DISCUSSION THREAD -- April 2022 -- 300 Word Writing Challenge #45

[worldofmutes]

worldofmutes: The jazzy, surreal, frenzied imagery of this psychological character study blazes past the reader's senses like the solo performance of a virtuoso. The enigmatic nature of the narrator leaves us dazzled.

You forgot “if”

 

[Elckerlyc]

<Sigh of Relief> Yea, my story is done. Well, almost.
<Sigh of Frustration> It has 2 possible endings and now I don't know which one to choose... It's giving me headaches.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

mosaix: A chilling sense of the way that one group of people can dehumanize another, while feigning clinical detachment, comes across powerfully in this tale of the future. The story's shock ending reminds us that anyone can fall victim to this.

 

[Luiglin]

<Sigh of Relief> Yea, my story is done. Well, almost.
<Sigh of Frustration> It has 2 possible endings and now I don't know which one to choose... It's giving me headaches.

Play rock paper scissors against yourself but no cheating.

 

[Peter V]

<Sigh of Relief> Yea, my story is done. Well, almost.
<Sigh of Frustration> It has 2 possible endings and now I don't know which one to choose... It's giving me headaches.

I wrote something I liked a lot, with an amusing ending I thought fitting. However after letting it settle for a few days, I decided it was a little light on impact and that I probably needed another 100 words to imbue it with a sense of gravitas fitting to the central character. So I wrote a second, much darker story and entered that instead. Since then I have decided I much prefer my first effort and wish i had waited another few days.

So whichever you choose, it is quite possible that by turns you will feel you made the wrong choice. Perhaps, after the voting finishes, put up the alternate ending and see which people prefer.

 

[Elckerlyc]

Play rock paper scissors against yourself but no cheating.

It's my right hand that's cheating. It knows my left hand can only do rock.

 

[Elckerlyc]

I wrote something I liked a lot, with an amusing ending I thought fitting. However after letting it settle for a few days, I decided it was a little light on impact and that I probably needed another 100 words to imbue it with a sense of gravitas fitting to the central character. So I wrote a second, much darker story and entered that instead. Since then I have decided I much prefer my first effort and wish i had waited another few days.

So whichever you choose, it is quite possible that by turns you will feel you made the wrong choice. Perhaps, after the voting finishes, put up the alternate ending and see which people prefer.

Thanks. I have, more or less, decided to go for my 2nd version. It isn't darker as in your case, rather the opposite. I'll do as you suggest and post the other version after the voting.

 

[therapist]

...and i'm in. With over 10 hours to spare! I wanted to write a story about a live streaming monster hunter, but after many unsuccessful drafts I gave up and went with something else.

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

Phew. That was close, however I managed to get my story posted.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I've joined in this month.

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

Well I didn't think I was going to enter this month. I had nothing until Thursday night, when bam, the ending hit me, and I just worked backwards from there. Or something like that . Anyway, there it is. I haven't read the other entries yet, so apologies if the ending has already been used. I'd be surprised if it hasn't.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Well I didn't think I was going to enter this month. I had nothing until Thursday night, when bam, the ending hit me, and I just worked backwards from there. Or something like that . Anyway, there it is. I haven't read the other entries yet, so apologies if the ending has already been used. I'd be surprised if it hasn't.

I think that's how nearly all of my entries start; with an ending I'm happy with, then I work backwards. For some reason that feels like the most natural way to write; I wonder how many other people feel the same way?

 

[Mon0Zer0]

I think that's how nearly all of my entries start; with an ending I'm happy with, then I work backwards. For some reason that feels like the most natural way to write; I wonder how many other people feel the same way?

Sometimes I do. Sometimes I just wing it.

For this one, I woke up about 4:30 am on the morning of the entry and came up with the idea whilst half-dreaming.

 

[chrispenycate]

So, after totally failing anything with the 75( writing or voting) I've managed at least something for this. Bit last minute, bit short and not really up to the standard of the image, but it exists, and isn't verse.

 

[The Judge]

I'm in, too, after much frantic brain-storming over the last several days, though much of the actual plot got left behind on the cutting room floor once again.

