Short Story Competition Discussion June 2022

Baden

We are now accepting entries for the Summer Solistice Short Story Competition. The deadline for submissions is June ~~22nd~~ 30th at Midnight UTC. Stories will be posted soon thereafter.

General Rules:

1) Entries must be PMed both to me and @Caldwell
2) Max one submission per member.
3) Min 500/Max 5000 words (no exceptions).
4) Must fall under the broad category of short story. No poems or plays.
5) No pornography, trolling, or other obviously inappropriate content.
6) Submissions are to be anonymous. Don't advertise what you've written prior to voting.
7) Entries must not be previously available online.
8) Entries will be posted as discussion OPs and may be commented upon.
9) Comments should focus on stories, not authors, and may be moderated.
10) The winner will be chosen by means of a poll on each story. (Details).

If you have any further questions or comments, post them here. The above rules are not necessarily exhaustive. Clarification on the above may be posted in the discussion below and considered addenda. Read the discussion for a full understanding of how we’ll run this.

... All sounds a bit formal because we want to avoid confusion/controversy. Really though, the emphasis is on creativity, letting our hair down, and having a bit of fun.

180 Proof

:cool: :up:

Michael

Suppose a poll(?) is affixed to the bottom of each submission with three options

3 [ ] "I enjoyed it."
2 [ ] "It's okay."
1 [ ] "Not for me."

How exactly does the poll calculation work? Is it 3 points for "I enjoyed it" and 1 for "Not for me"? That would mean if 4 people read Story A and vote "Not for me" then it will win over Story B that has just a single "I enjoyed it". Is that right?

Baden

↪Michael

It's just a straight poll, right @180 Proof? In which case, easy enough to implement.

Hanover

I'm ready to vote. Are the polls open yet?

Baden

↪Hanover

This is a Wendy's, sir.

Noble Dust

↪Baden

Can I get a plain baked potato please?

Baden

↪Noble Dust

Being an Irish Wendy's, that's all we got, a chara.

Hanover

↪Baden

Perfect. I was famished.

Caldwell

Suppose a poll(?) is affixed to the bottom of each submission with three options

3 [ ] "I enjoyed it."
2 [ ] "It's okay."
1 [ ] "Not for me."

How exactly does the poll calculation work? Is it 3 points for "I enjoyed it" and 1 for "Not for me"? That would mean if 4 people read Story A and vote "Not for me" then it will win over Story B that has just a single "I enjoyed it". Is that right? — Michael

Good catch. No downvotes, just upvotes. Zero point if not liked, 1 point if liked.

What I would add, though, is a feature that can allow multiple upvotes. So, a tie is possible.

Hanover

I'd add in an additional vote option:

1/3 [ ] "Substandard"

This vote will divide that contestant's total score by a third.

180 Proof

@Michael, @Caldwell, @Baden ...

Example (how I conceived the poll might work)

story A – three votes (2pt + 2pts + 1pt, total 5pts)

story B – two votes (3pts + 3pts, total 6 pts)

story C – six votes (1pt + 1pt + 1pt + 1 pt + 1pt + 1pt, total 6pts)

tie – story B & story C (???)

:chin:

Oops, guess each submission tally should be averaged (rounded up) to compare apples & apples: total points ÷ no. votes = score per submission

story A – (5/3) ~2

story B – (6/2) 3

story C – (6/6) 1

winner – story B

Make sense? :wink:

edit:

I wouldn't close poll until every submission receives a number of votes equal to one-quarter(?) of the total number of submissions e.g. 12 stories, minumum 3(?) votes each before closing the poll. :sweat:

Baden

↪180 Proof

If you're volunteeing to do all this maths then fine. Hint, hint...

