Hello all. You are reading the Simplyprose News Feature for the month of January, which is funny, because it's now the middle of Febuary.
Oh, well, better late if ever, I suppose.
There were a lot of submissions this month and the submissions to our contest are more than double those of all the others. There’s some real talent and some real potential here. So let’s take a look at some of them, shall we?

Scenario Prompt:

by
A Rather Cliche New Years

So when I resolved that this year, I would find a nice Catholic girl (one that I can take home to my mum, with a nice name like Maria or Charlotte)

This story makes masterful use of irony. The title suggests the story will deliver something we’ve all seen before, and in a way, it does, but it does so in a way that is anything but cliche.

by
New Years

“I will live my life to the fullest!”

Another ironic piece, this story has a weirdly detached narrator for what should be a very personal story, yet that detachment doubles the impact of its tragic twist.

by
Failed New Year's Resolution

Oh! I need my New Year’s Resolution.

Irony seems to be a popular thing with this prompt. This time, it’s carried to a comic end, demonstrating that sometimes, you just can’t win no matter what you do.

by
Resolution Morn

Of course I was hungover. I'd been quite determined to not be hungover this New Year's Day, but like usual, I drank my ass off and then I hurt.

This story has very effective dialogue. It is compelling, convincing and so well defined in its tone that it has no need for any other descriptive words to get it across.

Character Prompt:

by
A Terrible Change

Our house was like a volcano that always erupted.

Sometimes, things get really bad before they get better. This is a tragic piece with highly effective emotional language that almost makes you feel the bitterness and loss of the character.

by
Figment

neither pills nor people can hold me back from April.

As a college student, I can appreciate the masterful use of symbolism in this piece to represent someone who really needs a break from all the work forced on him.

Word Association Prompt:

by
A Smile For Breakfast

Her rosy lips found themselves once more curling coyly up towards the ceiling.

One word: description. That’s what sells this piece. The carefully chosen descriptive words sprinkled throughout this story build vivid pictures in your mind of the setting and the characters.

by
The Applesauce

“Charlie! Where is the applesauce?!”

This story is a real kick in the shin. It moves fluidly from one line of dialogue to the next, building up dramatic tension as you expect something to happen. When it does, it immediately undercuts it with a humorous surprise.

by
Blue Summer

She left blue paper notes tucked in library books, and origami dollar bills on dirty restaurant tables.

This one is really brilliant. Each paragraph, though short, is written in a way that is both simple and beautiful, giving just the right details to build the characters and tell the story in the swiftest and most efficient way possible.

by
Nothing Sounds Good

There had been a lot of use of both of their mouths but very few words had been spoken.

There are lots of ways to describe this. The most efficient is weird. It shifts between serious and comical in a flash, sometimes between sentences, and in both cases, the situations show a slight exaggeration into the realm of strange, but without losing the sense of reality to it. Plus, there are some sentences that stagger you with their genius when you read it the second time.

by
Grandma's Boxes

They were simply a pile of pure mess to be sorted, distributed among the family, and then sent to the Salvation Army.

Few people really contemplate what respect for the dead really is, instead turning it into something mechanical. This story is one that challenges our conceptions of love and respect, using the cleaning of a huge mess as a metaphor for that contemplation.

by
Cheater

I’ve heard it said that just because you think everyone’s out to get you, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t. This story is like that saying. It builds up the sense of paranoia, reading unpleasant thoughts into every detail, all leading up to an unpleasant conclusion - one that’s probably true.

by
Little Miss Muffet

There once was a farmer and his wife who had no children.

An interesting play on the mother goose rhyme, the author mixes in elements of classical folktales, harkening back to the days before people forgot that most stories are about blood. An enjoyable read.

by
French Toast

I was afraid to offer you a ring, so I bought you a necklace instead.


Writing a super-short story is hard. To condense a whole story, including character development, emotional content and plot into a single page is a challenge I myself have never succeeded at. This author does it masterfully in a single paragraph. A must read.

by
Lost. Found. Lost


I had a million and one things to do but for the life of me I couldn't concentrate on all of them. Simplify, simplify.

This one is a little difficult to describe. It’s very straightforward in its descriptions and very focused in its flow, but there’s a certain detached element to it that seems to build up the nature of the character.

by
What Was Left

The young woman in the mirror was pale with naturally rosy cheeks and delicate features. Dark tendrils fell around her neck as she pinned up her hair.

