May/June Prompts

RapeU

It is exactly 8,000 words.

https://theblackvan.com/d/1198-a-song-without-music

Vela_Nanashi

RapeU RapeU based on previous contests I think it is less than 8000words with some small % permission to go over, but not by much, but it would indeed be good to see that clarified in each contest post 🙂

pinkwarkitten14 hehe of course not 🙂

pinkwarkitten14

Vela_Nanashi I have no idea what you’re talking about 😛

RapeU

Shocker

Hell, I’m surprised at myself too. I wrote a short beginning then a short ending and that caused the creative juices to burst out of the floodgates.

Vela_Nanashi

Yes I know that. I just wanted to make it exactly 8,000 words. Blame it on me being a math teacher and wanting it to be exact.

Shocker

@RapeU as every time I’m simply blown away with the speed you answer those challenges.

Shocker

I really like those prompts, time to dust off my favorite shady organization for this.

Derick

Now this months words I should be able to work with.

LegioIX

Sorry if this is clear to everyone else, but looking at RapeU’s comment and then Vela’s, I’m unclear if this means that the story has to extend to exactly 8,000 words or if (as I think, but am not sure) it can be less. Previously, as Vela says, a limit has been set, but not a minimum. 8,000 is pretty long and not a few people, whether busy or just not inspired over 8,000 words, would be likely to bow out.

Shocker

LegioIX the maximum story length is 8000 words, you can write as short as it pleases you. There is usually a bit of a grace period that used to be 5%, but I don’t know if darkarchon is going to apply this to this contest, as 5% are 400 words.

RapeU just was very happy with himself hitting exactly 8000 words.

I hope this helps clearing things up a bit.

LegioIX

Thanks, Shocker. It does entirely. It’s what I thought, but I wanted to be sure. Mind you, a requirement of an exact total is an intersting idea. Just that 8,000 would count me out.

pinkwarkitten14

Last I knew, the grace period still applies and iirc it is 5%. The only one it did not apply for was the one for Memory/Carlos/Devil with the strict 2022 count limit. There is definitely no minimum word count requirement. I would double check with @DarkArchon1980 on the grace though 🙂

Shocker

pinkwarkitten14 just wasn’t sure if 5% still apply as 400 words is a lot.

RapeU

Shocker

As someone who had to write 400 word assignments nearly every week for an online college class this last semester, it is indeed a lot. It’s funny, I can take 2 days to write an 8,000 word story but when it comes to a 400 word reflection it takes way longer and I wanna tear my hair out.

LegioIX

That I can relate to. While 8,000 is more than I want to write and about 3,000 works well for most stories I want to write (and 1,000 is the flexible limit in a fun writing group I attend), saying what you want to in 500 or less is usually very difficult. You generally need to write and then prune. And prune again. For some years, I was involved in writing applications for funding, or advising on others’ applications. There was usually a word count limit and a lot to say to explain and promote the proposal. Useful minor points would drop out one by one. Unnecessary words would disappear. The text became unnaturally terse and jerky. Odd thing is, one of the best ways of cutting the word count was replacing all the Anglo-Saxon verbs like “look up”, “bring in”, “take on”, “carry on” with Latinate longer single words: longer letter count, shorter word count.

LegioIX

Oh, well! I wrote my story and it came to 7,999 (with title, but without disclaimer) and on editing, to 8,000! Not my usual length, but with more twists and turns.

Vela_Nanashi

I do not count all the title, disclaimer etc into the story itself, and I got it to exactly 8000 words 🙂

If the title etc counts (I don’t think it counts) then I will just rename the story “Chara” and remove the non story first post.

DarkArchon1980

@LegioIX and @Vela_Nanashi thats a good point, thaks for bining it up. Disclaimers and intros, do NOT count against the word count.

LtBroccoli

DarkArchon1980 Good to know. Now time for the 15k intro and disclaimer.

LegioIX

DarkArchon1980 Thanks. I guessed that would be so because it’s commonsense.

Derick

Well had fun with this one, did not use the entire word count, not even close but I’ve got to a place where I could end it.

Thanks for the words, and nice to get writing again, have been out of it for a bit.

https://theblackvan.com/d/1250-the-performance-story-content-entery