Fortnightly Writing Contest: Drabble / Mini-Saga

[CaptainD]

For the next writing competition, I have a challenge for you: write a  drabble or a mini-saga.  If you've never heard of those... a drabble is a story of exactly one hundred words, while a mini-saga is a story of exactly fifty words (that can include or exclude the title, whichever works for you).  I've always found trying to tell a complete story in such a short space incredibly challenging and fun, so hopefully others will too.

Here are a couple of examples from my own meandering writing:

1/ Drabble

The alien looked at the ship's controls. This time it would work! There would be no mistake, not like the last time. Last time his ancestors had tried to contact the people of the planet earth, his father had gone down to the surface, and received a most unfriendly welcome. It was later discovered that his name translated into English ("Ivcumtodestroilahuminrase") was somewhat offensive to humans. But now, with his son bearing a different name (despite similar looks), the message of peaceful benevolence would come across.

This alien, the ambassador for his (its?) people, was called, translated into English:

"Dyeurflingskum".



2/ Mini-Saga

Vegetable wars

Fruits, legumes, vegetables; lend me your ears â€" or at least your tubers.  I say to you, enough is enough!  For too long we have had warfare; carrot against broccoli, cauliflower against tomato, kidney bean against celery.  It is time to stop!



All I am saying is: give peas a chance.


So, over to you.  Competition closes on 12th August.

Have fun!

And now, finally, I bring you the trophies!

[Oliwerko]

Great topic, I've written some of these in the past and have to confirm that it's one hell of fun

[CaptainD]

Great topic, I've written some of these in the past and have to confirm that it's one hell of fun

Great, so I can count on at least one entry then? 

[Oliwerko]

You bet your socks, sir 

[monkeyislandfan#1]

Sooo... can the drabbles/mini-sagas be Fanfic or not?
Just wondering.
I may enter, and I want to know.

[CaptainD]

Sooo... can the drabbles/mini-sagas be Fanfic or not?
Just wondering.
I may enter, and I want to know.

Yep, any subject or style whatsoever, as long as it totals 50 or 100 words!  8)

[CaptainD]

Has my lack of coming up with any trophies yet put people off entering?!  :o

[Oliwerko]

Chill out, it's more than a week until the deadline. Entries usually don't appear until the last few days 

[Ponch]

WHERE ARE MY TEENY, TINY TROPHIES?!? 

[LRH]

Felt like being Captain Bring-down this time. I wrote (unless I counted incorrectly) 50 words about the various wars during colonial America:


You're going, now. It's time. There is no choice, it's time.
It's time to watch villages burn and friends die.
Take this rifle and this knife. You're going to use them.
You'll think of your life and all its shortcomings just before you die.
Yes, that is your destiny... conscript.

[CaptainD]

WHERE ARE MY TEENY, TINY TROPHIES?!? 

Hey I've made some, really lovely I assure you!  :  It's just that they're on my work computer right now... and I'm at home... 

Will put the up tomorrow.

[voh]

Right down my alley! One piece of 100-word fiction coming right up!

Found in Space
I expected many things when I was chosen as the first human being to experience FTL travel. Hardships, things going wrong. Hell, I even expected to die. What I hadn't expected was this. None of the 'scientists' who had instructed me, had tried to explain what an FTL drive actually does, had seemingly known this was a possibility. Yet here I was. And so was I. Staring at one another.

“So, you broke through the dimensional rift in that thing?” I said.

“I guess I did.” I said to my other self, glancing sideways to the now smoldering FTL drive.

[CaptainD]

Two great entries so far!  8)

Now as soon as I find out how to get my trophies appearing... (or more specifically, the icon that will let me do it, which is stubbornly invisible...), you can see what my (less than) glorious graphical talents have come up with.

Trophies now added - long live the Count! 

[ArKaN01D]

Count me in! I'll work on my entry today and it'll probably take a couple hours to get it quite right, though. I'm a shameless perfectionist. Anyway, I can even use this later for content in the ancient library in a game I'm working on.

[CaptainD]

Count me in! I'll work on my entry today and it'll probably take a couple hours to get it quite right, though. I'm a shameless perfectionist. Anyway, I can even use this later for content in the ancient library in a game I'm working on.

I always wonder how much stuff created for these competitions ends up in games later on!    Look forward to seeing your entry.

[Atelier]

My love has no limit, but my words are running out.

Do you remember that day in the snow, when you held out your hand to me? I see you now, holding out your hand to me. Your eyes were bright as stars, and your gaze melted my heart; then the clouds rolled over, and I fell into an abyss. I still scale the walls; abound with razor rocks of my own creation. Soon I will sit and dissect my dreams, in my disillusioned outer world.

My last three words carry the weight of my crippling burden… you never knew.

[CaptainD]

I'm already amazed at the depth created by our three entrants in such a short space.  Awesome work guys!

BTW anyone like the trophies (first post)?  The idea just came to me, not sure if anyone's done it before?

[kconan]

The idea just came to me, not sure if anyone's done it before?

Its a safe bet that this is the first muppet Dracula trophy  8)

[voh]

I... I'm not sure about the trophies, to be honest

[CaptainD]

I... I'm not sure about the trophies, to be honest

Philistine!!!