Thursday, May 30, 2013

week 18 fanficflashfic

Last week's winner, @sparrownotes24, is this week's prompt-picker and judge.

Here it is:









Remember to check the rules

Have your 100 - 200 words submitted by 12:00am Friday, May 31, US EDST.

We want anything and everything: poetry, prose, fanfic, OF. 



JUST GET WRITING!




Leave your entry as a comment - include your word count, and your twitter handle if you have one.





FYI - entries that exceed (or are under) the word limits will not be considered by the judge.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

week 17 winners

My thanks to @SerendipitousMC for prompt-picking and judging this week!

Here are her answers to my judgey questions.


1. What is the best piece of writing advice you’ve been given? 
It’s so important to just write, as often and as much as possible. Of course, that’s a simplification, and the devil is in the details. It’s really difficult to write when you don’t have confidence, or you’re blocked (maybe because you don’t have confidence), or you’re tired/cranky/sorely lacking in writing time. The hardest thing may be getting past all that so you can get those words down on paper. Just do it. I don’t mean to sound like a Nike commercial here...more like Yoda: “Do or not do. There is no try.”  

 2. The first and last books you fell in love with? 

I think the first books I fell in love with were the Nancy Drew mysteries. I read all of them as a kid. The last book I fell in love with is “The Gargoyle” by Andrew Davidson. The story is unusual and beautifully crafted, and the writing is extraordinary.

3. What's happening outside the nearest window? 

Birds are singing and chirping in a bush that’s at the edge of a courtyard.  Boring, I know, but at least it’s not raining. 

4. There's a rubber stamp mark on your hand. What does it say?

“No Expiration Date.”

5. Suppose you could travel to any place in time and history. When and where are you going?

I’d be tempted to go somewhere I could do some good, such as Amsterdam in the early 1940s so I could help Anne Frank and her family escape before they were betrayed. But I don’t know if I’d be that brave, so maybe I’d travel to Victorian England.  The era and its lifestyle fascinate me. I’d try to meet Charles Dickens while I was there.






This was SO tough! I really had a hard time picking the winners.  I think everyone deserves first place because they’re all so well written,  and everyone used the prompt in so many great ways! The variety is fantastic.

But rules are rules, so...

The winner is @sparrownotes24:

I love how each character in this story ups the ante, until boom! you get to that great ending. The writing style is perfect for the story - short and almost clipped, yet the descriptions are just what the reader needs. The UST pops right off the screen. Every time I read through the fics, I kept coming back to this one because it packed such a punch (but in a good way).



Second place is @sandyquill:

So lovely, and so heartbreaking. I admire how this story unfolds gently but powerfully.  It’s true love writ large, but subtle. The writer made great use of the prompt - it’s very effective, and at the end you realize that your fears about the couple’s situation were right.



Third place is @BoomBoom_Jones:

Beautifully bittersweet little story. There is a connection between the young woman and her elderly neighbor, and she recognized his habits for exactly what they were.  Even though it’s sad, I felt hopeful at the end. Excellent writing.


I enjoyed all the fics so much I’ve written short reviews for the others who didn’t win, but should have.




@runtagua - I love how the writer combines raw sexual desire with humor. Catching someone in an awkward situation is almost always funny, as it is here. The car leaving is a nice touch. He knows she’s alone...

@moonlit__girl - Mmmm, I love the innocent teasing here. And the image of her white cotton skirt gently dragging across the ground is perfect.  This is written so we learn so much about these two.

Sherbert20111 -
This feels so deceptively light - a woman drifting through the ties she was born with (her family), and the ones she created (the Silver Fox). Yet you can feel her losses, and her sorrowful attempts to soothe them by reconnecting with her family. So heartbreaking. I’m not sure where the prompt fits in, but I like it!


PinkCookie -
Funny, cute and to the point. I literally laughed at this one. It’s fun to see it all work out in the end.

@_SDRyan_ -
Beautifully written, sad, and realistic. I love this brief look at a relationship gone stale. You can feel the woman’s frustration and aloneness closing in until that final line, when she bursts free.

@moonlit__girl -
Wow. Such a great twist! I love how this starts off all sweetness and light, then takes a sharp turn into horror. The reader is as unsuspecting as the victims.

@AnnaLund2011 - All the laughs! I love how this is from the guy’s POV - it’s perfect, and it reads exactly as a guy would say it. It’s like one of the best anecdotes you’d come across in a compilation of them. That last line just killed me.

