500 Word & Winter Theme Picture Challenges now open

If the perceived problem is that there isn't enough time to read all the stories prior to the close of voting then the logical solution is to extend the voting period which, as has been pointed out, we did in the past, and would be more than happy to do so again. The statistics for the last contest show that there very few people either reading or voting during the last 5 days that voting was in progress. Opening the stories for voting as and when they are loaded may offer an alternative solution to the problem but to my way of thinking it also introduces a lot more problems than the one it is designed to solve. On top of which we had numerous people who pointed out to us during the last challenge that stories at the top of the list were getting more reads than those further down the list - I attempted to fix that by having them displayed in random order but clearly that will be largely ineffective if we then decide to present the stories for viewing the moment they are submitted. So I think all in all a retrograde suggestion.

500? I should be able to enter that. I've restarted what was going to be last year's christmas story and I'm about halfway through and only on 42 so...

Wait, that's 500 WORDS? Not 500 PAGES? Um, then the story is going to be a bit on the long side. I can't see where I could cut 30,000 words, and even if I could the story isn't finished yet.

Goodgulf

Ha, Goodgulf!

I like writing lengthy stories, too, but this is a fun genre with specific challenges. I, for one, would love to see you & Tiptopper & ChardT and some of my other favorite writers bring their considerable skills to the genre.

Happy writing!

PS: Thanks again to all the moderators -- love the Turkey logo today, by the way!!

Just to say for those agonising over the word count .. the story title isn't considered as part of the word count and we will allow a leeway of up to 510 words to allow for differing interpretation in word count utilities.

Mine'll be the one with 83 contractions, 144 hyphenated words, 510 words total... and a 92-word title. (just in case anyone needs help finding it)

I don't want to drag the thread away from the subject (writing challenges) but I have working to make my stories shorter and "snappier". One thing that I've been doing is using more contractions. First, they model the way that people really talk and presumably think. Second, a sentence seems to just "flow" better when us use them.

Is anyone bothered by contractions in stories?

Contractions are actually preferable in dialogue since they mirror natural speech. You can get away with them in narrative as well if your "style" is less formal, although the rule of thumb is to generally avoid them for narrative. I work as an editor, and this is accepted practice in published fiction. To make your writing "snappier," I also recommend limiting the use of adverbs, which tend to weaken your verbs. Phrases like "effortlessly easy" or "carefully examined" are redundant and clunky.

Not necessarily. You can examine something carelessly (cursorily). Also some adverbs add something distinctive: a heron flies HEAVILY and a falcon DIRECTLY. With a 500 word challenge, though, you do have to prioritise.

Yes, I agree. Adverbs do serve a purpose in some instances but should be used sparingly (adverb!) if possible. And 500-word challenges make them go to the chopping block first!

500 words is a generous allowance and excellent discipline. Just think how many Whack Whack Whacks and Ow! Ow! Ows! you can include! Who needs adverbs anyway?