DISCUSSION THREAD -- April 2020 -- 85-Word Writing Challenge

The Judge

Truth. Order. Moderation.
Staff member
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
14,310
Location
nearly the New Forest
April's Challenge, courtesy of Daysman, is up: APRIL 2020 85-Word Story -- IMPORTANT -- REALLY READ THE FIRST POST!!

As a tribute to the fact the 75 Worder has been going for 10 years Daysman would like to revisit the very first theme, so we have

Theme: Visit to Another World
Genre: Speculative Fiction


And in further recognition of the anniversary, there are two big changes for this month (and for this month only, so no begging or whingeing afterwards...)
  • It's an 85 Word Challenge this month. That's right, we have 10 more words to play with!
  • We'll have 3 votes when it comes to voting!

To make sure we don't have people posting as soon as the Challenge goes up, thereby missing the fact it's 85 not 75 words this month, the Challenge thread will be locked for a day or so, but this thread is open, so comment away!
 
Last edited:

Cat's Cradle

Time, now, to read...
Supporter
Joined
Mar 3, 2014
Messages
3,194
Oh, great tribute to the Challenges, re-doing that first event! I wonder how many of our original entrants will return for the anniversary ... and I wonder if it's tempting for our original winner to return to their story, and expand it by 10 words for this month's Challenge?? (Joking!)

I think I cannot go back and re-read all the stories from that first event, as I want to come to this fresh.

Looking forward to this, greatly, CC
 

nixie

pixie druid
Staff member
Supporter
Joined
May 4, 2005
Messages
7,331
Location
I may live in Yorkshire but I'm a Scot
Been and had a look at the first challenge, I may have missed one but of those who entered 22 are still regulars having posted on the forums this year, including @Karn's Return in guise of another.

There are others who still drop in but their last posts 2019.

@Boneman as the very first winner I expect an entry this month or I might forget not to let Wally eat you:LOL:
 

Calliopenjo

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2016
Messages
347
Location
USA
I hope The Judge isn't joking and we really do have eighty-five words. If we really do have ten extra words to stretch our stories out then I might just be able to come up with something a little more...readable. lol.

Thank you, Daysman, for the prompt. It'll get my engine going to come up with something.
 

Astro Pen

Write now.
Supporter
Joined
Jan 24, 2020
Messages
1,673
Location
Wales UK
Is it better in peoples experience to submit these early (primacy effect) or late (recency effect)? :unsure:
Not trying to load the dice.
I just don't want my entry buried and forgotten, or at the other end,skimmed over because minds have already been made up.
 

M. Robert Gibson

is encumbered by a cumbersome cucumber
Supporter
Joined
Feb 10, 2018
Messages
1,835
Is it better in peoples experience to submit these early (primacy effect) or late (recency effect)? :unsure:
Not trying to load the dice.
I just don't want my entry buried and forgotten, or at the other end,skimmed over because minds have already been made up.
I've often wondered that.

What we need is an in-depth statistical analysis of time of posting against votes garnered.

Has anybody got any free time on their hands? ;)
 

nixie

pixie druid
Staff member
Supporter
Joined
May 4, 2005
Messages
7,331
Location
I may live in Yorkshire but I'm a Scot
I don't think it matters when you post, most people here do read all the stories and give careful consideration before voting.

Take last month, I read Chrispy's and didn't think anyone would surpass it but then TDZ came in with her little gem.
 

Parson

This world is not my home
Supporter
Joined
Oct 11, 2006
Messages
11,596
Location
Iowa
Interesting. I wonder if this month's story will be any better than the first month's story. I'd like to think so, but ....
 

scarpelius

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2018
Messages
370
Location
Bucharest
I believe people get tired and loose focus after the first half of entries.
It helps reading the entries as they are posted, though.

I also believe that the theme, lower one chances. This month we have Speculative fiction, but that encompasses a broad range of genres and thus the vote will spread more, because people will vote stories in their preferred genre.
 

Parson

This world is not my home
Supporter
Joined
Oct 11, 2006
Messages
11,596
Location
Iowa
@Mouse whenever you enter you are a force to be reckoned with. I believe you are still in the top 10 or 15 vote getters of all time even with writing in fewer than a quarter of them.
 

Danny McG

"Anything can happen in the next half hour!"
Joined
Sep 9, 2016
Messages
7,061
Location
Cumbria UK
I might enter this one, I've been skipping the challenges of late, and missing the votes.
 

Karn's Return

Herp a derp! My name's Skerp!
Joined
Oct 24, 2018
Messages
562
Location
Acheron
Is it better in peoples experience to submit these early (primacy effect) or late (recency effect)? :unsure:
Not trying to load the dice.
I just don't want my entry buried and forgotten, or at the other end,skimmed over because minds have already been made up.


Well, in my experience, it's better to wait a little bit, try to get somewhere in the middle, perhaps. But then again, that's my own experience, and I really don't ever have much chance against the better, more experienced authors of the site, especially these days...
 

Karn's Return

Herp a derp! My name's Skerp!
Joined
Oct 24, 2018
Messages
562
Location
Acheron
It's not open yet, going to open tomorrow just to make sure that people understand this month is a little different to usual.
 

Top