This story carefully builds up the tension, leading readers to expect something and then doing something else. What makes it interesting is that there are clues in the tone and style of the piece that point to its surprise ending without giving it away.

Combinations
Scenario, Character and Word Association:

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Duel

When Rian Jacobson got to school that day, on January 5th, 2009, at 7:23 am, the parking lot was deserted.

This piece was really interesting to read for me. I don’t know if it was intentional, but there is a distinct precision to the description of time and events, and yet, there is a sort of disconnect between the two. There’s a slight distortion of time that, to me, enhanced the unreality of the situation.

Scenario and Word Association:

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Unrequited Love

A petty gift always does it - flowers, a necklace, a scarf - anything cute and I crumble

This story is very short, but it efficiently builds the character dilemma. The internal struggle is powerful and telling and I am most impressed by the author’s choice not to end it with a resolution, as it draws attention deeper into the focus of the story.

Miscellaneous Prompt:
Pardon me if these seem a little mechanical. I am not allowed to say anything that might suggest which one’s I like, since I am judging the contest.

by
Peculiar Folk

The train was congested with people of all kinds, and the darkness from outside and the constant buzzing of noise in my ear was giving me a horrible sense of vertigo.

The dialogue in this piece, as well as the way many of the sentences are structured, helps to emphasize the awkwardness of the conversation.

by
Guessing Game

The actions of each character, combined with the dialogue, bring out the personalities of the two characters.

by
Strangers on a Train

the train ground to a halt at a dark mausoleum of a station where one passenger waited by the faded circular lights lining one side of the track.

The careful choice of words builds an underlying tone of gloom to match the dark setting of the story.

by
The Lesson

His clumsy feet cost him his dignity when he spied a woman sitting in the compartment, watching him.

This story eloquently builds the setting through its choice of descriptions and careful pacing.

by
A Short Story . . .


She hated the train. Somehow, it seemed to leech away all her emotions

This is a story puts a creative twist on the prompt that will surprise you.

by
White Bread

Ride - if you can call it that.

The present-tense in which this story is told emphasizes the brevity of a good moment in what is normally an unbearable situation.

by
Combustion

Catherine had been riding on the train for a long time--three days to be precise. She’d gotten off only to sleep.

This piece avoids redundancy with a good variety of sentence structure and length.

by
A Stranger to Trains

She smiles at him, and says, "Fine, tell me your name, and I'll tell you mine."

The characters in this piece are really well developed.

by
The Two Rabbits Drank Sake

Outside the train the sun rose and set followed by moon.

The dreamlike quality of the narrative draws you in and holds your attention.

by
London to Swansea

Victoria Station is a bustling place even at nine in the evening, or especially at nine depending on the way you look at things.

The tone set by the narrative is eloquent and engaging.

by
The Tunnel

“Why are your eyes red, mister?”

This story has a very unusual, but touching plot.

by
The Journey To Nowhere

He thought his life was over, prepared himself and started the journey to “Nowhere.”

This story is an interesting use of the long forgotten art of allegory.

by
Sketches in a Notebook

It was almost as if the train wasn’t moving at all to Laura.

The author uses an interesting trick with dialogue to make you question the characters.

by
What Do I Have To Live For

Kyle leaned his head up against the cool glass, temporarily giving up the battle for comfort.

The author pays careful attention to establishing the setting.

by
You're Stranger To Me Than . . .

their relationship is also only 8 months young, and they are already engaged.

This piece uses dialogue to emphasize the lack of conversation.

by
Travel of a Weary Mind

A lone man sat in the back, and he knew that she would definitely come to the empty seat beside him.

This story plays with audience expectation by starting off going one way and ending up going another.

by
Status Report

“Greetings Spy”
“Greetings Scout”

This story fills is told entirely through dialogue, leaving the audience to pick out the story through the information it provides.

by
Inner Dark

Through the blackness of night and the sequestered sounds of restless cattle skidding hooves on metal floors, a young Shadow approaches the vacant stock carriage.

This story plays with your perceptions of what is and isn’t real.

by
A Ringless Finger

She was told to meet him in this exact spot.

This piece makes good use of context clues to foreshadow the ending.

by
The Train Ride Home

I open my eyes and yawn, feeling like I just slept for a year.

The choice of descriptions and the words used build up the unreal setting.

by
To The Mountains

Though they didn't know it they all had the same destination, but they all knew that it would take them another hour to reach it.

This story has a very distinctive flow that emphasizes the themes of the piece.

by
Heart Tracks

It was not until the train attendant had clearly yelled out ‘all aboard’ that they realized they were challenging the train station’s meticulous schedule.

