Hammered – an Ode to Mickey Spillane” - the 2022 Story Event Official Support Thread

[SouthernCrossfire]

My entry is live.

"Hammered: Big City, Dark Nights"

I'm working on the sequel (as I noted above) that I'd love to finish and submit for this event but I'm not sure I can finish in time.

 

[8letters]

I'm trying to crash write an entry.

 

[Jackie.Hikaru]

I hope there's another Mickey Spillane event next year! I have an idea for a story that I can't get out of my mind. Just not enough time to write it

 

[MelissaBaby]

I didn't think I was going to get mine done on time, but it's in, and be published tomorrow.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I didn't think I was going to get mine done on time, but it's in, and be published tomorrow.

Mine is a complete non-starter, completion-wise. I'll park it up for next year, and try to start again early enough to get it finished.

I'm turning into Simon. I've got eight thou of my Geek Anthology follow-on written. From the first year.

 

[MelissaBaby]

Mine is a complete non-starter, completion-wise. I'll park it up for next year, and try to start again early enough to get it finished.

I'm turning into Simon. I've got eight thou of my Geek Anthology follow-on written. From the first year.

I had a head start, because I started one last year, and didn't finish it.

Never throw anything away.

 

[dmallord]

There are a handful of stories posted. Not as many as I would have thought. Started to read a few of them. Well, they are good stories although some lack the Mickey Spillane dashes of language, glibness, and such noir characteristics. A couple of them wouldn't be recognized as Spillanish at all if they were not tagged as such. But they are still good stories! Saving the longest to the last for reading ...

Now back to reading some more of them.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I'm up.

The Last Time I Met Clara

 

[WifeWatchman]

I had a head start, because I started one last year, and didn't finish it.

Never throw anything away.

Amen. No telling how m many times I've dipped into previously written stuff to help with a newer story...

 

[MillieDynamite]

I still haven't read all the tales posted in this event. Sigh, so much there, so little free time. Between writing, taking care of my son, and keeping my wife happy, my reading is taking a beating.

 

[MelissaBaby]

Is the scoring on this event particularly harsh, or did I just screw the pooch?

I am used to one bombing, but I have never seen it like this.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Is the scoring on this event particularly harsh, or did I just screw the pooch?

I am used to one bombing, but I have never seen it like this.

Not sure, but I had a great rating until after I had 25 votes and went to shit fast. Now I have 97 votes and have climbed back to 4.57 but not even close to where I was in the 20-vote range.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Is the scoring on this event particularly harsh, or did I just screw the pooch?

I am used to one bombing, but I have never seen it like this.

It's a brutal story, not the lightest fare, not an easy read. Too dark, perhaps, for the faint-hearted.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I had a head start, because I started one last year, and didn't finish it.

Never throw anything away.

Nope, not throwing away this start. Like my protagonist, Dan, I want to find out who stole the painting! Also, Ruby's sister came to town; the dame's a blonde, wears tight green dresses, looks good with the sunlight behind her.

 

[MelissaBaby]

Not sure, but I had a great rating until after I had 25 votes and went to shit fast. Now I have 97 votes and have climbed back to 4.57 but not even close to where I was in the 20-vote range.

I started the day with about dozen straight 5's, then, within the next 45 or so votes, dropped to the 4.40 range, rose back to 4.56,then fell into the 4.30s. It's climbing back up now, but I expect to get bombed again as soon as I cross the H line.

Maybe I blew the assignment. Maybe Lesbian was the wrong category for a violent crime story with a female antagonist. But this scoring has been more volatile than I’ve seen before on any of my stories.

 

[MelissaBaby]

It's a brutal story, not the lightest fare, not an easy read. Too dark, perhaps, for the faint-hearted.

That may well be so. I figured if I was going to write noir, I was going to go all in.

In any case, it was a good experience. It forced me to write outside of what has developed into my normal authorial voice, and that was a good exercise for me.

