The urge to create

[Albertosaurus Rex]

Thank you for your kind words. Running the story through Google Translate myself, I note that the story indeed remains intelligible for the most part. Bizarrely, "vergeetpoel" is translated as "coil". It means "forgetting pool".

The title of the contest is "What I want to forget most", but elsewhere they state it as "What is the value of memory and forgetting to you?" Most contestants (393 now that the contest has closed) either dredge up their worst memory or write a little essay on memory. The essays are okay, but all the bad memories depress and bewilder me. To put it bluntly: why would anyone care? This was my approach to the contest: nobody would be interested in my worst memory. Why would you be if you don't know me?

So I spun it into a little story, something very few people have done. Like I said, at least it stands out from the crowd.

Our memories make us into who we are. Good and bad alike.

[Farseer]

Our memories make us into who we are. Good and bad alike.

Love it! Yes, we wouldn't be 'us' if we had different memories or experiences...we'd be someone else .

On a RotE note, I really enjoy the different aspects of 'memory' throughout the books.

[Albertosaurus Rex]

Yes, I'll admit that I thought about too after I finished a story. What my protagonist goes through is vaguely remeniscent of Forging. I guess writers are influenced by what they read, although I want to note that my actual inspiration was the river Styx.

[Nuytsia]

Ah yes, 'coil' was one of the translated words that I knew was weirdly wrong! I could see it referred to the pool, so I knew what was going on!

The essays are okay, but all the bad memories depress and bewilder me. To put it bluntly: why would anyone care? This was my approach to the contest: nobody would be interested in my worst memory. Why would you be if you don't know me?
So I spun it into a little story, something very few people have done. Like I said, at least it stands out from the crowd.

Oh how I agree with this! I find a lot of art - ok more the visual arts than writing, but also some writing - so personal to the artist that I wonder why I am supposed to care!
Yes that's putting it bluntly, but I know what you mean!

[Albertosaurus Rex]

Well, the winners have been announced and... I'm not among them. Well, there was a lot competition, and the winning story is alright. I'm just glad it's not that one submission that was a lot of deep-sounding gibberish.