Writing Challenge Statistics

[mosaix]

Grrr that I left my laptop (with the last 300 worder all written and ready to go) in our holiday cottage so didn't enter this month.

Get it back, Hex?

 

[Mouse]

Guess the rest of us will have to chase her down, then. C'mere, you peskily talented rodent!

Says Mrs Agented-Person.

 

[Hex]

There you are! *pounces*


(yes, thank you, mosaix. I got it back a week after the challenge closed).

 

[TheDustyZebra]

I'm sure springs was actually referring to the randy unicorn story which was, as I recall, TDZ's sin

Hey now, he wasn't rocket-powered! We might be able to catch him...someday.... It's a pretty good head start, though.

 

[alchemist]

With something like this I'll just lean back and watch from the sidelines. After all, one can't compete with published authors, can one?

Says Mr I-Won-A-75-Word-Challenge

(and a very good story it was too!)

 

[chrispenycate]

The members who have entered every Challenge is now a very small select group -- Culhwch, mosaix, TDZ, me and Ursa -- with chrispenycate and Parson missing only one month over the 3 years,

Actually, yer honour, technically I entered all of the challenges. I just managed, with incomparable stupidity, to post the wrong version (which happened to contain too many words).

Which does not round out my statistics any, but is splendidly pedantic.

 

[Culhwch]

This is an amazing amount of work - great job, TJ! It's also spurred me to update the Roll of Honour threads, as well, which I have been terribly neglectful of. The seventy-five worder is done, and I'll update the three hundred worder when i find another moment.

I'd also completely forgotten that I had won a challenge this year - it seems so long ago! And I had no idea that I had done so well in the second year of the challenges. Certainly a nice spur to continue on. And I definitely need to get back into the three hundred worders. After I'd missed one the impetus kind of waned a bit, but with another one almost upon us I'm determined to enter again!

 

[stormcrow]

TJ: "I take it you're volunteering?! (What is a bubble chart?)"

Well, as it happens and prompted by this, I've been experimenting with charts in excel and come up with one that looks quite 'bubbly'.

I've attempted to upload but come up with an 'invalid file' message; I'll try reformatting and saving as other file types later in the week and try again...mutter...mutter!

 

[Jo Zebedee]

In the interests of a. Avoiding housework and b. Allocating bribes accordingly I carried out the following unscientific study (to be scientific I'd have had to work out how many times each had voted etc) to work out who's the most consistent for picking the runners-and-riders, based on entries in the last year. The results:

Picking the winner on 5 occasions:

Abernovo and me (which doesn't help with the bribery at all)

On 4:

Phyrebrat, TDZ, DEO, Alchemist, stormcrow and Ratsy

On 3:

Harebrain, Betawolf, BigJ, Ursa Major and Brev

On 2:

Nixie, Starbeast, Parson, Boneman, Crystal Haven, Luighlin, Reiver33, Paranoid Marvin, TSP, The Judge, Mosaix, Mouse, Bowler1, Hex, Chrispy, Talysia, Glen, Victoria, Perp, Juliana and Karn

And in 1:

Mporter, JordanSC5, NovaZero, Fitzchiv, Mr Orange, Lucky Lola, AMW, Cul,Kylara, TEIN, Johnnyjet, Azzagorn, Barlennan, Glisterspeck, Forever SG, Glitch, Heather Hawke, Lenny, Cathy M, Jastius, Mary Faerie, Ronin Jedi, Dreamwalker, Tisiphone, Choco, Abraved 247, Martin 321, Remedy, Hope, Teresa and Tywin.

Make of it what you will, I'm just popping over to the 300 to declare the winners.

Oh, and I'm bribeable with Fizzy wine, chocolate and John Taylor from Duran Duran for the record.

 

[Mouse]

I picked out two winners in the last year? Is that in the 300 or 75? I don't think I've voted in the 75 worder for a while, have I?

 

[Jo Zebedee]

T'was both, Mouse.

 

[Perpetual Man]

I actually picked out two winners?

I thought my selection was normally the kiss of death for the entry.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

And since we're saying what we missed, I enjoyed the challenge stats. I'm a nerd, though, but I sort of miss them.

 

[The Judge]

In response to overwhelming demand *cough cough* the official Writing Challenge Statistics have returned.

