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magnificent1rascal
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
Quote by Welshdreamer42
Quote by Rumple_deWriter
Hello Robert, and welcome to Inspirations, the most happening coffee shop on Stories Space. Of course, this is also the only coffee shop around here but no doubt a Starbucks will soon be opening nearby.

If you are a writer, think about accepting the new 'Challenge' over on the 'Prompts and Challenges' forum. And come back soon.

Later, Inspirators


Not inspired to do it, sorry. I’m not impressed with the way this site is treating its writers at present


I’m sorry, Helen. I’ve sent you a PM.
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
A new challenge sounds fun!

I’m so far behind on awarding challenge badges that I actually considered posting a “Sort Out the Challenge Champ Badges” challenge.

Challenge Champ badges are awarded manually, not by the system, and because challenges have no deadline, each has to be audited to make sure everyone who has earned a badge receives it. That’s why we ask for challenges to require unique tags or other identifying information.

I’ll award the Cheers to 10 Words challenge badges tomorrow, and try to get caught up with the others this week.
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
First place in all four categories (we’re treating cumulative score the same as the three contests) will receive $50; second place is $30; and third place, $20. I’ll be in touch with the prize winners to get contact info.

The winning entry in each contest will receive an EP, and other EPs and RRs will be given as determined by a panel of moderators and judges.
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
Quote by KimmiBeGood
Forgive me for not posting congrats yesterday. I preach to everyone to not tie self-esteem to comp results and then I let it happen for the first time. My heart was tied to "Convergence" and thus broken, but I realize my heart in it didn't automatically make it great writing. I appreciate it being published.


Kimmi, please don’t be discouraged! Judging this contest was incredibly difficult because the entries were all good. I know how disappointing it is to have something you’ve poured your heart and soul into finish off the podium. It hurts. But it hurts a little less with time.

Note: From the time I started this reply but got called away before having a chance to finish and post it, I see that Kimmi has deleted her account. I’m sorry to see that. If anyone is in touch with her, please let her know we hope she decides to come back.
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
THANK YOU to everyone for making this such a fun and successful competition! The entries were varied, imaginative and high quality — and nearly all earned bonus points for being the exact maximum word length. This multi-part contest was an ambitious endeavor, but our members definitely rose to the challenge. Well done!

Congratulations to the winners, runners-up, and Top 10:

Ultra Short
1st place: [url=https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/micro-fiction/-as-we-were-.aspx][b]As We Were[/url] by redwriter
2nd place: [url=https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/micro-fiction/-autumnal-.aspx][b]Autumnal[/b][/url] by Tams
3rd place: [url=https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/micro-fiction/-insensitive-.aspx][b]Insensitive [/url]by Paperboy
Other Top 10:
- Letting Go by Welshdreamer42
- In The Midst Of Chaos by Tams
- On Guard Duty by Survivor
- Picture On My Wall by Welshdreamer42
- Musings of a Forgotten Deity by Mendalla
- My Temple by Mendalla
- My Girl the Petroleuse by Fluttered

Flash
1st place: [url=https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/fantasy/-the-goddess-dances-.aspx][b]The Goddess Dances[/url] by Mendalla
2nd place: [url=https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/flash-fiction/-fading-.aspx][b]Fading[/b][/url] by Welshdreamer42
3rd place: [url=https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/flash-fiction/-dragons-.aspx][b]Dragons![/b][/url] by Tams
Other Top 10:
- Just Another Day by Paperboy
- The Legend of Lover's Lane by Survivor
- The Night by AnnaMayZing
- Catch-2020 by Beesting
- White Water by TheShyThespian
- Paper by clum
- R(a)ising Son by Paperboy

Full Length
1st place: [url=https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/general/-froggie-.aspx][b]Froggie[/b][/url] by Tams
2nd place: [url=https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/horror/-the-last-train-.aspx][b]The Last Train[/url] by Welshdreamer42
3rd place: [url=https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/supernatural/-the-siren-.aspx][b]The Siren[/url] by AnnaMayZing
Other Top 10:
- Something by Mendalla
- The Visitant by Tams
- The Folly of Presumption in the Afterlife by Paperboy
- The Apology by Beesting
- The Night the Humans Came to Dinner by KimmiBeGood
- They Call the Wind Maria by Survivor
- Commuting To An Unplanned Future by Rumple_deWriter

