

 

[Betok_Haney]

​

The poll has closed and we have a winner:

Congratulations, Betok_Haney!​

​

Woah, I'm stunned! Thank you all who voted and mentioned my story this month. A great gift on my birthday week too!