Competition!
I was planning a contest to celebrate my 2 year blogiversary which is tomorrow, so it seems like a fun idea to combine that occasion with naming the short story readalong project. Thank you for the enthusiasm for this project, I’m definitely going to set up a separate collaborative blog. I’m quite excited. (See my last post for more info). It needs a name though, so that’s your challenge. Leave a comment with your suggestion for a name which can be as random/ abstract or as literal as you like. I’m looking for something that fits the project, is memorable and imaginative. If you want to explain your reasoning I’d love to read it, but don’t feel you have to, stories behind names are always interesting. You have until Midnight GMT on Friday to submit your entries (make sure you leave a working email address so that I can get back to you if you win.) My plan is to set the blog up so that the readalong can begin properly at the start of next week. The winner will be picked by me, because that is my prize for keeping this blog thing going for 2 years! If I can’t choose I might set up a poll of my shortlist. There will be a prize, a collection of goodies related to crafting and short stories. I might share some glimpses of what will be included in the prize over the next few days, but the final package will probably be tailored for the winner - no point in including yarn for someone who has no interest in it, if such people even exist. But I promise it will be worth entering for. Let the naming begin!
Posted: June 5th, 2007 under Uncategorized.
Comments: 41
Comments
Comment from bunchkin
Time: June 6, 2007, 8:44 am
Small Bites Readalong
Have you ever heard the old advice, “Take small bites and chew well for good digestion” ? Kind of like reading short stories and “chewing” (discussing) them well for good “digestion” (comprehension/understanding).
Happy Blogiversary!
Comment from Sarianna
Time: June 6, 2007, 9:03 am
Small Wonders Readalong, maybe.
I think that ’small wonder’ usually means something like ‘well, duh’, and I like using words and things in somewhat unusual ways. Also, short stories are wonders in and on themselves, because it takes a special sort of talent to fit all the tension and everything into such a small space.
Or something, I might not make much sense. (And my grammar is probably really horrible, but I’m ignoring that for now.)
Comment from sarah
Time: June 6, 2007, 12:12 pm
The Sampler
I like the idea that this readalong will encourage us to sample authors that we may not have read before and the connection back to the crafting world.
Great competion idea
Comment from ScaryBez
Time: June 6, 2007, 1:55 pm
The littlest read.
A bit twee but the best I can come up with right now!
Comment from Pigwotknits
Time: June 6, 2007, 3:07 pm
Vignette
Because it’s a lovely word and many short stories are like that, a small window into a different world.
Or you can use that: ’small windows’.
Comment from Trine
Time: June 6, 2007, 4:22 pm
“Word by word, stitch by stitch”
In my experience, short stories usually have some sort of moral point to express, and it’s quite possible you learn something from it - just like when you knit (or do other crafts). Of course you learn something about the story (purely analytical) and the craft, but you also learn something about yourself and people in general.
“Les nouvelles”
French word that could mean both short story and news. And ‘a beginner’, too, actually. :)
“Le Bouquin readalong”
French word for book
“Short stuff (readalong)”
Because it’s a bit less artsy-fartsy like the rest, and a bit more fun. :P
Comment from Sarah
Time: June 6, 2007, 6:48 pm
“Abridged” (literary term slightly misapplied for effect) or “unabridged”, even. Alternatively, “succinct”. Love that word. Now my brain is ticking, I’ll probably be back…!
Comment from anushka
Time: June 6, 2007, 8:00 pm
Please remind me to enter this when my mind is less full of German!
Comment from purlpower
Time: June 6, 2007, 8:16 pm
“small tales”
might be back again when I am less sleepy!
Comment from Senora Fuerte
Time: June 6, 2007, 9:09 pm
“The Read-a-Long and Short of It”
or
“The Blog and Short of It”
This is a GREAT idea!! I miss talking about books too, but I don’t have enough reading time for entire books… this is perfect!
Comment from Jen
Time: June 6, 2007, 9:41 pm
Prolonged Shorts?
