So I devised a really easy micro-fiction competition.

Rules.

1. Word count of exactly 50 words, not including title. IF IT IS MORE OR LESS IT WON'T COUNT AS A VALID ENTRY.

2. First 25 posters who meet the criteria are in the competition--the minute they are all there you can cast your vote. I don't care if you post at the same moment as someone else, if you are 26--you are out. It's a speed thing.

3.One vote per person when all 25 are up. You can't vote for yourself. CHECK THE VOTING THREAD

4.IT'S NOT A BIG COMMITMENT--will take about 2 minutes (or 10 secs for IB)

JUST POST YOUR ENTRY HERE--NO COMMENTS PLEASE

STARTING NOW...(strangely, I have something already done!)

[This message has been edited by skadder (edited December 08, 2007).]

'A Dark Intent'

They kept me in the dark for five years, in utter silence.
“It’ll sharpen you,” they said. “You’ll move like a ghost in the night—you’ll be unstoppable.”
But the darkness drives you insane. I guess they didn’t think of that, and yes, I was unstoppable. They found that out.

Vote:

1. Wolfe_boy
2. jaycloomis
3. Psnede

[This message has been edited by skadder (edited December 14, 2007).]

Beyond Yonder Door

“Knock, knock.”
“Who’s there?”
“Yonder.”
“Yonder who?”
I give the door my best jack-booted kick. It shatters as he falls backward. I place my shotgun under the maggot’s chin.
“_You’re under_ arrest. Knowledge crimes professor. We’re gonna erase fifty IQ points from that pointed head of yours. Your brain-wipe awaits.”

[This message has been edited by snapper (edited December 11, 2007).]
1) Kathy Woodbury 'untitled warning'
(oops, too many words)
1) Jaycoloomis 'Gingerbread Delight'
(A Wonderful piece. It is funny and complete)
2) sakubun 'untitled Apollo story'
3) Skadder 'A Dark Intent'
[This message has been edited by snapper (edited December 14, 2007).]

“Here, try the grilled tarantulas marinated in Brandy.”
“I know this is my first year at the Adventurer’s Club, but I’ll pass.”
“Perhaps you’d prefer the pufferfish?”
“Isn’t it poisonous? I’ll just wait for dessert.”
The chef chuckled. “Yes, I better get started. Can you follow me into the kitchen?”

[This message has been edited by psnede (edited December 08, 2007).]

1. annepin - "Playing Nurse"
2. skadder - "A Dark Intent"
3. InarticulateBabbler - "It ain't a Party without a Clown"

******

Forgive me as I test using UBB code.
Sorry for that.

"Run, run, run as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm --"
A bullet blew through the back of his head as he darted into the forest. He stopped, and fell to his knees. Donny ground his boot into the soil.
"Martha, get the kids, we're havin' sweets tonight!"

-Jay

------------------------------------
Sorry for the tardiness. Funny story, but I'll make it short: I broke my internet Irreparably! I'll have to use the library from now on. Thanks so much for extending the voting period skadder.

VOTE

1. psnede -- "Invitation for Dessert
2. skadder -- "A Dark Intent"
3. Wolfe_boy -- "Libidinous Dissonance"

Detective Harris stood in the center of the children's bodies. He shook his head and held the business card out to His partner, Brodie Knicks.

"How in the hell do you not think there is something wrong with a guy that calls himself 'Snappy the Porno Clown'?"

"I don't know."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
VOTE:

1) jaycloomis - Gingerbread Delight
2) psnede - Invitation for Dessert
3) skadder - A Dark Intent

quote:

---

Tomorrow's Square Dancers
Wash hands, apply cologne. Repeat.

Tip hat, smile. Repeat.

He replicated every action because burned into his core existed a lifetime of polite behavior.

Millions of polished silver robots, standing and handshaking on a dead continent. They never stopped smiling. Not even when there was nothing left to smile at.

---

quote:

---

1: jaycloomis - Gingerbread Delight
2: annepin - Playing Nurse
3: InarticulateBabbler - It Ain't A Party Without A Clown

---

At the Intersection of Good Luck Boulevard and Constant Sorrow Lane

She was Jesse’s height.
Her mother hurried to her when the carpet caught her toe and she collapsed into a heap. Still, she bounced up with a grin and shining eyes.
Jesse asked, “Sure you’re OK?”
“Me OK,” she said proudly.
And her mother’s brittle smile was tinged with melancholy.

________________________

Finally -- voting day...

Vote(s):

#1: psnede, with "Invitation for Dessert"
#2: LCastle, with "Untitled"
#3: annepin, with "Playing Nurse

Making tea, Al burned his finger.

"Damn," he said, "Pot—hot!"

Then later, "I live alone in a tree. I talk to myself. Why?"

