People's Choice Featured Writer announced. Challenge No 34, Friday March 23 - She Wears My Ring and breaking news...

Hi all! And a warm welcome to our new followers!

Thanks for your People's Choice votes for RFWer's prompt, I Love You Because. The votes were much lower than anticipated but two writers received two votes each so we are happy to announce a tie for Featured Writer - Nancy Williams and Joy Campbell. Thank you to those who voted and congratulations to Nancy and Joy. Now members, you really understand what a difficult, no, really impossible task choosing a winner is.

When I conducted a poll some months back, the overwhelming reason writers submitted to RFW was to improve their craft. No one likes to judge entries (including yourselves it seems!) as it is not really comparing apples with apples. We value the diverse group we have become - novice writers, unpublished writers, poets, authors presenting extracts from WIPs and at times published books and those who write a fresh piece especially for the challenge. All of these are legitimate modes of entry, as long as all entries respond to the prompt. But it is really impossible to judge fairly. 

So how do you feel about not having FW or RU from now on, or only occasionally when we all write in the same genre for a special challenge? Non poets can try their hand at poetry and poets will get the opportunity to write prose. It would extend us all; perhaps we'll find talent we didn't know we had! Of course this would only be a limited event... We need your thoughts on this...Perhaps She Wears My Ring will be the last time we choose a FW and RU...

And the critique question. Don't forget this prickly one. Unless someone specifically asks for a full critique, just leave general feedback, highlighting the positive.

 I have to say excellent work everyone for your creative wide-ranging use of the prompt for I Love You Because. Awesome entries all. 

Now before I move onto our next prompt, I need to tell you that this is our last challenge until May 4.

After much deliberation, I have decided to close RFW for the month of April as this is A-Z Challenge time. Love it or hate it, this blogoverse challenge makes it pretty pointless to post if you're not in it. Already over 1,000 bloggers have signed up and hundreds who aren't accepting the challenge to post every day in April have been announcing on their blogs that they won't be posting in April as they know they'll be writing to themselves, well, not altogether, but close enough!

I, and some other RFW members will be participating in the April challenge. I won't have time to be posting prompts or writing to them, or reading entries, so thought it would be best to simply shut down the challenges for the month. That only means 2 prompts won't be happening. I'm adding the May 4 prompt to the end of this post so you can start imagining stories and poems to fit. 

When RFW re-opens on the 4th May, there will be some tweaking of the guidelines. There will be many other exciting changes as well, so stay tuned! You'll be so glad you did. And this is another chance for you to tell me any ideas you have for our writing group. I hope to receive some emails during April with your suggestions.

So, to our final challenge for the first trimester of 2012 -

The second prompt in our song series is 'She Wears My Ring.' Now this romantic song was recorded by many big names. Once again - Elvis Presley, then we have Roy Orbison et al, but my favourite recording is by Australia's own Elvis or Chuck Berry, Johnny O'Keefe, who rocked the Aussie song world in the '60s.

Here are the lyrics by the Bryants.

She Wears My Ring

She wears my ring to show the world
That she belongs to me
She wears my ring to tell the world
She's mine eternally
With loving care
I placed it on her finger
To show my love
For all the world to see


This tiny ring is a token
Of tender emotion
And in this pool of love
That's as deep as the ocean
She swears to wear it
With eternal devotion
That's why I sing
Because she wears my ring

Awesome lyrics. Once again, use this prompt however you wish, but we are looking for a story/poem that encapsulates the lyrics in some way. And the words: 'She wears my ring...' must be within the text.

Have fun with this prompt.



********
And here is a sneak peek at the Response to Image prompt for our return on May 4th. Just study this picture and see where the story takes you.

• You must respond to the stimulus in some way.
• From the image, choose who will be your viewpoint character.
• Place your character/s in one of the following settings:

              * a nightclub

              * last day of high school/college

              * at a carnival/festival

              * a private party

              * an exotic island

              * audition for a part in the latest Romeo + Juliet production

              * a combination of two or more of the above settings...

