Wednesday, November 27, 2013

FINISH THAT THOUGHT #21 - RESULTS!





Thank you all for your entries! I had fun reading them! Goodness gracious, cranberry sauce and zebras are an odd combination! :) Here's what the judge had to say:




Thank you, to all the entrants. I enjoyed reading the many different takes this week on cranberry sauce. Just for fun, and because I am rather addicted to writing, here is my take on the prompt.

His Lucky Apron

460 Words

“Is cranberry sauce supposed to taste like this?”

John reached over and stuck his finger in the sauce and brought it up to his mouth. “Yep, you nailed it. That is exactly what cranberry sauce is supposed to taste like.”

“Really?” Joe took note that she sounded surprised.

“Don’t you know what cranberries taste like?” He glanced sideways at her and noticed she was wearing her lucky apron, the one with the zebra pattern.

“No, they don’t have those in France.”

“Then why did you want to make it?”

“Because it’s part of the tradition. It’s why we are making turkey and stuffing and yams. This is what you Americans eat at Thanksgiving.”

“I don’t like cranberry sauce.”

There was a period of silence.

“I tasted it. I don’t think I like it very much either.” After a moment or two she perked up and said, “But I got it right?”

“Well, yea, mostly.” He purposely looked away for a second to hide a smile.

“Mostly?” Her shoulders sagged forward a bit.

“Almost completely.”

“Well what did I do wrong?” He voice trailed off.

“Well, I know that French sauces are cooked down with wine, but I have never had cranberry sauce that couldn’t be served to minors before.”

“And what else is wrong with the way I cook?”  He shoulders were coming back up again, as were her hands as they found position on her hips. Even her voice was raised a few steps.

John pretended not to notice. “Well I have been meaning to tell you the large confectioner’s shaker has powdered sugar. The little shaker is full of salt. It doesn’t go so well when you mix the two up.”

“I am a pastry chef!” The volume and passion she spoke with was amazing. “I know full well the difference between salt and sugar!” John was not sure what else she said as he was busy backing away from her. She was pushing him and punching him in the gut with little closed fist jabs.

This assault continued until he was backed up against the bed. At the last minute before falling backwards he wrapped an arm around her waist and pinned her close to him. They fell down onto the bed together and he relished the embrace. She fought for a moment more, but then his bride embraced him back.

She whispered something in his ear in French. He was pretty sure she said something about him doing this on purpose and her falling for it. But he wasn’t positive, so he asked, “What does that mean?”

She giggled, kissed his ear in a most enticing way and whispered, “I said, ‘If you insult my cooking again, I will blend rat poison into your morning coffee.’”

 

 

Now on to the judging.

 

Special Challenge Runner Up: Patrick Stahl

A short piece proving that longer is not always better. A great title, followed by a portrayal of cruelty that made the zebras appear more like predators than I had previously pictured them. I am quite certain now that if I ever meet a zebra in a dark alley, I will not be turning my back on it.

 

Special Challenge Champion: LadyHazmat

This piece made me laugh out loud. I loved the whole commando, rip the roof off, bespectacled zebra thing. Just the right amount of the ludicrous can be a wonderful thing. The successful characterization of the lead character was largely why it worked for me. Loved the turn of the last line. Loved the names Lylae/Lyale and Gondii. Favorite line would have to be, “I believe the ambassador is being held captive inside this steel cell.”

 

Runner Up: Jackie Castle

This piece has a great feel to it, kind of a “Night at the Museum” approach to the zoo. Beyond that though, it gives a great portrayal of community, like maybe a large office or a church gathering. You wouldn’t miss the event to save your life, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have some qualms about some of the other people there. “You have no room to criticize with your scratching yourselves at the table.” This sentence is good example of descriptive dialogue.

 

Grand Champion: Kate

The interactions between the snotty in-laws and the insecure bride is well portrayed. Especially like the grooms sister who tells her son not to be rude, but not in a disciplining kind of way. It’s more like don’t be rude, let the adults do it instead. “She glared at me and shoved her own cranberries aside.” I also notice the authors control of flow. “Eighteen people in our two bedroom apartment.”  Not a verb in there, but who cares? While reading it comes across as another heavy bundle of straw thrown onto the camel’s back. A great example of when to break the rules in my opinion.

I award this piece because of the emotional reward given at the end of the piece to the reader. She turned the negative emotions around skillfully to leave us feeling victorious and proud of the young couple.

