DISCUSSION -- October 2016 300-word Writing Challenge (#23)

[HazelRah]

Congratulations Droflet!

This was all quite exciting for me, I never think much of myself, and I am humbled to have made it so far as joint second.
So big thankyous to ratsy, Droflet, Littlestar, abernovo, Luiglin, farntfar, CC and Ajid for the votes - my personal best - and thanks to anyone else who shortlisted or enjoyed my story.
It's been a good month, and a nice little confidence booster

 

[Judderman]

Very well done Droflet! Deserved.

 

[Cory Swanson]

Inspiration story:

The only tiny particle of a thought I had for days on this one was how great his beard was. I said to my wife, "What if the story is about beards that grow faces?"

"Probably too wierd," she replied.

That was all I needed to get started. A quick google search on beard styles and I was in business.

I really did think it was too 'out there' to succeed in the challenges. I'm impressed with everyone's appetite for the bizarre. Thanks for silver medaling me again!

 

[The Judge]

So if anyone is wondering, the answers to the Find-The-Birde contest from my 300 worder:

Obvious/en clair (some mis-spelled): merlin, hummingbird, swift, phalarope, martin, erne, booby, lark, knot, dotterel, rail, robin, godwit, garganey, daw, bittern

In a foreign language: aigle = eagle in French
Jynx torquilla = latin name for the wryneck

Homophone repeated from last time: J = Jay

So those weren't too difficult, but I said there were two which were a lot harder. The first needed teasing out, from Prof Garganey's magnificent professorship, the full title of which forms the acronym P E E W I T. The one I'm really proud of though, which I knew no one would find, is the rather strangulated homophone I’d a = eider.

So, 21 in all.

Wruter found 5, but cautiously never told us which of these he discovered, DGJ got 12, plus the Qua C of his own devising , but the winner of the virtual whatever-I-promised is TDZ with 17 of mine, plus she used the "tern" of bittern to get another (ooh, cheeky) and also introduced (?invented...) Qua, Deer, Daemon "which seems to be something to do with an internet thing called BIRD", Picnic, Mouse and "the ominous bird of Yore", none of which I'm accepting without evidence of real avians!


Now it's someone else's turn to provide a puzzle!

 

[Heijan Xavier]

Congratulations Droflet! Thank you everyone for all of the well wishes.

Thank you Mad Alice for the stealth vote. That was a nice surprise.

 

[ratsy]

Congrats Drof! Woohoo. I loved the story and it got my last day vote too

My own story was shut-out this month, but it was done a little too fast, with not enough thought, so it deserved that!

Until the next one!

 

[Droflet]

Congratulations Droflet!

This was all quite exciting for me, I never think much of myself, and I am humbled to have made it so far as joint second.
So big thankyous to ratsy, Droflet, Littlestar, abernovo, Luiglin, farntfar, CC and Ajid for the votes - my personal best - and thanks to anyone else who shortlisted or enjoyed my story.
It's been a good month, and a nice little confidence booster

With all due respect to the other chroners, I hoped your fabulous story would win.

 

[Vaz]

Smashing victory old chap, well deserved it was a fantastic story

 

[Vaz]

And thank you, Mad Alice for the stealth vote

 

[Ursa major]

which I knew no one would find [...] I’d a = eider.

As it happens, I did spot that one, but didn't bother looking too closely for other birds hidden in the text: homophones are much more my thing** than names of birds... and I'm old enough to have slept under an eiderdown (one which probably didn't contain real eider duck down), so I know that the eider is a bird.


** - They leap into my conscious mind unbidden.

 

[The Judge]

Ooh, so Ursa gets the eider prize!

 

[HazelRah]

With all due respect to the other chroners, I hoped your fabulous story would win.

Aw, thank you! That means a lot.

But every chron shall have its day, and this day was clearly destined to be yours

 

[Perpetual Man]

I thought I'd put a
quick bit up about mine, something I have not felt the need to do recently:

The House Where Infinity Dwells was shamelessly nicked (the title not the story) from a short I wrote many years ago, and the second it popped into my head I was not able to let it go.

When I started writing the idea in place was similar but different, centred around the kids creeping up to the house on a dare and being caught by the face in the window. How that transformed itself into God I have no idea.

The Dartmoor Longhouses do exist, they are a particular form of dwelling that is unique to the area.

There is, I believe, a local law or tradition that states that if a house can be raised upon the moor, with walls and roof intact within the space of a day (That's sunup to sunset) then the house will be allowed to stand. I seem to recall an attempt being made many years ago and actually being successful.

 

[Starbeast]

Congrats Drof! Woohoo. I loved the story and it got my last day vote too

My own story was shut-out this month, but it was done a little too fast, with not enough thought, so it deserved that! Until the next one!

I think you did a fine job, I gave you a mention. And if you write a story immediately, let it sit in the fridge for a while. So it can feast on the leftovers you stowed away in there. I used to leap into the challenges, then I would think about changes I could have made before posting.

Hang in their bro. And stay awesome.

 

[ratsy]

I think you did a fine job, I gave you a mention. And if you write a story immediately, let it sit in the fridge for a while. So it can feast on the leftovers you stowed away in there. I used to leap into the challenges, then I would think about changes I could have made before posting.

Hang in their bro. And stay awesome.

Thanks SB. Sometimes I let them marinate for a long time, and some times I just want to post something and move on, which is what this month was. I was happy to get 4 votes in the 75 this last month, so I cant get greedy

Thanks for the mention!

 

[Starbeast]

Thanks SB. Sometimes I let them marinate for a long time, and some times I just want to post something and move on, which is what this month was. I was happy to get 4 votes in the 75 this last month, so I cant get greedy

Thanks for the mention!

You're very welcome. (I meant "there", instead of "their" - sheesh)

Speaking of holding time, and trying to get through a month's challenge. The November 75 is really stressing me out. All I keep thinking of, is really depressing things. I've got a story written, that I have tied up in the Tool Shed, but, it's so depressing. However, if I don't come up with anything else by the 22nd, I'll probably post it.

 

[Droflet]

Dystopia tends to be that way, Beastie.

 

[Calliopenjo]

Yay for Droflet! Congratulations!