Guy:
It also helps that their average length is rather modest.
Not so, at least not in comparison to other Challenges. Only 30% are below 3,000 words, with just 15% below 2,000 words.
In the latest previous Challenge, 2/3 were below 3,000 words, and 40% below 2,000 words. In the Challenge before that, almost 3/4 were below 3,000 words, with 40% being below 2,000 words. The Keyhole challenge (the one before that) had a 2,500-word limit, and so is not a fair comparison. The one before that had half the stories below 3,000 words, and 40% below 2,000.
So this latest Challenge actually has perhaps the
longest average story length.