The 2026 [lit] 750 Word Project Support Thread

[Bn2f]

I know this is a 'support thread' and I've gone on record before as claiming that the 750 word challenge can be a good writer's exercise, but I'd like to tap the brakes on this one a moment and urge some reflection.

May I suggest to you and others that maybe, just maybe, it's time for the now 8 year old 750 Word Challenge to mature into a judged contest?
No? What is even the criteria for a 'good to great' 750? There are enough contests as is?
Well then, IMHO your plea for better quality and constrained judgment on hitting submit is sadly destined to fall on deaf ears.

 

[NoTalentHack]

Mine went up today in LW, a very mild BTB with just a soupçon of scorch: The Unjust Man.

 

[Trionyx]

May I suggest to you and others that maybe, just maybe, it's time for the now 8 year old 750 Word Challenge to mature into a judged contest?
No? What is even the criteria for a 'good to great' 750? There are enough contests as is?
Well then, IMHO your plea for better quality and constrained judgment on hitting submit is sadly destined to fall on deaf ears.

Nude Day contest is probably the least popular. Maybe put a 750 contest in its place?

 

[k_east]

Honestly I had expected for mine to be low-rated (and probably my lowest rated story) since these 750 word stories usually don't get a ton of love from readers. But I am pleasantly surprised that people seem to enjoy it and it managed to get the red H tag
: )

 

[anthrodisiac]

Honestly I had expected for mine to be low-rated (and probably my lowest rated story) since these 750 word stories usually don't get a ton of love from readers. But I am pleasantly surprised that people seem to enjoy it and it managed to get the red H tag
: )

For shame, using a handicap stall

Good story, though. Nice job!

 

[k_east]

For shame, using a handicap stall

Good story, though. Nice job!

Ha! Fair, fair.

Thanks! Glad you liked it!

 

[intothebrothel]

Anybody know how Literotica counts words? Google Docs says 750, Word says 751, Lit says 749. I'm assuming the discrepancy is down to hyphens or emdashes.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Anybody know how Literotica counts words? Google Docs says 750, Word says 751, Lit says 749. I'm assuming the discrepancy is down to hyphens or emdashes.

My belief is Lit words are counted by the space at the end - so a dash counts as a word.

 

[intothebrothel]

My belief is Lit words are counted by the space at the end - so a dash counts as a word.

(*^^*) What's done is done, I guess. We'll see if it shows up in the March 1st anthology

 

[NikkijMaadison]

I am kind of new to the 750-word challenge. It's fun, and I enjoy writing them. Three have been published so far, another will be published tomorrow, one is pending, and another will be submitted in the morning. Mine you, I am not complaining, but how do you figure out the voting patterns?

Is it normal for a story to zoom high in the category due to the regular category readers pushing it upwards? Then the readers who are searching for the 750-word project tag vote. Are the votes based on the story, or perhaps the readers' like or dislike for the category... or is my question even relevant?

My three stories are hovering around 4.5 - one is over, two are near. All three were over 4.5 at one time. My stories seem to be on par with the number of views they normally receive.

Will the scores dramatically change after March 1?

I enjoy writing. I am not seeking high accolades. I know my writing limitations.

Just trying to learn.

 

[intothebrothel]

Will the scores dramatically change after March 1?

I'm wondering the same thing. I assume there will be a big wave at the beginning of March

 

[ElectricBlue]

I am kind of new to the 750-word challenge. It's fun, and I enjoy writing them. Three have been published so far, another will be published tomorrow, one is pending, and another will be submitted in the morning. Mine you, I am not complaining, but how do you figure out the voting patterns?

Is it normal for a story to zoom high in the category due to the regular category readers pushing it upwards? Then the readers who are searching for the 750-word project tag vote. Are the votes based on the story, or perhaps the readers' like or dislike for the category... or is my question even relevant?

In my experience, yes, followed by another wave coming in on tags and the anthology listing, which can often be detrimental to your scores. Readers wander into unfamiliar territory, "Eek, I don't like that," and immediately drop down the page to drop you a lower score. Being only 750 words, that's no effort for readers, and your Vote per View ratio can be a little higher.

My three stories are hovering around 4.5 - one is over, two are near. All three were over 4.5 at one time. My stories seem to be on par with the number of views they normally receive.

