Forum Writer of 2012 Competition

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poohcarrot

Sergeant-at-Arms
Sep 13, 2009
8,317
2,300
NOT The land of the risen Son!!
Voting System #3

On Wednesday Feb 8th, entries for the non-native English "Writer of 2012" will close. :dance:

All entries written by non-native English speakers will be posted and voted on. :dance:

The writers can't vote for their own stories. :ugeek:

Everyone voting will submit their three faves ie; First story 3 points, 2nd 2 points, 3rd 1 point. :cool:

After 5 days, the writer of the story with the most points will be crowned one of the THREE forum writers of the year and their name will be revealed. :ugeek:

Non-native English speakers may still submit stories after Feb 8th, but they will be entered into the native English speakers section, for which entries finish on Valentine's day. :cool:
:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
 

Jan Van Quirm

Sergeant-at-Arms
Nov 7, 2008
8,524
2,800
Dunheved, Kernow
www.janhawke.me.uk
poohcarrot said:
Jan Van Quirm said:
[ I see all this controversy over how to vote has had an adverse effect on the entry rate. What a surprise... :rolleyes: :twisted:
No, it hasn't Jan. You're talking pants! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
There you go into De Nile yet again :laugh: The evidence of the last couple of pages says it all - 3 entries, but that's OK. Put your dainty size 15s down and take no nonsense from us smartyPANTS. ;)
 

poohcarrot

Sergeant-at-Arms
Sep 13, 2009
8,317
2,300
NOT The land of the risen Son!!
34 Untitled II

Could you tell me please, the rules
To understand the minds of fools?
I fear that I am at a loss
With people who don't care a toss!
And though I try to understand
All people - From whatever Land,
I cannot fathom the minds of men
Who'll make the rules - and then break them!
Or further still who will change their mind
Just on a whim! - and you will find -
The rules that seemed to be set in stone
Are actually on a bed of loam!
And though you try to follow rules
You cannot - in a land of fools!
 

poohcarrot

Sergeant-at-Arms
Sep 13, 2009
8,317
2,300
NOT The land of the risen Son!!
The number of stories are dropping off because there is a core of posters in this thread who have posted a lot of stories and comments. There have been no new people recently either posting comments or stories. Because this thread was unceremoniously shunted off to the backwaters of the forum, a lot of people don't know it exists. :cool:

The only way to get more stories is to advertise in the Broken Drum making people aware of this thread. :dance: :dance:

Leave it to me. I'm on the case! :cool: :laugh: :laugh:
 

Willem

Sergeant
Jan 11, 2010
1,201
2,600
Weert, The Netherlands
The well of inspiration might just have dried up a bit - we don't know if there'd have been more entries if there hadn't been a change right? :)

Although there might be a flood of new stories after the non-native deadline passes from those who want to run with the big boys instead of being forced to stay in the kiddie pool.

Voting on your own stories... that's a bit of a hard one. If I can't vote for my own story and want to win, I shouldn't vote for any story since that would up the score of others without doing anything for myself.
I'd amend the rules:
1) no voting on your own stories
2) to be eligable to win, you have to vote
3) voting through PMs, without any subtotals announced

Reason for 1) seems clear enough. 2) makes sure that I do vote, even though giving other people points reduce my chances of winning. 3) makes sure that I don't just vote for the 3 stories that have lowest rank to increase my own chances. Although a potential competitive writer could just vote for the 3 he thinks are worst... then again, if everyone does that, the worst will win.
 

poohcarrot

Sergeant-at-Arms
Sep 13, 2009
8,317
2,300
NOT The land of the risen Son!!
35 no title for this one

She watched him care for her little girl’s scraped knee after falling off the swing.
She longed to help, but couldn’t.
She watched them sleep, get up, get dressed and go out.
She watched them come home again.
She cherished the daily rituals and the surprises.
She watched them all, up close yet from a terrible distance.
She watched them play in the garden grass, tickling, laughing.
It filled her with mirth and sorrow beyond comprehension.
And as they got into the car to visit her grave she wondered if she missed them more than they missed her, and cried.
 

poohcarrot

Sergeant-at-Arms
Sep 13, 2009
8,317
2,300
NOT The land of the risen Son!!
36 Adorabelle One (to the tune of 'I will survive')

