#RomanticFridayWriters - Wrap Up Post - FW - Challenge No 44 - I Should Have Kissed You! Next Challenge Guidelines

Hello Members and Friends!

Donna here. Is it just me, or did this Challenge inspire a lot of 1^st person and male perspective?  The turn out this week was amazing; the excerpts well written with lots of sensory details – and steamy.  Nearly a week later, my lips are still puckering in anticipation of that life changing kiss.

We gained several new followers over the last couple weeks:  with Ghazala, Jasze, Elen, Nilanjana and Yolanda swelling our members list also.  Kavita, Suzy, Raelene, Michael, Anne and Vikram have also signed on as members.  

Your  hosts appreciate every contributed piece, and want to thank you all for your consistency.  With that in mind, here is our joint wrap-up of this week's submissions in order of posting:

Charmaine: I fell straight into love with Rosie, the dame. Rosie was more complicated than she seemed - she was quite rightly disgruntled when men were judgmental of her generous curves, but had a double standard -she was quite ready to hightail it when a less-than-perfect date arrived on the scene. Quite hilarious as she passhes the earstwhile 'red silk tie' guy by mistake. Can't blame her really for not wanting to hang around - but...but...that's when her mochachino finally arrives! Now we have a deep problem! Stay or Run? (550)

Anna: To everyone's delight (who has been following Anna's tragic story of Paul, Jenny and Priscilla), Anna delivered a flashback in diary style, a prequel to events most of us are now familiar with. Perfectly fitting for the theme as there is that regret for the missed kiss. (598)
Nilanjana: Nilanjana delighted our senses with her poem right from the start when she '...offered up bruised berry lips'. How smoothly it flowed. I loved the imagery, such as: 'drunk in the morning musk.' I also love the two POVs. I preferred No 2 for some reason, although both were a delight. Very true to the theme with the prompt words occurring regularly at the beginning of stanzas. (419)
Raelene: The Pre-Nup was fabulous! Let's leave the groom waiting at the aisle while Dave surprises himself with the slip of the tongue - 'I Should Have Kissed You.' Oooh, so not done as the bride is about to marry another man, especially if you're the officiating Reverend/Priest! Some great attention to detail. I loved the congregation watiing in 'murmuring rows.' (No Word Count given, but well under...)
Francine: Our very own Regency romance author, thrilled us yet again with an excerpt from Venetian Encounter, with a menage a trois mentioned, oh Lordy! The excerpt was replete with the colourful characters from a past time, with Francine setting the scene of the era. That Therese with her 'china blues' is quite a character. I am left wondering, will the Countess bow to the  charms of Lieutenant Herne? (596)
Sally: Sally does nostalgia so well! For this prompt she gave us a glimpse of a bygone era, when young ladies were shy looking at young men (overtly anyway!) A lot of emotion can be had when rail commuting five days a week to school! Sensory descriptions abounded: 'rumble of train wheels', 'musty smell of scratchy fabric of the seats...' Very Rosamund Pilcher. So frustrating when she missed out on that kiss! (598)
Denise: filled our hearts with the lust of returning love, then built cultural, career, and continental barriers as obstacles for the lovers to overcome.  Passions run wild, but the heartbreak of reality couldn't be washed away by the changing tides of a summer fling.  (596)
Nancy: Brenda is still longing for John from her past and asks herself why wasn't she brave at the time?  She still remembers the sensory details even though she is now married with children. Why? Young love stays with you - she 14, he 17. Very poignant. It looks like Brenda is only ever going to imagine John in her dreams. (574)
Madeleine: I felt the romance between Jessica and David. Many contributors wrote of the regret of missed opportunity in the throes of young love, but David takes the initiative. Obviously a close couple, he's changed his mind rather than live with a lifetime of regret. He's going to act - he's going to follow Jessica to her new job rather than look back years later. (411)
Heather: Remembrance. Bitter-sweet memories, but highlighted is a lack of communication skills. Could things have been different if they talked things through? Maybe then the closeness that felt so right wouldn't also feel so wrong. A different future may have been imagined, but would it have been better than the present? (398)
Roland: :used a scene from an earlier writing; one of heart break at death's door, with the lovers' confessions witnessed by their failed protectors.  Roland leaves us hanging as to whether Blake indeed dies without tasting Fallon’s kiss, or if her love brings him back from the brink once more.  (750)
Kiru delighted us with a caramel kiss, feeding our desire with a steamy memory, and refusing to fulfill the anticipation in the present.  My thigh is still feeling the heat of his palm. (over 600)

Adura: Michael and Sade. Adura's prose is surging along, with the same rhythms she delighted us with in her prosetry. Michael's overwhelming feeling for Sade is tangible as he was '... morphing into an animal lunging at her like she was prey.' Never mind separate offices; separate cities would be a more secure solution. (550)

Yolonda: broke our heart with her reunion theme; sent tremors of longing and passion with a greeting embrace, bumped us out of the expected kiss, and shattered our wistful expectations of renewal with bad news.  The closed avenue brought tears of regret. (596)

Janu: sent us down memory lane with a diary entry; the endearing friendship that kept the lovers apart, a life that took the usual paths of uncertainties, and finally the heart is rewarded with a unexpected marriage proposal.  So unexpected, the kiss was forgotten in all the excitement; and fate cruelly intervened to keep it from ever being fulfilled.

