DISCUSSION THREAD -- October 2021 -- 300 Word Writing Challenge #43

[nixie]

Hello, @Provincial! I think our friend @Parson misplaced this post - this is a review of Hugh's 75 word entry (which - I've just checked - can be found on the second page of the current 75 Word Writing Challenge's thread). I've done this myself over the years - posted a 75 Word comment in the 300 Word discussion thread.

I wonder if a Moderator could move Parson's post above (#118) to the discussion thread for the October 75 Word Challenge? Merci, CC

A wave of the magic wand and it's done.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Thank you - and your magic wand - nixie!

 

[Parson]

Thanks @nixie .... I wish I could say that was the first time (a lie) or the last time I did or will do that. But this Parson is utterly mistake prone. --- I like to say when I talk to people about leading worship that I keep thinking that I've made every mistake possible, and keep proving myself wrong.

 

[Provincial]

I am weakly justifying my story’s inclusion in this challenge on the grounds that the Royal Navy would never employ a person with a dodgy past as a helicopter pilot, so it must be set in an alternative reality and therefore must be speculative fiction! Also, I don’t believe that Blenkinsop is a real surname (but I would be interested to see evidence that it is).

 

[Provincial]

Oh, bum! I’ve just noticed that I have actually accused the Royal Navy of having a dodgy past! Curse English grammar, and my inability to use it!

 

[Peter V]

Oh, bum! I’ve just noticed that I have actually accused the Royal Navy of having a dodgy past! Curse English grammar, and my inability to use it!

Is this tongue in cheek? Because of course it was somewhat dodgy if you go back far enough

 

[Astro Pen]

Royal Navy? ( I haven't read prov's story yet.)
Just visualising naval barges, cannon loaded, ambling up-water to the smoke veiled Battle of Watford Gap in the Grand Union Canal war.

 

[Provincial]

Royal Navy? ( I haven't read prov's story yet.)
Just visualising naval barges, cannon loaded, ambling up-water to the smoke veiled Battle of Watford Gap in the Grand Union Canal war.

Sounds like a better plot than the one I came up with.

 

[Parson]

*Parson grumps about his inability to get this Chronish lot organized so that there would only be a story, or a most two to review each day.
----

@Provincial .... From the Jaws of Victory .... Simple moral: "Cheaters never win" with a great story backing it up.

@G.T. .... The Commute .... Out of adversity comes innovation and a move back to birthday suits.

@reddishbird .... Hidden .... And so the question is "What terror lurks beneath and unseen?"

@johnnyjet .... Signs of Empathy .... A story which would remind us to be careful not to touch controls that are unknown, unless you are very, very, lucky.

 

[Luiglin]

*Parson grumps about his inability to get this Chronish lot organized so that there would only be a story, or a most two to review each day.

You'd have more chance of herding kittens

 

[Parson]

@Daysman .... Shortcut .... Shortcuts are short only from a certain point of view, otherwise they are massively time constrained.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

JS Wiig: This pulse-pounding tale of suspense and adventure leaves the reader breathless with its relentless pace. A clever use of flashback heightens the intensity to fever pitch.

mosaix: The calm, matter-of-fact tone that begins this story draws the reader into its world. Carefully and slowly, the author springs the trap that lies hidden at its climax.

Provincial: With a razor-sharp sense of wit, this wry look at competition reduces the human tendency to dominate others to the object of ridicule. Appropriately, the antiheroes are hoist with their own petard.

G.T.: In the tradition of the so-called cozy catastrophe, this deceptively low-key tale of a strange disaster creates a compelling sense of reality. In the midst of seeming apocalypse, we find a touch of perseverance.

reddishbird: This relentless horror story builds steadily from a slight sense of uneasiness to out-and-out terror. The mundane, ordinary setting increases the impact of the chilling conclusion.

johnnyjet: The author offers the reader a true sense of wonder in this account of an extraordinary discovery. By avoiding the expected resolution, and instead providing something much more involving, the story seizes the imagination.

Daysman: This dryly comic fantasy makes use of the classic comedy technique of portraying one normally thought of as superior as flawed as the rest of us. The narrator's exasperation at the situation is something to which we can all relate.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Your story is awesome, @Starbeast! Most fun I've had all month - and it's sweet, too. Well done.

 

[Starbeast]

@Cat's Cradle Thanks bro. I had trouble choosing between two other much darker ideas. But the muse showed up on a rainy night and set me in a different direction.

I've got to check out everyone's entries. As usual I don't read anyone else's tale before I create then post my own.

 

[Parson]

@Starbeast .... Drinks for the Thirsty, Graves for the Dead .... Starbeast has answered a question that everyone is asking, what do you get when you combine, A Fistful of Dollars, Star Wars, and The Fellowship of the Ring?

*Have you ever heard Toby Keith and Willie Nelson sing "Beer for my Horses?" Your story reminded me some of that with it's mock horror and ingrained silliness.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Starbeast: The way in which the author blends multiple figures and concepts from popular culture is enhanced by perfectly crafted pastiches of style. Behind the surface amusement, one might be able to find thoughtful commentary on how we define our iconic characters.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Perpetual Man: The sensory appeal of this poetically written fable of endings and beginnings fits well with its theme. The mood acknowledges the reality of loss and the need for mourning, without denying the prospect of hope.

 

[Parson]

@Perpetual Man .... View For Those Left Behind (For Nix) .... Whether shinny and new or weathered and feeling blue, as Dorothy said: "There's no place like home."

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Bren G: A dream-like sense of visions both dark and bright fills this complex and profound tale of mysterious perceptions through time. The narrator's odyssey through past, present, and future fills the reader with wonder.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

sule: The sense of quiet melancholy that fills this tale of loss and memory is far more effective than any melodramatic scenes of apocalypse could ever be. The subtle ending, in a similar way, is made more powerful through its lack of overstatement.