DISCUSSION THREAD -- July 2022 -- 300 Word Writing Challenge #46

[THX1138]

My husband and I are members of the Weald and Downland, and I can't praise it highly enough -- we'd originally planned to visit there and West Dean Gardens yesterday, but with the races at Goodwood we thought we'd better steer clear, which is why we went for the canal trip instead. And Fishbourne is marvellous -- we pop in every couple of years or so to glory in the mosaics. (One of Lindsey Davis's Falco books is set there, which makes for an entertaining read.)

I looked up the Weald and Downland, wish we had something like that here in the part of the States I'm in. I looked at their web-site and...they have some very cool classes there! I was into the Mountain Men/Black powder crafts for a time and I still am skilled at lighting a candle with flint and steal with chard cloth. Always dumbfounded my friends at how fast I was at it. Always good learning the old trades; the basics are good to know. Or give you a taste of what your ancestors went through! Vary cool.

 

[JS Wiig]

@THX1138 thank you for the vote!

 

[Aknot]

As usual a lot of good entries. Nice going all!

Short list:
Peter V
Guttersnipe
Ieorising

Votes:
Cat’s Cradle
Christine Wheelwright
paranoid marvin

 

[therapist]

Shortlist:
Daydream Believer — @Bren G
Prufrock — @Perpetual Man

My Votes:
The lights shone — @Luiglin
In my heart and my roots — @Jo Zebedee
The Fireflies Dance — @The Judge

 

[Bren G]

Shortlist:
Daydream Believer — @Bren G
Prufrock — @Perpetual Man

My Votes:
The lights shone — @Luiglin
In my heart and my roots — @Jo Zebedee
The Fireflies Dance — @The Judge

Thanks for the mention @therapist !

 

[Christine Wheelwright]

Interesting month. Many of the stories were dreamlike, many were dark....some were both. @Cat's Cradle and @Phyrebrat stories were well written, but a bit morbid for my mood (another day they might have got a vote). @mosaix, I loved your story of obsessive exploration. @Peter V , @Guttersnipe , @Jo Zebedee , @therapist and @Perpetual Man all excellent.

My votes went to @Stable for a tale of love surpassing horror, @paranoid marvin for a story of the exploiters being exploited (also one of very few laughs this month) and @Astro Pen for his sensuous, mystical tale of love and strange herbs.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Woohoo, 2 votes, thanks JS Wiig and Aknot. Thanks also to THX1138 for the shortlisting.

It's great to see such a wide scope of stories from science fiction to fantasy, to ghost stories - and a lot of thanks for that has to go to Laura R Hepworth for a truly inspring piece of art (I'm assuming that it's not a photo!)

​

 

[paranoid marvin]

And thankyou Christine Wheelwright for another vote as I typed the last post. It really means a lot, especially with my less than spectacular achievements in the last couple of Challenges.

 

[Rafellin]

Hmmm. A larger than usual number of tales that didn't work for me. Good imagery, though.

Anyway, to the podium...

Top o' the stack: @johnnyjet
Second: @mosaix
Third: @Raz2k13 (Would have been second but the typo tripped me.)

 

[BT Jones]

Wow, a knockout round! I wrote down all the authors of stories that struck a chord with me and there were more than twenty. As such, I will dispense with the longlist (which is basically everyone else!). I'm so glad we get 3 votes for the 300.

Shortlist:

• @Victoria Silverwolf
• @BigJ
• @AnRoinnUltra
• @Jo Zebedee

Votes:

• @Luiglin - Man, when you put your serious hat on, you just knock it out of the park. Absolutely beautiful.
• @Phyrebrat - I loved the lush imagery and the spectral atmosphere
• @The Judge - Totally enchanting and very moving.

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

Voted
@Cat's Cradle
@Christine Wheelwright
@Jo Zebedee

 

[Raz2k13]

Hmmm. A larger than usual number of tales that didn't work for me. Good imagery, though.

Anyway, to the podium...

Top o' the stack: @johnnyjet
Second: @mosaix
Third: @Raz2k13 (Would have been second but the typo tripped me.)

Thanks for the vote!!
I didn't even realize there was a typo. Thank you so much for that. Sometimes I just get to ahead of myself.

 

[Rafellin]

Thanks for the vote!!
I didn't even realize there was a typo. Thank you so much for that. Sometimes I just get to ahead of myself.

It's my favourite f*ckup: submitting it eagerly to somewhere before I've done four review passes and waited a couple of days.

 

[Raz2k13]

It's my favourite f*ckup: submitting it eagerly to somewhere before I've done four review passes and waited a couple of days.

I'm the worlds worst at getting ahead of myself. I used to have a friend beta EVERYTHING I wrote but once she got out of college and got a big girl job she couldn't do it as much and I really need to find another beta because I can read something 99 times and not see that I spelled the 'teh' and then after I post it I see it and it drives me insane!

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Great selection this month. I enjoyed JS Whig's, AKnot's, Ian 42s (very nearly a vote) and Phyre's sour little bite at the end of the story. But my votes went to Victoria Silverwolf for crisp, clean storytelling (can't we ban her for being too good, eh? ); Christine Wheelwright for a beautiful touch in letting the reader make the jump in logic to a satisfying end, and Therapist for the best use of science in mushrooms (they talk, they feel pain, etc, etc. They're amazing!)

 

[Wayne Mack]

There were a lot of fine entries, though some, I felt, missed the theme and some others merely left me confused. I finally voted for:

The Language of Laguna @therapist
Reunion @Peter V
Something new @VRlass

Two more that caught my eye were:

In my heart and my roots @Jo Zebedee
Diplomatic Failings @Christine Wheelwright

 

[paranoid marvin]

Many great and creative entries this time around.

I was very impressed with Phyrebat, Victoria Silverwolf and The Judge, but my votes go to Aknot with a great piece of dialogue, Christine Wheelwright with a very funny story and Ursa with a super twist in the tail.

 

[Ursa major]

Many, many thanks for the vote, pm.

 

[sule]

Shortlist:
Instructables by Swank
Dazzling by Ursa major
The lights shone by Luiglin
We Are the Eggman by Guttersnipe

Votes:
The Fireflies Dance by The Judge
In my heart and my roots by Jo Zebedee
The Explorer's Obsession by mosaix

 

[Stable]

I voted for @Peter V, @mosaix and @Jo Zebedee.
I very nearly voted for @BT Jones, @Luiglin, @Victoria Silverwolf and @Phyrebrat.

There were so many beautifully emotive pieces (more than I've listed above), this month was really enjoyable.