 

Thanks for the chance to Judge this week. You will notice that I did not pick a winner for Alissa’s special challenge, I will let her do that if she wishes.

Yes! I do wish!
The Host's Special Challenge Champion is: JM MacF
Thanks for the laugh!


Congratulations everyone! Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Monday, November 25, 2013

FINISH THAT THOUGHT #21





Welcome to week 21 of Finish That Thought! It's been a rough week for me. If you're so inspired, could you write something to cheer me up? This isn't part of the prompt and I'm not judging, but I'd really love a laugh...And the prompt may lend itself to that alright, so hopefully I'm not stepping on judge's toes. If not, maybe a good cry would work just as well, so just give me what you've got. I look forward to reading them. Go write!

NaNoers: By the end of this flash contest, you should have 43,333 words on your NaNoWriMo Novel to be 'on track'. No matter where you are in relation to that number, KEEP GOING! Every word written is a word you didn't have before! Feel free to use this prompt in your WIP, or take a break and jot off a quick flash piece to rest your brain from the story...whatever will help most. Write on! (I'm going to break 25K Monday night - woefully short, but there's still time...right???)



If you need to read the full version of the rules, go here. Otherwise, here's the short version:

Rules:
1. Up to 500 words
2. Keep it clean (nothing rated R or above)
3. Start with the given first sentence.
4. Optional Special Challenge
5. Include Twitter/email, word count, Special Challenge accepted
6. The challenge is open for 24 hours on Tuesday EST



Oh, and feel free to change pronouns, punctuation, tense, and anything in brackets to fit the story/pov/tone. I'm not going to be TOO picky... Our judge however...

Our Judge today is Charles W. Short also known as @CharlesWShort. Check out his blog here. Read his winning tale from last week here!


 Your first sentence for FINISH THAT THOUGHT #21 is:



Is cranberry sauce supposed to taste like this?



 Your SPECIAL CHALLENGE from the judge is:


Work in a zebra somewhere (but don't make it part of a meal...)


 AAAAAAAND WE'RE OFF!!!

Thursday, November 21, 2013

FINISH THAT THOUGHT #20 - RESULTS!




Thanks for the fun stories this week! I enjoyed reading them. From Santa to angry gods to crazy bosses to clay to a misunderstanding, the reasons for red snow were all over the board. Go read the entries here if you missed any of them. Here's what the judge had to say:



Just read every entry in the 20th Finish That Thought. There are five entries this week. From five marvelous writers. I had a blast reading the stories. I like to say something to each writer, so…


tinman18 - Priceless. I LOVE humor, and you definitely nailed humor with this one. You even included a red head. The limits of a SatNav.


@CharlesWShort - Ah, the joys of parenthood. Ah, the thrill of discovery. Ah, the way great things happen, always at the wrong time. It could have been worse. At least he didn’t kill anyone. This is a solid definition of “distracted driving”.


Pen Name - A lovely tale of a family outing about to become unforgettable in an anything but happy way.


@drmagoo - Well written, as always. As always, scary as the dickens. I wouldn’t go anywhere near that house. I’d be thinking, “Well. I can always find work somewhere else.” And I won’t go into how I feel about really needing that promotion.


@postupak - Makes me wonder just what happened to make the snow and rain red, and what the clouds mean. Obviously, something not good. Makes me want to read more.


The difficult part, of course, is declaring a winner, and a winner of the special challenge. What to do? What to do?


*closes eyes. lifts hands off keyboard. stabs a letter. looks at it.* Z. Rats. That didn’t work. I’ll have to try something else. *taps head, just like Pooh Bear does.* Think. Think. Think. Oh, bother.




Special Challenge Champion : tinman18. How could this not win something? This just had to win something. This is priceless. And hilarious. And I keep reading it over, and over, and giggling so much my cat looks at me like I’m insane.




Grand Champion : @CharlesWShort. Because this story captures real life so accurately. Clean down to the thoughts, fears, and emotions of the characters. The inquisitive nature of Gloria is captured so well, as is her total lack of understanding of the trouble she can cause her father. Well written.




And there you have it. I am unhappy I had to make a decision between these five little tales. But, sometimes, I have to do something difficult. Just want to let all five entrants know. You all rock.