Comment from Jen
Time: June 6, 2007, 10:11 pm
Or maybe Tottie Wee, Tottie Wee Shorts?
Comment from Samantha
Time: June 7, 2007, 1:25 am
Le Storie Piccole (Italian for small stories - it sounds lovely if you say it aloud)
I have to think of more….
Comment from Rachel
Time: June 7, 2007, 1:28 am
“Breviloquence” - it’s a long word for “speaks little”, pretty much.
“Pithily Read” - quick, to-the-point, and uses a fun adverb.
Comment from Kristen
Time: June 7, 2007, 4:47 am
Just because I’ve never actually done anything with this myself, I’m offering my best name. I always intended to use this for my online literary magazine, but I’ve never gotten around to starting an online literary magazine. I always thought Coiffure would be a good name for a literary endeavor, playing off of the word salon. It’s probably pretty juvenile, but it’s always given me a good chuckle.
Comment from Fiona
Time: June 7, 2007, 11:08 am
When I was a child I was given a blank book by my Swiss godmother with the word ‘Po?sie’ (Poesie, in case the accent doesn’t work in formatting the page) inscribed on the front, to write poetry and short stories in. I think short stories often work as a kind of extended prose poem anyway, and I like the word. So that’s my suggestion: Po?sie: the readashort readalong.
Comment from Rita
Time: June 7, 2007, 2:22 pm
Stories she said
or
Once upon a Time…
Comment from Emily
Time: June 7, 2007, 4:04 pm
How about:
Brief Encounters (cheesy, but kind of good in that it is a brief encounter with a different author each week)
Or….
Something along the lines of Little Yarns (I sort of like the subversive reference to knitting)
Comment from jen
Time: June 7, 2007, 4:50 pm
Telling Stories
When I was reading about your contest that is what popped into my head. I am thinking of Ms. Jeanette Winterson. “I’m telling stories…”
I can’t wait to get into this it sounds like a wonderful idea.
Jen
Comment from Phoe
Time: June 7, 2007, 8:33 pm
How about just plain ol’ Anthologie? (I quite liked Virtual Anthology but that’s just gotten a Jamiroquai song stuck in my head.)
Happy 2nd blogiversary!
Comment from sarah
Time: June 7, 2007, 8:35 pm
i see that others have come up with variations of my idea already… “wee yarns”
Comment from Alice from france
Time: June 7, 2007, 8:46 pm
“Ilate-a-unefoi” Readalong
The french “once upon a time” writing phonectically.
Or “A cloud in a book” Readalong because i love clouds, they always made me dreaming, and books, also shorts story makes us dreaming.
Or again: “A book, a dream, a mind” Readalong…
Here are my suggestions…
Comment from jessica
Time: June 7, 2007, 11:49 pm
what about galejade (yarn or a tall story)
or bibliomane…(book worshipper, bookworm)
or fable… (story, tale, yarn)
always a fan of the french
Comment from Josh
Time: June 7, 2007, 11:50 pm
Not exactly original, but how about “Spinning Yarns” or “Spun Yarns”?
Comment from Miss Ifi
Time: June 7, 2007, 11:54 pm
First, congratulations on the blogiversary!
Second… my entry(ies)
“untangling words”
or
“spinning yarns”
or
“Woven Tales”
Comment from Hanna
Time: June 7, 2007, 11:59 pm
hmm, I’ve never been good at this stuff but here goes:
hand-spun shorts
segments
abbreviated tales
Happy blogoversiry!
Comment from lupinbunny
Time: June 8, 2007, 1:08 am
The Littlest Library?
The Gift of the Magi? Since you know, the stories are gifts from wise people and that’s one of the most famous short stories there is.
The Little Door (behind a low curtain in a hallway full of doors). Because the doorway took Alice new places in Wonderland and that’s what stories do for readers.
Short Thrift? Just because it sounds fun.
Well, I tried. Naming things is the hardest thing.