Get your thinking caps on for this one. You have over 5 weeks to produce your best copy. I thought about raising the word limit to 600 words for this one. What do you think?

As always, I encourage you to leave a comment here or email me with your responses to issues raised in posts. Please know that your input is most valuable in the decision-making process. My email: den.covey@gmail.com

Denise (L'Aussie)

#RFW Challenge No 33 - I Love You Because - Linky Sign Up for Friday March 9

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#RFW Challenge No 33 - I Love You Because - Stimulus and Particular Guidelines

Hi Writers!

I'm looking forward to our first song series prompt. Linky will be up Thursday (Oz time) and will remain up until Sunday (Oz time.)

Don't forget - it's People's Choice week I'm asking you to read all entries, comment, then come back to RFWer site and tell us your favourite for the week and why. 

For members or if you're a writer who has just stumbled across our site, you are welcome to write for us:

You can write:

• Flash Fiction (up to 400 words) - FF has a beginning, middle and end to the story. Check out what makes up FF here on our RFWer page.
• Prosetry (a RFWer term) - poetic prose often penned in couplets. Check out Andy's post here
• Poetry - all types.
• Vignette - a single scene, a snapshot - atmospheric; different from flash fiction or short story in that there does not have to be a traditional plot. (I'm writing this more and more.) For more about the vignette,  Check out my post here.

Check out our Submissions page for more guidelines and how to join up...

What do Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Jim Reeves have in common? They all recorded 'I Love You Because...' I like all versions, but the one I recognise is the Jim Reeves version from the '60s. Go to youtube and listen to each if you want further inspiration for this prompt. I think these words really suggest poetry to me. I might have a go at some more prosetry or I may stick to prose.

FURTHER SPECIFIC GUIDELINES FOR ENTRIES - THESE MUST BE PRESENT TO BE CONSIDERED A FW or RU: 

The words 'I Love You Because...' must feature in the poem/prose at some point - be as imaginative as you wish with this. It doesn't necessarily have to be in first person (I know some writers hate first person, I'm sure I don't know why.) Make it whatever person you wish. Just write us a lovely poem or story. Don't forget to include a romantic element...hmmm, can't wait to get started...

Here are the lyrics to the song. Do check it out on youtube:


I Love You Because..................(words & music by L. Payne)
I love you because you understand dear
Every single thing I try to do.
You're always there to lend a helping hand, dear.
I love you most of all because you're you.

No matter what the world may say about me,
I know your love will always see me through.
I love you for the way you never doubt me.
But most of all I love you 'cause you're you.

No matter what may be the style or season,
I know your heart will always be true.
I love you for a hundred thousand reasons,
But most of all I love you 'cause you're you.




And Nancy reminded me of the wonderful poem:

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..." by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of Being and ideal Grace. I love thee to the level of everyday's Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. I love thee freely, as men strive for Right; I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise. I love thee with a passion put to use In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith. I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death. Now you have all the guff, let's get writing. Post the direct link to your story on the linky after you have posted on your blog. I'll leave you with Jim Reeves singing 'I Love You Because'. Still need more inspiration? Go to Sarah Pearson's post on Romantic Songs here. L'Aussie Denise

Featured Writer for Challenge No 32 for Friday Feb 24 - The Perfect 9.5. A critique of each entry. And Challenge No 33, 'I Love You Because...'

It's that time of the week again! It was great to have our usual amount of entries for such a difficult prompt. 

I confess I struggled for weeks thinking about this one, but I finally got an idea and my story grew from there. Thank you everyone who commented favourably on my hot little passionate flamenco dance number, especially for those who thought I could/should be the Featured Writer. I like to hear that, but I'm not in the competition.  

Like most of our 400 word stories and poems, there is room to extend my story. I find it helpful to read the comments then take my story away and improve/extend on it, as I plan to e-publish a book of my flash fiction before the year is out, and they can be any word count under 1,000. 

If I manage to work out the e-pub system, I'll also be asking for your best stories to be considered for a Romantic Friday Writers e-book, and looking for a tres clever arty person to design our cover.

And thank you everyone for making the time to visit more stories/poems this week.