I think that's how nearly all of my entries start; with an ending I'm happy with, then I work backwards. For some reason that feels like the most natural way to write; I wonder how many other people feel the same way?

Very occasionally I'll have a good idea for an ending before anything else, but usually I don't get the sniff of a story until the opening line comes to me -- for this Challenge I'd got nothing until this morning when "She stopped at the mouth of the cave" popped into my head. (I was in the car en route to the Cuckoo Fair at Downton, Wiltshire, as it happens, with no conceivable connection to sea caves, so goodness only knows where the line came from!) Once I've got the first line right, I wing it, which involves writing a lot then deleting most of it -- I go off at tangents, spend ages trying to sort out plot holes that only exist because I've made the plot too complicated to begin with, add in backstory that isn't relevant -- with a great deal of fiddle-faddle over the ending, both as to how the story should end and the actual wording. (And inevitably after I've posted and the hour for editing has elapsed I hit on a better idea for the ending. Grrr.)

 

[therapist]

I think that's how nearly all of my entries start; with an ending I'm happy with, then I work backwards. For some reason that feels like the most natural way to write; I wonder how many other people feel the same way?

That's the only way that works for me. I feel that endings are very important for flash fiction.
I come up with a loose premise first and just list down all the endings that could work. Then I start writing a bunch of quick first drafts, trialing different ideas and characters and tones etc. I must've written over a dozen awful stories before I landed on the one I finally used. And then I cried because it was 500 words long.

 

[Ursa major]

The Challenge is now closed to new entries.

The poll will be along soon.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

therapist: In this striking parable of loneliness and friendship we discover that connection is possible with the other, no matter how vast the distance between may seem. The author offers gentleness instead of fear, welcome instead of disdain.

Elckerlyc: The egotistical nature of the self-centered narrator comes across sharply in this clever tale of manipulation of expectations. So ingratiating is the character's hubris that it is impossible not to admire the audacity of scheme herein revealed.

Ian Fortytwo: With a pace that leaves the reader breathless, the author creates a suspenseful story of escape and survival. The unexpected climax causes one to ponder the natures of enmity and amity.

Teresa Edgerton: The deceptively simple grace of a fairy tale fills this fable of transformation with a sense of wonder. Who among us cannot identify with one who feels apart from others, and longs for change?

paranoid marvin: In this witty and affectionate spoof of the works of a pioneer in imaginative fiction we find the eternal truth that our dreams are not as limited as our abilities. The power to smile at our own limitations is a precious gift, indeed.

M. Robert Gibson: A wealth of wordplay appears in this merry romp, rewarding careful reading and rereading to unlock its treasures. Beyond this, however, we find an all-too-familiar portrait of the powerful and the powerless.

chrispenycate: The formal vocabulary and stately manner of the narrator serves as to make this account of an extraordinary creation seem very real. The narrator's musings force us to consider the true nature of humanity, for both good and evil.

The Judge: A sense of ancient rituals and secret covenants can be found in this fantasy that walks a thin line between dark and light. The ambiguity of right and wrong, and the many shades of gray between, is made evident in a mythic tale of rewards and sacrifice.

Marvin: The author provides a subtle satire of the way that people grow accustomed to the slow degradation of their environment in this picture of a future lacking things we take for granted. The matter-of-fact tone of the narrator reveals that we rarely value things before they become rare and difficult to experience.

Bren G: Unusual use is made of the kaiju subgenre of fantastic fiction in this allegory of human sins against the planet. Blending the excitement of an epic adventure with the passion of a manifesto, the author allows us to consider the unwitting harm we do.

Ursa major: This droll tale of macroeconomics and awe-inspiring magic brings together reality and fantasy, resulting in a unique blend. To be sure, even the gods must bow to multinational corporations.

 

[Ursa major]

The voting is NOW open.

To cast your THREE votes, use the link below.

Please vote for your top THREE choices; note that all three votes must be cast AT THE SAME TIME to count.​

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[Victoria Silverwolf]

Votes go to:

Jo Zebedee

therapist

Teresa Edgerton