 

[MillieDynamite]

I started the day with about dozen straight 5's, then, within the next 45 or so votes, dropped to the 4.40 range, rose back to 4.56,then fell into the 4.30s. It's climbing back up now, but I expect to get bombed again as soon as I cross the H line.

Maybe I blew the assignment. Maybe Lesbian was the wrong category for a violent crime story with a female antagonist. But this scoring has been more volatile than I’ve seen before on any of my stories.

Yeah, you can't predict what people will think about this or that. It's a brutal world here at times. I don't think I had any negative comments. But until between the 20th and 24th vote, I went from 4.85 down to 4.39. I got lower, almost down to a 4, and then crawled back. Or maybe clawed its way back!

Maybe some didn't like a private dick having a pussy. Who knows? not me!

 

[WifeWatchman]

Is the scoring on this event particularly harsh, or did I just screw the pooch?

I am used to one bombing, but I have never seen it like this.

My own entries (two-part story) are getting the ratings I normally get, if not a bit higher. That may be because the following I've acquired over the years is voting, and the story was a sequel that wrapped up previous stories. I -did- get about a thousand more views than normal, and probably will get more when the anthology list is posted on the 18th, but my numbers are consistent, so far.

I'm not familiar with your works, MelissaBaby, but I'm following you now so I'll read your stuff and find out what your 'norm' is. It may be that your regular viewers didn't like your Spillane story if it was a departure from your norm. Anyhoo, don't worry about the Haters, just drive on with the Mickey Spillane mission!

 

[MelissaBaby]

My own entries (two-part story) are getting the ratings I normally get, if not a bit higher. That may be because the following I've acquired over the years is voting, and the story was a sequel that wrapped up previous stories. I -did- get about a thousand more views than normal, and probably will get more when the anthology list is posted on the 18th, but my numbers are consistent, so far.

I'm not familiar with your works, MelissaBaby, but I'm following you now so I'll read your stuff and find out what your 'norm' is. It may be that your regular viewers didn't like your Spillane story if it was a departure from your norm. Anyhoo, don't worry about the Haters, just drive on with the Mickey Spillane mission!

Thanks, that may well be the case.

I approach these events as challenges, an opportunity to try new approaches, different styles. My score has climbed back over 4.50, so I don't have much room to complain. But, if I am to learn anything from this writing experience, I need to take scores and comments in context, so I was interested in whether or not the scoring in general was coming in low on the Spillane stories, or if was just something about mine.

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[SouthernCrossfire]

Melissa, the voting on mine is in the same general ballpark as usual with some abrupt tumbles and slow climbs. The number of views are significantly lower than my other stories in the same category (and on the lower side overall). One thing that I realized after it was published was that by using "Hammered" in the title, it probably turned off some who aren't interested in the noir genre (similar to what you suggested) so they didn't give it a chance, but hopefully that means that more people who clicked actually read it. I hit a little over 7,500 views with 300 votes as of today, which is actually a very good ratio for me (just over 25 views per vote).

 

[MelissaBaby]

It’s funny how your story can suddenly stop sucking and start getting a good score….

Kind of makes you fell that some of those one votes might not have been entirely sincere…

 

[TarnishedPenny]

BTW, thanks for organizing this, Chloe!

 

[MillieDynamite]

It’s funny how your story can suddenly stop sucking and start getting a good score….

Kind of makes you fell that some of those one votes might not have been entirely sincere…

No one would ever give a bad vote on a good story. No other writer would vote you down to improve their standing in a contest. No one would one bomb a writer because they don't like a particular type of story. Oh, gosh, is my sarcasm showing?

 

[davion2308]

I have a story that's done but I don't know that anyone would see it as Spillane vs. just a gritty rescue mission in L.A. by a private detective. It's an attempt but maybe I'll sit on it and see if I can't change things up in the next day or two.

Does anyone else notice Non-Con creeping in to their story too?

 

[MillieDynamite]

Wait, hasn't the event ended, or is it an ongoing category?