DISCUSSION -- March 2018 -- 75 Word Story Challenge

[Parson]

@Perpetual Man .... Off Track .... A story which reminds me that it's hard to stop a train.

 

[Parson]

@M. Robert Gibson .... Sky Fall .... What goes up in the lab might well crash in the field.

 

[chrispenycate]

Is it just my impression or the voting in 75 word contest is really low? I've counted only 43 voters for February 2018 contest while the forum have over 42K registered users.

I tend to agree with you - every month there are perfectly good stories which don't receive a single mention, which must be somewhat discouraging. But there is no way in which a large percentage of those who are not already involved by submitting an entry can be convinced to vote - deciding between fifty odd very diverse, not easily compared stories, even very short stories, is work - it's pretty amasing that there's no visible tendency to get voting cliques, friends and exchange voting - everybody tries to read all the stories critically, and vote for the one they genuinely think is best - even more wearing. But I do (and TDZ does) try to stimulate those who've submitted something into posting a vote.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

mosaix -- This subtle tale reminds us of the importance of taking all the precautions.

CTRandall -- This moving story demonstrates devotion to duty above concern for one's self.

Jo Zebedee -- This rollicking song shows us bravado conquering fear.

dannymcg -- This somber ballad illustrates the power of sacrifice.

Bob Senior -- This Rabelaisian comedy delights the reader's funny bone.

LittleStar -- This tragic account portrays resolution in the face of defeat.

Stable -- This ironic fable reminds us not to count our chickens before they are hatched.

nixie -- This quiet encounter brings the cycle of time to life.

Perpetual Man -- This realistic narrative reminds the reader of the inevitability of imperfection.

M. Robert Gibson -- This dryly comic anecdote presents the importance of details.

 

[Phyrebrat]

People who don’t vote but enter should be made village pariahs and beaten with sticks

pH

 

[scarpelius]

@chrispenycate How about having a sticker in top of of the forum main page, reminding people of various events in that day? Less intrusive than mass message to all forum user and also less stress on server.

 

[Danny McG]

People who don’t vote but enter should be made village pariahs and beaten with sticks

pH

Good idea for a dystopian short story there.
"Beating the non-voters"

 

[nixie]

People who don’t vote but enter should be made village pariahs and beaten with sticks

pH

I did suggest non voters who enter should be fed to Wally but the idea was vetoed

 

[Luiglin]

I tend to agree with you - every month there are perfectly good stories which don't receive a single mention, which must be somewhat discouraging. But there is no way in which a large percentage of those who are not already involved by submitting an entry can be convinced to vote - deciding between fifty odd very diverse, not easily compared stories, even very short stories, is work - it's pretty amasing that there's no visible tendency to get voting cliques, friends and exchange voting - everybody tries to read all the stories critically, and vote for the one they genuinely think is best - even more wearing. But I do (and TDZ does) try to stimulate those who've submitted something into posting a vote.

It does get discouraging, not saying that mine are good. You have to remind yourself that putting an entry up is the main part of the challenge - sort of like the Victoria Sponge base. The voting/mentions are just the potential icing on the cake.

 

[Phyrebrat]

Good idea for a dystopian short story there.
"Beating the non-voters"

Ha the opposite of today’s society, for real!

For me,I think the reason it’s important for us to vote is it helps writers understand where their strengths and weaknesses lie, as opposed to just getting votes to win. If you get mentions and/or votes, it could really offer that insight. Not always, of course, but every little helps.

Even though I’m not entering I’ll still vote in this month’s challenge. Chrons - in particular the challenges - have been the biggest developmental help in my writing since I joined. I’d never written anything before I joined and now I’m a household name...

pH

 

[Shyrka]

Well I'm in. Wasn't sure I'd make it this month - so much of my writing time was lost to the Sekrit thingy that I didn't have spare attention to pay to this month's challenges!

 

[Heijan Xavier]

Good idea for a dystopian short story there.
"Beating the non-voters"

They should be beaten by the voters who didn't enter.

 

[chrispenycate]

They should be beaten by the voters who didn't enter.

Who don't often outnumber them. But anyway, everyone's allowed to get it wrong once - mix up the days, child needs driving to the hospital minutes after you've started reading the stories (on the last day to vote, obviously), Internet goes down, Whatever.

So one failure has to be tolerated. After that, perhaps install a pillory in the cracked pot?

 

[Parson]

You guys are much too tough. [Parson grins] "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." is a pretty good rule for both sides, those who enter and don't vote, those who enter and do vote, and those who do neither.

 

[Mr Orange]

and you are far too kind @Parson

I think a virtual beating by emoji would be a suitable punishment. unless there is a good reason for not voting.

oh and i'm in... must remember to vote...

 

[Parson]

@Graymalkin .... The Birthday Present .... Be careful when you give steam driven presents they might lead to some really scary results.

Graymalkin, welcome to Chrons and the 75 word challenge. That was an impressive first entry. I found myself chuckling. I believe that's a good sign.

@Heijan Xavier .... Apology Accepted .... A story that leaves you wondering about both justice and forgiveness.

@Shyrka .... A Captain's Duty .... A story that brought tears to my eyes. A captain and a ship who do their duty.

Well done girl. Well done indeed.

@Mr Orange .... Untitled .... A poem which calls for the help the world needs.

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

On the subject of encouraging voting, if anyone is familiar with stackoverflow.com and the whole stackexhange.com multiverse, then they will know of the use of badges to encourage participation. see stackoverflow.com/help/badges
I see that the software behind this forum uses 'trophies' (xenforo.com/community/help/trophies/) but these are only awarded for posting, liking and being liked.
Perhaps the software can be extended to include these 'trophies' for voting?
I guess that's a question for the developers of XenForo and their customers.

I just thought I'd put that out there.

 

[Cathbad]

Breaking my self-imposed restriction on commenting on individual entries before the end here:

@Mr Orange ? Wow. Can I just say you captured my imagination, while also bringing back childhood memories!

Thank you.

 

[Mr Orange]

thank you very much @Cathbad, glad it worked for you. writing it was... moving. and i haven't been able to get the original out of my mind since my first draft yesterday. might go and find the johhny cash version and give it a listen...

 

[Heijan Xavier]

You guys are much too tough. [Parson grins] "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." is a pretty good rule for both sides, those who enter and don't vote, those who enter and do vote, and those who do neither.

Public Law 102-14, 102nd Congress recognized Noahide Law as the underlying law of the land. We're just following the Law! Frontier Justice!

Text - H.J.Res.104 - 102nd Congress (1991-1992): To designate March 26, 1991, as "Education Day, U.S.A.".