View Poll Results: Please vote for the story you like best by December 31st.

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  • You Ooze, You Lose

    7 11.48%
  • Playing the Piano

    6 9.84%
  • Kim and Me

    19 31.15%
  • The Story of Remembering

    9 14.75%
  • Forever Young

    20 32.79%
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Thread: 2011 Short Story Competition Final

  1. #31
    Registered User DieterM's Avatar
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    Great stories, all of them, and the choice has been hard. But one has to choose. Luckily, I didn't hand in one of my stories... would've been forced to vote for me ;-) And now, I'll have to wait for the outcome. I'm not a patient person so, please, can time hurry up a bit?
    "Im Arm der Liebe schliefen wir selig ein…" ("Liebesode" - Otto Erich Hartleben)
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  2. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by SilentMute View Post
    I used to share this sentiment...until I lost the fifth grade class presidency. It was between me and another girl. She won by one vote. Now, I didn't actually want to be class president, so I didn't really care. However, I appreciated the fact that if you really want to win something, you should probably vote for yourself. So if I ever run for President of the United States, you can be sure I'll remember this lesson from fifth grade, and vote for myself.

    The only thing I would mind is if a person had several identities on LitNet, and they were using them to vote for their story. It is one thing to vote for yourself once, but that would be dishonest. Ditto, telling your friends that you've submitted a story--or writing a story about something you've told your friends so they could correctly guess it is your story, would be dishonest...and against the rules.

    Of course, the problem is, I suppose, is that if your friends are familiar with your writing style, they can probably correctly guess even if you haven't said anything. I know zoolane's style, so I guessed correctly what stories were hers. She abided by the rules. I don't know how easy it is to change your style or if it is possible, since your writing is an extension of yourself.

    However, I choose to believe in everyone's integrity here. These were all great stories. I voted for many of them in the past, and even if I didn't vote for them--I still thought they were good, but something appealed to my interests more.
    I agree with most. You touched on one important point, however. We have no alternative but to trust the integrity of the voters because even if the PIN is used to establish identity, it varies with computers.

  3. #33
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    Yeah. For instance, this poster is also Jerrybaldy, cafolini, hillwalker and WolfLarsen, so he can vote five times.







    J

  4. #34
    a dark soul Haunted's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SilentMute View Post
    I used to share this sentiment...until I lost the fifth grade class presidency. It was between me and another girl. She won by one vote. Now, I didn't actually want to be class president, so I didn't really care. However, I appreciated the fact that if you really want to win something, you should probably vote for yourself. So if I ever run for President of the United States, you can be sure I'll remember this lesson from fifth grade, and vote for myself.
    The difference between voting for presidenct and here is, we are talking about tens of millions of votes for president, so one vote won't skew the results. But here we only get a handful of votes, and with some just off by one vote, it means win or lose. it's not a fair competition if the writer artificially bumps up votes for himself. That got to be a rule against that. This is important because prize money is involved.

    I remember reading from a young poster who entered in a previous contest thinking he came up last and I could tell his self-esteem suffered. But that's not true. The writer of another SS voted for himself/herself. Had that been disallowed, that self voter's story would have been last. I just felt some injustice was done to this young poster.

    The problem with everybody casting their own vote is, it doesnt' take a genius to figure out who wrote which story through the process of deduction. It'll be a dead giveaway if theirs is the only vote. All I'm saying is, this practice is so not kosher.

    Quote Originally Posted by cafolini View Post
    I agree with most. You touched on one important point, however. We have no alternative but to trust the integrity of the voters because even if the PIN is used to establish identity, it varies with computers.
    It's really a matter of matching the voters names to the person who submitted the story. The mods know who they are. We don't need the FBI.
    Last edited by Haunted; 12-19-2011 at 08:31 PM.