Cumulative (score across all entries)
1st place: Tams
2nd place: AnnaMayZing
3rd place: Welshdreamer42
Other Top 10:
- Mendalla
- Survivor
- Paperboy
- KimmiBeGood
- TheShyThespian
- Beesting
- redwriter
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
The announcement will be made tomorrow, Friday, November 20th. Again, thank you for your patience. A plethora of top-notch submissions made judging these contests VERY difficult!
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
Thanks for your patience, everyone! All the stories have been double-checked for word count and selected word requirements, and are now ready for our judging panel. We are aiming for a Nov. 17th announcement, but with the high volume of submissions that may be pushed out a bit. We want to make sure we give our volunteer judges ample time to review all the entries.
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
There are still a few hours left to enter — and the contests are almost certain to remain open past the posted closing. We will accept entries as long as the submission screen allows.
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
I’ve been giving this topic a good deal of consideration and will reply as soon as I have a chance to organize my thoughts. Thanks for posing some great questions!
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
1. Write a nanofiction story of exactly 10 words.
2. Post it as a reply in this thread.
3. Earn a Challenge Champ badge!

The fine print:
• You may enter up to 10 times
• One badge per member (not per story)
• Each story must include one of the Cheers to 10 Years competition word selections:
- Celebration
- Achievement
- Stories
- Space
- Camaraderie
- Ten
- Friendly
- Free
- Cozy
- Supportive
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
Quote by gypsy
Stories Space went live October 12th, 2010, so we are celebrating the first 10 years of this wonderful site!

Tell us about yourself -

When did you join Stories Space/how long have you been a member?

What was the first story and/or poem you published here? Please add links so we can find it!

When was it posted?

What is it about, category, length, etc?

Is the first piece you published your favourite, or is that something else? If it is a different one, again, please post a link.

When you look back at your first works, do you see changes in your writing style or subject matter in the intervening time?

Is there anything else you want to tell us about yourself and your writing?





I joined and submitted my first piece here on Oct. 12, 2010.

“The Pants on the Floor,” a humorous poem written about a year and a half earlier but previously shared only with friends, was one of two submissions posted that day (the other was a Dirty Martini poem).

https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/poetry/-the-pants-on-the-floor-.aspx

With friends and family along with me sharing the link, Pants quickly became the most popular piece on the site, and it remains among the top five or so. It is still one of my personal favorites. Oh, and on the topic of milestones, the clotheshorse and I will celebrate our anniversary in a couple of weeks. Maybe I’ll get him a new shirt.
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
Quote by Welshdreamer42
I've just posted a story for the full story category but it said 2581 words in the submission box (which is what I want) which then jumped to 2589 when I checked the submitted piece - a discrepancy of 8 words between submission box and submitted piece

That's going to make getting the numbers right a game of pure chance. Eek!

Anyway, what the heck, it's a Halloween tale and I hope you like it


The submission screen and what’s displayed when a story is posted sometimes end up with a slight discrepancy because of the different algorithms. We’ll go by what the submission screen says.

I’m looking forward to your Halloween-themed entry!
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
The three related Cheers to 10 Years contests are now open! Here are links to the competition pages:

• [url=https://www.storiesspace.com/competitions/cheers-to-10-years-ultra-short.aspx][b]Ultra Short Competition[/url]

• [url=https://www.storiesspace.com/competitions/cheers-to-10-years-flash.aspx][b]Flash Competition[/url]

• [url=https://www.storiesspace.com/competitions/cheers-to-10-years-full-length.aspx][b]Full Length Story Competition[/url]
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
Quote by Welshdreamer42
Ok, that’s all rather vague. I assume the start date will be pushed back whilst the technical issues are being sorted?


No, the opening date remains Oct. 12.

I'm going to do a trial run now to see how the system handles multiple comps at the same time.

EDIT: It works! Three competitions will be set up to open on Oct. 12.

EDIT 2:
Quote by magnificent1rascal
Phew, what a week this has been!