Monday, November 18, 2013

FINISH THAT THOUGHT #20




Welcome back for week 20 of Finish That Thought! 20 weeks already! Where did the time go? I like nice, round, even numbers (sometimes), so HUZZAH! Thanks for participating! You all rock! Now go write!

NaNoers: By the end of this flash contest, you should have 31,666 words on your NaNoWriMo Novel to be 'on track'. (Ugh! I'm around 22,000! 10K behind?!?!?!) No matter where you are in relation to that number, KEEP GOING! Every word written is a word you didn't have before! Feel free to use this prompt in your WIP, or take a break and jot off a quick flash piece to rest your brain from the story...whatever will help most. Write on!



If you need to read the full version of the rules, go here. Otherwise, here's the short version:

Rules:
1. Up to 500 words
2. Keep it clean (nothing rated R or above)
3. Start with the given first sentence.
4. Optional Special Challenge
5. Include Twitter/email, word count, Special Challenge accepted
6. The challenge is open for 24 hours on Tuesday EST



Oh, and feel free to change pronouns, punctuation, tense, and anything in brackets to fit the story/pov/tone. I'm not going to be TOO picky... Our judge however...

Our Judge today is Mark Ethridge also known as @lurchmunster. Check out his blog here. Read his winning tale from last week here!

 Your first sentence for FINISH THAT THOUGHT #20 is:



Daddy, why is the snow red?



 Your SPECIAL CHALLENGE from the judge is:


Use the word: rust


 AAAAAAAND WE'RE OFF!!!

Thursday, November 14, 2013

FINISH THAT THOUGHT #19 - RESULTS!




Thanks for writing and reading this week! You each took the prompt and made it your own, from sweet innocent sleeping to drugging to attempted murder to pixies and dryads! Fun, fun! :) If you haven't had a chance to read them all yet, go check them out here. Otherwise, here's what judge Eric had to say about them:




mysoulstears: This was a beautiful story. I really wondered about Jessica’s parents – why they weren’t around anymore, and why Jessica had always gotten ill when her father cut the lawn, but didn’t now. I’m worried that her parents were up to no good, and had hurt her quite badly, but the optimism she had as she began this life with her Aunt and Uncle made me think she’d be alright.

JM MacF: The narrative device of using the opening sentence as part of a story within a story allowed you to set up two different worlds, which added depth to the writing. Of course, they weren’t two different worlds, not really, although it made me wonder if Grandpa knew that or not. I wasn’t quite sure what the “answer” was, in reference to the special challenge, however. I’m going to assume I just missed it.

Melissa: I had more magical ideas in mind when I pictured the prompt, but you brought it to a devastating reality with a well-written story. I could really feel her struggles to figure out what had happened after a night that had gotten out of her control. It’s not clear whether she was a willing or unwilling participant in what happened that night, but the blacked-out memory is not a good sign. It did feel like this story could have used a little more breathing room – the last sentence crammed in the special challenge in a way that could have been spread out a bit, especially since you had another 71 words to work with.

CharlesWShort: I really liked the world you created, adding details in bits as you went – showing, not telling. The ending was a little abrupt to me, and a little pat, especially with more room to work with. The story covered a lot of time for 396 words, but in a believable way.

Rebekah Postupak: There was a lot I loved about this story. Lief was a wonderful character, and the writing flowed effortlessly. I do have to admit that I was a little confused about the nature of dryads in this world – Lief paired with the grass? Was there a tree? Did different dryads have different types of flora partners? I would like to know more about the bald human and Lief, however.
 
 
 
 

Special Challenge Champion: JM MacF




Grand Champion: mysoulstears

Monday, November 11, 2013

FINISH THAT THOUGHT #19






Welcome back for week 19 of Finish That Thought! This is a special day...seriously...11/12/13? That's just cool. :) (unless you write your date the other way...then you have to wait for the 11th of December...) (And yes, this goes live at 10pm on Monday, so you'll just have to wait for tomorrow if you're reading this then...) Sorry for the ramble. Wow. NaNo is messing with my brain! Go write!

NaNoers: By the end of this flash contest, you should have 20,000 words on your NaNoWriMo Novel to be 'on track'. (as of writing this, I don't...no judging coming from me!) No matter where you are in relation to that number, KEEP GOING! Every word written is a word you didn't have before! Feel free to use this prompt in your WIP, or take a break and jot off a quick flash piece to rest your brain from the story...whatever will help most. Write on!



