A Place of Safety
I expect simple behaviours here. Friendship, and love.
Any advice should be from the perspective of the person asking, not the person giving!
We have had to make new membership moderated to combat the huge number of spammers who register
















You are here: Home > Forum > A Place of Safety > Literary Merit > Crimson Challenge
Crimson Challenge  [message #73044] Sat, 22 July 2017 20:21 Go to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



Yes, the Crimson Writing Challenge is out and running, and we have a good field of reading for you.

http://iomfats.org/storyshelf/contests/2017-crimson/images/crimson.jpg

Is the makeup in the picture essential to the plot? You be the judge!!!

Actually be the judge because those votes don't cast themselves



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: Crimson Challenge  [message #73059 is a reply to message #73044] Wed, 26 July 2017 20:46 Go to previous messageGo to next message
cm is currently offline  cm

Toe is in the water
Location: Somerset
Registered: May 2017
Messages: 64



As the author of one of the stories, I'm a little hesitant to comment, but, like Timmy, I thoroughly enjoyed all the contributors' stories. It's so nice to read well-written stories with interesting characters and story-lines.

It's interesting to see the range of ages that we all chose to see in the picture and that two of us both related it to one of our national sports - football in the case of 'My crimson year' (great story, Geron) and cricket in my case (and heck, I know for most people over the pond cricket is entirely impenetrable, so thanks to those of you who liked the story anyway).

Please can I encourage all of you to keep giving feedback; we (or I anyway) love to see and hear what people think.
Re: Crimson Challenge  [message #73060 is a reply to message #73059] Wed, 26 July 2017 21:23 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



I think one may comment freely and even lobby for one's own story, but this will have no influence on the anonymous opinions offered by the readership Smile

The stories are all great.

A question I have is about the makeup. It was in my mind when I chose the picture, but not all authors used it. Is it an important part, do you all think?



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: Crimson Challenge  [message #73061 is a reply to message #73060] Thu, 27 July 2017 07:05 Go to previous messageGo to next message
cm is currently offline  cm

Toe is in the water
Location: Somerset
Registered: May 2017
Messages: 64



A good story is a good story either way, but it seemed to me that it was a sufficiently unusual and striking element of the picture as to require an active effort of will to ignore it, rather than an active decision to include it (if I may put it that way). We tend to be struck more forcibly by the unusual than the usual, and surely two young boys wearing make-up (even these days) is unusual.

...and if I didn't choke to include it as an element of the story, I asked myself why had you chosen THAT particular pic and not one of millions that must exist of two boys without make-up?





Re: Crimson Challenge  [message #73062 is a reply to message #73060] Thu, 27 July 2017 08:39 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Pedro

Toe is in the water

Registered: March 2014
Messages: 93



"timmy wrote on Wed, 26 July 2017 21:23"

A question I have is about the makeup. It was in my mind when I chose the picture, but not all authors used it. Is it an important part, do you all think?

--
What you think you have said and what I think I have heard are not necessarily the same. Similarly what you saw as the reason for choosing the picture is not necessarily the same as why I think you have chosen it. After all if we all saw the picture the same way, we would all write the same story.

I decided you had chosen it for its androgynous aspects and that the makeup only served to subtly change the question being asked from 'are those boys, boys?' to 'are those girls, girls?' - or should that be the other way round?

So I left the makeup as implied by the theatre setting instead of mentioning it specifically. If it irks readers greatly, perhaps they could read the penultimate sentence as "...Tony has to have a picture of Gino and me before I get a chance to clean off my makeup."

So, readers, did I decide if those boys were boys, or girls girls? Do you agree with my conclusions?





Pedro
Re: Crimson Challenge  [message #73064 is a reply to message #73061] Thu, 27 July 2017 08:58 Go to previous messageGo to next message
cm is currently offline  cm

Toe is in the water
Location: Somerset
Registered: May 2017
Messages: 64



ack...'choke' in the reply above should read 'choose'. My Kindle keyboard has a mind of its own.....
Re: Crimson Challenge  [message #73068 is a reply to message #73064] Fri, 28 July 2017 01:55 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Bisexual_Guy is currently offline  Bisexual_Guy

Likes it here
Location: USA Midwest
Registered: September 2015
Messages: 152



The Crimson Challenge had all really good stories.  I enjoyed every one of them, and it was amazing and wonderful to see Victor Thomas continuing his continued sequencing/semi-serial treatment of using the same or almost the same setting in his stories, yet with another new angle and/or twist.  Rick Masters always comes up with twists I'd never imagined.  Pedro, as is his norm, came up with a highly interesting and intriguing story.  Geron Kees has not written a flat or lifeless short story yet; he always keeps things both entertaining AND thoughtful.  Terence MacDonald had a good story,, short and enjoyable.  C M's story was great.  

All in all, a very enjoyable set of stories.  

