Hello all you beautiful people.
If I count correct there is about 2 months to next Q, so let’s play a little educational game.
<look left, looks right>Psst… I am gonna tell you secret. Its not a super secret but i I like it, and I think its pretty cool…
As I beta’d over 30 stories i noticed something of a trend.
Its a short story competition but some of you take way too long to tell me WTH am I reading.
I know we all heard the “start with character, setting and conflict ASAP” but most people treat it as tip not a rule (justifiable) or they want to go Picasso and brake rules like artist (if you can pull this off—hats off gentlemen).
But more often than not it seems to me like someone don’t understand it, o don’t know how to do it.
<Pennywise the clown voice mode> So I would like to play a little game with you all, HAHAHAH<evil laughter>.
Lets make 300 challenge.
A full story.
About a certain topic.
Belonging to specific genre.
Opened and closed.
300 words max.
Deadline, by the end of current month.
Winner chosen by the number of emotions
And for the winner…
</Pennywise>
The winner gets to choose genre and the theme of next challenge. <CROWD ROARS!!>
That being said…
THE FIRST PERSON TO REPLY THIS POST CAN SET THE INITIAL GENRE AND THEME, (if they don’t, the next in chain can—But seriously why wouldn’t you?)
so,
LET THE CHALLENGE… <dramatic pause waiting for the initial genre and theme>
This is a pretty neat idea! I hope an idea strikes me that would suit this format: I'm still nowhere near skilled enough to make my ideas fit the lengths I want. They always tell me how long the stories have to be ?
Might I humbly suggest the initial genre of SOLAR PUNK (The "solar" represents solar energy as a renewable energy source and an optimistic vision of the future that rejects nihilism and climate doomerism, while the "punk" refers to the countercultural, post-capitalist, and decolonial enthusiasm for creating such a future) and theme of: the MC is not coming-of-age but the world/civilization is. Or they both are, if you like symmetry/symbolism.
VOL 40 2nd Quarter: Third Place ("Ashes to Ashes, Blood to Carbonfiber")
Past submissions: R - HM - HM - HM - HM - HM - SHM - SHM
www.jd-writes.com
Kindle Vella - Ashes to Ashes, Earth to Kaybee
@ease OK,
Genre: Solarpunk
Theme: Coming of age
This hint of main character not comming of age gives me a cool idea…
I know nothing about solar punk, but I thought this will be an interesting thing to do. I wrote this, with a different take on the subject matter than other stories I've seen on the topic. I also don't normally write in first person present, but for some reason, for me, this fits. It took me about an hour. It's 300 words. I hope everyone enjoys it and I look forward to your comments. Thank you!
***
The End of the World
They say that the end is near. Y2k. 2012. 2022. They were all wrong. The end came much later and not how anyone expected. No fiery explosion of an asteroid destroying the earth. No cyclic global warming and then ice age. The end came with the takedown of capitalism, CEOs and the wealthy all being arrested for crimes against humanity. Being rich was a crime. No trial ensued, just social justice.
My name is Patrick Erickson and I am one of the “wolves” of Wall Street. I spent fifty years climbing the corporate ladder. Capitalism is the way of the free world. The harder you work, the farther you got in life. I built a wonderful life for myself, married the woman of my dreams, and have two thriving children. The jealous looked at my life and coveted all my hard work for themselves. The lazy yelled loudly that I owed them for my success. The spiteful gathered together and threw me in here.
I am penning this last page to my memoir in the hopes that my beautiful wife Sarah may find it and read what has become of me. I am barely alive, being fed a green bologna sandwich a day for many months now. I scrawl fast as my flexible pen is running out of ink.
I love you, Sarah. I love little Timothy and beautiful Marie. I regret nothing, except that the world stood by silently as this happened. The end wasn’t the destruction of the world. It was the destruction of values and hard work, of morals and empathy. My pen is sputtering its last bit of ink.
I am scared, not for me, but for all of you living in a new world of communism hidden behind acquiescence and equality. I will die free.
~ I honestly believe that good stories write themselves. You can always start writing a story, but the characters tell their own tales and if you're lucky enough, you get to merely be in the audience watching everything unfold. ~ 8/1/2022
***
WotF - 2022, V39 Q4: R
WotF - 2022/2023, V40 Q1: HM; Q2: HM; Q3: HM; Q4:HM
Ok, done. Creating civilization coming of age and solarpunk genre was way harder than I initially thought.