No glitches this week that I know of, just some imaginative treatment of the prompt. Not surprisingly sport (including dancing) was featured, as for this numbers game we often think of competitions.

Now, apologies for the length of this post. I want to demonstrate to you how thoroughly your stories are considered for FW and RU. 

I colluded with Donna Hole again this week. Donna does a lot of critiquing for her fellow blogger/writers so I respect her expertise. She read every story/poem and sent me her ruminations. This week I'm going to reveal Donna's summations, then give her her head with the decisions. I think she deserves this after all her hard work.

Over to you, Donna...

Ms Queenly has a great sniping story of competition, and I liked that the love interest stood in the sidelines to encourage her through the difficult task of admitting faults.

 - Roland's characters are flawed by nature; the excerpt didn't show a distinct flaw that showed devotion despite the flaw.  They state they love each other and that is all there is to the relationship, at least in this excerpt.

 - Andy's poetry is a celebration of women.  There is no specific "relationship" there; women are loved because they are women.

 - Denise's setting and dancers were exquisite.  Based to set the heartbeat, the sweat of exertion, the love of a man for a talented beauty.  I can see passion igniting at the end of the night.  An excellent emotive vignette, a flash fiction worthy of publication for its heart and passion.

 - Anna's story of sibling love was beautiful, and I hope she develops that into at least a flash fiction piece; it would take very little tweaking to evoke more passion. But again, they are together because they are siblings and already share a bond.

 - Nancy's blind date really captured me.  I loved it.  But it was in all essence, a perfect date.

 - Weissdorn was truly inspired.  I loved how she showed a relationship building around the sporting event.  Phillipe was perfect for her, I could really see why that relationship would work.  But, the 9.5 was for the competition, not the relationship.

 - Linda's "gossipy" take was so much fun.  I about p***d my pants laughing at the twisted ending.  I liked how the imperfections of the showcased relationship were witnessed by an outside party.  Made it that much more juicy.  But what I was looking for in this excerpt wasn't there at the end: why would the wife stay with a such a lout?

 ** Laura's love letters were funny and heartfelt.  I could see myself as this wife, frustrated but not at all ready to give up.  What is love without conflict to make up :)  And his response had me crying with joy that he took it all in stride, and eloquently blew kisses back at her.  Truly, who could resist such a strong relationship?  

 * Adura's about tore my heart in two.  And I liked the almost flat, matter-of-fact voice of the narrator.  I wasn't sure how to leave feedback to Adura; but if the paragraphs had been rearranged just a little so the story did not start in flashback, but followed from meeting, to dating and uncertainty, to his untimely death just when they were getting comfortable, this would have been even more powerful.

*** Janu's was poignantly nostalgic; it captured the essence of lifetime commitment, from both perspectives.  She loved him by caring for his needs while he loved her by providing for their family and future.  Then the tables turned, and he loved her by repaying all her care and selflessness.  This was a complete history of love, endurance, and sacrifice.

 So there we have it. I may/may not have chosen the same two winners but it is so difficult to decide.You may/may not agree with Donna's POV, so I'd ask you to have your say next challenge - (only if you read ALL the entries.) Please leave in the comments who you think should be FW or the RU for the prompt. I'm giving you notice so you can think about this while you read next week.

So after much rumination, the runner up this week is Adura Ojo! Congratulations on your prose Adura. Please display the harlot on your blog!

FW this week is Janu. I don't know how you were affected by Janu's poem this week, but it had a great impact on me, more so when an email from Janu revealed this is a true story. 

SO NOW TO OUR NEXT SERIES OF PROMPTS!

For the next few prompts, I'm going to do a song series. All prompts will be titles of songs (there's no copyright on song titles.) Starting with 'I Love You Because...'

What do Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Jim Reeves have in common? They all recorded 'I Love You Because...' I like all versions, but the one I recognise is the Jim Reeves version from the '60s. Go to youtube and listen to each if you want further inspiration for this prompt. I think these words really suggest poetry to me. I might have a go at some more prosetry or I may stick to prose. I think the prompt speaks for itself and shouldn't need further suggestions...