180 Proof

↪Baden

What maths? (Just a very simple, formatted spreadsheet to automate & record the sums :up: ) :smirk:

Baden

↪180 Proof

Thank you. I'm just putting up the polls. Someone else can figure out who won and PM me. :razz:

180 Proof

↪Baden

I'll gladly do it, just PM each story title with

• number of votes (add)
• total points (add)

I'll do the rest and PM the poll results back pronto! :victory:

180 Proof

@Baden –

(1) You put up the poll after the entrants PM their submissions.

(2) I will build a spreadsheet (or whatever) and when I'm ready you start the voting phase. All votes PMed to Baden & 180 Proof.

(3) I'll do my "maths" thing, and when polls close (after each story has minimum votes), I'll send you the results.

(4) You (and/or @Caldwell) make the final call.

How's that? :smile:

Caldwell

I'd add in an additional vote option:

1/3 [ ] "Substandard"
This vote will divide that contestant's total score by a third. — Hanover

Haha! No mercy? :sweat:

@Baden -- for a quick description, please add the genre of each submission in the post.

@180 Proof -- is the layer of calculation to provide for how strongly a voter likes the story?

Baden

↪180 Proof

All good, but you don't have to do anything in advance. All the votes can be seen as we progress and when the discussions close they're finalized, only at which point the spreadsheet is needed. We on the same page?

Baden

↪Caldwell

I think posters should provide the genres in case I label them in a way they object to.

Baden

Of course, history has shown this competition always goes smoothly and without controversy, so I'm sure it will be fine. :monkey:

Baden

@180 Proof

Sample here. https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/13064/sample-story . Please vote on the sample everyone, so we make sure we get this straight.

180 Proof

↪Baden

Hmm, but then voting isn't secret – more like a "like" button. The most "likes" wins? :chin:

Baden -- for a quick description, please add the genre of each submission in the post. — Caldwell

IMO, genre is a marketing label more than anything else. Kinda biases prospective readers, don't you think?

@180 Proof -- is the layer of calculation to provide for how strongly a voter likes the story?

Each voters gets to vote on more than one and up to all stories registering their subjective preferences rather than have to, in effect, choose which story they think is "the best". Any calculation is to score average satisfaction with each story and then compare those satisfaction scores to determine which story or stories in the contest are most satisfying to the readers rather "which is best" (whatever that means).

Baden

↪180 Proof

There's no practical way to make voting secret. E.g There's no option in the software. That's all we got.

180 Proof

↪Baden

Yes, I forgot about that little SNAFU as we 'muricans say. I guess I imagined each reader sending a PM after they read each story prompted with the three preference options at the bottom of the post ... but folks won't do that reliably I suppose. Well, let's affix an active poll to each submission as your example suggests. I think it's more important to allow readers multiple, weighted "likes" than to set up a poll to "perfectly" eliminate all bias (or worse). I'll do the maths, Baden, and PM you / Caldwell the raw numbers and the final scores and then you / Caldwell will make the call. Numbers aren't final till you / Caldwell announce them (I'm just a lowly scribe & scribbler at this shindig.)

Caldwell

I think posters should provide the genres in case I label them in a way they object to. — Baden

:up:

Sample here. https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/13064/sample-story . Please vote on the sample everyone, so we make sure we get this straight. — Baden

So, you can't hide the results?

Any calculation is to score average satisfaction with each story and then compare those satisfaction scores to determine which story or stories in the contest are most satisfying to the readers rather "which is best" (whatever that means). — 180 Proof

Okay.

Noble Dust

Still not sure about this new voting system but I’m curious to see how it pans out.

Banno

But it's not summer.

Jamal

↪Banno

Good point.

Merry Christmas to all our members down under!

Bird-Up

I assume these short stories should have something to do with philosophy? Nothing more specific than that? (Aside from the general rules.)

Caldwell

4) Must fall under the broad category of short story. No poems or plays.
5) No pornography, trolling, or other obviously inappropriate content. — Baden

↪Bird-Up

Please see above. :)

But it's not summer. — Banno

Hi Banno.

Short Story Competition Discussion June 2022

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