75 worder -- Year 4 -- April 2013 to March 2014

Something of a disappointing year figures-wise. We had just 129 members take part in the 12 months, well down on the previous years (2010-1 = 148; 2011-2 = 151; 2012-3 = 154), of whom just 55 were new entrants to the Challenges, also down (2011-2 = 85; 2012-3 = 70). As a result, the number of entries for the year was also down, at 578 -- only marginally above the 570 of our first year and well below the subsequent totals of 612 (2011-2) and 670 (2012-13). The highest achieving month was 59 in March, the lowest 42 in September. The best month for new members was June with 10 (out of 52 entries), the worst December with 1 (of 44).

The number of votes was also down, with 507, though previous years' figures are skewed by having 3 votes apiece in two separate Challenges then. Also disappointing was the fact that votes never once equalled the number of entries in any month, the nearest being 48 votes for 49 entries in November and February, but most months had far greater shortfalls, with July a whopping 12 votes adrift (46 entries accrued only 34 votes).

Some 18 of us had 100% attendance records over the year, with another 3 people dropping only 1 month, and 5 only missing 2 Challenges. But over half the total number of entrants came in for only one or two Challenges (54 entrants only entered once, 13 only twice) which again is a little discouraging.

With HareBrain missing 4 Challenges, and Hex and alchemist both missing 2 months, I was able to take the next step in my quest for World Domination by heading the most-votes list for the year, though with only 34 votes, far fewer than HB, Cul and Hex had managed in previous years. Hex came second with 2 wins and 30 votes from her 10 entries, just pipping alchemist who came third with 29. Victoria came 4th with 28 votes, Cul was 5th (24 votes), mosaix was 6th (19), HB 7th (16), and DEO, paranoid marvin and Sleepy Dormouse came joint 8th with 14 votes.

Hex's magnificent 12 votes to win January's Challenge is a new record for a one-person-one-vote month, just edging out mosaix who had previously led with 11, and Cul is now third with 10. (The highest ever, 14 votes to digs and HareBrain came in a three-vote month.)

EDIT: Just remembered -- the year saw our 350th entrant, George Ian in February!

 

[The Judge]

75 Worder -- Years 1 to 4 inclusive

An update on the cumulative figures, covering the 4 years of the 75 Worders.

And what that shows is we've had 358 entrants over the 48 months, giving a grand total of 2430 stories, accruing 2401 votes.

No changes to the small group with 100% records of entering (with valid not-over-word-count entries...), namely Cul, mosaix, TDZ, me and Ursa, and chrispenycate still has only the one missing month, but Parson has dropped another one over the last year, and joins Karn with 46 entries, and Boneman has 45. But nearly 45% of the total entrants -- 160 -- have only entered one Challenge, which is a real shame.

And the Great Leader of the Challenges remains HAREBRAIN! Despite missing 6 Challenges, his 42 entries have earned him 119 votes and 5 wins. I've clambered my way up to second place with 106 votes, his fluffy tail still far beyond my grasp, dammit. Cul and Teresa are joint 3rd on 92 votes (Teresa's in only 33 entries!), mosaix is 5th on 87, alchemist 6th on 85, and Hex 7th on 82 (in only 31 entries). TDZ with 71 is 8th, Perp has 70 and comes in 9th, and Chris p and paranoid marvin come in joint 10th with 56 votes. 12th is reiver with 52, joint 13th Boneman and Stormfeather on 48, and digs 15th (47 votes), Moonbat 16th (45), and Mouse is 17th with 43 votes but from only 19 entries and not having entered at all in 2013-4! Parson is 18th on 39 votes, and equal 19th with 38 votes HoopyFrood (18 entries and not having entered for 2 years) and Victoria (in just 16 entries, all in the last 2 years!).

I've updated the table showing the winners and runners-up over the 4 years, and added the votes cast this time, which may be of some interest.

 

[HoopyFrood]

Blimey, how is my name still clinging on in here! And two years...eep, time flies.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Fantastic stats. i'm such a nerd...

I also think I'll keep with the day job - I am atrocious at 75ers! (Why can 300 go so well and 75 be soooooo hard.)

 

[The Judge]

Blimey, how is my name still clinging on in here! And two years...eep, time flies.

Get writing and don't allow it to become 3 years!

I am atrocious at 75ers!

Not atrocious. You're 21st overall, with 36 votes from 30 entries, leading the other 2 who have also entered 30 times, and better than several members who have entered more times than that.

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

I know I missed at least one, and perhaps two.


And gods, I don't want to know how few votes I've ever gotten.

 

[HoopyFrood]

But it's haaaaard.



I did have an idea pop in earlier this month and it kinda fits the theme, so maybe...