Comment from Olivia Lorimor
Time: June 8, 2007, 2:34 am
PageFiber
I Can not take full credit my mom helped me when she heard about the read a long thought it was cool. Page as in book and fiber as in yarn and such well there you go.
Comment from Jessica
Time: June 8, 2007, 3:18 am
I don’t know, but I think you need to scan and send me the pattern for those 1940s stockings. :)
Comment from Elaine
Time: June 8, 2007, 6:31 am
What about the “I Heart Words Readalong”?
Anyway, I really just wanted to compliment you on the gorgeous projects you’ve been working on, like Erica and the pink shrug. Where are those patterns going to be available?
Comment from violetsrose
Time: June 8, 2007, 10:21 am
Read2gether (R2G)
Kind of like knit 2 together…
Comment from long-time lurker
Time: June 8, 2007, 11:19 am
Arguably I shouldn’t be commenting, as I have nothing share-worthy to contribute, but I just had to say how much I love ‘Little Yarns’! Personally I think a foreign language title would be a tad pretentious - especially if the reading material itself is entirely in English.
Comment from Laural
Time: June 8, 2007, 4:24 pm
Ok the first think that I thought of was when you have thread left over. In cross stitch we call them orts. So maybe something like “The Ort Jar”
BTW I made your carrot soup and it was delicious! Thank you for posting the recipe! I also had bagles with goat cheese with it and it was wonderful.
Comment from Maura
Time: June 8, 2007, 8:26 pm
The we-really-like-to-read-but-do-not-have-very-much-time-so -we-shall-read-short-stories-instead-of-longer-things-like-novels-or -the-title-of-this-group
Readalong Extravaganza
This is inspired by the manner in which Neil Gaiman writes the tags for his blog, so I feel that I should recommend his book of short stories “Smoke and Mirrors,” it is astounding. Also anything by Sherman Alexie is pretty wonderful.
Comment from Bloo
Time: June 8, 2007, 8:41 pm
I like “Wee Yarns”!
How about “Wordlets” or “Wordlings”? (just because they sound cute and fun :)
Comment from Derya
Time: June 8, 2007, 10:47 pm
I quite like simply “Telling”,
or maybe a silly pun on read/red like “Out of the Read” (as in the opposite of ‘in the red’).
:P
Comment from Sandy
Time: June 9, 2007, 2:56 am
How about: “Short Tale Cast-On”?
Comment from lechatquitricote
Time: June 11, 2007, 9:49 am
I just woke up in the middle of the night with several ideas on a the same theme running in my head. I see that some of them mesh with other suggestions already offered. It could be the influence of having a French husband, but at first I thought of “La Poche” (the pocket) because short stories can fit in pockets and be read in situations where one has limited time. This initial idea led to the following associations “la pochette”, “small pocket books”, and finally my favourite idea, “a pocket full of prose” (or for fun, “a pocketful of proesies”).
Comment from kathryn
Time: June 11, 2007, 7:32 pm
i always liked those rich collective nouns like ‘a parliament of rooks’, ‘a murder of crows’. apparently its
‘a babel of books’, which is quite nice,
or
(made up ones) - ‘a stable of stories’, ‘a posie of prose’, ‘a chapter of readers’
‘a skein of geese’ is the official term for many geese.
or, stumble, then tumble.
-happen upon a story and it can knock you off your feet.
you should really look at Amy Hempel, she leaves me speechless and in the collection called - reasons to live, there’s a story about knitting. she really likes dogs too.
Comment from kathy b
Time: June 11, 2007, 11:39 pm
First time to your blog. came from ling at musinganddoings daily reads. She’s so tired and overwhelmed at this time of her pregnancy. Won’t you join me in leaving her a comment of support? I gave her my best tip; USE paper plates for a month.
Oh and as long as I am here can I still enter your contest?
I like “Once upon a yarn” or
Sticks and Stories
or
Bookmarks and stitchmarks
Comment from Fiona
Time: June 25, 2007, 9:13 pm
I’m not sure if this competition is still running or if the winner ate the chocolates years ago, but I had another idea:
The Summer House.
Write a comment