They're pretty good scores for 750 word stories - most authors here tend to report lower scores with 750 worders. To be honest, I think 750 word stories can be, overall, a more honest appreciation of your writing, simply because it is so easy to vote, and the likelihood of votes being swept is much lower.

Folk won't like hearing that notion, obviously.

Will the scores dramatically change after March 1?

Probably - generally I would say, lower. There's a bunch of readers who dislike the 750 word anthologies, or don't understand the purpose, but read them anyway.

I enjoy writing. I am not seeking high accolades. I know my writing limitations.

They're a good writers' exercise for sure, not so good for a lot of readers.

 

[NikkijMaadison]

Thank you for your insight.

Age is No Obstacle
A Risk and A Mystery
Happy Cocktails

 

[BrightShinyGirl]

Learning the Ropes published!

 

[IWroteThis]

My last-minute idea is scheduled for tomorrow, so going out with a bang. I'll just have to wait and see if it explodes or implodes…

 

[Trionyx]

Against my better judgement, I dropped another one with a Pink Orchid theme. Doubt it will do at all well.

 

[IWroteThis]

My last-minute idea is scheduled for tomorrow, so going out with a bang. I'll just have to wait and see if it explodes or implodes…

It went live this morning, and I'm fairly happy with the response. However, I noticed that the rating seemed to be more in line with the comments than my others this year, which is when I realized that I forgot to put 750 in the title like I usually do. Now, I'm left wondering if the difference is because the project is drawing to a close, or if I had invited a bunch of low votes by advertising the word count…

Don't get me wrong, I like good ratings, but I care more about the comments, so it's not a big deal to me. It's just an observation and curiosity.

Until next year!

 

[Rob_Royale]

As usual this project was a lot of fun. @Duleigh, thanks for running it. There's something a little bit therapeutic about these little story bits.

 

[Shady_Lady]

At the last count, I have nearly 200 stories here that I have posted on this site over the last 23 years. I had never bothered with contests here, so I decided to dip my toe in and test the water. I entered the 750-word challenge and decided on the shotgun approach, so I entered 26 stories in 26 different categories.

I will be interested to see what changes there are to the scores when the list is announced on March 1st.

 

[Duleigh]

I finally did it - I usually post late trying to get my entries to be near the 28th but I get excited and post earlier than I plan
This year I finally did it! My annual Lunar New Year 750 word story popped up today - Feb 28. Batting clean-up you might say.
Happy Year of the Horse!!!

 

[Duleigh]

I entered the 750-word challenge and decided on the shotgun approach, so I entered 26 stories in 26 different categories.

Amazing!!! Congratulations! and Thank You!
I've only met one other person who tried that, and she got close but didn't make it.
I tried a First Person perspective, a second person perspective and a third person perspective. I got First and Third but my second person perspective story was horrible so I scrapped it. Maybe next year.

 

[NikkijMaadison]

At the last count, I have nearly 200 stories here that I have posted on this site over the last 23 years. I had never bothered with contests here, so I decided to dip my toe in and test the water. I entered the 750-word challenge and decided on the shotgun approach, so I entered 26 stories in 26 different categories.

I will be interested to see what changes there are to the scores when the list is announced on March 1st.

Wow, and I thought doing six was a lot. will read yours for sure ... and others.

 

[NikkijMaadison]

Do the scores dip or rise after the list is printed on the 1st?

 

[NikkijMaadison]

Amazing!!! Congratulations! and Thank You!
I've only met one other person who tried that, and she got close but didn't make it.
I tried a First Person perspective, a second person perspective and a third person perspective. I got First and Third but my second person perspective story was horrible so I scrapped it. Maybe next year.

Thank you for managing the challenge.

I had fun writing my stories.

I have one more, but it won't be finished in time, so I'm expanding it. and will submit later.

 

[MillieDynamite]

The 750 is a challenge and not a contest. So no placement issues on this one. But impressive on all counts, total stories, total tales in this one, and lasting 23 years, WOW!

At the last count, I have nearly 200 stories here that I have posted on this site over the last 23 years. I had never bothered with contests here, so I decided to dip my toe in and test the water. I entered the 750-word challenge and decided on the shotgun approach, so I entered 26 stories in 26 different categories.

I will be interested to see what changes there are to the scores when the list is announced on March 1st.