The 'BARKING OWL' always has something to say, and like the feathered version, can be either WISE...............or ANNOYING!







Saturday, October 8, 2011

The Writercize 55 Word Challenge: A Story in 10 Successively Reducing Lines

Centuries seem to pass as astronauts listen to their countdown.
Only the most highly trained can withstand the rigor.
Unlike anytime before, all hearts seem to stop.
Nearer to God, they wait and pray.
The big moment finally does arrive.
Down below the rumbling begins.
Overwhelming sound and fury!
"Will we die?"
Not today....

BLASTOFF!




(who will be the first to find the fifty sixth word in the story ?)

18 comments:

  1. Geez Mike, I signed up to guest post at writercize and I've been too intimidated to comment.
    If you haven't signed up, you should. You're quick wit is a shoe in.

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  2. Hey, I know the dif between your and you're, I just can't correct the comment. grr

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  3. That's a neat little exercise, well done!

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  4. But wh'at about the e'xtra word fol'ks? (Ex'tra a'pos'tro'phes are easy GPD; you'l'l have to teach something else with y'ou're Writercize. I think I have this one d'o'w'nn'''!)

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  5. I think the extra word is "off", because 'blastoff' is really two words!

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  6. Well done! I'm agreeing with Susan about 'blastoff' being your 'illegal' word.

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  7. I grew up in the Apollo era, so I know that blastoff is ONE word. Look again, but thinking vertically.

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  8. You are way too clever! countdown is word 56!
    bahahahahahaha
    I was already thinking blastoff would be everyone's guess, but didn't see the cheater word!
    Very cool.

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  9. Way to go JO! 'Cheater'? You mean 'bonus' word!

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  10. Uh oh.... Will my "I'm" words be illegal words. LOL

    I see no fouls! Great job, Mike!

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  11. Great job - excellent. Should anytime be two words?

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  12. Hey, after 'Tis I' began counting every ing, it, and comma, I used, I got a bit paranoid. Then I read 'Eat, Shoots and Leaves' and opted for denial. How's it workin?

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  13. American Heritage dictionary gives 'anytime' a thumbs up. :)
    If it didn't, we'd move on to creative usage. ;)

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  14. Aha! It's an acrostic poem, as well as a ten-to-one. Very well done. :)

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  15. OK, I'm impressed. I'd be impressed just with the limited word count. But to add the acrostic is just overkill. : - )

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  16. I'm impressed too. Have you fessed up about your illegal word?

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  17. Perhaps I shouldn't have called my 56th word an 'illegal' word, because it just seems to appear in the capital letters without really adding an extra word, per se. Kudos to those who noticed!

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  18. Impressive twist Mike. Very impressive. It would have taken ages to spot the 56th word --- I was on the blastoff bandwagon as well.

    And yes, I agree with GPD - come guest!

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