    "But do you really, seriously, Major Scobie," Dr. Sykes asked, "believe in hell?"
    "Oh, yes, I do."
    "In flames and torment?"
    "Perhaps not quite that. They tell us it may be a permanent sense of loss."
    "That sort of hell wouldn't worry me," Fellowes said.
    "Perhaps you've never lost anything of importance," Scobie said.

  5. #35
    running amok Sancho's Avatar
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    For what it’s worth, El Sancho’s vote is not for sale. And also, I do not have a horse in this race. I did submit a story earlier this year – it was about an orphan, a convict, and a baseball game – but it was eliminated, and although I voted in that go-around, I voted against myself. I voted for a story that I thought was better than the one that I wrote. Sadly, it was also eliminated. But hey, that’s the way the cookie crumbles.
    Uhhhh...

  6. #36
    Registered User SilentMute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Haunted View Post
    The problem with everybody casting their own vote is, it doesnt' take a genius to figure out who wrote which story through the process of deduction. It'll be a dead giveaway if theirs is the only vote. All I'm saying is, this practice is so not kosher.



    It's really a matter of matching the voters names to the person who submitted the story. The mods know who they are. We don't need the FBI.
    I never agreed with showing who voted for what story because I did think it might influence other people. I do think the mods have the option to not show who voted for which story, and that might be a good thing to alter.

    If a person voted every month, even if they submitted a story and voted for themselves, I don't know if it would be easy to tell. Even if you know the person will vote for themselves, you don't necessarily know if they are this time if they vote every month (unless they have a distinctive writing style). Their story could have been eliminated early on.

    I knew your story when it was submitted into the competition because you are friends with my mom. My mom and I tend to discuss our friends. However, I did take into account that maybe if you had told other people about your love life, one of them had been inspired to write a story about you. However, the point is, if you wrote a story about something that you have told other people about which could help them guess...that is just as revealing as someone who always votes for themselves.
    I don't care if the glass is half full or half empty, I'm just glad to have a glass.

  7. #37
    Registered User Jassy Melson's Avatar
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    When your story is the best one submitted you have not only a right but an obligation to vote for your story.
    Dostoevsky gives me more than any scientist.

    Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world. - Albert Einstein

  8. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by Haunted View Post
    The difference between voting for presidenct and here is, we are talking about tens of millions of votes for president, so one vote won't skew the results. But here we only get a handful of votes, and with some just off by one vote, it means win or lose. it's not a fair competition if the writer artificially bumps up votes for himself. That got to be a rule against that. This is important because prize money is involved.

    I remember reading from a young poster who entered in a previous contest thinking he came up last and I could tell his self-esteem suffered. But that's not true. The writer of another SS voted for himself/herself. Had that been disallowed, that self voter's story would have been last. I just felt some injustice was done to this young poster.

    The problem with everybody casting their own vote is, it doesnt' take a genius to figure out who wrote which story through the process of deduction. It'll be a dead giveaway if theirs is the only vote. All I'm saying is, this practice is so not kosher.



    It's really a matter of matching the voters names to the person who submitted the story. The mods know who they are. We don't need the FBI.
    True, but it's an inmense job with many variables and turns and someone has to be trusted somehow.
    Anyway. The most important thing is that the stories are published and have been selected with some degree of sense. Have fun.

  9. #39
    a dark soul Haunted's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SilentMute View Post
    I knew your story when it was submitted into the competition because you are friends with my mom. My mom and I tend to discuss our friends. However, I did take into account that maybe if you had told other people about your love life, one of them had been inspired to write a story about you. However, the point is, if you wrote a story about something that you have told other people about which could help them guess...that is just as revealing as someone who always votes for themselves.
    I did because I was a clear loser towards the end day it was third place by a huge and unrecoverable margin. They delete entries as soon as it closes and I didn't plan on reposting so I told her to check it out before it disappears. It was fiction by the way and not biological and it's hearsay. Whoever been inspired to write about me wouldn't really be writing about me for the fact that it's fiction. I would like to know who. But I'm immensely flattered.