Gods I was appalled. I was just so stumped.
Kept wond'ring how I could put off the time till I got dumped.
I spent, oh, so many hours, in planning how to keep you sweet.
How to come back - when you knocked me off my feet!.
So, hey, you win! I'm out of ploys!
You see there's way too much gone on between us that can still annoy.
I should have called for Mr. Pump - that might have made you let me in,
Not put me down and out and bleeding from a right hook to my chin.
 

poohcarrot

Sergeant-at-Arms
Sep 13, 2009
8,317
2,300
NOT The land of the risen Son!!
37 To Sam (to the tune of 'Stand by Your Man')

I know it's tough when you're a Watchman
Proceeding down the mean streets all night.
I'll tend the dragons
While you quaff flagons
Down at the Broken Drum, in all the fights.
And if you quibble
Over nibbles
Down at the Palace with all the nobs,
I'll be right by you
Not carping at you
'Cos after all it's just your job.

Samuel Vimes
I know you love this city
Through all the nitty gritty,
When all the rest are falling.
And I'll be there
To go that extra mile.
You can always trust that I'll
Stand by my Sam.
 

poohcarrot

Sergeant-at-Arms
Sep 13, 2009
8,317
2,300
NOT The land of the risen Son!!
38 Change the World

The 1%, with control of the media.
The 1% breed fear and hysteria,
Blame the "A-rabs", the "Chinkies", the "Frenchies", the "Blacks."
The 1% pay low rates of tax.
The 1% say scrap all your healthcare,
Leave you struggling to live, having cut off your welfare.
The 1% fight wars in your name,
But you do their killing and it's you who gets maimed.
The 1% praise the Lord, raise the Cross,
But care not for Jesus, just profit and loss.
The American dream still rings loud and true
For the 1%. Sadly.....there's no chance for you.

OCCUPY TOMORROW!
 

poohcarrot

Sergeant-at-Arms
Sep 13, 2009
8,317
2,300
NOT The land of the risen Son!!
39 School Project

"School project huh? OK, I'll tell you what I think, but some people might regard what I say as heresy.

He lived two thousand years ago. Some say he was the son of God, but I believe he was just a freedom fighter fighting an empire that spanned the world. He had a beard, wore his hair long and lived a simple life. But what he said and did struck at the heart of everything the empire stood for, so the empire eventually killed him.

Right! Enough! It's bed time! Osama bless you. See you tomorrow, insha'allah.

Feb 2, 4012.
 

Batty

Sergeant
Feb 17, 2009
4,154
2,600
East Anglia
Don't tell me, you've gone high tech!

Are you planning to put all the entries in a bucket, and promising not to look, pull the lucky winner out?

The lucky lottery winner will therefore be totally random! :think: :whistle:
 

poohcarrot

Sergeant-at-Arms
Sep 13, 2009
8,317
2,300
NOT The land of the risen Son!!
40 You Can't Keep a Good Man Down

Will Riker’s eyes flicked open and closed then opened again, slower. Looking up from his medbed Seven of Nine’s face swam into focus. His attention was caught by the sickbay lights reflecting off the metallic surface of the implant that curved over the ex-drone’s brow. He reached up to touch it with trembling fingertips.“Jewellery?” he asked in a whispered croak.
“Implant,” Seven corrected, moving his hand “I am... I was... Borg.”
Riker’s eyes searched hers then slid down to take in the rest of her statuesque form. “Maybe assimilation wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all,” he speculated.
 

stripy_tie

Lance-Corporal
Oct 21, 2011
256
2,275
Guernsey, Land of Sea and Granite
poohcarrot said:
What we need is a group of impartial people who don't know us, who would be willing to judge our entries. :dance:

In return, we would judge their entries in their competition running parallel to this one. :cool:
Do you know of any literary minded forums that would be up for running a parallel competition? You'd have to close this competition to new entries a while before they closed theirs so that both competitions were open for the same amount of time.

You'd also have to be sure that none of the entrants on this forum have accounts on the other forum so they can't vote or submit entries in both competitions. Not that I think any of our members are that sneaky of course.

It seems like every new voting system creates a logistical headache :(
 

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