The 2026 [lit] 750 Word Project Support Thread

[AlinaX]

View attachment 2593284

I'm also scheduled for tomorrow

Is tomorrow today already?

 

[KitMasterson]

Quick clarification question on the rules: I have a 750 word story (by the count in my text editor anyway), but if has a lot of formatting. In the New Story text entry box, it seems to include all of the formatting in the word count. Would my story still be counted for this challenge? Who does the word counting?

 

[MillieDynamite]

The system won't allow a story with fewer than 750 words to go live. Anything over that will publish. I don't know how they check; there are always a few discrepancies in counts between the system and our word processors. For the challenge, only the story counts. Not any of the pre-matter matters, title, author name, disclaimer, they do count on the total words, but it is irrelevant. If you're formatting and pasting it into the text window, it will count formatting in the total. However, I don't think it will carry over to the story when it is published. I use MSWord and save in RTF, and the formatting is in the background, so it isn't counted.

Quick clarification question on the rules: I have a 750 word story (by the count in my text editor anyway), but if has a lot of formatting. In the New Story text entry box, it seems to include all of the formatting in the word count. Would my story still be counted for this challenge? Who does the word counting?

 

[KitMasterson]

The system won't allow a story with fewer than 750 words to go live. Anything over that will publish. I don't know how they check; there are always a few discrepancies in counts between the system and our word processors. For the challenge, only the story counts. Not any of the pre-matter matters, title, author name, disclaimer, they do count on the total words, but it is irrelevant. If you're formatting and pasting it into the text window, it will count formatting in the total. However, I don't think it will carry over to the story when it is published. I use MSWord and save in RTF, and the formatting is in the background, so it isn't counted.

Thanks for this. I submitted in the end, and it is 750 words if you *don’t* count m-dashes and ellipses as words. Which I don’t but some word counts do, so … oh well.

 

[SmilingLez]

Thanks for this. I submitted in the end, and it is 750 words if you *don’t* count m-dashes and ellipses as words. Which I don’t but some word counts do, so … oh well.

It's my understanding that the 750 word count must come from literotica's own word count plug in on their editor. I have found that an online word count showed my story at a 753 words while ms word at 754. Literotica's counter showed 750 words. I took a screenshot in case Literotica sends it back saying not enough words

 

[MillieDynamite]

Again, for the challenge, they don't count anything before the story begins. Nothing above the dashed line below counts. Only what's below. For them to publish any story, the total word count must be above 749. But for the actual challenge, you must have 750 words, or thereabouts, below the line. If you have a total of 750 words, counting the tiltle your story is short weather they let it pass or not, it's short of the mark.

Angela and the Men
A short-short story,
Below this line are exactly 750 words.
————————————————–
​

 

[Trionyx]

Take the actual story, excluding title and disclaimers, paste it into the box on the submit form and then click the expand arrows in the upper right corner of the box. Now, in the lower left corner of the box you will be given a word count. I rely on this assuming (and we all know what assuming can make of you and me) that this number represents the number LE gets when they count words. I then add back the title, disclaimers and my ‘signature’ before I submit the story.

 

[old_prof]

I submitted my second 750. This one I originally wrote last summer.

And thanks @Trionyx for the tip. I no for certain the story itself is exactly 750 by lit count.

 

[millamomud]

I went by ms words count, I honestly did not checked lit's count before the disclaimer.

 

[SmilingLez]

Take the actual story, excluding title and disclaimers, paste it into the box on the submit form and then click the expand arrows in the upper right corner of the box. Now, in the lower left corner of the box you will be given a word count. I rely on this assuming (and we all know what assuming can make of you and me) that this number represents the number LE gets when they count words. I then add back the title, disclaimers and my ‘signature’ before I submit the story.

I am also going to add the fact that I use literotica's editor and word counter in my note to the admin. This way they can't say the story is too short or too long.

 

[AlinaX]

(and we all know what assuming can make of you and me)

Ahh, you must be the famous Ming!

 

[ElectricBlue]

Quick clarification question on the rules: I have a 750 word story (by the count in my text editor anyway), but if has a lot of formatting. In the New Story text entry box, it seems to include all of the formatting in the word count. Would my story still be counted for this challenge? Who does the word counting?

Don't worry about it. I've never seen anyone get that pedantic about the exact word count, despite people agonising over which software counts what. Laurel is the only person who matters, and I can't see her actually counting every word of every 750 Word story.