    For what its worth most of my poetry is things I made up as well, except for the dead people and pets...if you ever read it and wondered.
    Last edited by Haunted; 12-20-2011 at 12:18 PM.

    "But do you really, seriously, Major Scobie," Dr. Sykes asked, "believe in hell?"
    "Oh, yes, I do."
    "In flames and torment?"
    "Perhaps not quite that. They tell us it may be a permanent sense of loss."
    "That sort of hell wouldn't worry me," Fellowes said.
    "Perhaps you've never lost anything of importance," Scobie said.

  10. #40
    Registered User SilentMute's Avatar
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    @Haunted--well that's a relief. I was actually worried when I read the story that you were considering offing yourself. However, I remembered when I was thirteen, I used to write poems about committing suicide. I was just venting and enjoyed the scenarios of everyone being sorry for driving me to such a desperate act. I never had any intention of doing it.
    I don't care if the glass is half full or half empty, I'm just glad to have a glass.

  11. #41
    sound of music soundofmusic's Avatar
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    I actually think that the system here is pretty fair considering it is a small contest; and if I had entered a story, I would definitly vote for myself. I think people vote according to personal tastes. I read some of the more popular stories when they first came out, they weren't to my taste. Some had flair, some had a bit of sex (which always sells...even here on litnet); but I didn't think they were well put together. I sometimes wonder what would happen if Shakespeare, Ayn Rand, and Stephen King entered on here.

    And Jack, if you are all those personalities..shame on you

  12. #42
    a dark soul Haunted's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SilentMute View Post
    @Haunted--well that's a relief. I was actually worried when I read the story that you were considering offing yourself. However, I remembered when I was thirteen, I used to write poems about committing suicide. I was just venting and enjoyed the scenarios of everyone being sorry for driving me to such a desperate act. I never had any intention of doing it.
    hell no, quite the contrary. I had some windows replaced and I was so mad the way it turned out, I was ready to kill someone. I started writing things down and then I said to myself, what if I weave a story into it, add some drama... Anyway no more stories from me.

    I have a few poems about suicides too. Twice in my life I almost did. I like the option though. Sadly no one would be sorry if I were gone. So I'm going to stick around for a bit longer and annoy the hell out of them

    "But do you really, seriously, Major Scobie," Dr. Sykes asked, "believe in hell?"
    "Oh, yes, I do."
    "In flames and torment?"
    "Perhaps not quite that. They tell us it may be a permanent sense of loss."
    "That sort of hell wouldn't worry me," Fellowes said.
    "Perhaps you've never lost anything of importance," Scobie said.

  13. #43
    Registered User SilentMute's Avatar
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    @Haunted--oh, I wouldn't say that. I don't even know you, and I was initially traumatized until I remembered my teenage angst.

    I gave my teachers and school counselors a good scare in my youth. What I could never figure out was why they were so worried about me when there were kids who were in gangs and such.
    I don't care if the glass is half full or half empty, I'm just glad to have a glass.

  14. #44
    a dark soul Haunted's Avatar
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    Are you saying my dumb story upset you? Is so I'm sorry. The end implies the character was saved. I don't read too much into stories people write as from their own personal life. Otherwise there will be a lot of psychotic sadistic killers on Litnet.

    I think your school has done the right thing. Saving a good kid's life is more rewarding then trying to reform kids in gangs, they usually stay with the gangs anyway. But that would make a good story with a theme similar to Sophia's Choice.

    "But do you really, seriously, Major Scobie," Dr. Sykes asked, "believe in hell?"
    "Oh, yes, I do."
    "In flames and torment?"
    "Perhaps not quite that. They tell us it may be a permanent sense of loss."
    "That sort of hell wouldn't worry me," Fellowes said.
    "Perhaps you've never lost anything of importance," Scobie said.

  15. #45
    sound of music soundofmusic's Avatar
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    Yeah, the school counselors had me traumatized about my daughters suicide stories; sneaking around trying to find her diaries, then trying to break the codes she used...

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