@Aleeab4u - Love these descriptions! “He clutched tightly to his coffee cup and propriety”...So perfectly said.  You know this man. His struggle is brought to life.

@TwilightLadies1 - A really sweet moment between a loving couple. The writer gives us all the right ingredients for this story, so that we feel as if we know these two. They haven’t been together very long, and their passion and humor are in full play. This left me smiling.  

@bkhchicka - Wow! This was a roller coaster ride. I honestly did not see that ending, and I love the surprise the writer gave us.  The main character went from a sheltered, innocent girl to  deranged murderess, and even though the story is short, the transition works perfectly.

@bkhchica - This is another one that made me laugh. Very funny with a very vengeful wife. I like how she thinks! Lots of great visuals, and I love how it’s all done with dialogue.

@AnnaLund2011 - Underwear as an analogy for life - perfect! I love how the writer shows us the character’s progression and increasing audacity through her choice of panties. I didn’t notice before I’d read this, but the underwear seems lined up on the clothesline in the photo so the colors and styles become increasingly bolder as it goes from left to right.

@CrackedFic - Deliciously sinister and dark, with a very satisfying ending. The character’s vernacular literally says a lot about him. I hope I can sleep tonight.

@julie_durden - Hot. I love the raw passion between these two. The man knows exactly what’s on the clothesline and what it means. No panties, no brunch...no problem.

@bebeginja - Edward, you sly dog. :) This is another one that brought a smile to my face. Great idea, nicely done: pranksters stealing women’s underwear.

@megan_timms - I could easily visualize everything as it was happening in this lovely slice-of-life story. Nicely evocative. The last line is...well, it’s perfect.

@Missus_T_ - Great revenge story. The lipstick on the mirror is an excellent touch. I love the use of the prompt. And I wondered if he was wearing the underwear instead of just keeping it...

@bigblueboat - Another one I loved. (I know; I keep repeating myself!) Unexpected and sweet. I could feel the narrator gathering her courage after initially being so scared. I really like the use of doing laundry to show togetherness.

@ordinary_vamp - So descriptive! I love the playfulness between this couple. The story is written with a light touch that’s deceptive: the reader can see the depth of love and passion here.

@BoomBoom_Jones - Love this girl’s courage - she’s shy but determined. This is fun and sweet, and the whole scene is perfectly set so that we can see it all unfold.

@femme_mal - Nicely erotic - feasting on the food just as they feast on each other. I really like how this is written with a great use of the prompt.

@Alesoflyy - This one inspires curiosity: how well do they know each other? Is the flirting and teasing a big part of their relationship, or because it’s all new? I like that the story has me thinking about these questions and trying to imagine what the answers could be.



...


Congratulations @sparrownotes24!

Thank you so much to @SerendipitousMC for judging, and to everyone who participated.

See you all next week!





Thursday, May 23, 2013

week 17 fanficflashfic

Here's this week's prompt from last week's winner - this week's judge - @SerendipitousMC:









Remember to check the rules

Have your 100 - 200 words submitted by 12:00am Friday, May 24, US EDST.

We want anything and everything: poetry, prose, fanfic, OF. 



JUST GET WRITING!




Leave your entry as a comment - include your word count, and your twitter handle if you have one.



FYI - entries that exceed (or are under) the word limits will not be considered by the judge.

Friday, May 17, 2013

week 16 winners

Thank you to this week's judge, @Alesoflyy!


1. What is the best piece of writing advice you’ve been given? 
To be a good writer you must do two things: write every day and read anything you can get your hands on.


2. The first and last books you fell in love with? 
First: To Kill a Mockingbird. Last: Divergent, I believe. It's been awhile since I've read a real book.


3. What's happening outside the nearest window?
From where I sit, not much of anything. Though, I'm sure if I listened or ventured close enough the bedtime critters could be heard.


4. There's a rubber stamp mark on your hand. What does it say?
Pending nothing, anything, and everything


5. Suppose you could travel to any place in time and history. When and where are you going?
It wouldn't be a specific time or place, nor would it be in world's history--just mine; a past life so to speak. I'd want to go to a happier time, one where the sun shines brightly and the moment is endeared. A time where bedtime is my enemy and time together is endless. Yeah, somewhere like that.





I am so not made for judging. I read and reread each entry a number of times, finding it difficult to pick one as a winner when such perfect words were written. I wish I could award every entry first place for they all deserve the recognition, but alas, that is not how it works.