The kindling world.
The first one to get sick was my mom. I remember dad, running from one doctor to another desperately looking for a cure, but no one even know what it was.
When other people in the island started to get sick a panic spread. The local radio started broadcasting alerts, to not swim in the sea, drink tap water, or eat local seafood. Not saying why.
My mother was still not getting any better, so father took the little money we had, got us all to the mainland, to our grandparents, and went with mom to the hospital. I remember my little brother asking me “Will she come back?”
I had no Idea what to tell him.
I didn’t hear dad coming back. Strange noise in the kitchen, woke me up in the middle of a night. I saw him there but he was different somehow. He was clumsily holding a bottle, emptied in half.
The TV was flashing in the dark room. I heard the anchorman saying the name of our island, and a weird foreign word. Greenwashing. I remember it felt surreal.
“Dad, how is mom?” I asked.
When he looked at me his eyes went dull, and then for the first time in my life I saw my father, the mightiest man in our island, cry. Slowly I come closer and I hugged him with my tiny arms. No words were spoken.
Next few days went silent and shallow. Numb in a way.
Then the reporters come to interview us. One of them approached me with a microphone, asking If I’m happy that some big company will give us a lot of money as compensation. I just asked “Could I give back the money, and get my mom instead?”
Somehow it set the world on fire.
So, month come to an end and we have a tie, but because if not for vote of my tie I would lose–its fair to say...
We have winner!!
@AnnaX WON!!
Feel free to set up new Theme and Genre.
if you want to get your story critiqued put it in here ( https://writersofthefuture.com/forum/writing-craft-talent-technique/improving-300-worders/ )
So, month come to an end and we have a tie, but because if not for vote of my tie I would lose–its fair to say...
We have winner!!
@AnnaX WON!!
Feel free to set up new Theme and Genre.
if you want to get your story critiqued put it in here ( https://writersofthefuture.com/forum/writing-craft-talent-technique/improving-300-worders/ )
Thank you! ?
Genre: thriller/crime
Theme: “the serial killer you know”
So the next theme is thriller or crime, since both are pretty much complimentary.
The theme is “the serial killer you know”. This can be you (the narrator), a friend, the main character (if written in third), etc. You can write about a crime you committed or a crime you witnessed by someone else that you know. You can write it any way you want.
Good luck! ?
~ I honestly believe that good stories write themselves. You can always start writing a story, but the characters tell their own tales and if you're lucky enough, you get to merely be in the audience watching everything unfold. ~ 8/1/2022
***
WotF - 2022, V39 Q4: R
WotF - 2022/2023, V40 Q1: HM; Q2: HM; Q3: HM; Q4:HM
Uff… Q1 is over. I don’t know if everyone needs to unwind as I do.
I think i can unfreeze this topic.
Lets add the rule there is 2 month write time when when Q is near end.
The milk person.
I took a look at the photos of a victim, in front of me. Young beautiful girl. Cheerleader type.
“So, you are saying you did this?”
The man in front of me—doctor Arkham, psychiatrist from a local hospital—smiled diabolically.
“I am just saying you have no proof that I did.”
I don’t know what I feel right now. We have a suspect this guy’s patient who confessed everything. We have secured the evidence material, everything fits… And now suddenly this guy calls me to say he has some intel in regard to the case and wants to meet in local caffe and just throws this gruesome pictures on the table.
“Is everything all right?” the waitress asks us, and I have no clue what to say. Nothing is…
“One of your delicious coffees for the gentleman, darling” Arkham replies and gives her flirtatious smile. She smiles back and leaves, and the devilish grin goes back on his face as he turns to me.
“I just wanted to meet you inspector, that’s all. I think we will see each other a lot.”
I giggle a little as I look at him, and I see his face change. He looks as if my joy was an insult to him.
“What’s so funny?” He asks furious.
“The thing is,” I say, and all traces of emotions leave my face. “We will meet again just once.”
His face changes slowly, as the realization slowly strikes him.
The waitress comes and brings me the coffee.
“Oh, I am so sorry.” I start with warmest, most apologetic tone I can muster, and I point to doctor “The gentleman mistook me for coffee person. Would you bee so kind to bring me some milk, darling?”