This story has some very vivid descriptions.

by
In The Rice Rain

Peromy tensed as the throng of people bustled into position, two long lines of laughing and crying women and vaguely awkward-looking men.

This piece makes clever use of the definition of the word “train” to play with you expectations.

by
Hum

Trevor had a bit of a complex when it came to other people.


This story uses sound noises to emphasize the awkwardness of the conversation, which fall away as the main character becomes more comfortable.

by
How Close We All Come . . .

The train was ricketing back and forth, and one man with a solidly set grimace on his lips was watching the bleak and bleary scenery whiz by the windows of the caboose.

This story builds up particular expectations in the reader’s mind with it’s tone and then abruptly shatters them with its ending.

by
Metropolitan

The train station stairs were coated in a thin layer of sleet as David quickstepped down them.

This story toys with the concept of dialogue, demonstrating a conversation in which no words are actually spoken.

by
You Know My Name

John felt he was finally going to get some quiet time.

This piece features very clever and realistic dialogue for a very awkward situation.

by "iconits-ok-bunny:
Strange Disillusion

It was a tandem train-- a string of little symmetrical boxes on wheels.

The narrative plays with your sense of time, matching the tone of the dialogue.

by
Softly

Her skirt fell around her calves softly, like it was trying not to hurt her.


This narrative plays with words to create a surreal storyline that could only happen in writing.

by
Islands

A windswept ragamuffin in torn cotton with eyes like Nietzsche’s abyss

The author’s use of metaphor and outside reference builds a nihilistic tone which the narrative calls into quesiton.

by
A Train to the Afterlife

The crackle of the conductor’s voice came through the loudspeaker, welcoming the souls from October 2003 to the last journey they will be taking in this lifetime.

The use of dialogue builds the imagery of the characters.

by
The Gray Ride

It roared through streets, above cars, past apartment windows with sleepy occupants

The use of extravagant sentences mirrors the character’s intellectual nature.

by
Death of a Sophist

Does the world come to an end when the train stops?

The narrative intentionally confuses the first and second person perspective to enhance it’s theme.

by
A Plane on a Train

The regular commuters ignored the unwelcome "passenger”

The winding narrative builds up to a conclusion that makes you wonder


by
Rogue

Later he would look back on the encounter with a surprisingly mellow fear.

This piece displays an excellent sense of timing, which helps to build the tension.

by
A Change of Heart

Susan Herot Glover, a woman of troubled past times and a dim future, was on her return trip from a visit with her older sister-in-law.


The author’s careful use of sensory images gives its readers a glimpse of the main character’s life.

by
Religious Repartee on the Tube

There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.


This story has an ironic twist in that it makes a point that there was no point to begin with.

by
The Lost Wanderer

The thought of immortality is a desire, as I now see, no madman should ever pursue.

This story weaves a gloomy, contemplative tale that makes you question what the value of life is.

by
Right Foot, Wrong Foot

"This," he said, pointing. “This is not my foot."

The deliberate ambiguity makes this piece enjoyably unsettling.

by
Tea Sea Tee See

The train had left Grand Central an hour or so before, heading north.


The characters are carefully developed through the dialogue.


by
Two Guys, One Cart

It was a cold day, I remember this.

The author builds a very vivid picture of the setting for this story.

Most Creative Piece
by
After reviewing all of the pieces, the staff at Simplyprose have elected Figment by *orphicfiddler as this month’s most creative piece. Congratulations.


February’s Prompts

Scenario Prompt:

A boy is kidnapped.

Character Prompt:

This character is a plant or an animal that lives in a forest. (Remember that humans are animals too!)

Word Association Prompt:

Hunger, rage, compassion.

Remember that all three words must appear in the body of your piece. Pieces that do not contain all three words will not be accepted.

Miscellaneous Prompt:

There have been a lot of great reimaginings of fairytales over the years, and there are many here on dA. Some have been created entirely off the deviant's own bat, and some have been inspired by contests.This month, we would like you to rewrite a fairytale of your choosing. You can do anything you like: modernise it, make it happier, make it horrific or do something else entirely. And, as this is not competitive, we won't give you a stringent definition of 'fairytale'. We may decide to draw the line if you send us something we consider to be too far off, but the main purpose of this is to inspire you.

Well, that’s all for this month. Once again, thank you all for your participation and we hope to see you again next . . . er, this month with more great submissions. Happy writing.
Now, if you’ll excuse me,