Just as a bit of history: When I set up the 75 Word Challenge, my idea was that winners would choose a genre, not throw it wide open to every genre. The rules also said, theme or genre, since I figured that asking people to write their stories in another genre would be the theme. Instead we've had a string of months where the genre was open. In my opinion, that makes things easier for the participants. The idea was never to make things easier. However, that is the way that things have evolved, and we aren't going to lay down the law there and say, "You can't do that anymore." This time, however, we plan to be clear from the beginning about what the rules are going to be.
And were the stories less creative and diverse in the 75 Word Challenge before this string of Open Genre months? I don't think so. I think any difference in quality is because we are getting better at working with so few words, but the diversity hasn't changed. And the whole point has been about tapping into our creativity while working within certain limitations. That is why we have an upper word count, and that is why we have a theme. Sometimes working within set limits inspires us to dig a little deeper, try a little harder. Like when an agent or an editor wants you to explain your entire epic in one paragraph. Like when that same agent or editor wants you to turn in a one page synopsis for a 160,000 word novel.
Besides, we are an SFF site. That's who we are. There are other sites, other competitions that we can all visit if we wish to express ourselves by writing in other genres. We can divide our time between those sites and this one, if we choose. There is no need for this site to give up its identity in order to provide its members with creative freedom. Freedom exists. The web is wide.
As for the moderators choosing the image, we did think about letting the winners choose, but the problems involved with getting permissions and making certain that no one is violating copyright are just too great. We love you all, but we also know that there are many here who don't grasp the fact (or reject the premise) that just because someone has posted a picture on the internet that doesn't automatically make the image the property of everyone who wants to use it. In many cases, it was never even the property of the person who posted it. We don't have the time or the energy to start something that is going to get us involved in a series of arguments with winners about copyright, and intellectual property rights, and why we can't use the image they have chosen. Personally, the very idea of letting ourselves in for that exhausts me.
Like the site in general, keeping the 75 Word Challenge running smoothly takes a lot more work than some people might think. No one begrudges the effort, or we wouldn't be doing it. But when a problem comes up, it is our responsibility, and one we take very seriously and try to meet fairly and honorably, to come up with the right solution and to implement it. When the moderators make a decision, it usually follows a long discussion, during which we consider the issue from all angles. There is usually a lot of compromise involved. We may, we must, present a united front, but many different viewpoints have been considered in making our decisions.
Sure, the rest of you can come up with good ideas, but it's not on your heads and it's not your hassle if those ideas don't work out. We are the ones getting the PMs from disgruntled contributors who are as likely to be miffed about the things we haven't done as the things that we have. We are the ones that have to spend hours composing tactful replies to such PMs. We are the ones who have to make the tough decisions about fairness and conforming to the site rules. I'm not complaining here. I'm just saying that in dealing with these problems, we learn something about the consequences of our decisions, as well as the consequences of failing to act quickly enough and decisively enough. I hope that in dealing with those consequences, usually behind the scenes (certainly when someone sends a PM to a moderator we are going to respect their privacy and not engage in a public discussion about what they said), we gain perspectives we could not have gained simply by participating in the competition. And based on those perspectives we have created the rules for this new Challenge.
If they don't work, we'll gain additional perspectives and make adjustments as necessary. I well remember how many people said that they could never, ever write a story in 75 words, that the limit was ridiculous, that they wouldn't be participating ... just before they did write a story and they did participate. I also remember all of the people who clamored for us to revive the Book Club, and then when we did they never even took part.
So I know that the only way to find out if something like this is going to attract many participants, if they are going to be satisfied with the way it is run, is to try it and see.