Add a preamble saying, "This story is for the 2026 750 Word Anthology. Below the line are 750 words, counted using my software package." That will bump the total word count over 750, caveat your word count, problem solved.

As an aside, seeing the italics glitch in the intro to your second story, do you really need fancy formatting? The way you write, I don't think so.

 

[Djmac1031]

So I'm submitting a 750 word story, but attaching a short afterward to it because I need to give credit to another author and their story which inspired mine.

Technically this note will put my submission way over 750 words, but its not like we "win" anything from this except exposure to more readers, and even that's questionable with this challenge honestly lol

 

[KitMasterson]

Don't worry about it. I've never seen anyone get that pedantic about the exact word count, despite people agonising over which software counts what. Laurel is the only person who matters, and I can't see her actually counting every word of every 750 Word story.

Add a preamble saying, "This story is for the 2026 750 Word Anthology. Below the line are 750 words, counted using my software package." That will bump the total word count over 750, caveat your word count, problem solved.

As an aside, seeing the italics glitch in the intro to your second story, do you really need fancy formatting? The way you write, I don't think so.

Yeah; maybe I overdo the formatting a little, it’s something I like to do, to my own detriment perhaps. I’m still getting used to the system here too — that glitch was an error in going from a text editor where smart quotes and apostrophes were used by default, to the Lit system where they messed things up. Live and learn.

For the 750 word story, there was a good reason for wanting specific formatting, so I have gone for it.

 

[Trionyx]

Technically this note will put my submission way over 750 words, but its not like we "win" anything from this except exposure to more readers, and even that's questionable with this challenge honestly lol

The ‘submission’ may be over 750 words but the ‘story’ is what counts. My 750-ers are frequently way over 750 words with a lengthy disclaimer up front and a post-story date, signature and sometimes even a referral to other similar stories. You have nothing to worry about.

 

[Djmac1031]

The ‘submission’ may be over 750 words but the ‘story’ is what counts. My 750-ers are frequently way over 750 words with a lengthy disclaimer up front and a post-story date, signature and sometimes even a referral to other similar stories. You have nothing to worry about.

oh for sure, and I'm not "worried" about it other than whether it would disqualify the entry from being included in this year's list. But I don't really think that will be a problem.

 

[AlinaX]

I’m always tempted to add an Author’s Note that itself reaches 750 words.

 

[Djmac1031]

I’m always tempted to add an Author’s Note that itself reaches 750 words.

That would actually be pretty clever.

 

[Trionyx]

oh for sure, and I'm not "worried" about it other than whether it would disqualify the entry from being included in this year's list. But I don't really think that will be a problem.

Mine have never been DQ’ed.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Yeah; maybe I overdo the formatting a little, it’s something I like to do, to my own detriment perhaps. I’m still getting used to the system here too — that glitch was an error in going from a text editor where smart quotes and apostrophes were used by default, to the Lit system where they messed things up. Live and learn.

I learned the hard way. Someone, bless his cotton socks, taught me about html about five years ago, and I thought, this is clever, I'll use some of that. Italics, cool. Really fucking cool when you discover that you need to close italics at the end of every paragraph, because you can never predict when Lit will roll to the next page. The entire second page of a story flipped to italics, which was completely dumb and completely self-inflicted.

I rarely submit edits for typos and stuff, coz it's not worth the effort, but I had to for that story to make it readable. I've got half a dozen stories from that period which to this day have html coding that didn't work, and not a single soul has commented about that.

I don't think readers care about formatting anywhere near as much as writers do - get on and tell the story, no need to make it pretty! I might have a word or two in italics these days, but generally get by without any.

For the 750 word story, there was a good reason for wanting specific formatting, so I have gone for it.

Looking forward to it. I'm jealous that your splendid Kit character appears dedicated to seducing all the women in Belvoir Street, and doesn't care about the men. Bummer.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Well, the posting shall begin soonish now.

 

[Djmac1031]

Well, the posting shall begin soonish now.

My first one drops late tonight / technically tomorrow. Along with many others I'm sure.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Yeah, my two also. Or my two, too. Or is it, my two to, oh bother, English is so confusing.

My first one drops late tonight / technically tomorrow. Along with many others I'm sure.

 

[Djmac1031]

Yeah, my two also. Or my two, too. Or is it, my two to, oh bother, English is so confusing.

My tutu?

https://imgur.com/a/Fto0eRX

 

[old_prof]

I have one dropping tonight, one tomorrow night.