Kerrin: gave us pure sex; and what is sex without kisses?  So many years of wanting that single kiss built a steamy, unrelenting need that once tasted, led to more, and more, until the next natural stage is begun.  (562)  

Rek: wrote of a moment in time, suspended for eternity, as the years change who she wanted to kiss into someone not worthy of the desire.  Yet the uncertainty remains, if the past had been different, so perhaps the future for both. (495)

Ghazala: made us feel awkward in our own skin with a story of gawky friendship and exploration between two classmates on separate growth and maturity schedules.  The awkwardness was intensified with the last line of the story, a brilliant stroke of emotion to tie it all together in an Ah moment. (553)

Anne: showed the nervousness of re-entering the dating world, and renewing cherished friendships in a change of life setting.  A comfortable past that runs it natural course, and a new beginning with no regrets to mar the future.  (597)

Michael: left us in a shadowed, smokey room filled with secrets and sensual desire.  A mystery, an old flame under scrutiny, and a timely admission to interrupt the pending kiss.  (500)
Donna:  What a riveting first line - 'I'm not afraid of dying; but I fear the dark.' Donna, too, has used many sensory details to delight the reader as the male narrator remembers a day at the beach. You can feel the joy, the sun, taste the Corona, feel the sweat...then great juxtaposition as the blazing day ends with reality - the coldness of the cell. Great twist. (590)

Crystal: proved that love is love, and the heart wants what it wants despite the obstacles in place.  Sometimes that kiss has to work hard to find the right moment, with more than just desire to overcome before it can work it magic to fulfill destiny.  (600)

Only two contributors went over word count, so that still leaves 18 awesome entries eligible for the Featured  Writer and Runner up awards. We ask that you remember how difficult is the choice between so many disparate stories and poems. At the end of the day it comes down to the personal preferences of your hosts.

After careful consideration (several readings and discussions between your hosts - this was way tough), and using the basic criteria of:  following the theme; within word count; polished; (easy to follow the story); has a romantic element; and completely blew us away in all other reader aspects (your comments on the posts factored into our decisions) . As Crystal said in the comments after reading everyone's entries - I've never seen such talent and amazingly beautiful words in all my life! It's hard to pick a favorite at this time. That's how we feel. So many on our short list...We HAVE to make a decision. So Denise and I present to you...(((drum roll)))

Runner up Madeleine Maddocks. Perfect flash fiction piece, followed the guidelines to a 'T'. Congratulations Madeleine! Please copy/paste the badge onto your blog, linking to your story.

and our FW...

Our FW for this challenge is Nilanjana Bose for her spectacular prosetry which adhered to the theme and was replete with beautiful imagery encapsulating the I Should Have Kissed You prompt.

Because there were so many on the short list, we would like to offer the Encouragement Award to:

Michael de Gesu for his wonderful noir piece (a little lacking in the romantic element) and Charmaine Clancy, whose perfectly crafted piece was just SO entertaining. Michael and Charmaine, please accept the Encouragement Award and  place it on your blog, linking to your story. 

For those new to RFW, the Encouragement Award is handed out to those whose writing just didn't quite make the finals of FW/RU but was featured in the final discussions as a contender.

Congratulations winners of the I SHOULD HAVE KISSED YOU challenge #44.  Proudly display your badges on you blogs.

Thank you everyone for participating; we look forward to reading more of your writings in the next prompts.

Please return on Monday 17 Sept for our Guest Author Post, Linda Gillard, multi-award-winning and much published author! Learn about how she creates her characters. You'll love what she has to say...

Also, we have moved the RFW Safety Post re Internet Stalking and other matters to its own page. If you haven't read it, take a few minutes to check it out! Thanks!

Also, be thinking about our next challenge - 

CHALLENGE NO 45 - Friday Sept 21

Beauty is only skin deep- and it's remarkable just how shallow that can be. But not being the centre of attention has its own advantages. 

What has your beautiful friend done to make you hate her?

Do your really hate her, or are you just angry with yourself?

Hate is such a confusing emotion...and we all know it's closely aligned to love.

Think about this prompt. You might surprise yourself with what you come up with. 

(We've added an image to this prompt which might help you focus.)

I'm pretty sure our stories/poems will all be different, how about you? There are so many different types of 'friends'... 

Pen your 400 words of prose/prosetry for this challenge! Any POV, not necessarily first person. And, as always, don't forget the Romantic Element. Remember the creative guidelines are merely suggestions. Write your story/poem your way.