₦airaland Forum

Kusibe77:
Am I the only one to misunderstand the twitterture?
Divepen1 ! 140 characters or 140 words? Will you forgive my stupid curiousity?

140 letters, including spacing.

LarrySun:
STEAL

I pick Gmike2Rule and Heryordele94.

It's so unfortunate that Heryordele94 has been disqualified.

I hereby choose Gmike2Rule and Mclove.

Below is the list of my final soldiers:

Skarlett
Frankenstein
OluwabuqqyYOLO
Gmike2Rule
Mclove

Someone will have to clean the guns.

STEAL

I pick Gmike2Rule and Heryordele94.

I can proudly say that everyone in my team did well. And I am sure that my fellow judges would have loved to have them in theirs. Unfortunately, I have to pick some and let some go. That's how unfair rules can be.

Below are my reviews and picks:

Between Chipappi (Murder She Wrote) and Frankenstein (Okwadike)

Chipappi
PRO: I love the suspense you employed in your story. The fact that you were bound by a very limited number of words did not stop you from delivering something wholly impressive. Well done.
CON: Unfortunately, we didn't get to know who the 'him' was, not even a little inkling about his identity; no name was attached to this particular character. It made me feel like the guy was a ghost.

Frankenstein
PRO: Now this is the kind of story that makes one appreciate Literature. Apart from the unexpected ending that portrays the writer's creative ingenuity, the story is also well-written. Even though it was written in just a hundred words, I felt like I read a complete chapter of a novel. Good job, man.
CON: I initially felt like I was reading an imitated episode from Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart where Okonkwo had to sacrifice Ikemefuna to the gods, but the suspicion was finally laid to rest when I realised that the victim in this particular story was a goat! Hilarious!

Judge's Pick: Frankenstein (Okwadike)


Between Skarlett (The Wages of Sin) and Perrypablo (Alaburuku)

Skarlett
PRO: The first sentence grabbed my attention. I'm a sucker for fast-paced action stories. Hell! I can swear I've started one of my stories with a sentence like that. I had thought you would feed me with the usual romantic tale of 'boy meets girl', but no, you blew my mind away instead. For a female, you did a very good job.
CON: I was confused when I reached the sentence in quotation marks. Who made that statement? The shooter or the shot? Apart from that glaring ambiguity, the other sentences that followed were just as confusing.

Perrypablo
PRO: Your story really cracked me up. Who would have guessed that John was in dreamland? I can so relate to the story.
CON: Your first sentence screamed for commas. Your syntax was off and the story lacked the proper paragraph alignment. It would have been a nicer read if it had not been so deficient.

Judge's Pick: Skarlett (The Wages of Sin)


Between OluwabuqqyYOLO and Kusibe77 (Bullet for Disobedience)

OluwabuqqyYOLO
PRO: From you I expected nothing less. I was smiling while reading your entry. You really haven't lost your touch, and I am indeed happy for that. You've actually become better...I'm getting jittery. Your greatest strength lies in your power of description. Well done.
CON: I feel that rather than fuse a good writing style with an equally good plot, you concentrated majorly on the narrative, sadly leaving the story floundering. Perhaps in trying to leave the story at a cliffhanger, you instead left us the readers disappointed.

Kusibe77
PRO: Yours is a straightforward st3. I appreciate the fact that there's no complication whatsoever. It's a nice story of action and consequence. Good job.
CON: In my opinion, I feel your description is weak, and your paragraphing is somehow rickety, like a fish with polio. How I wish you had constructed this edifice with a strong foundation...it would have turned out to be a masterpiece.

Judge's Pick: OluwabuqqyYOLO

For the second stage (The Drabble), below is my pairing.

Kusibe versus OluwabuqqyYOLO

Chipappi versus Frankenstein

Skarlett versus Perrypablo

You've got to put in all your best in this. Don't relax because you think it's just 100 words. I want you to blow my mind away. You are all literary soldiers, don't let me down!

I wish you all the best.

If you have anything bothering your mind, just reach me on larrysundynasty@gmail.com or 09061754872

I'm here to serve you.

God be with you.

LSD

Okay. I was too tired yesterday to join in the selection process, but all's well! I'm so glad to have the people in my team; they are like family...OluwabuqqyYOLO especially has been with me for long. I would have jumped off the cliff if he and Skarlett hadn't chosen me. Thank you, guys. With him and Kusibe, Chipappi, Skarlett, Frankenstein, we will form a formidable team. However, I am also happy to announce the new member of the team, Perrypablo.

The pairing for the next stage stage comes up shortly. May God bless you all.
LSD

Edited

Okay, here we go! Before anything else, let me start by saying everyone really tried. Divepen1, Repogirl, AudreyTimms and I know that writing isn't easy, no matter how few the words may be. Sometimes, the fewer the words, the tougher the plotting may be. All in all, kudos to everyone who participated. It's such a great ride. I wish I could choose more than six entries. If you are not chosen, it does not mean you are not good enough or your work is poor; it simply means that we are too biased to choose everyone, please forgive us...me especially. *Covers face*

Here are the entries I selected. These works really appeal to me. God bless the writers, they made my day.

Entry 1
The first thing that caught my attention about this work was the writing style. The writer chose his words very carefully. Secondly, the dark humour employed was quite impressive. I like good humorous works; this entry is one of the few good ones I've read. Well done, well done.

