DISCUSSION THREAD -- January 2022 -- 300 Word Writing Challenge #44

[farntfar]

A third vote, from @Daysman. I can't believe it.
You guys have just made this the most amazing month for me. Thank you so much.

 

[Mouse]

I can't believe I got 11 votes for my daft story, thank you! And that means I'm second, which means I get to be a bridesmaid at last!

And I voted for His Divness the first time round, so he gets my vote again.

 

[Starbeast]

These are my favourites and votes. Have to also give a shout out to Starbeast; gotta pay homage when Star Wars is mentioned

Great Galaxy! I did get a mention. Thank you Phyrebrat. You made my day shine bright.

Plus I returned to see a Tie-Breaker. How exciting!

 

[Phyrebrat]

Me?! I thought Mouse or Astro would be the tie, not me.

Very glad to be voted so much. I’ll share a story about mine and what I forgot to include, in the meantime thank you so much for the votes (whose posts I hope I’ve acknowledged with likes).

Going to read some Fritz Leiber now.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Woo-hoo, a last day vote! Thanks, Elckerlyc.

Well done to Astro Pen and Phyrebat for getting to the tie breaker.

As I shortlisted Astro Pen originally, that's the way my vote is cast.

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

Thanks for the votes @chrispenycate @Luiglin
and the mentions @Starbeast @BT Jones and anyone I've missed
and the fine reviews as usual @Victoria Silverwolf @Parson

I wasn't expecting any since my muse was away

I'm still trying to get my head around the imagery of "half-way though that alien invasion by space-spiders and went on a narrowboat cruise on the Norfolk Broads"

That was a reference to my failed attempt at the previous challenge with the picture of the narrowboat and the spider webs

 

[Parson]

Well @Phyrebrat not only did you get a vote from me, you also got a tie breaker vote from me.

@Mouse -- I loved your daft story! So not daft!!

 

[Phyrebrat]

@Mouse your story really made me angry and I had to do some CBT

 

[Mouse]

@Mouse your story really made me angry and I had to do some CBT

Pah ha ha ha! Doof.

 

[Ursa major]

I wont say which I picked in the tie breaker

You don't have to: the usernames of those who voted for a story are public.

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

I'm sorry I had to toss a coin for the tie breaker and @Astro Pen won.

 

[Dan Jones]

A vote-off eh? I didn't vote for either story originally, so I'm now in the unacceptable position of having to make a choice.

They both are wonderful stories. Astro Pen's story has a great concept and a gut-punch of a last line, but for the sheer quality of the writing, I'm giving it to Bean.

 

[Stuart Suffel]

A vote-off eh? I didn't vote for either story originally, so I'm now in the unacceptable position of having to make a choice.

They both are wonderful stories. Astro Pen's story has a great concept and a gut-punch of a last line, but for the sheer quality of the writing, I'm giving it to Bean.

You bring up an interesting point - the tools of analysis. For prospective writers, this is interesting stuff. What do readers respond to? The emotional punch? The intriguing concept/ idea? The writing 'style'? Must put together a list for a poll of some kind, if I can figure out how. Chrons would be a good sample size. Hmmm. Looks around. "Now, where's me thinking gin?"

 

[Phyrebrat]

You bring up an interesting point - the tools of analysis. For prospective writers, this is interesting stuff. What do readers respond to? The emotional punch? The intriguing concept/ idea? The writing 'style'? Must put together a list for a poll of some kind, if I can figure out how. Chrons would be a good sample size. Hmmm. Looks around. "Now, where's me thinking gin?"

It’s quite difficult. We’ve talked about this for years and it always seems to be predicated on a wide variety of preferences. I try to write mine the way I write a scene in a book; it has to have a conclusion to the scene that naturally leads the reader to think about something or see the story in a different light. Astro Pen’s does this greatly this month.

I did one about a guy who’s in love with someone. At the end you find out he’s stalking her and sleeping in the drawer under her bed. Those kind of things I call a wallop or a punchline. These are jus two examples. A comedy punchline is just as valid.

My observations:

A reveal or punchline tends to do best with votes over clever word use.

After a period of time, you will become biased to certain authors. That’s fine. We like what we like. I’ll often vote for Dan or Jane, Johnnyjet, Chrispy and a few others because they usually submit something that appeals to me.

Poetry doesn’t do well. To be honest I’d be as bold to say only Chrispy is writing poetry here, but I do see a lot of doggerel/limerick rhyme schemes. I think it can do better in the 75 than the 300.

Vignettes without a conclusion or some sense of action/conflict do very poorly.

Writing then submitting is always a bad idea. My advice is
1: Write it
2: edit it
3: trunk it for at least a week (unless you’re last minute dot com)
4: reread it near the deadline and if it’s perfect. Then submit.

I say this because I won’t ever vote (or rather, rarely) would vote for an entry with typos or grammar errors. I see the challenges as a learning tool so I figure if an entrant can’t be fussed to perfect their grammar then I can’t vote for it. There are exceptions for really good entries but …

Also, I have a twisted sense of humour so most comedic ones don’t work for me.


Those just off the top of me bonce!

Edit: don’t post to Chrons from your phone.

 

[Stuart Suffel]

It’s quite difficult. We’ve talked about this for years and it always seems to be predicated on a wide variety of preferences. I try to write mine the way I write a scene in a book; it has to have a conclusion to the scene that naturally leads the reader to think about something or see the story in a different light. Astro Pen’s does this greatly this month.

