Slaughtered sparrows simile wins 2011 bad writing contest

sinkingfeeling

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Tue Jul-26-11 01:41 PM
Original message

Slaughtered sparrows simile wins 2011 bad writing contest

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43893455/ns/today-books/

Sue Fondrie of Oshkosh, Wis., won the 2011 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest for her sentence comparing forgotten memories to dead sparrows, said San Jose State University Prof. Scott Rice. The contestant asks writers to submit the worst possible opening sentences to imaginary novels.

Fondrie wrote: "Cheryl's mind turned like the vanes of a wind-powered turbine, chopping her sparrow-like thoughts into bloody pieces that fell onto a growing pile of forgotten memories."

The University of Wisconsin professor's 26-word sentence is the shortest grand prize winner in the contest's 29-year history, Rice said.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

csziggy

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Tue Jul-26-11 03:44 PM
Response to Original message

1. I was trying to figure out what a "Slaughtered sparrows smilie" looked like!

The image conveyed in that sentence was much worse.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

petronius

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Tue Jul-26-11 07:06 PM
Response to Reply #1

4. If you think the occasional housecat v. songbird threads are bad now,

that smiley would light the place on fire... :rofl:

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

csziggy

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Tue Jul-26-11 09:37 PM
Response to Reply #4

5. Yes, but we luv our "beating a dead horse" smilies!

:rofl:

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

sarge43

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Tue Jul-26-11 04:01 PM
Response to Original message

2. Worthy of Jane Austen

:spray:

My favorite from many years ago: Following the nuclear winter the lawn ate the first robin of spring.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Xipe Totec

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Tue Jul-26-11 05:47 PM
Response to Original message

3. As usual, the truly bad comes so close to the truly immortal

To loose love,
while dusk is falling
when time is short
and silver strands
appear among the gold.

you risk madness
and your heart explodes
when you loose a love
and feel you want to die.

Let me scream,
and deny heaven exists
let me take down with stones
all my dreams still in flight.

and make them fall
one by one
to break destiny's wings
just to have you near.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxzUrWrSWIc

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

DU AdBot (1000+ posts)

Mon Apr 29th 2024, 04:40 PM
Response to Original message

Advertisements [?]

Top

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators

Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.