The Month That Was... October '16

Intro

Hello!

Welcome to, The Month That Was - October '16 !

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Achievements

Finished third in MorgEn Bailey's 100-Word Free Competition this month, with my entry 'Good Decision'.

You can view this month's winning tales here - http://bit.ly/2dBXH1F

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New Content This Month - (What can you actually read this month!?)

All three entries to  to MorgEn Bailey's 100-Word Free Competition , including third placed finishing piece 'Good Decision', have been added to the site. The theme this time was 'Cool'.

You can find them here - http://bit.ly/2eaRUFm

Two of the Micro Fictions have been turned into my Social postcards, and hit Media on the first and fifteenth of the month.

(I'm still yet to receive a single entry into the Micro Pic Competition ! You could have your artwork seen by a wider / different audience AND win a free coupon to an online Writing Course!)

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The Graft - (Daydreaming is well and good - you've got to have goals. But what have I actually done this month?)

Not a lot. :( The Micros didn't require much attention (excluding the time it took to generate a few ideas!), and a couple of attempts proved satisfactory. Got a little bit more done on TfTT, and for MFS I finished another couple of sections. The current section is a lot longer, so in future I might change to tracking words written as a better reflection. It's a struggle - writing an entire section that is already a candidate for the chop in the next revision! Certainly slows down the process for me when I'm trying to 'get though it'!

Monthly Micros (Three pieces at 100 words each, set theme)

- Draft 1, Draft 2

- Submitted to competition

Project X (Competition Short Story - x words)

- Nada :(

MFS (Ongoing fantasy series, broken down into events, plus any note overhauls)

- Planning + Ordering
- Creation - 1c , 1d

Bigger Project (Aside from MFS *MFS1 currently occupies this slot until I can finish the first draft!*)

- Nada! :(

TfTT (Special project)

- Planning
- Most of a section

Micro Pics (One Micro Pic taken from last month's best reaction to recent three Micros, plus one pic generated from archives)

This month, the popular Pic was 'Good Decision', and the archived Pic was 'It's All in the Planning'. Don't forget, by voting on the Twitter poll each month, you can have an impact on which Micro gets 'The Complete Treatment'! :)

     

Peripheral Tasks of Note

- Nada! :(

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What I've Read

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I loved the 'Dynasty Warriors' series on the Playstation growing up, 'Dynasty Warriors 4' being the pinnacle in my opinion. I finally got round to reading the literature the games are based on, and much enjoyed the alternate perspective. I managed to get the first of three volumes for 85p! The next two are over £10 each... so unfortunately it may be a while before I return to series! :(

Being close to Halloween and all, I decided to read a stand alone horror from the books on my shelves. I was surprised how difficult this was! Mainly because I'd read a lot of them and fancied something new, but the eye opening thing was that it was difficult to find one that was not part of a series! It made me think about my own writing, and I hope to learn a lesson in this - not every character or idea deserves a series!

I also read a couple more stories from each of the compilations I currently have on the go.

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Useful Articles I've read

Nada. :(

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Competition Results + Reader Contributions

I've yet to receive any entrants to the Micro Pic Competition that I run on this site! :( Don't forget you can get more exposure for your artwork, and even win a free coupon to an online writing course!

At time of writing, the current competitions that are open are;

The results of this month's Twitter poll, regarding which of the three Micro Fictions you liked best, was a tie between 'Fool's Gold' and 'Taking the Biscuit' with one vote apiece!

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Any Other Business

The next batch of Micros have been generated for the Micro Pic Competition . I've been running it for almost a year now without a single entry, so the curtain may be falling on the idea shortly. :(


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Outro

Must. Try. Harder.

Until next time, buh-bye!

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The Money Tree - Oh Snap! - Show and Tell

Flash Fiction / Micro Fiction

Length - 100 words each

Three pieces written for the competition theme 'A Crime Story'.
* 'The Money Tree' was 'Highly Commended' in the competition!

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The Money Tree

'Curiosity killed the cat'. Misquoted so often, we humans have sprouted a cautionary tail. But you know better. After all, satisfaction brought that cat back.

                It's why you're here... no?

                Speculative small ad in a magazine, an impossibility. But what if it wasn't? What if that cat came back filthy rich?

                Hey now, 'just a tree' to you, but that cash investment you brought sure looks like money to me.

                There, there, little kitten; when they find you downstream in a sack with the others, know that one of us was satisfied. I'm really more of a dog person anyway.

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Oh Snap!

'Well done,' the police officer said, handing her back her phone. Witnessing an attempted assault, Haley had instinctively started filming. 'Although we didn't need to see you collecting your parcel.' He smiled, and Haley blushed accordingly.

Panting, the man withdrew his phone. The girl had filmed him. He opened the App, searched 'Nearby' and began watching the stories.

One new notification. Huh, she thought, must have left it on 'Open'. Her new follower sent her a video. A single angry emoji followed by a full profile view. She recognised his clothes instantly. 

                The last segment showed him approaching her porch.

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Show and Tell

'Colour me impressed.' The big boss said, rolling a cigar from one side of his mouth to the other. He clapped his hands together, more clang than slap, and his cronies relieved me of his rival's head which I'd presented in a once white drawstring bag.

                'My men say you had no weapon?' He chuckled, 'That you just walked straight into his office and BAM! The guy was dead!' He smiled, displaying a full row of golden teeth. 'So tell me, how did you do it?' 

                'Well,' I said, my own smile mere ivory, 'probably easier if I show you.'

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