I did one about a guy who’s in love with someone. At the end you find out he’s stalking her and sleeping in the drawer under her bed. Those kind of things I call a wallop or a punchline. These are jus two examples. A comedy punchline is just as valid.

My observations:

A reveal or punchline tends to do best with votes over clever word use.

After a period of time, you will become biased to certain authors. That’s fine. We like what we like. I’ll often vote for Dan or Jane, Johnnyjet, Chrispy and a few others because they usually submit something that appeals to me.

Poetry doesn’t do well. To be honest I’d be as bold to say only Chrispy is writing poetry here, but I do see a lot of doggerel/limerick rhyme schemes. I think it can do better in the 75 than the 300.

Vignettes without a conclusion or some sense of action/conflict do very poorly.

Writing then submitting is always a bad idea. My advice is
1: Write it
2: edit it
3: trunk it for at least a week (unless you’re last minute dot com)
4: reread it near the deadline and if it’s perfect. Then submit.

I say this because I won’t ever vote (or rather, rarely) would vote for a ldn entry with typos or grammar errors. I see the challenges as a learning tool so I figure if an entrant can’t be fussed to perfect their grammar then I can’t vote for it. There are exceptions for really good entries but …

Also, I have a twisted sense of humour so most comedic ones don’t work for me.


Those just off the top of me bonce!

Hi Phyrebrat. So, em, I'm not really talking about this writing competition, (see below) as there are many elements involved - some of which you've alluded to. For me, and I imagine most, it's a great way to get the juices going - esp 300 words or less - not too heavy, but enough to get in a message/ idea. So, in short, it's a great writing exercise, but would not be an event from which one could derive the information I seek.
I have however, started a NEW THREAD on the ideas I mentioned . I don't think it will be mega scientific, but I reckon some useful data might emerge...

 

[Astro Pen]

It’s quite difficult. We’ve talked about this for years and it always seems to be predicated on a wide variety of preferences. I try to write mine the way I write a scene in a book; it has to have a conclusion to the scene that naturally leads the reader to think about something or see the story in a different light. Astro Pen’s does this greatly this month.

I did one about a guy who’s in love with someone. At the end you find out he’s stalking her and sleeping in the drawer under her bed. Those kind of things I call a wallop or a punchline. These are jus two examples. A comedy punchline is just as valid.

My observations:

A reveal or punchline tends to do best with votes over clever word use.

After a period of time, you will become biased to certain authors. That’s fine. We like what we like. I’ll often vote for Dan or Jane, Johnnyjet, Chrispy and a few others because they usually submit something that appeals to me.

Poetry doesn’t do well. To be honest I’d be as bold to say only Chrispy is writing poetry here, but I do see a lot of doggerel/limerick rhyme schemes. I think it can do better in the 75 than the 300.

Vignettes without a conclusion or some sense of action/conflict do very poorly.

Writing then submitting is always a bad idea. My advice is
1: Write it
2: edit it
3: trunk it for at least a week (unless you’re last minute dot com)
4: reread it near the deadline and if it’s perfect. Then submit.

I say this because I won’t ever vote (or rather, rarely) would vote for a ldn entry with typos or grammar errors. I see the challenges as a learning tool so I figure if an entrant can’t be fussed to perfect their grammar then I can’t vote for it. There are exceptions for really good entries but …

Also, I have a twisted sense of humour so most comedic ones don’t work for me.


Those just off the top of me bonce!

Yes, I don't want to comment too much on the specific stories while judging is taking place, but generally I try to add a human element. SF can be one dimensional and dry. People are complex creatures, not single roles,
Reading entries I tend to go for a story that presents a rounded character linked to a novel idea. Sometimes a punchline can be great though, @Peter V 's Little Matchmaker Girl was a superb example of that. It was like Twelve Monkeys or La Jetée. condensed into a few words. You went away thinking.
@Phyrebrat 's story has that visceral humanity about it as well as elegant prose. And a second twist within as well as the last line. I will probably lose to it and In this case am quite happy to do so.

 

[Phyrebrat]

Just to say I was commenting in general for every challenge not just this one

 

[Luiglin]

After a period of time, you will become biased to certain authors. That’s fine. We like what we like. I’ll often vote for Dan or Jane, Johnnyjet, Chrispy and a few others because they usually submit something that appeals to me.

That's you off my Christmas list... ok, you were never on it... and I don't have one... but if I did, and you'd have been on it, I would have taken you off.

 

[Luiglin]

You bring up an interesting point - the tools of analysis. For prospective writers, this is interesting stuff. What do readers respond to? The emotional punch? The intriguing concept/ idea? The writing 'style'? Must put together a list for a poll of some kind, if I can figure out how. Chrons would be a good sample size. Hmmm. Looks around. "Now, where's me thinking gin?"

For me, it depends on how I'm feeling at the time. Something that makes me smile often gets on my shortlist, angst less so, same with strict sci-fi - I don't understand the big words.

I often put in bad puns, that's my sense of humour. They don't garner votes but I write them to make me smile first. If it makes at least one other grin... or groan, then that's a win for me.

I don't think any of my wins were for humour, just checking, first 75 a modern take The Devil Went Down to Georgia, second one about a writer's relationship with his characters, 300 win about someone going mad from a damp patch on the wall or maybe not and a 100 win, that was humorous

 

[Phyrebrat]

That's you off my Christmas list... ok, you were never on it... and I don't have one... but if I did, and you'd have been on it, I would have taken you off.

I’m was wondering where my Christmas sprout card was last year