Winner: @SerendipitousMC

The last line is what did me in and had me craving more, to learn what happened after, though it’s perfect and complete as it is. So lovely.

She noticed him noticing her along the midway. He appeared, disappeared, then came back again, like a mirage. Every time he caught her eye, his sweet smile pressed on her heart. Every time she saw him, he drew closer.

She’d come to the fair with two friends, the three of them linking arms as they strolled past fortune tellers and games with stuffed animals for prizes. Rounding past the carousel, he was suddenly there in front of her.

He grabbed her hand. “Come with me.”

She pulled away. “I don’t know you.”

“It’s okay,” he insisted. He tugged her toward a field. “I won’t hurt you. It’ll be fun.”

She took in his pork pie hat, his baggy trousers, and the unbuttoned black vest that all looked so old. “Do you work here?”

“Nah. I just like the music.” A nearby saloon played 1920s songs. “And I like you.”

She trusted him, innocent as he seemed. Under a sky crossed with bright stars, he twirled her around. Her dress billowed like cotton wings.

“Come with me,” he whispered.

She laughed. “What? I already did.”

“No. Come with me for always.” He spun faster, until the sky blurred...until they were gone.




Honorable Mention: @CrackedFic

Beautifully poetic. Makes me goofy grin every time I read it.


It's a dream
this dance we dance.

It's a dance
the dream we dream.

I am atop a mountain
holding you and letting you go
and watching you twirl.

And you twirl.

"Marry me."

"But I can't."
You smile so big.

"You must."

"But I must
not."

"The stars demand it."

"The stars don't
demand.
The stars exist."

"Destiny wants it."

"Destiny wants
nothing.
Destiny demands."

You're right.
Destiny is inescapable.

And that is right.
You embrace it.

And you twirl
and I watch you twirl
and I reach for you
as you twirl
but the twirling
never stops
and I know
I don't want the twirling to stop
even though you'll twirl away.

"The stars," you say
out of breath though you are.

The sky calls you
and you answer and you look up and you gaze.

At the stars you gaze as you twirl.

"Yes," I say
and I look upon them and I see
it there.

Our destiny. Mine. Yours. And I know your answer already.

You smile
so big you smile.

And so I watch you twirl.
I will watch and I will
wait
while forever you twirl.




Honorable Mention: @femme_mal

Impeccably sweet and so delightfully written.


Perseids, he said, meteors will wash the sky tonight.

Mosquitoes, she said, you know I'll get bit up.

Lakeside, he said, the campfire's smoke will chase them away.

Fireflies, she said, won't like the smoke either.

Trust me, he said, it'll be fine, better than fine.

We'll see, she said, I've been burned before.

It was everything he claimed, she said, when her friends asked.

More beautiful than stars, he said, were her eyes last night.

A star fell on the lake, she said, we made a wish together.

Look at the star now, he said, holding out her diamond ringed hand




Honorable Mention:  @TiramiSue84

Pretty words are pretty. I could practically feel her wanther need to have him.


I don't want much, just you.

I want us—together. Always. And out in the open so everyone can see.

I want us at the beach, strolling barefoot along the shore or just laying down and soaking up the sun.

I want us outside, laughing and kissing. My hand in yours and your arms around me.

I want us under the night sky, free and limitless and strong, dancing or counting stars.

I want your hands under my shirt and your lips all over me. I want your sighs in my mouth and your shudders when I nip and bite right there.

I want your teasing fingers and the sweetness of your breath. I want your gentle and your crazy, your slow and your wild.

I want your eyes on me when I reach that blissful peak, and my name on your lips as you follow.

I want you to need me, crave me as much as I do you. I want your heart and your soul, for you have mine.

I want it all with you, everything—your good and bad. Forever.

I want you to love me as much and deep as I love you.



...



Congratulations to this week's winner, @SerendipitousMC!

Thanks to @Alesoflyy for judging, and to everyone who participated.


See you all next week!

Thursday, May 16, 2013

week 16 fanficflashfic

Here's the prompt last week's winner, and this week's judge, @Alesoflyy, has chosen:










Remember to check the rules

Have your 100 - 200 words submitted by 12:00am Friday, May 17, US EDST.

We want anything and everything: poetry, prose, fanfic, OF. 



JUST GET WRITING!




Leave your entry as a comment - include your word count, and your twitter handle if you have one.



FYI - entries that exceed (or are under) the word limits will not be considered by the judge.