I’m sorry if this came across as vague. It was my commentary on the uncertainty of the past week in the U.S., not knowing if the occupant of the White House was mildly, moderately or severely ill; breathing on his own or not; and, of course, mortal or magically transformed into a reverse-aging superhero. There’s been a lot to process.
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
Phew, what a week this has been!


In any case, here are some of the Cheers to 10 Years details promised.

We will most likely divide this into three contests based on word count to ensure that we aren't comparing apples and oranges in the judging. I say "most likely" because I'm waiting to hear back if the system will allow multiple competitions to be running simultaneously (that's one of the technical points yet to be ironed out). Whether it turns out to be three contests or one, judging will be done in the following divisions:

• 20-120 words — Entries will be accepted in Micro Fiction, Musings and Poetry. For this event only, entries up to 120 words may be submitted in the Micro Fiction category even if they exceed the usual 100-word limit.

• 121-1,012 words — Entries will be accepted in Flash Fiction or any appropriate category (no Micro Fiction). For this event only, entries up to 1,012 words may be submitted in the Flash Fiction category even if they exceed the usual 1,000-word limit. Submissions in other categories must meet our standard minimum (about 600 words for most categories).

• 1,013-3,653 words — Entries will be accepted in any category except Flash Fiction, Micro Fiction and Poetry.
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
Quote by Mendalla
Quote by Rumple_deWriter
What will be the procedure for submissions? Clueless minds would like to know. No doubt I've missed this info somewhere along the line, either that or the plan is to wait until 1012 to list all the nuts and bolts type rules and regs?



Maggie talked about more details coming so I assume that will include submission process. She's still got a week and a half to get it up, I guess. I've actually got a first draft of a story I hope to use, assuming there isn't a devil in the details when they come out.


Sorry for the delay in posting more details. Life, y’know?

Don’t worry, there isn’t any devil in these details. Entry will be straightforward, just submit a piece and check the competition box. There is no theme requirement, only the word limits and selection of required words listed in the first post.

I still need to iron out a couple of technical points, but I promise to post more info by Friday.
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
Quote by Mendalla
Actually, I have a question about form. Are poems going to be welcome in the shorter categories? I can't really see me writing a 40 word story but some of my poems are in that territory.


Yes, poems will be accepted in the shorter submissions.
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
Quote by magnificent1rascal
This contest will open on Oct. 12 and close 10 days later, but we’re announcing it early to allow time for planning and preparation.


Based on early feedback, we’ll change the closing date to the end of October. The original plan may have been a tad too ambitious.
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
Stories Space was launched 10 years ago, and saw its greatest influx of members when it "went public" on Oct. 12, 2010 — so we're going to have an epic anniversary celebration centered around that date.

The cornerstone of the Cheers to 10 Years celebration will be a new competition.

This contest will open on Oct. 12 and close at the end of October, but we’re announcing it early to allow time for planning and preparation. Members may submit up to 10 entries, one of each word limit listed below. There will be 10 different word limits, based on numbers of significance to Stories Space and/or its upcoming anniversary:

- Word Limit (significance)
- 40 (seasons since Oct. 12, 2010)
- 100 (holidays observed)
- 120 (months)
- 261 (fortnights)
- 522 (weeks)
- 873 (authors on site)
- 1,012 (tenth month, twelfth day - American date format)
- 1,210 (twelfth day of the tenth month - rest of the world date format)
- 2,581 (badges - not counting multiples in the same overarching category)
- 3,653 (days)

Bonuses will be given to individual submissions that are exactly the specified limit (according to the counter on the submission screen), and doubled if a member submits 10 stories, all of the maximum length.

Each submission must include at least one of the following 10 words:
- Celebration
- Achievement
- Stories
- Space
- Camaraderie
- Ten
- Friendly
- Free
- Cozy
- Supportive

More details will be coming soon, but now is the time to put on your thinking caps and start planning your strategy to earn double bonus points. Good luck and have fun!

