DISCUSSION -- The 75 word Challenge, April 2011

[TheDustyZebra]

Re your last post, TDZ.

Re is a word (and not just a golden drop of sun...).

Hum. I'll take it under advisement.

 

[Gary Compton]

Is there any advantage, statistically, posting at the beginning of the month or the end?

I think maybe the latter stories are remembered more but I could be wrong.

What's the crack fellow Chronites?

 

[GreenKidx]

Things I Have Learned from The Chrones

1)underpants = winning tale
2)Snow White = evil. pure evil
3)romance = kill someone

Ps-heart breaking Perpetual!

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Is there any advantage, statistically, posting at the beginning of the month or the end?

I think maybe the latter stories are remembered more but I could be wrong.

What's the crack fellow Chronites?

Uh oh, something else to add to the spreadsheet!

I would hazard a guess, thinking back, that early stories have won more often -- but it's not based on any calculations yet.

 

[digs]

I would hazard a guess, thinking back, that early stories have won more often -- but it's not based on any calculations yet.

I would guess that if that's the case it's probably just coincidence. TJ's story was one of the last entries last month (that's as far back as I could be bothered to research...)

P.S. Green, I'm definitely hijacking 'Chrones' as a replacement for 'Chronners'.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

My research into when is the most advantageous time to post indicates that more winners have appeared on page 2 -- at least according to the way my browser displays them -- than on any other page. The breakdown, not by month obviously, is (2 2 2 2 2) (1 1 1) (3 3 3) (4). However, this is somewhat skewed because the first month, when Boneman's story appeared on page 3, we were allowing comments on the competition within the thread. Without those extra posts in there, Boneman would have appeared on page 2.

But I didn't figure in any of the stories that lost during a tie-breaker, because that would have been extra work.


As to whether the proper designation for members of these forums is "Chronites," "Chronners," "Chroniclers," or "Chronnes," some of us do not hesitate to self-identify as "Crones." However, it might be ... dangerous ... for anyone else to refer to us by that term.

 

[GreenKidx]

P.S. Green, I'm definitely hijacking 'Chrones' as a replacement for 'Chronners'.

Hijack at your own risk! 'Chrones' while streamlined and pleasing to the funny bone, happens to be quite close to 'Crones' the use of which may or may not cause snow-white-in-a-mouse-tale-esque repercussions...

TE-O, I see! I've been posting on page one. If I had known all I needed to do to gather votes was wat a bit for prime real estate on page two!

 

[Pyan]

I'm a little confused by the theme.
Happy ever after is a fairy tale ending, does that mean the theme is fairy tales (or fairy tale endings)?
Because, as far as I can tell, some of the endings have been far from happy.

Try looking up the original endings of some "fairy-tales", MB...

Top 10 Gruesome Fairy Tale Origins

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Anybody else having trouble with the concept of two themes at once? I find myself getting my story prompts mixed up, trying to think of a paranormal romance for the clock picture. Not that it wouldn't work for that as well, but my poor brain is frying.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

You might want to do what I am going to do (probably) and that is get your 75 word story out of the way and then write the longer story, since you can't post the 300 for a while yet anyway.

The general idea that I have for the clock story is one that I think would work very well for the Paranormal Romance theme, but there was no way that I could tell it adequately in 75 words. So I'm putting that aside until I get this other idea I am working on sorted out.

Unless, of course, I feel a sudden urge to work on the longer story. I hope I won't, but my impulse control is ... not always good.

 

[mygoditsraining]

Since "returning"* last month I stick to my original concept for 75 word story writing - I treat it as a fun exercise to get me thinking creatively and quickly. I set a 15 minute timer and let it tick down in the background while I thought up, wrote, and pared down this month's entry.

For some reason, the first thing that popped into my head was the legend/ballad of Thomas Learmont, a 13th century Scots prophet known as True Thomas, or Thomas the Rhymer. So...I wrote it.

I'm in awe of the Cthulhu romance, so far. It's brilliant, aside from the fact I almost did a spit take laughing at it.




*never really went away, it's just I've been...busy. GRAH real life, etc.

 

[Gary Compton]

Anybody else having trouble with the concept of two themes at once? I find myself getting my story prompts mixed up, trying to think of a paranormal romance for the clock picture. Not that it wouldn't work for that as well, but my poor brain is frying.

You could always try to merge the two themes and use the 300 word challenge to expand your 75 word story

 

[TheEndIsNigh]

Anybody else having trouble with the concept of two themes at once? I find myself getting my story prompts mixed up, trying to think of a paranormal romance for the clock picture. Not that it wouldn't work for that as well, but my poor brain is frying.

So here's the thing

Suppose I write a 75 word story and then expand upon it in the 300 word competition. Would it be valid.

I prefer chronies

 

[Ursa major]

I don't want to be a crony.



(I'm sticking with Chronners, even if it does sound somewhat unhygienic.)

 

[Gary Compton]

So here's the thing

Suppose I write a 75 word story and then expand upon it in the 300 word competition. Would it be valid.

I prefer chronies

As long as it meets the criteria for both challenges, I don't see why not.

I like Chronites ( I think I invented it)

 

[Parson]

All these people raising their hands is making me blush.

I still maintain I am not a romantic. But I guess that's in the eye of the beholder.


P.M. Great story! I think we have an early contender. It does however hold the less fortunate page 1 distinction.

So far mine is just a hint of a story.

 

[Ursa major]

It does however hold the less fortunate page 1 distinction.

It obviously has the wrong sort of underwear: Page-Acquired Neutralisation of Terrific Story.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

In my story no one dies, also, there is no mention of nether-garments. I wonder if it's worth entering?

As to whether or not people will be allowed to use the same plot for the 75 and the 300 Word Challenges ... I think the moderators are going to have to put our heads together and discuss that one.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Well, I had thought of using an expanded version of the same story for the 300-word one -- glad (or maybe disheartened?) to see I'm not alone there. However, since I don't have any specific ideas yet for either one, it's a moot point.

However, I figured if I came up with something that worked that way, I would wait to post the 300-word one until after the voting on the 75-word one closes, so it wouldn't be like posting alternates during the challenge.

Two stories I haven't even an idea for as yet, and already I have a plan for how to post them properly. Does that qualify as counting chickens, you think? Sheesh!

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

And Boneman has just contributed a very good story. I think it's my favorite so far ... although there is something irresistible about Mrs. Cthulhu's story, too.