Discussion Thread -- October 2017 75-word Writing Challenge

And..... I'm in!

The Challenge is closed to new entries.

Voting is now open at the link below:

Got my vote in, mosaix and his Loch Ness tale.
Nice bit of fantasy and it included an ocean voyage to the mating ground

I enjoyed the stories - well done all, and congrats Ursa on a cool theme for the month.
Culling is always hard for me, but I have my long list, finalists and vote:

Long - Victoria, AstroZon, Joshua Jones, paranoid marvin, Teresa Edgerton, LittleStar, HazelRah, nixie, holland

Finalists -
I picked Culhwch's tale of loss and sorrow, D.A. Xiaolin Spires' story of struggle and rebirth, and TJ's telling of sacrifice and salvation.

In a close field, D.A. Xiaolin Spires won my vote. Best of luck in the voting, all!

Soon as I read Culhwch’s story I knew it would get my vote.

So it did.

Will do my shortlist and post later.

pH

I've voted. Thanks to all for entering, I'm pleased I've found this part of the chrons and looking forward to contributing more in future

Some good stories this month but I felt some missed the theme and genre - especially the 'voyage' bit.

My vote went to Teresa.

My vote went to HazelRah, while The Judge came second.

Great month people!

Favourites

Justin Swanton
Bob Senior
Joshua Jones
Hugh
Culwich
The Judge

Vote

Teresa

My vote went to Voyager der Mondes -- Holland

I was left wondering what colourful persons are on this vessel. Guess I'll never know.

I was very impressed by the quality of the entries.

My clear winner was @Victoria Silverwolf

The final shortlist:
@Teresa Edgerton @D.A. Xiaolin Spires and @Bob Senior

But many others were close to shortlisting.

@nixie .... Unseen .... Story #40 points out that on a sea voyage getting what you hoped for might come with some unexpected consequences.

@Ursa major .... Oh, I Did Like To Be Beside… Story #41 introduces us to a sad monument with a sad inscription which seems to have made the voyage worth the trouble.

@The Judge .... Her Body a Living Sacrifice .... Story #42 (Yea 42!) is a poignant reminder that being a god carries grave and serious consequences.

T. J. his story speaks to my heart! Thank you.

@ratsy .... The Sword .... Story #43 speaks of the magic in a sword and the great costs to the one who wields it, not the power.

@Phyrebrat .... Never the Twain .... Story #44 takes us on a voyage of discovery like no other! Sailing the mental straits one must go armed to the teeth.

Phy this is easily the most original story I've read in this lot. Well done!!

@holland .... Voyager der Mondes .... Story #45 brings us the grandeur of a great pleasure voyage.

@Mad Alice .... So You Want To Be A Viking? .... Story #46 sends us aviking with all it's magic and horror.

This never gets easier and as ever I humbly apologise for not mentioning stories which deserve to be mentioned.

From County Cork Cat's Cradle beautifully crafted piece which evocatively captures the situation of the protagonist and their sense of relief. Poignantly moving in only 75 words

To Die For Shyrka The beginning of this well written tale gives no clue as to the change in pace and direction which is always a plus for me.

Last Voyage Justin Swanton A nice twist and salvation from despair.

Something Rich and Strange TitaniumTi At first I thought this would be a nautical horror story but this ghostly tale is far deeper than that.

Out of the Frying Pan… Joshua Jones Simply lovely and unexpected. (Very distant) memories of my childhood and a bit more recently of bath time with my children.

Untitled SPoots Not really SF or Fantasy but I like history and a better use of the Titanic than my own tale.

Sun, Sea, Sand, Sex. mosaix This was a different twist and nicely done. A joyful tale amidst a lot of darkness

Salt and Sorrow Culhwch A sadly moving tale of loss and new tragedy balanced with acceptance.

Her Body a Living Sacrifice The Judge A tale of sacrifice and selflessness for a gods children.

The Sword ratsy I think that's one sword that is going to be around for a long time, mores the pity for the wielder.

Never the Twain Phyrebrat This is just too damned clever to ignore. Nice one

As for my vote? I have not decided yet from the above as I keep changing my mind. So it will be a sort of stealth vote when I finally get to committing. How about three votes to help an old geezer out?

Thanks @Cat's Cradle, @nixie, and @Peter V for the mentions. As others have stated, the quality of stories this month was exceptional, with a fair crop of new writers (or, at least ones I didn't recognize). To avoid short listing nearly all the entrants, I had to clamp down on my criteria, so many I would normally mention (and were excellent) didn't make the mentions.

My (still lengthy) list:

@Victoria Silverwolf
@Cathbad
@Cat's Cradle
@DelActivisto
@Luiglin
@Shyrka
@Justin Swanton
@paranoid marvin
@Hugh
@D.A. Xiaolin Spires -finalist
@Teresa Edgerton -finalist
@Parson -vote
@Perpetual Man
@mosaix -finalist
@Culhwch -finalist
@Ursa major
@The Judge -finalist
@ratsy
@Phyrebrat -finalist

Great job everyone!

Parson picks himself off the floor. Did he see that right? Joshua Jones gave him a vote?? Yes! Thanks so much you've just made my month!

Here are my prime contenders. I have to say that there were a lot of different and interesting entries this month. My own list is quite a diverse bunch.


Victoria Silverwolf … The Voice of Leviathan … A voyage of hope after death.

Justin Swanton …. Last Voyage …. A voyage of hope after the apocalypse.

Bob Senior …. Night Life …. A humorous voyage with a splash into realism.

D.A. Xiaolin Spires …. The Primordial Push …. The birth voyage that we all take.

Teresa Edgerton …. Where Late the Mermaids Sang …. A voyage of greed and its consequences.

The Judge …. Her Body a Living Sacrifice …. The voyage of the sacrifice of a god for her people.

Phyrebrat …. Never the Twain …. A mental voyage of discovery.

Picking one of these Prime Contenders is a vary difficult and close call. If I had three votes I'd vote for Teresa, the Judge, and the Brat, but I only have one vote..... This is too hard!! ..... by the skinniest of margins I'm going for the most original story (and that's saying something!) I vote for Phyrebrat and Never the Twain.

Parson said:

Parson picks himself off the floor. Did he see that right? Joshua Jones gave him a vote?? Yes! Thanks so much you've just made my month!

Click to expand...

And it was a well deserved vote. I thought it was a very original way of incorporating the theme into a SF genre while subverting the usual "sea of stars" that would accompany this. What set it over the top for me was the way the advert and the protagonist were playing into the expectation of the genre. Hence, I took it as both a subversion and satire of the expectations of the genre and theme while still managing to play them straight.

All that to say excellent work on your story this month!

Woo, two mentions! Thanks @Joshua Jones & @Peter V !

Lots of excellent variations on a theme. But finally, my Long List, Short List, and **** Favorite ****:

1. RE-BIRTHRIGHT – Ashleyne
2. The Voice of Leviathan - Victoria Silverwolf
3. To Die For – Shyrka
4. Bubbles - Peter V
5. The Primordial Push - D. A. Xiaolin Spires
6. **** Where Late the Mermaids Sang - Teresa Edgerton ****
7. Sail the Sea of Stars – Parson
8. Finding Nemo – TheDustyZebra
9. For Now – LittleStar
10. Rendezvous – HazelRah
11. Unseen – nixie
12. Her Body a Living Sacrifice - The Judge
13. The Sword – ratsy
14. Never the Twain – Phyrebrat
15. Voyager der Mondes – Holland

Thanks very much, holland - for the vote a nice surprise!