+ + +

EDIT: Three related Cheers to 10 Years contests are now open! Here are links to the competition pages:

• [url=https://www.storiesspace.com/competitions/cheers-to-10-years-ultra-short.aspx][b]Ultra Short Competition[/url]
• [url=https://www.storiesspace.com/competitions/cheers-to-10-years-flash.aspx][b]Flash Competition[/url]
• [url=https://www.storiesspace.com/competitions/cheers-to-10-years-full-length.aspx][b]Full Length Story Competition[/url]
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
Congratulations to Blackdog, Wordpusher715, Mendalla, and all of the top 10 — and THANK YOU to all the entrants who made the judging so difficult. It was truly a pleasure to read all the submissions.

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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
Quote by Survivor
Quote by Molly
https://www.storiesspace.com/competitions/stories-space-summer-word-bank.aspx


The closing date for this competition is 07 Sep 2020. The earlier you get your entry in, the more likely you are to get a higher number of story views and votes. Winners will be announced on the 16 Sep 2020.

If you have any questions regarding this contest or rules, please contact us.

Best wishes to everyone taking part. Happy writing!


I have been wondering if this implies that the judges are going to take into account the number of views and votes when judging the entries.



No, the judges will consider each entry independently, regardless of views and votes. However, we may have some sort of additional readers’ choice recognition. We’re still working that out.
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
Hello, friends.

As many of you know, I live near the worst of this in Washington state. My county has the highest number of deaths in the U.S., but no cases have been reported in our town yet. Mr. Rascal and I are observing all the distancing guidelines and are practicing strict sanitizing protocols. We’ll get through this.

All my best to everyone here. Thank you for your patience with submission verification as we all tend to more pressing matters in our lives right now.
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
From their website:

“Timeworn Literary Journal welcomes unpublished historical fiction submissions in English under 5,000 words. They should be set before 1996, rooted in history and voice-driven.

We're looking for ‘Historical Fiction from the fringe.’ Work with a bend toward the surreal, the dream-like, the strange. The offbeat kind of story that settles into your heart long after reading. That said, we also value beauty and warmth and a generally well-written story with soul. Romance, Mystery, Crime and the Gothic are all acceptable. Speculative elements strongly encouraged.”

Details here:

https://www.timewornlit.com/submit
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
Quote by Survivor

I wonder if anyone has heard anything about the eBook we were going to put together called the Dirty Martini Anthology. That simply disappeared from our consciousness didn't it?



It didn’t so much disappear as it was pushed aside by some items of major importance in my personal life. I’m still keen on the idea if others are interested.

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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
Thanks for the good info, Keith. In my circle of family and friends, we’re big believers in herd immunity.
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
Quote by gypsy
I've updated the first post with links to all the stories posted so far in the challenge, and included a link to the [url=https://tags.storiesspace.com/backtoschool][color=darkred]backtoschool tag[/url], so they will be easy to find.

Thanks to everyone, they're all great and each one is distinctly different. So much fun to read!


Thank you, Gypsy!

Challenge Champ badges have been awarded to participating writers as of Sept. 28.
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
Quote by darrenrobertbennett
Hi Everyone,

I'm new to this site since I started writing my first story. I'm happy to hear what you think about it. If you're interested, It's called The Queen of Back Bay, a story about a student who has an eccentric uncle. I can't seem to make links in here, so tips on that appreciated as well!

I can usually be found in Brockton or Cambridge, Massachusetts, but online I have a number of locations:

Website:dbennettfinearts.com

Facebook: DarrenRobertBennett

Instagram: @d.bennettfinearts

Thanks for reading!

Darren


Welcome to Stories Space, Darren!

Once you reached 20 forum posts, you’ll be able to include links and upload images. This requirement was put in place to deter spammers. Our [url=https://forum.storiesspace.com/yaf_topics11_Games.aspx][b]Games[/b][/url] and [url=https://forum.storiesspace.com/yaf_topics46_Word-Play.aspx][b]Word Play[/url] forums are great places to increase your post count, or stop by the [url=https://forum.storiesspace.com/yaf_topics8_The-Break-Room.aspx][b]Break Room[/url] for some casual conversation.
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magnificent1rascal
Divine Rapscallion
Thanks, Gypsy, this will be a fun challenge!

Participants meeting all the requirements set forth will receive a Challenge Champ badge.


(Medal depicted is not the actual badge)
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