DISCUSSION THREAD -- March 2021 -- 75-Word Writing Challenge

[Lawrence Twiddy]

Congratulations @Victoria Silverwolf terrific story was my favourite from the first read.
Well done @Hugh also your story made it a very tight vote and reads even more powerful with the context you wrote it in. Hold sacred all the memories you shared with your valued passed friends, my condolences.

 

[Provincial]

The significant context for my story was that two old and valued friends died in the first three days of this challenge. One death was unexpected though he was aged eighty, the other was only in his early sixties but heavily bedridden with an early onset dementia. While I wasn't meaning to write specifically about them, I'm sure that their deaths greatly affected the writing of the story.


Anyway, many thanks everyone!

I think that everyone who has ever lost a friend in that way will recognise the feelings behind your story. You caught it perfectly.

 

[mosaix]

Congratulations @Victoria Silverwolf !

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Congratulations Victoria Silverwolf on another fine story and Challenge victory. Well done for the terrific performance, Hugh.

Condolences on the passing of your two good friends, Hugh. What a hard twelve months it has been. The Writing Challenges are such a welcome distraction from all difficulties real-life.
Looking forward to your genre/theme choices, Victoria, and to the new 300 worder, which should also start tomorrow, CC

 

[Artoriarius]

Congratulations, @Victoria Silverwolf!

 

[nixie]

Congratulations Victoria.

 

[Wayne Mack]

Congratulations @Victoria Silverwolf and also to @Hugh. Those were two wonderful tales.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Congratulations Victoria Silverwolf! And well done to Hugh as a commendable runner-up and for showing such good sportsmanship in defeat.

As I pass the winner's crown to Victoria, I would like to say thankyou to everyone for participating in this month's challenge, making it such a close, hard-fought contest and doing some truly remarkable things with the theme I set.

Looking forward to Victoria's choice of theme/genre and good luck to everyone in next month's Challenge.

 

[Marvin]

Congrats @Victoria Silverwolf
Well done @Hugh for running an extremely close second

Thanks also go to @Victoria Silverwolf and @Parson for all those reviews.
And, much thanks also to @Hugh for my precious mention, stopping my entry disappearing without a trace.

I knew when submitting, it was mediocre at best. But I often feel compelled to try and get something in, just to see if I can. Even if I have no great ideas coming to mind.
Perhaps that isn’t a great way of writing though. Maybe one should wait until a theme/genre comes along that sparks a good idea before entering, rather than entering for the sake of it?

Well done everyone, a very healthy crop of good quality stories. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

 

[Parson]

Perhaps that isn’t a great way of writing though. Maybe one should wait until a theme/genre comes along that sparks a good idea before entering, rather than entering for the sake of it?

Interesting idea, but I would argue the other side of it. I have often been given a theme or a text and was expected to make the best of it. So, not only does the 75 teach you an economy of words, the understanding of the essentials of a coherent story, but it also trains a person to write things which are not necessarily in their sweet spot. (I know a lot of writers who write in several genres and styles. I suspect that each has a way or a style which suits them best, but they can write a very good story outside of those things.) A good example would likely be Martha Wells, who was a well known Fantasy writer before she dabbled into SF and wrote the very memorable Murderbot series. Probably, not her first choice of genre, but she did a bang up job. She won multiple Hugos, and Nebulas for the series.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Congrats @Victoria Silverwolf
Well done @Hugh for running an extremely close second

Thanks also go to @Victoria Silverwolf and @Parson for all those reviews.
And, much thanks also to @Hugh for my precious mention, stopping my entry disappearing without a trace.

I knew when submitting, it was mediocre at best. But I often feel compelled to try and get something in, just to see if I can. Even if I have no great ideas coming to mind.
Perhaps that isn’t a great way of writing though. Maybe one should wait until a theme/genre comes along that sparks a good idea before entering, rather than entering for the sake of it?

Well done everyone, a very healthy crop of good quality stories. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

Your entry wasn't mediocre (and I shortlisted last month's, I thought it was brilliant), but it can be tough to get shortlistings and votes when there are so many entries written at such a high standard. Sometimes it can be that your entry doesn't quite 'click' with others, or that you have written something similar to someone else who did it slightly better.

I wouldn't agree with waiting until a theme/genre comes along that gives you inspiration, because (as Parson said) sometimes the challenges that really stretch your brain cells are the ones that produce the most surprising (in a good way) results. And one thing for sure is the more times you enter, the more experience you will gain, and that can only help when it comes to improving your skills. However, you may decide to wait until later in the month before entering, to see if a good idea does come to you. I'm sure I'm not the only one who in the past has posted early only to repent at leisure/in annoyance for the next 2-3 weeks!

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Goodness! What a delightful surprise to come back to after several days away from the computer. My only regret is that I was not here during the tie-breaker, as I would have voted for Hugh, and we would have had a true double victory. Given that fact, it is only proper to celebrate Hugh as a winner, so many congratulations.

I will get to work on starting the April challenge.

 

[Mr Orange]

belated congratulations @Victoria Silverwolf and commiserations @Hugh. both great stories, Hugh got my vote in the tie break and @M. Robert Gibson got my vote in the general melee because, well, Dragons AND Pirates.

i have a feeling my story was misunderstood and the meaning was nowhere as clear as i thought it was. not helped by realising last minute i still only had a draft and being unable to actually think about whether it was intelligible or not

 

[Starbeast]

Congratulations Victoria Silverwolf
@Victoria Silverwolf

You've written a fantastic story which was on my runner's up list. But choosing one story was exceedingly tough. You're a great reviewer too.



​

@Hugh You were awesome in the competition. Well done sir. It was an exciting close race.

@Parson As always, you are a great reviewer and wonderful writer. Keep the faith brother.

@Mr Orange You made my list pal. Keep'em flying. Never surrender, never give up.


Anyone want a rat tart? There's plenty left. Each tart doesn't have much rat in them. Only three. It's rather a lot really.