[Mar 2018] - Letters - Voting Thread

[xiagan]

I thought I had until Sunday! 

[ScarletBea]

I might have said you had until Sunday... but then I thought everyone had voted already

Anyway... *drum roll*

Dreams of the Silver Tree  -  Jmack --> 10
A Final Hope  -  Carter --> 9
Nothing Left  -  Alex Hormann --> 6
Wild West Hunt  -  Nora --> 5
Gone In the Ashes  -  NightWrite --> 3
Men go to Mars; Woman goes to Venus  -  D_Bates --> 2
The Heart, and the Heartless  -  Norman Gray --> 2
Letter to a Respected Foe  -  The Gem Cutter --> 2
Shadow of Death  -  Feanor --> 1
<no title>  -  Bender --> 1
The Beanley Public Rainbow  -  bdcharles --> 0

[ScarletBea]

Congrats @JMack!

I have to say that the top 2 fought valiantly, hehe, @Carter you were always close and ahead at times!

And I voted for the top 3
@Alex Hormann, I've noticed I always love your stories when you don't write poetry
And @Nora, you almost got my vote, great story.

(we had 14 votes)

[xiagan]

Congrats, Jmack!

Very good stories, all in all. I had a hard time getting down to three!

[Eclipse]

I Thought @Carter  was one of the best monthly contest stories I’ve read here, reminded me a lot of K.J .Parker short stories

My second vote went to @Nora

And my last vote went to @D_Bates

[The Gem Cutter]

Congrats Jmack

[JMack]

Very exciting to wake up to this. Thanks all who voted for my Chalk and Cheese twins. . There was so much more I wanted to do with it, but, you know, 1,500 words. And lots of little things to fix as I scan it over.

I’d have been perfectly happy to have @Carter’s story win. I voted for it and Alex’s, and went back re-read them this morning. Carter’s was even better than I’d remembered. Basically, an entire epic trilogy in one letter! 

[Nora]

Thanks to all my five voters! It was a hard sell rescuscitating an old character of mine, so I'm glad the gamble worked at all!
I voted for Jmack and Hormann this month! Great stuff!!

[Carter]

Congratulations Jmack.  A fine story to take the win.  Also well done to everyone again this month after a potentially tricky theme. 

And thank you to Jmack and Eclipse for the comments, and all those who voted for my entry.  It was the first story in a while where I have actually felt like I am enjoying my writing again so it is all much appreciated. 

[D_Bates]

Grats JMack.

This was my top vote as well, and very well deserved. I have lots to say on this one, so stay tuned!

This was the first month I was harshly critical on the theme, whereby I excluded a lot of stories immediately because they felt to have subverted the theme by using the letter as a plot point, or just forced one in for the sake of it, when the challenge was to write an actual letter.

I can't quite remember all the stories off-hand, by I do recall thinking JMack's and Nightwrite's were far and away ahead of the pack and some of the best writing I've seen from both participants, where JMack's just edged the primary spot for a few smaller details that made his piece literal perfection.

My last vote was a toss-up between a handful of entries, but Gemcutter's came out on top, where there was an underlying cleverness to the story that I'm sure was entirely accidental, but is something I'll again go into detail on for the benefit of development thoughts come Tuesday when I have time for feedback.

But yeah, a really tough month this, but I was pleasantly surprised with the way in which a lot of people ran with it.

[Alex Hormann]

Congratulations Jmack, and thanks to everyone who voted for my story.

These monthly challenges are the perfect creative diversion from all the academic stuff I've been forced to do recently. (Even if sometimes all I can get out is a short poem. )

[Lady Ty]

Hearty congratulations @JMack, are you the writer with the most contributions to the contest now, with no month missed out? I suspect you must be, well done anyway.

This month my votes went to @Carter, @Nora and @D_Bates. Thank you specially and also to writers of all the other stories which I enjoyed, while recognising it was a difficult theme.

@D_Bates, as you are English living in UK *you will understand when I mention you got a vote for several reasons but also for a Sir Humphrey brave decision.

* Shouldn't assume. 

[Eclipse]

This month my votes went to @Carter, @Nora and @D_Bates. Thank you specially and also to writers of all the other stories which I enjoyed, while recognising it was a difficult theme.

Copy cat with your votes, you really should listen to me more 😛

Lady Ty and me both voted for Nora, Bea nearly did so did Nora get nearly all the non-writers vote?

[Lady Ty]

  I noticed that @Eclipse when I read the thread. I also noticed your comment on voting patterns just now. It is so long now I'm not sure I have the patience to go back all the way and check it out.

[JMack]

I do have the most wins though I suspect it’s only because @Rukaio_Alter hasn’t been active recently. R-A! What’s up?

And I am proud to say I haven’t missed a monthly contest since November 2014.
As of my May entry last night, that’s 42 stories or poems, I think (remember that one monthly contest that stretched across two?) so, obviously, throw enough biscuits against the wall, some of them are going to stick. 

@xiagan and @ScarletBea and the various longtime members have heard this all before, that I never finished any writing before I discovered this contest club, that this has been and is still one the most meaningful creative and social experiences of my life and blah blah blah. And that I’m really grateful, etc. No big deal.

But it is.