Tea finished, pot cold, Al said, "Do other people who live alone in trees talk to themselves?"

He climbed down from his tree to go ask.

Pat

Vote:

1. halogen, Tomorrow's Square Dancers
2. lgwiz, At the Intersection of Good Luck Boulevard and Constant Sorrow Lane
3. Wolfe_boy, Libidinous Dissonance

She was normal again, finally. She was happy playing along.
The reader splayed the lacquered cards before her.
“A player of death and life with eyes that see many things returns. Your adventure begins anew.”
She stood, tossed the money onto the cards and returned to her date without comment.

Vote:

1. Wolfe_boy, Libidinous Dissonance
2. Talespinner AI 1
3. Ayle Screen Door

Special notice to IGWIZ and At the Intersection of Good Luck Boulevard and Constant Sorrow Lane: not made up on-the-spot but story is worth a big peek.

Of course, that isn't to say that you couldn't develop them into longer stories that could be publishable. (How's that for a double negative?)

How about as a reprint?

And how much would I have to change it to sell it later? 10%? 50%?

“Why do you do your crazy jumps? You’re gonna kill yourself. That’s stupid.”

“Man, you don’t even know. It’s the THRILL! Living that close to death!”

“You could get the same ‘thrill’ by sticking you face in saran wrap and wait for the panic to set in.”

“Shut up buzzkill!”

-Jason

Vote:

1. jaycloomis - "Gingerbread Delight"
2. skadder - "Dark Intent"
3. Talespinner - "Al One"

sorry it took so long.

quote:

---

Libidinous Dissonance

The alien ship landed with a puff of gas and a thud.

“Do you think they’re friendly,” Ted asked.

I nodded.

“Do you think they’re hot? I used to dream about alien girls.”

I looked at Ted. “Watch out for that eighth breast.,” I said. “ I heard it’s sharp.”

---

Jayson Merryfield

Votes

1. Inarticulate Babbler - It Ain't A Party Without A Clown
2. Skadder - A Dark Intent
3. TaleSpinner - Al One

(oops. guess I'll go introduce myself now...)

1. annepin
2. Wolfe_boy
3. Jaycloomis

The door was closed. Holes, in the mesh, let in the fly. She buzzed around, scouting. Spying a small puddle of orange juice, left there from the morning, she landed.

"Sweet and tangy, I could just die." she thought.

SMACK!

The swatter slammed down, just after she had flown away.

[This message has been edited by Alye (edited December 14, 2007).]

1. Psnede
2. TaleSpinner
3. Annepin

"Please let me die," Toshio said. How old was he now, two hundred? Too old.

"I love you. I would never let you die," Yume said. She couldn't, Toshio knew. It was against her programming. And so he was stuck here, paralyzed, threaded with tubes, nursed to life for eternity.

VOTE: skadder

Edited to add:
2. halogen
3. Wolfe_boy

(sorry, I'm bad at reading directions...)
[This message has been edited by annepin (edited December 14, 2007).]

What do you think?

We could all vote again but that's more time, there's a risk that someone else would drop out, and we've all probably had our opinions influenced by the voting so far.

We could just delete their entries, but that seems mean.

We could wait for them to vote, but that's not a good idea: we could wait forever, the deadline was clear (writers must understand deadlines, right?) and they'd have undue influence over the final outcome.

In the interest of being constructive towards all aspiring writers, voting and otherwise, how's about this:

Declare annepin and wolfe_boy joint winners-in-spirit for following the spirit of the competion, as well as the letter. (By my reckoning they each got two firsts, one second and two thirds.)

Acknowledge jaycloomis as winner-in-letter because according to the letter of the rules his story won.

Question is, what's the prize?

With regards this competition I would be happy to amend my vote. keeping those people I ahve already voted for and adding a third. It will change the result quite alot think...

quote:

---

Question is, what's the prize?

---

I would suggest until Dec 21, 1.16 PM EST, a full week.

Cheers,
Pat

If people then don't vote by that time, those who voted for them will simply move up the one they thought came fourth into 3rd etc, etc...(I have it all on a spread sheet and can email those who may need to change)

With two non-voters (Sakabun and Jaycloomis)it can skew the results terribly and make them essentially meaningless. If both non voters voted for the same person, someone else may have won or come equal first place.

OK?

Sphinxsphere has now voted! Hurrah! Just Jay to go..

We do have a time machine, don't we?

1st Place: Jaycloomis with 'Gingerbread Delight'.
2nd Place: Psnede with 'Invitation for Dessert'.
3rd Place: Wolfe-boy with 'Libidinous Dissonance'.

Honorable mention: Annepin.

Seriously, congrats to the winners and the honourable mention. Good fun.