If you need to read the full version of the rules, go here. Otherwise, here's the short version:

Rules:
1. Up to 500 words
2. Keep it clean (nothing rated R or above)
3. Start with the given first sentence.
4. Optional Special Challenge
5. Include Twitter/email, word count, Special Challenge accepted
6. The challenge is open for 24 hours on Tuesday EST



Oh, and feel free to change pronouns, punctuation, tense, and anything in brackets to fit the story/pov/tone. I'm not going to be TOO picky... Our judge however...

Our Judge today is Eric Martell also known as @drmagoo. Check out his blog here. Read his winning tale from last week here!

 Your first sentence for FINISH THAT THOUGHT #19 is:

[She] awoke in the grass, freshly mowed except for a ring around [her] body.



 Your SPECIAL CHALLENGE from the judge is:


An ending and an answer.


 AAAAAAAND WE'RE OFF!!!

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

FINISH THAT THOUGHT #18 - RESULTS!




I LOVED you entries! Imaginary friends are so much fun...or...erm...maybe not! And the DARES!  What? Remind me to never play truth or dare with any of you! :) If you missed all the fun, go read the entries here. Otherwise, let's see what our judge had to say. (oh, she also commented on the thread, so check those out too if you missed that!)



Reviews:
OH, I was so hoping he'd at least have a bungee cord. But alas, it's not to be. First time I read this my heart was pounding. Great tension. I felt right in the story, unfortunately, all the way to the end. Yikes! Great work.
Wow, okay I got chills at the end.
Love that you kept me guessing who was the imaginary one up until the last part. At first I thought it was Robert.
Loved this. Great job.
You put me right in your world. Loved the dialect and that he was an ogre. Really liked this character, hope you can use him again in a bigger story.
Well done.
 
As one whose spelling is horrid, I can see where entering a spelling bee would be dangerous. Enjoyed the story and I always have to look up discombobulated, too, but I love how it sounds. lol. Fun read.

JM MacF: 

Didn't see that coming. lol. I was confused at first, thinking she had the crush on Isaac, but I believe that's what you intended. I liked the surprise ending, but did have to reread a couple of times to understand what was going on. Perhaps showing the empty swing next to her in the beginning might have cleared that up. Loved the twist at the end.

Rebekah Postupak:
Noooo, oh, poor girl. What a great twisting of fairy tales, along with a great ending. Enjoyed this story and loved how you even twisted up the challenge in the end. Well done!



Everyone entered some great stories. I really enjoyed them all and loved that everyone even accepted both challenges. Great work all of you.

Okay, after much deliberation and arguing with Stanley who wishes everyone would write about nice imaginary friends - like, why would they do that? Geeze - We've... uh, I have made my decision. Hush Stanley!

Here goes:
 
 

 
Special Challenge Runner - Up:
Rebekah Postupak - Enchanted



 
Special Challenge Champion:
Pen Name - Boys Will Be Boys


 
 
 
 
Grand Champion Runner - Up:

Michelle - Imaginary


 
Grand Champion:

drmagoo - Untitled

Monday, November 4, 2013

FINISH THAT THOUGHT #18






Welcome back for week 18 of Finish That Thought! Hopefully you're 7K into NaNo (if you're participating) by now... If you are participating in NaNo, feel free to use this prompt in your WIP, or take a break and jot off a quick flash piece to rest your brain from the story...whatever will help most. Feel free to post a snippet of your story here (begin at given first line and no more than 500 words). For the rest of you, you've got a flash story to write! I dare you.... ;)



If you need to read the full version of the rules, go here. Otherwise, here's the short version:

Rules:
1. Up to 500 words
2. Keep it clean (nothing rated R or above)
3. Start with the given first sentence.
4. Optional Special Challenge
5. Include Twitter/email, word count, Special Challenge accepted
6. The challenge is open for 24 hours on Tuesday EST


Oh, and feel free to change pronouns, punctuation, tense, and anything in brackets to fit the story/pov/tone. I'm not going to be TOO picky... Our judge however...

Our Judge today is Jackie Castle also known as @Jackie_Castle. Check out her blog here. Read her winning tale from last week here!

Your first sentence for FINISH THAT THOUGHT #18 is:

I cared what [she] thought, so when [she] dared me, I knew I was in trouble.



 Your SPECIAL CHALLENGE from the judge is:


Include an imaginary friend.
Use the word: discombobulated


 AAAAAAAND WE'RE OFF!!!