Midsummer Night Short Story – Results

The theme was ‘A Midsummer Night’, with no more than 1000 words and references to music and an animal.

Bearing in mind that I’m not a ‘literary’ person – thank you for entrusting me with the task of being the judge!

Araminta
Midsummer Madness a Short Story
A good story – with a telling moral!
Brave Monty Mouse Midsummer Hell
Of Araminta’s  two contributions, I prefer this one – but that’s probably because I’m exceptionally fond of Monty!  I liked that the animal and music were integral to the ‘plot’. My only problem was that I had to check that the Glastonbury Festival was held on Midsummer’s Eve.

Ferret
A Mid-Summer Nights Scream
The sense of suspense was caught beautifully, and I particularly liked the descriptions of the ‘vacuous arm’ candies. An unexpected twist at the end moved the tale from being a simple assassin story.

IS
The Seventh Face
An interesting piece, I’m not quite sure where the video tied into the tale, and I could find no reference to Midsummer Night.

Jaime
Midsummer Nights Dream
I could identify with this story. The horror and fear of being manipulated into doing something out of character is one of my nightmares! A delightful conclusion, although I reckon I’d end up with a splinter in my foot from the wooden stage… 🙂

Janus
On This Day 23rd June
Again, I must confess my bias – I enjoy Janus’s ‘pomes’ – they are nice, direct, story telling ‘pomes’ written in such away that I want to speak them out loud just to hear the accent.

John Mackie
The Eve of St John
Apart from one or two disagreements about the history (well I have to say that don’t I!) I found the story compelling, and in what I think of as true Scottish form: dour, deep, and dark.

O Zangado
The Chase July Creative Writing
Beautifully described, with an eerie sense of place and atmosphere – I was right there in the forest seeing through the hunter’s eyes…

Pseu
Mid Summer Roses
I particularly liked this tale: poignant, gentle and romantic.

Ricksrant
Making Bacon Story Competition
A fun story! Animals and music (albeit as Rick says a little tenuously!), but I’m not sure where Midsummer Night figures.

In Conclusion

I thoroughly enjoyed reading all the stories, and it was very difficult to make a final decision since all of them were so good in different ways.

In the end, after several re-reads and copious cups of coffee, I decided the ‘prize’ for this month’s competition should go to John Mackie.

23 thoughts on “Midsummer Night Short Story – Results”

  2. Ah Well, Araminta! I learned long ago that there’s only one way to do anything, and that’s to get on and do it. I have a saying “Comes the Measles”. I did my degree in under two years, and I was always aware that my children might be ill and that I’d have to drop everything to care for them – hence I always tackled my assignments immediately. They never did get the measles, but it’s a habit I’ve never lost!

  3. I’m not very good at immediate, Boadicea. I usually meet deadlines, but only just! I suspect I’m unlikely to change, but I think your way is better.

  5. I think we can now expect some nicely drafted rules for the next competition – with all previous ambiguities banished.

  6. Hiya Boadicea – Thank you for stepping in to judge at such short notice. I think your choice is spot on and I knew the rest of us were in trouble as soon as I read JM’s piece. S’pose I’ll just have to try harder in future. 🙂

    Congratulations, JM!

    OZ

  7. Nice One Mr Mackie,

    A well deserved win that man. Like OZ said, I will simply have to up my game.

    Thanks Boa, for saving the day and doing such a wonderful job of it too.

  8. Janus :

    I think we can now expect some nicely drafted rules for the next competition – with all previous ambiguities banished.

    They are going to have to be chum, or the norvern stickler will be getting a taste of his own pedantry. 🙂

  11. I’d better read the winning entry… well done Mr M: I’ll comment properly on your thread

  12. Whoa, Boa! (Funny how that doesn’t rhyme.) That’s great, and great Mr Mackie’s win. I found the story quite, well, romantic, and I’m not sure why, unexpected. Very well written, natcherly.

    Running around like mad person recently, Sorry for the leanness of comments.

  13. Hi Boa. Thanks for judging this and thank you and Bearsy for everything that you have done both here and elsewhere.

    Before I go on, I want to thank Claire for all that she is as well. The sooner that she is back amongst us, the better, in my opinion!

    Anyhoo, I went to a wedding in Melrose Abbey last weekend. Ruins due to the usual course of conduct by the English of reducing anything in their path to rubble on their way north. It is, of course, no loss what a friend takes.

    But, I have a problem about winning this month’s competition. I’m not a Borderer (too low and, therefore, a bit like too Wales for me) but that visit is what produced my entry.

    We did two hours in the ruins of said Abbey and then moved on to the serious business of getting rat-arsed to celebrate the union. Loved the day, loved the drink, loved the night and loved the dancing!

    Woke up late next morning in the hotel and spotted that my nearest and dearest, aka Mrs M, was dead to the world. Sneaked out and drove four miles to Smailholm Tower. I’m a ‘Historic Scotland’ member so it was not going to cost a penny. This is always a joy!

    Didn’t get over-excited, but it did register, to be fair. Came home and googled said tower. Found this:-

    Click to access a_248.pdf

    Read, enjoyed and went to bed, Got up the next morning and felt the need to write what I wrote. Still proud of it and still think that it is not, in its present form Sir Walter’s tale. I really believe that I moved it on.

    Please feel free to disagree. If so, please disqualify me for plagiarism.

  14. John I did Melrose a few years ago, lovely, can’t remember if I did Smailholm, but we did so many being English heritage and NT members. Stayed at Craigievar Castle 4 years ago and near Cupar last year

  15. Good grief. You know I almost said this reminds me of Sir Walter Scot, but for some reason got entangled in his name: was it Sir? was it kosher to tell a Scot he reminded you of Scott? etc. etc. Well, you’ve basically just taken the plot, but the writing is very much you, though with a little more, well, romance. Of course Shakespeare used to do the same thing …

  17. Ah, thank you Mr Mackie.

    I can’t see the problem myself but jolly decent of you to ‘fess up.

    I think our esteemed judge should be allowed to, well judge!

  18. Plagiarism? I don’t think so, personally. Research and inspiration is what I call it, Mr Mackie.

  19. Sorry to have been absent from the site for so long – major internet problems. I’d love to read all the posts here, but only managed to make a connection about half an hour ago.

    I’ve read the link, John, and unless anyone objects I still think the prize should go to you. As far as I’m concerned Jaime has it about right:

    Well, you’ve basically just taken the plot, but the writing is very much you, though with a little more, well, romance. Of course Shakespeare used to do the same thing …

  20. Fine that, Boa, but I thought I ought to let you know.

    Thanks for judging at such short notice. I really am delighted to have won.

    I am now off to set the next CW competition. As Janus says, it is important to get these things right, so I anticipate that I could be in a position to publish a draft set of rules for said competition, for consultative purposes only, within no more than three weeks. Provided that I receive timeous responses in re said consultative procedure, I have to say that I see little reason why I should not be able to promulgate a final and definitive version of the rules in about a month or two thereafter. Without prejudice, of course.

  23. As for your clarification of the procedure for the approval of rules for said comp. – it may be without prejudice but I’ll bet it costs!

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