DISCUSSION THREAD -- July 2024 -- 75 Word Writing Challenge

[Christine Wheelwright]

Voted for @The Judge

Runners up:
@mosaix
@Parson
@BigJ
@Ursa major

 

[Ursa major]

Many thanks for the "Runners up", @Christine Wheelwright ,

many thanks for "close to a vote", @AnRoinnUltra ,

many thanks for the mention, @Bowler1 ,

and many thanks for the "caught my eye", @Hugh .

 

[nixie]

Favourites @Cat's Cradle, @Victoria Silverwolf, @mosaix @paranoid marvin.
Vote @The Judge.

 

[Parson]

Thanks for mentioning my story, @AnRoinnUltra, @Christine Wheelwright and @otaylor. They were much appreciated.

 

[Provincial]

Thanks for mentioning my story, @AnRoinnUltra, @Christine Wheelwright and @otaylor. They were much appreciated.

You were on my shortlist too, your absence from the final version was a typo which I didn't notice until I read the above entry. So sorry!

 

[Pyan]

Honourable mentions: @Victoria Silverwolf, @mosaix @Ursa major, @Cat's Cradle
Vote @The Judge.

 

[Lacedaemonian]

Thank you for the mentions @otaylor and @Hugh. Also, thank you for the kind words @AnRoinnUltra @Provincial and the almost-votes, which I will count as whole votes in my own personal ledger. Thank you to everybody that took the time to read my poem. I can see why folk shortlisted so many people this month as it is very tough to choose one out of the crowded field....

Shortlist:

The Néindáin enigma by @AnRionnUltra and the untitled story by @Luiglin both made me laugh. My kind of heroism.

The Un-Survivors @Gutternipe - You always manage to use a phrase or two that sets the tone of your stories.

Bedtime Stories @paranoid marvin - really enjoyed this alternate perspective.

An Awfully Bad Way to Go @otaylor - I love owt like this!

The End Game @Christine Wheelwright - Such a fantastic concept piece, somewhat reminiscent of the 1983 movie WarGames and Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game.

My Vote:

The Final Cut @Victoria Silverwolf -always amazes me what folk can do with 75 words and this story exemplifies that.

 

[Ursa major]

Thanks for the honourable mention, @Pyan.

 

[Parson]

You were on my shortlist too, your absence from the final version was a typo which I didn't notice until I read the above entry. So sorry!

Hey no problem! I'll take any mention I can get.

 

[chrispenycate]

Oh, dear. A distinct shortage of stories (I myself wrote three, none of which were good enough for posting, alas) but a greater shortage of easily rejected ones. My shortlist (short, huh) went: Cat's Cradle, Daysman Lacedaemonian, Luiglin. mosaix, paranoid marvin, Parson, The Judge & Victoria Silverwolf, but there were others I regretted not being able to include. Finally went for Parson's somewhat smug, self congratulatory piece.

 

[Provincial]

I eat when I can't sleep, I suffer badly from insom-nom-nom-nom-nom-nia.

Sorry, I'll get my dressing gown.

It has taken me weeks to 'get' this joke!

 

[Luiglin]

It has taken me weeks to 'get' this joke!

I don't blame you, it truly is a very bad pun... which is why I love it.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

A good month of stories! I always like when the genre is 'Open'.

Had to do a severe whittling of my list to get down to a reasonable size. So...

Shortlist:
Provincial, johnnyjet, mosaix, paranoid marvin, Starbeast, Big J, Ursa major

Fine stories all.

Finalists:
Victoria Silverwolf, Lacedaemonian, The Judge

I had a hard time choosing between these very good entries, but the one I read when it was first posted that resonates strongest with me these many days later is Lacedaemonian's rousing poem. I even looked up the meaning of unkende, and it was just right... made the poem that much more effective. Well done, Lacedaemonian, and well done all.

Many thanks to our fine reviewers.
I'm grateful to Provincial, AnRoinnUltra, nixie, Pyan and chrispenycate for the listings.
Good luck the rest of the way everyone, with listings or votes, CC

 

[Ursa major]

none of which were good enough for posting

Sometimes** I'm relieved that the Challenge rules don't include, "Entries must be good."


** - No "What do you mean, sometimes?" comments, please....

 

[Ursa major]

Many thanks for the shortlisting, Cat's Cradle.

 

[Luiglin]

Sometimes** I'm relieved that the Challenge rules don't include, "Entries must be good."


** - No "What do you mean, sometimes?" comments, please....

Yep, I exist on bad entries... very much like my humour

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Indeed, Ursa. Should I read back over my older entries, there are always many moments of cringing.
But the Great Wheel of Challenge grinds on, and helps us to forget (though there are so many stories I wish I could bribe a Mod to change the entrant name on).

 

[mosaix]

Indeed, Ursa. Should I read back over my older entries, there are always many moments of cringing.
But the Great Wheel of Challenge grinds on, and helps us to forget (though there are so many stories I wish I could bribe a Mod to change the entrant name on).

All my previous 75s and 300s are stored on laptop. Sometimes I read through them for inspiration and I think 'did I really write that?' - for both well and poorly written stuff.

Unfortunately, marking an indication of decline, it seems to me that my older stuff was superior.

 

[Luiglin]

All my previous 75s and 300s are stored on laptop. Sometimes I read through them for inspiration and I think 'did I really write that?' - for both well and poorly written stuff.

Unfortunately, marking an indication of decline, it seems to me that my older stuff was superior.

Same here @mosaix. The problem for me is that work has near as damn it killed off my writing. I have the time but by that point my brain just wants to switch off.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Sometimes I read through them for inspiration and I think 'did I really write that?' - for both well and poorly written stuff.

That's definitely true too, mosaix. I did write a fair few I am proud of, and I hope that's true for all of our Challengers.

Someday I hope to copy the ones I like into a word doc.