FURTHER SPECIFIC GUIDELINES FOR ENTRIES - THESE MUST BE PRESENT TO BE CONSIDERED A FW or RU: 

The words 'I Love You Because...' must feature in the poem/prose at some point - be as imaginative as you wish with this. It doesn't necessarily have to be in first person (I know some writers hate first person, I'm sure I don't know why.) Make it whatever person you wish. Just write us a lovely poem or story. Don't forget to include a romantic element...hmmm, can't wait to get started...

L'Aussie Denise

#RomanticFridayWriters - Linky Sign Up for Challenge No 32 - The Perfect 9.5.

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Featured Writer for Challenge No 3, Friday Feb 10 - The Long, Cool Aphrodisiac.

Hi fellow RFWers and new followers. It's great to see new names on the member list and new followers each week. It's even better when the new writers post stories for us. Two new writers participated in this fortnight's challenge - Erin Kane Spock and Weissdorn (aka Celeste.) Due to my not having updated our Submissions page since the beginning of the year when we trialled a 400 - 600 word limit, both our new writers were over the limit. Remember how hard we all thought it was to keep to 400 words, but now we take it in stride most of the time.

In the Submissions page it's clearly stated that you have to be a member to be in the running for Featured Writer and Runner Up - you submit your link in the right sidebar (the one with thumbnails) and hopefully post for us on a regular or semi-regular basis.

We had a couple of delays this week - Nancy Williams had an Internet glitch. When she tried to publish her story the net crashed. She only got it up a couple of days ago. Some of you have seen the late link and been to read Nancy's story. That's great and it gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling to see your heartfelt comments on Nancy's story. Weissdorn's been having google problems and her comments had been disabled. At a late hour she reinstated it, but you had to be in the know and click on the time of posting to comment. Tricky. I've come across that before. Weissdorn was wondering why she'd received no comments, but I assured her there were comments on our site as you couldn't leave your comments on hers. I hope you read them Celeste!

I collaborated with Donna Hole once again this week for help in choosing which we considered the best stories. I'm sure you'll all agree that the standard is improving and there were several possibilities. To be FW there must be a romantic element and appropriate response to the prompt - there was no problem with that this week. You also need to be only slightly over the word limit.

So to Runner Up this week. This goes to two of our members - Andy, for capturing the essence of the aphrodisiac - a single thing that makes the heart quiver with desire. For second Runner Up, after much discussion, we're going to award Anna. Her concept of a whole country as an aphrodisiac (France of course) was charming. Anna's prosetry may need a little more tweaking, but the sentiments were heartfelt. Considering Anna is learning to write in English, we think it's time she was awarded for her amazing improvement.

Andy and Anna, copy the badge to your site and link to your story!

Featured Writer this week is a double whammy also. Madeleine Maddocks captured us all with her perfectly-structured flash fiction. As Donna said: 'She told the whole story in one circumstance. There was character and plot growth and a romantically-satisfying ending.' I was also blown away by new member, Erin Kane Spock. I loved Erin's story so much - I went back for several reads (as did others). I didn't have her in the mix for a FW due to her 600+ words, but when I realised that was still in our guidelines I couldn't disqualify her. So Erin, please consider yourself a FW this week. What a great entry!

Madeleine and Erin, please take the badge for your website and link to your  story.

I don't have time for a rundown on all of your stories this week. Suffice to say, all entries were of a ripping high standard! I appreciate the time most of you take to visit each other and comment and critique. I saw Celeste (Tales From the Rhoen) everywhere. It's great to follow each other's blogs, twitter and FB etc...

Looking forward to what we come up with for Challenge No 32, 9.5. Check the Challenges page for extra ideas. Really, it's whatever you make of it. Keep the romance element coming!

Don't miss Challenge No 33, 'I Love You Because...' for March 9th. I'm sure this prompt needs no extra help.

No entries over about 420 words next week o writerly ones.

Denise (L'Aussie)

Linky is up for #RomanticFridayWriters challenge no 31 for Friday February 10 - The Long, Cool Aphrodisiac.

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