DISCUSSION -- The 75 word Challenge, April 2011

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Only the second time I've done this and I'm already losing my ability in being able to count words! This forum might be great for improving the old writing skills but I've now had to sign up to the Math Chronicles 'The abacus is your friend' website to raise my numbers game! Dear lord will I ever sleep again.
 
Aun Doorback said:
Only the second time I've done this and I'm already losing my ability in being able to count words! This forum might be great for improving the old writing skills but I've now had to sign up to the Math Chronicles 'The abacus is your friend' website to raise my numbers game! Dear lord will I ever sleep again.
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You could do what I did and enter way below the max. 23 words felt perfect, so I dared not ruin it. Fingers, toes, and a few extra.
 
Can I have just one of the words you didn't use, Anne? I'm wrestling with a hyphen dilemma!
 
TheDustyZebra said:
Can I have just one of the words you didn't use, Anne? I'm wrestling with a hyphen dilemma!
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You can have them all, but I don't think The Judge would sanction it.

Here's one I didn't use: palindrome.

I won't even charge you for it.
 
Aun Doorback said:
And your entry is stronger because of it. Unfortuantly I managed to accumulate 110 words in my draft and had to cut out the exploding elephant scene and the seven years of famine!
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I usually write about 200 and then cut, cut, cut for a drabble (50) or double-drabble (100). I couldn't get my head around 75. Too tweeny.
 
I've heard that you're finished if you say, "Sue, Homey!"









(And they don't necessarily approve of photocopied birds, either, for that matter.... ;))
 
Teresa Edgerton said:
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.
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I've been mulling this one over and I think feel it may be it shouldn't be allowed.

In the first place if the 75 word story came first then the 300 word story couldn't be said be be original and new. It could also be said that it would be like filling in missing details in the discussion threads which we all agree is unfair.

Posting the seventy five word story second would also negate the originality of the story.

So on the whole I think it would be better to avoid the problem and disallow it.

Just my six penneth.
 
We are indeed going to disallow it, for the second reason that you mention, TEIN. It could influence the voting. People might honestly and earnestly try to put the longer version out of their minds as they decide who to vote for in the 75 Word Challenge, and still not succeed in eliminating a subconscious influence.

However, we're still thinking about whether it would be all right for someone to post a 300 word story based on one of the 75 word stories from an earlier month. At that point, there is no influence on judging the 75 word story (because it's already had its day), and it's not a bad idea to encourage people to take their unfinished ideas and expand on them.

*****


I have given up my ambition to write my story in such a way that it would make strong men weep, and just gone ahead and posted it as it is.
 
Ok, I've written seven, count'em, seven vastly differing versions of this story, so this is it! Some of them went over a hundred words; fortunately, this one doesn't.
 
Is it just me or has there been a flurry of posting since Teresa revealed that the 2nd page was the place to be? :p
 
Oh, I don't know, I'd say that those numbers showed that page 2 has lost its magic to the now-more-coveted (is that an acceptable hyphenated construction?) pages 3 and 4! But I'm not taking any chances....

Actually, I was just going to bust if I waited any longer! Now I can spend the next 3 weeks thinking of all the ways I could have improved that one line. Whichever one it turns out to be.
 
Ah, but those numbers weren't in chronological order. I grouped them to make it easier for people to see how many winners there were for each page.

I think there is usually a flurry of entries about this time. We will soon be entering the phase where they start to dribble in, and everyone wonders if this will be the month when the number of entries drop.
 
I've done some rigorous statistical analysis myself, and I have discovered that the slot in which one is most likely not to win is the slot in which I submit my story each month. Twleve entries, twelve losses. The data doesn't lie.

It kind of makes sense the most winners come from the second page. These are stories that have been given a little more time, care, and consideration than those rushed onto the first page, so presumably are generally of better quality, and they are also early enough in the month to grab a hold and stick with a voter for the rest of the month, getting that slight edge on those that come later.
 
Teresa Edgerton said:
Ah, but those numbers weren't in chronological order. I grouped them to make it easier for people to see how many winners there were for each page.
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Oh sure, and here I thought I had it all figured out! :D

Cul, I beg to differ -- I'm pretty sure that I have that slot locked up!
 
I've decided to enter this month's edition as well. I've seen so many good entries (talent in abundance, this forum has) but I'll give it a try. The page 2 theory doesn't apply to me anyway :p
 
I really like your story, OBP. Especially the title, and the last line. (What comes in between is pretty good, too.)
 
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