Seasonal Writing Contest 2011: Poll #1

wow things are really close =p but there is a lot of great entries here so that's not surprising!

Wow this was a great set of submissions. I was stuck for a long time between Lonely Hearts and Of Hot Chocolate and Secret Santas.

I thank you for enjoying my entry :3 and as much as I enjoyed the unique setting of Lonely Heart I personally felt no emotional attachment to the characters. If it was 1600 or more I bet this could have been resolved.In short I wanted more

Yeah I do feel I probably should have written more and regret not doing so before the deadline, but ah well no point and regrets now lol

I did really like your characters and I do understand your point. Still, I liked Lonely Hearts for what it was and found it enjoyable too.

I ran into a similar problem with my own entry, actually. I couldn't have the resolution I wanted because I couldn't sacrifice what I'd already written. Not used to writing under 1500 words. I'm more of a 2?00 word guy, I guess.

Did you write what you had originally planned? I had started out with a yandere turn of events, but then couldn't find a way to bring FAKKU into it without losing the silliness I was going for.

Well, to address some complaints given about the "oppressive" word limit, technically everyone was given 500 more from last year. I have a feeling that if everyone is given 2000 for next year, it would still not be enough for some.

In short, the challenge is being effective with what you are given, otherwise there is no point to a themed contest. Yes, some people had pre-written submissions that were longer than 1500 as well as there were people who kept writing until they wanted to stop long after 1500. However, it should not be surprising that you would find difficulty if you're editing a lengthy and/or already existing piece. I would like to read the unaltered originals after the contest, however.

I agree that while some people may say that the 1500 word limit is a bit much, this also challenges the writer to be much more concise. Being effective with words and carefully choosing them are techniques that can only help to make a writer better.

At first, I felt that the 1500 word limit was a pain, but the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Not to metion that if all theentries were like 3k words, then it would be extremely time consumer for both the voters and the judges. I, for one, have begun to appreciate the challenge that word limits create!

Sorry Wayward I critiqued the wrong place D: I was out of it last night. Lol. But hey I wish I could have added more and triple checked my self editing before the deadline. But now is not the time to regret! Let us go onward! We all accepted this challenge and we did our best so there should be no regrets ;n;

I can't wait for when it's my story's turn to be in the poll~ (in b4 no one vote for me lol).

Man, I regret didn't join last year...

I've said in the lonely hearts thread that I plan to put together a short collection including a revised and expanded "Lonely Hearts" I hope you stop by to check it out!

as for the word limit I think it isn't so bad 1500 words is enough to do a 'to the point' short story and I think Find_Vega showed that its very possible to make use of the space. after all it wouldn't be a contest if there weren't some rules or guidelines and some can't write for days like others so I think 1500 words is a good middle ground.

I think some writers must accept the fact that the word limit is meant to challenge you. Complaining about it means that you simply can't beat it.

This.

Oh, and congrats on winning, Moogle. You beat me, so you better carry on and win more rounds.

I haven't won yet, we still have roughly 10 hours left. but I promise to do my best not to let anyone down in the future *sweatdrop*

Not many people really check out the forums do they ._. oh well.

Wait what does the rules say about a tie?

Time is running out!
Make sure to vote everyone!

as we are the two highest in this poll we both move on to the final poll ^_^ the highest two from the other 4 polls will join us later

thanks for clearing that up D: my gosh I never imagined getting this far

me neither, here to our continued success ^_~ Rival

Its still not over but I must say that it is a great honor to compete with you ^o^ after this is over I can't wait to read your series.

haha I feel the same (maybe celebrating a little early? ha!) but I agree I'm glad to be competing with you. I hope I can write some decent material in the future for you to read