Forthnightly Writing Competition (FINISHED)

[Akatosh]

A picture says a thousand words... you've got 300.

Since we already had Writing Compos based on music and the mags is already about adapting text... why not complete the set and have a compo based on visual media?

Basically, the idea is that you pick some sort of picture and base a story on it. It can be anything, really - the story behind the depicted events, a novelisation of a comic, a surreal work based around expressionist pictures, a Dan Brown novel... as long as it's somehow based on a picture, and <=300 words long, it's fine.

That's it. Have fun! Voting start on March 1st and will go till March 3rd. There will be trophies if we get 4 or more entries. Happy writing!

[ThreeOhFour]

This piece of writing was inspired by the following painting of a dinosaur, whale and giant squid:



It was a lovely day outside, so John decided to head to the beach. He made some sandwiches, packed a towel and some sun block and put on his hat and caught the bus.

When he arrived at the beach, he saw his two friends, Allen and Keith swimming. “What fun they are having!” said John to himself, as he watched them cavorting in the waves.

Placing his picnic basket, with his sandwiches, sun block and towel on the beach, John called out to his friends and paddled into the water. When he caught up with them, they were just ready to have a swimming race to see who could swim the fastest.

John wasn’t a very good swimmer because he had very short arms, so Keith and Allen left him behind easily. Keith was a strong swimmer, but Allen’s big tail gave him a clear advantage and he beat Keith to the finish line.

John was a little sad that he wasn’t as fast as Allen and Keith, so he decided to play a trick on them. When he caught up to them, he tapped Allen on the tail and yelled “Tag, you’re it!” as he swam away. Allen giggled, chased after Keith and tagged him. When Keith came over to tag John again, they agreed to play a trick on Allen seeing as he was the fastest. Keith pretended to be distracted, while John swam over to Allen. John then jumped on Allen’s back, slowing him down, and Keith swam over and tagged Allen back.

Just then, a bolt of lighting crashed through the sky. “Oh no” said John “The fine weather has gone. I’d better head home.”

John ate his sandwiches on the bus home, and looked forward to meeting up with his friends at the beach tomorrow.

[uncle-mum]

Winter Landscape by Casper David Friedrich


What warmth he had managed to carry with him from his night nestled in the hay of that barn was now just a tortuous memory, the frozen wastes of his once welcoming homeland having enveloped his one working leg, freezing the splint to the other, numbing him entirely from the waste down.

The snow was driving so hard that at times he felt as though he was being forced into the ground, great sheets of ice clinging to his clothing and hair, weighing him down so he could barley lift his foot for one step or carry himself on his battered crutches for the next.  With each new lurching movement, his body engulfed in a searing pain, his once battle hardened spirit continued to fade until he could barely keep in mind the reason he had left his home, his family, all those months before.

After what felt like years he saw an oasis in that blizzard battered waste â€" nestled together, as if for warmth, a group of conifers and a rock at least a mans height rising up from the snow.  He had seen the place where he knew his life would end and with that came a focus, a goal which, unlike the castle and his king, was a goal he knew he would reach. 

As he approached his journeys end finally the snow ceased to fall revealing, amongst the trees, a vision of his lord, upon his cross, waiting to embrace him in the warmth that comes with death.  “You are with me” came a voice so clear and true that all thoughts of cold and pain vanished from his mind as he abandoned his crutches and strode, a man in his prime, before collapsing against his rock, eyes closed, hands held up in prayer.

[Akatosh]

Two nice and pretty different entries so far. Keep 'em coming, people!

[rock_chick]

Reserved for an entry and I really want to actually enter this time(sorry about the reserved spot for the last one when I didn't enter).

[Sinitrena]

The Broken Column by Frida Kahlo


(one of my favourite paintings)


The Broken Column

Far away from the war the temple stood. It was magnificent and it was peace. The columns, decorated with ornaments and stucco, rose high into the air and the marble altar stood on a pedestal cladded in ebony. On the floor lay a carpet of finest silver and on the carpet the priestess kneeled.

Her face in her hands she prayed to the goddess and offered a sacrifice no-one was ever willing to give.

„Take it“, she prayed, „take it and give peace back to the world instead.“

The Goddess of Peace looked down on her priestess and smiled. Her golden hair sparkled in the light of the bright moon and her eyes filled with tears. What she had build so many years ago, the priestess was ready to give. What she had offered as a symbol was nothing but a symbol and finally the priestess had understood.

A thunder jerked down from the sky and the earth shook. The priestess shivered and shuddered and stood up from the ground. Her head still in her hands she left the temple. She knew, that the goddess had accepted her sacrifice, she knew, that the goddess would speak to her brother, she knew, that the war would end.

The earth cracked open and the sky poured rain on the house of the Goddess of Peace. Darkness fell on the temple created by the goddess herself. The earthquake shook the ground stronger than before and the priestess stumbled. She looked back at the temple and saw the walls falling. The magnificent columns broke. Where once the temple of the Goddess of Peace had stood, there was now but a desert. The priestess cried.

[bush_monkey]

Moebius picture. The guy is a legend.

The Bridge
-------------
It hasn't stopped yet. I thought it would by now but it just don't happen this way, innit?
That'd just be too easy.
Bugger.
Round the next corner and up the street.
Torrance fucked me right up, that old bastard.
"it'll only take a minute. You just give me your share and i'll sort it out."
Sort it out, my arse. He knew. He bloody well knew and he just took my money anyway.
I could go back and give him a piece of my mind but he ain't the type of guy you mess around with.
So why did I mess around with him? I'm such a fucking idiot.
Who else was I supposed to get it from? What was I supposed to do? Gerald reckoned it was a sure thing, that git.
There's the bridge. Okay, not THE bridge, there are other bridges around but tis the only bridge worth using.
The view from here is just majestic. You don't just see the local slumps from here but you can make out the beautiful palaces out in the distance. And the air.
Ah the air, this is the only place where the air feels like it has been somewhere natural on its way to your lungs.
Gotta love that clean feeling.
Deep breath. Well, trying to anyway, the cough comes on pretty strong and I spit a little blood.
I'm gonna have to do this now. Before it really sinks in and I chicken out.
Deep breath. One little step is all it takes in the end. And I was flying. It felt incredible.
Well, right up till I hit the tarmac then it fucking well hurt.
For a moment.
Just for a moment. then I swear I could feel the clean air again.

[Akatosh]

Seems like voting was supposed to start yesterday. Let's act like it was your fault that I forgot to post about it.

Now we've got that out of the way, cast your votes, one per person. I'm having sort of a hard time deciding on what to vote right now, so I'll post my vote later on. Also, trophies will appear hereabouts soon. Ish.

[uncle-mum]

bush_monkey gets my vote as I think the almost pulp style used sets a tone that suits the picture really well

[Sinitrena]

My vote goes to uncle-mum.

[AsimosVagan]

Ben304

[ThreeOhFour]

I vote for Uncle-Mum

[Akatosh]

And with this, we close the voting, two days late as well. I'm sure that's your fault, too. Anyway...

BRONZE: Sinitrena

Well, thanks for entering. Guess works based on Kahlo's paintings are a question of taste, much like her creations themselves. 


SILVER: Ben and bush_monkey

Two quite different entries, one place. Congratulations, to both of you!


GOLD: uncle_mum

Puts you at two in a row, and you got as many voes as all other contestants together!  Mucho congratulations.