DISCUSSION -- April 2015 300-word Writing Challenge (#17)

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

Thanks for the votes and mentions, peeps, all around.


It was a difficult picture to go off of, but, I'm glad I managed.

 

[alchemist]

Longlist, shortlist and votegetters*


Cat's Cradle
Juliana
Denise Tanaka
jastius
Cascade*
holland
Perpetual Man
Moonbat
Kerrybuchanan
mosaix*
Venusian Broon
The Judge*
TheDustyZebra

 

[Tywin]

Thanks for the votes CC and Ashleyne!

 

[Cat's Cradle]

You're welcome, Tywin!
Thank you for the listing, Alc!
And thanks so much, Starbeast and johnnyjet for the lovely votes!

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I've never done this before, but I've only cast one vote. There were lots I liked - Cul, VB, Crystal, Will Wallace, johnnyjet - but one I felt was just head and shoulders above the others. So Cat's Cradle got my vote.

 

[Droflet]

Many thanks to the Beast for the listing.

 

[Starbeast]

Thanks for the shortlisting, CC

And a massive, Ginormous thanks to both WillWallace and Starbeast for the votes and comments !!

It's been extremely hard choosing who to vote for, this month. Every story was amazingly written. The following three lists are in three random orders...

My Honourable Mentions:

The Ballad of Failing Tours by Chrispenycate

Driving Into Darkness by Starbeast

and Burning Devotion by Ursa Major

You are double-ly welcome for the comments and vote. Plus, thank you Ashleyne for the Honorable Mention, You made my day

May I say, that you wrote such an unforgetable nightmare of a story. Wonderfully horrifing.

Thanks for the votes and mentions, peeps, all around.

It was a difficult picture to go off of, but, I'm glad I managed.

You're very welcome Karn. I'm glad you joined us.

You're welcome, Tywin!
Thank you for the listing, Alc!
And thanks so much, Starbeast and johnnyjet for the lovely votes!

You're welcome Cat's Cradle. That was one heck of a tale wrote.

Many thanks to the Beast for the listing.

You're welcome Telford. Keep up the good work, my friend.

 

[willwallace]

Thanks Starbeast and Jo for the kind mentions.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Wow! Oh my, thank you Jo, that's so kind, and so greatly appreciated. I read that to my wife, and she was thrilled! I just feel lucky to have received so many kind comments for my weird little story.

 

[Ursa major]

Many thanks for the vote, A. Fare Wells.

 

[holland]

I've never done this before, but I've only cast one vote. There were lots I liked - Cul, VB, Crystal, Will Wallace, johnnyjet - but one I felt was just head and shoulders above the others. So Cat's Cradle got my vote.

Does anybody else think this is kinda unfair or is it just me?

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Does anybody else think this is kinda unfair or is it just me?

Others have done it before - it's not obligatory to cast 3 votes, but optional...

But apologies if it seems unfair. I did read through them all several times and drew lots of doodles as I thought about it.

 

[Culhwch]

I don't see why it would be unfair?

 

[Remedy]

Having reviewed and enjoyed every story, I wanted you all on my list.

So instead, I decided to vote(***) for my favourite entry for Sci-fi, for Fantasy and for Speculative fiction (incidentally, my 3 favourite stories ):

Sci-fi favourite: TitaniumTi ***

2nd place: jastius

Fantasy favourite: Ursa major***

2nd place: Victoria Silverwolf

Speculative fiction favourite: Perpetual Man***

2nd place: Cascade


Edit: I wanted to add a special mention for Moonbat's entry, which made me laugh and cheered me up no end!

 

[holland]

No single competition/contest in the real world with actual prizes uses this system of voting, because it is genuinely not fair. It's always either all votes or none.

Imagine the hypothetical situation where all entries have the same number of votes, everyone else cast their three votes, and I come last and cast just one vote to determine the winner, instead of us having a three-way tie. It just wouldn't be fair.

Just to make it clear, I'm not angry or bitter or anything, I enter these competitions just for fun, but I hope the mods will at least consider what I'm saying, because fairness still matters even if it's just for fun


Edit:

Btw my votes go to:

Moonbat
Jo Zebedee
Cascade

Shortlisted:

Cat's Cradle
crystal haven
mosaix

 

[Jo Zebedee]

No single competition/contest in the real world with actual prizes uses this system of voting, because it is genuinely not fair. It's always either all votes or none.

Imagine the hypothetical situation where all entries have the same number of votes, everyone else cast their three votes, and I come last and cast just one vote to determine the winner, instead of us having a three-way tie. It just wouldn't be fair.

Just to make it clear, I'm not angry or bitter or anything, I enter these competitions just for fun, but I hope the mods will at least consider what I'm saying, because fairness still matters even if it's just for fun

x

I suspect it ties in nicely with the other discussion thread about the challenges, and I've made a reference in that thread to this one, so that it can be discussed more widely. I see what you mean, but historically we've had single votes (perhaps less so recently, and sometimes it's been an error, where people didn't realise they had three. In fact, I remember one month where there was a bit of a brou-ha about it.)

One for the mods, I think. (Sorry, mods, for opening a can of... I didn't mean to. )

And thank you for the vote.

 

[Remedy]

The wording on the poll, regarding your voting, is this:

"VOTE for your favourite 300 word story. You have THREE votes."

It doesn't state to use them all.
It doesn't state how you should pick your favourites. (some people talk about how they really liked some but they didn't fit the challenge criteria enough for them)
Given three votes and the option, Jo may well have put all three into CC's story - but that option isn't available.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

I'm possibly the least contentious person anyone will ever meet, so I am jumping in with a few thoughts simply to answer a point of inquiry (I would be happy if Jo had cast other votes...I enter the challenges for fun and experience, not in the hope of winning). So, two things...it says in the challenge rules for the 300 worder that a person may vote for up to three stories (the implication being, I think, that casting three votes is not obligatory). And second, in any real-world competition I know of abstaining on a ballot in some categories will voting in others is allowed, even recommended when a person is not sure of how to vote...the Academy Awards...MVP awards in every sports league I know of...the Emmy Awards...BAFTA. I'm not saying any of this in a self-serving way, I promise...I'm writing, again, just to answer an inquiry.

And thank you for the shortlisting, Holland! It's truly appreciated, CC

ps--copied from the voting poll thread: "Each member may vote for up to THREE stories..."

 

[holland]

And second, in any real-world competition I know of abstaining on a ballot in some categories will voting in others is allowed, even recommended when a person is not sure of how to vote...the Academy Awards...MVP awards in every sports league I know of...the Emmy Awards...BAFTA. I'm not saying any of this in a self-serving way, I promise...I'm writing, again, just to answer an inquiry.

Well those examples are not really similar to our situation. Think Eurovision Song Contest, you can not give your 12 points vote to your favourite and just pass on the others.

Anyway, those were just my 2 cents, I'm not going to spam this thread with this topic anymore

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Ah, my last response too, then...Eurovision seems to me to be the odd example here...it uses an incremental scale of point distribution, with each point total descending incrementally to the very next, and mandated (by voting totals and competition rules), point total. In the contests I mentioned, each and every tally--each and every vote--equals the same as the next one....there is no sliding, incremental scale of point totals. Each vote in the writing challenges equals the next--none gives more points than the next.

And I am only writing now, I see, because I am very tired, and not really thinking. But if there's a strong feeling against the fairness of my having received this one vote, honestly, I am fine with it being voided...honestly. CC