Good work, authors.  I appreciate your works.
Re: Crimson Challenge  [message #73071 is a reply to message #73068] Fri, 28 July 2017 11:43 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Victor is currently offline  Victor

Getting started
Location: Southwest Missoure
Registered: July 2017
Messages: 5



I'm glad everyone is enjoying my stories.  I enjoy everyone of yours as well.  The setting for my stories is based loosely on my home town in Southeast Kansas.  Alot of crap goes on in small towns, stuff that people don't really think about and these stories try and reflect this.  It takes all kinds of people to make things interesting and I hope my stories reflect this.  I've got more ideas and am working on them now that I have time.
Re: Crimson Challenge  [message #73073 is a reply to message #73062] Fri, 28 July 2017 12:21 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Victor is currently offline  Victor

Getting started
Location: Southwest Missoure
Registered: July 2017
Messages: 5



To tell the truth I never really noticed the makeup which is why I didn't refer to it in my story.  Looking closer at the picture now I can see the lipstick but that's all.
Re: Crimson Challenge  [message #73075 is a reply to message #73044] Fri, 28 July 2017 19:36 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Geron Kees is currently offline  Geron Kees

Likes it here
Location: USA
Registered: February 2016
Messages: 147



I have to agree that this challenge produced a nice round of stories. I enjoyed them all, and thought that each author brought a very unique perspective to interpreting the challenge picture. Interesting, the way we can all look at one single thing, and see so much that is different, based upon our own lives and experiences.

I looked at the picture and did not doubt for a second that I was seeing two boys. The make up was, to me, the point of the picture, as it seemed as if the photographer was trying to capture that single specific moment in the boy's lives. The reason for the make up could have been so many different things, but the smiles on the boy's faces seemed to indicate that the overall experience was pleasurable. The boy on the left looked like the smile was a little bit grudgingly given - but given it was. The boy on the right looked like he thought it was all in good fun. Good sports, both of them, all things considered.

Interested to see what the next challenge will bring. You have quite a stock of interesting photos, Tim!
Re: Crimson Challenge  [message #73077 is a reply to message #73075] Fri, 28 July 2017 21:26 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



"Geron Kees wrote on Fri, 28 July 2017 20:36"
I have to agree that this challenge produced a nice round of stories. I enjoyed them all, and thought that each author brought a very unique perspective to interpreting the challenge picture. Interesting, the way we can all look at one single thing, and see so much that is different, based upon our own lives and experiences.

I looked at the picture and did not doubt for a second that I was seeing two boys. The make up was, to me, the point of the picture, as it seemed as if the photographer was trying to capture that single specific moment in the boy's lives. The reason for the make up could have been so many different things, but the smiles on the boy's faces seemed to indicate that the overall experience was pleasurable. The boy on the left looked like the smile was a little bit grudgingly given - but given it was. The boy on the right looked like he thought it was all in good fun. Good sports, both of them, all things considered.

Interested to see what the next challenge will bring. You have quite a stock of interesting photos, Tim!

--
Ah, the one on the left is a wicked little minx. I wish I could think of the male word for 'minx'!

The next challenge is in pre-release mode Smile. I Just posted it as you were posting this.

I have a load of interesting pictures.



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: Crimson Challenge  [message #73079 is a reply to message #73077] Sat, 29 July 2017 01:09 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Mark

Likes it here
Location: Earth
Registered: April 2013
Messages: 275



Quote:
timmy wrote on Fri, 28 July 2017 15:26
The next challenge is in pre-release mode Smile. I Just posted it as you were posting this.

I have a load of interesting pictures.

--

Timmy, you definitely have a lot to choose from, just from the "Total Inspiration" thread alone (although, granted, I may be a bit biased on that account, seeing as how I put up more than a few of the pics in that thread Very Happy).  While there are some there where the subjects are clearly posing for the camera, some others are captured "in the moment," and one does have to wonder (or at least I do, anyway) as to what had just happened to cause the particular reaction we see in the photo in question.

I definitely look forward to seeing what pics you select in the future.
Re: Crimson Challenge  [message #73083 is a reply to message #73079] Sat, 29 July 2017 12:56 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



What I try to do is to select pictures with a unique element to them, and hope that those who take up the challenge see soemthing unique themselevs. It is fun when it is a different unique item!

I look for a facial expression, or an absurdity, or a simple oddity. It is different from the inspiration thread; ordinary boys are ordinarily beautiful. An ordinary boy may inspire. A Challenge Boy is in a special class by virture of things other than ordinary beauty.

If you look back at the challenge pictures by no means all of those are good looking, nor cute. The inspiring thing is the situation. Or that is what goes through my head when I select a picture for my library.

It is the same with In His Room.

[Updated on: Sat, 29 July 2017 12:59]




Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: Crimson Challenge  [message #73090 is a reply to message #73083] Sun, 30 July 2017 23:58 Go to previous message
Mark

Likes it here
Location: Earth
Registered: April 2013
Messages: 275



Quote:
timmy wrote on Sat, 29 July 2017 06:56What I try to do is to select pictures with a unique element to them, and hope that those who take up the challenge see soemthing unique themselevs. It is fun when it is a different unique item!

I look for a facial expression, or an absurdity, or a simple oddity. It is different from the inspiration thread; ordinary boys are ordinarily beautiful. An ordinary boy may inspire. A Challenge Boy is in a special class by virture of things other than ordinary beauty.

If you look back at the challenge pictures by no means all of those are good looking, nor cute. The inspiring thing is the situation. Or that is what goes through my head when I select a picture for my library.

It is the same with In His Room.

--

And you've certainly done rather well in selecting the various pictures; the current one is definitely no different in that regard (I'll admit, all joking aside for the moment, that some of the pictures in the "Total Inspiration" thread would certainly work a lot better than others for these types of contests).  An interesting part of the contests, as has been noted by others, is how different people can interpret the same picture in such vastly different ways.  I, for one, look forward to seeing what "In His Room" produces.
Previous Topic: In His Room Challenge
Next Topic: By The Lough
Goto Forum: