Past & Future Story Challenge 2014

All your hard labour much appreciated Februs, Flopsy. Congratulations to all the winners and all those who didn't win! You see I have cleverly avoided using the word "losers"!

I prefer the term "Last Place Winner," or maybe "Next-To-Last-Place Winner," or even "Lower Place Winners." I've collected a lot of such awards.

Congratulations to Minidancer, to the other Higher-Place Winners and to all the Lower Place Winners and Next-to-last and Last Place Winners too! Many thanks, too, to Flopsy, Februs and the validaters for making it all fun and possible.

Minidancer was the 13th different winner in 13 challenges, and 41 different writers have now featured in the Top Six. It's very positive that so many writers get featured in this way. Rick's gracious comment above, however, reminds us there are plenty of Library stars yet to receive this particular accolade, so roll on the next Challenge (please) and may your Muses be with you.

"Minidancer was the 13th different winner in 13 challenges"

Hmm....it's a good job I'm not superstitious!!

Actually I am very fond of the number 13. I even live at number 13.



XxxX

Here's an interesting point.
Of the 13 winners so far none have been in the F/M category.
Now I know it's not about the winning but as someone once said if winning's not important then why keep score?
It would therefore appear that the F/M authors might as well not bother entering and should reserve there efforts for normal submission, well away from the challenges.
This is not a whinge or a gripe, merely an observation.
It might well be that it's not so much the quality of the writing that's judged on but more the subject of the work.
Statistically speaking there are more M/F,F/F aficionados out there than F/M,M/M so it makes sense that stories of that ilk will be better received than any others.
Let me add that ALL of the winners so far have been first class and arguably deserve their award...I just wonder if the judging is slightly tilted towards a certain genre.
It's a bit rich of me coming out with this having just posted "If it ain't broke don't fix it" but I just wonder if there may be a place for a F/M,M/M only challenge in the future.
Having been roundly castigated for suggesting this before I suspect not, but let's face it, the figures speak for themselves.

I'm not at all sure than no such story has ever won a past challenge. But regardless, I maintain that the right F/M or M/M story written with the right emotion and the right inventiveness has every chance of winning a challenge. One could certainly get a good score from me.

Even the most popular M/F authors here have trouble "winning" these challenges. It takes a good story to win, but it also takes a healthy dose of good luck. When I submit a story to a challenge, I imagine the odds are about the same as if I were striking a slightly damp match. It's something you try repeatedly with no great expectation that any individual stroke will bring success. But still you never know for sure. When you least expect it, your star might be the one to flare.

As usual, I'm not counted among the "winners" this time, but I'm still happy with the results and enjoy participating.

As a frequent lower place winner, as Rick would have it, I must say its a wee bit churlish to complain. It provides free entertainment, persuades the laziest amongst us to actually write something and encourages readers to read stories they would never usually bother reading.

Since the actual ranking isn't revealed for any stories past the top six, we can all just assume we were #7.

The challenge is a great way to stretch ourselves to get 'out of the box' and write genres and orientations that are new to us. If we had a F/M or M/M challenge, I would try it. It's also a great way to find new authors to follow.

First of all, Fi Blue that is a great way of looking at things!

Many, many thanks from myself aka, Cherry Red. I like that these challenges discipline the writer to use specified directions. My wife, aka Southern Lady and I both wanted to share our great appreciation to Flopsy, Februs and all the other library members who make this the signature bi-yearly event we all look forward to participating, reading and voting in every challenge. Reading all the stories also leads us to discovering authors we look for other stories they have written in the past to read and enjoy.

The creativity, effort and plots that are put to paper, so to speak make this a worthwhile endeavor and we owe it all to the dedicated library staff.

Ok, let me put it another way.
Am I the only one who opens a story from the challenge and after a short while am a wee bit disappointed that it's not of the variety that I particularly like?
Of course, if it's well written then I continue to read and at the end, mark it accordingly.
However, if I then come across a F/M story, I'm already hooked, and arguably may mark it higher than it might deserve...simply because it rocks my boat.
Now, could it be that, this unintentional prejudice if you like, is spread throughout all of the genres and therefore most prevalent in the more popular affiliations.
If...and I emphasise the word if...this is the case, then it therefore follows that M/F and F/F stories will always accrue higher scores than any others.
Again, this is not a complaint and not a moan and I am certainly not being churlish, it's merely a theory based on the facts before me.
I'm simply advocating that the F/M content of the site could do with a little boost.
Proportional representation folks...let's try it at least once.
By the way, please don't assail me for this. I absolutely love this site and all of it's content. I also, perhaps strangely, feel that there is a special bond between us all and even though I've never met you treat you all as friends.
Don't come calling without letting me know first though!
Jim xx