Entry 3
This is another good one. I love the surprising revelation at the end of the story. Really? Cow urine? That's not something we see everyday. The writer knows his stuff. Kudos.

Entry 7
This story cut me deep in the heart like a hot knife through butter. I can relate to the plot; the fear of seeing the disappointment in her parents' eyes if we failed could drive us into committing abominable acts. It's a good work of literature.

Entry 2
Another good work. It is one of the few I had to read all over because I couldn't seem to get enough of them. I keep picturing this tragic story in my head. It's eerie and heart-rending at the same time. Big ups to the writer.

Entry 5
I like the power of description the writer displayed in this particular word; his use of metaphor was impressive. I almost felt like I was the one who wrote that story. Great writer.

Entry 10
This one stands apart from the others. It is deep and engaging, it is almost perfect; the settings, narrative, characterisation, they all meld together to produce a unique tale of passion. I feel bad for Ohiza, but she shouldn't have cheated on her husband. Beautiful work! God bless the writer's mind.

Those are my six soldiers!

COMPLETE BOOK NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE:

http://okadabooks.com/book/about/black_maria_book_one/20094

larrysundynasty@gmail.com

COMPLETE BOOK NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE:

http://okadabooks.com/book/about/black_maria_book_one/20094

larrysundynasty@gmail.com

I received my payment. Thanks to Kinwayne for organizing this competition. God bless you in abundance.

Congratulations to all the winners. To those who didn't win, please don't feel sad. The fact that you didn't win this doesn't mean you are bad; indeed, it doesn't even mean that the selected ones are better than you. The truth is, in competitions, everyone can't be winners. You didn't win this one doesn't mean you are not going to win the next. Just keep writing and believing in yourselves. May God bless your efforts.

All thanks to Kinwayne and all the judges, may God in his infinite mercy crown your efforts with greatness. You all did a great job.

IamLegend, you have been very amazing. You took out time and pointed out the flaws of all the shortlisted stories; it's only God who can reward you. Thank you so much.

God bless you all.

God bless Kinwayne.

God bless the moderators.

God bless Seun Osewa.

God bless Nairaland.

God bless Nigeria.

God bless Africa.

God bless the world.

#LSD

Edgar Allan Poe is the best Horror writer who ever lived. The above listed are still learners. Even Dean R. Koontz writes better Horror stories than Stephen King.

IamLEGEND1:
The Falconian by LarrySun

CON- No action scenes. I'm starting to see a pattern emerging- There are those who are into massive action set pieces/excitement(Hazel, Esixlove et al) and those who eschew that to have room for more drama (Barrikade and yourself). I liked the minimalist storytelling with most it being set in a single building and all but you still left the overall setting a bit too ambiguous.

PRO- Again, the ending. I can't help myself when it comes to twists and you delivered in full. The premise wasn't original but it was watertight, helps make the lack of action less obvious.

Movie most similar to- Sicario.

Thank you for this. This means a lot. Thanks.

IamLEGEND1:
Thank you, bro.
I'm reading the stories randomly, so i Haven't read yours yet. But I hear say you na boss around this parts.

Me? A boss? I wish. I'm just a learner. I read the other stories and I felt ashamed about myself. A lot of research works were evident. I just love competitions, and trying my hands with different genres. Don't read my work with a master's expectations lest you end up being disappointed. People exaggerate a lot.

IamLEGEND1, I love your reviews. You're doing a great job. Well done, sir.

Thanks for the dedication, StephenGee12. Keep up the good work. Nice research, too.

Words cannot express how grateful I am for your love. For the first time in many years, I felt so special yesterday. I still feel special. The private messages that flood my email, Facebook, WhatsApp inbox; the calls - they were amazing. Even after twenty-four hours, I am still reading messages. Thank you all. May God bless you all.

LSD

LarrySun #StarCompetition

@ OP, kindly explain why you are posting my story as yours? Tell me what permission I gave you to claim my story.

Omittesb:
I mean, the man who killed his father and made him and his mother to suffer.

Chief Salami. That was his father's friend and partner.

The rooster shall roost in a matter of time.

Omittesb:
LarrySun, You have not talked about Black's uncle. I would love to know what has happened to him.

He had no uncle.

COMPLETE BOOK NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE:

http://okadabooks.com/book/about/black_maria_book_one/20094

larrysundynasty@gmail.com

COMPLETE BOOK NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE:

http://okadabooks.com/book/about/black_maria_book_one/20094

larrysundynasty@gmail.com

I know nothing about Paris, or France as the case may be. Let me just cross my fingers and watch.

You are all doing a great job.

God bless you all.

Honorableabiodun:
Larrysun y nt continue dis story on nairaland instead of watsapp group pls

I didn't continue in a WhatsApp group. The WhatsApp group is for other stories.

An update shall come by tomorrow latest.

God bless everyone.

I apologise for the delay.

COMPLETE BOOK NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE:

http://okadabooks.com/book/about/black_maria_book_one/20094

larrysundynasty@gmail.com

The next update comes tomorrow. I'm sorry for the delay.

Observer3:
Mr Larrysun as u don update dis one nau. . . .

Na till next year b4 we go see anoda update abbi

May God forgive you.