Story Challenge Redux

Congratulations to the winner, to the runners up, and to all the recent challenge entry authors. Though I didn't win, I am honored to just be among the top 61.

Having said that, and with all due sincerity, here are the

Top Ten Reasons (Excuses?) Why I Didn't Win the Story Challenge:

11. (This reason is only for Spinal Tap fans): My story was set in the past, and stories about the future always score higher.
10. Some commenters said my story was "well done." Unfortunately, I was aiming for "medium rare." My bad.
9. My story was too long.
8. My story was set in the future, and stories about the past always score higher.
7. Instead of time-travelling to the near future, discovering who won the contest, and then time traveling back to the present and deleting the winning entries, I stupidly time traveled to the near future and returned only with the winning lottery numbers. What a waste.
6. I left my "exceptional story writing materials" in my other suit. Wait a minute, I only own one suit.
5. My story was too short.
4. I foolishly allowed other LSF members to vote.
3. I failed to spell color as colour, splendor as splendour, and condor as, um, condour. Story challenge voters are notoriously biased against omitting the letter "U." Additionally, my story didn't have a priest or a lawyer in it, but if it did, it would have had to have been a vicar, and a barrister. Bottom line: Instead of ending "up shxt's creek," I ended "up the junction."
2. I received unfair criticism of anachronistic errors in my story about the past. Hey, George Washington COULD have owned a digital pocket watch. Did you ever look inside his pocket? Just sayin.'
1. My story was just the right length. But it sucked.

I actually have more reasons (excuses?), but, other than the Spinal Tap No. 11, ten reasons (excuses) were all that fit into a top 10 list. However, feel free to add your own reasons (excuses) why I didn't win!

Once again, congratulations to all the 61 contestants.

I thought yours and everyone else's stories were fine. THE BEST CHALLENGE EVER and your petty excuses for losing were almost as petty as) the comments which caused you to loose. I always thought we spell certain words differently depending on your side of the ocean.
Cheer up Author, the topic next year might be Bad Commentators.

I found all the stories interesting and written with a lot of imagination. I don't think comments cause a person to lose, but just the likes and dislikes of a story. No one really sees any of the comments until the challenge is over and the stories are posted. I'm not a big science fiction fan, but I gave rewards of high marks for the imagination and writing skills. You all did well. It was a great challenge.

Best excuse: I didn't get a story finished in time to enter.

My sympathies, Smeple.

My own cunning plan, to enter a 61-part serial and thus leave no room for any other stories, was foiled by Flopsy and Februs (nice alliteration!) who informed me that serials aren't allowed in short story challenges! My entry thus became a short story too long to be read in the few weeks available....

Seriously though, entering the Challenge was great fun, and my congratulations to the winners!

excellent!

I have one more excuse... If only they would have given another week to vote!