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Black and White Boys  [message #72740] Sat, 11 March 2017 17:19 Go to next message
timmy

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Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



This challenge seems to have proved more challenging than some. I make absolutely no apology for that. Part of a writing challenge is to come out of one's comfort zone and write about something unfamiliar.

We have three very different tales. I commend each to you, and for different reasons. I have my thoughts on each, of course I do. Setting those aside, if this were a contest instead of a challenge is it true that a short story is likely to garner more opinions than a long single chapter story, and that more opinions than a multi-chapter story?

It is not a contest, of course. The overall voting is purely for fun.

[Updated on: Sun, 12 March 2017 07:46]




Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: Black and White Boys  [message #72743 is a reply to message #72740] Sun, 12 March 2017 07:19 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Bisexual_Guy is currently offline  Bisexual_Guy

Likes it here
Location: USA Midwest
Registered: September 2015
Messages: 152



I have read the story by Rick Masters and loved it!  As life permits, I look forward to reading the other two stories.
Re: Black and White Boys  [message #72759 is a reply to message #72743] Sat, 18 March 2017 18:23 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Rick is currently offline  Rick

Getting started
Location: Essex
Registered: October 2016
Messages: 7



Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed my story and hope you took the time to vote on it.  I also hope you have managed to read the other two and vote on your choices between them.



Rick
I am confused  [message #72782 is a reply to message #72740] Sat, 01 April 2017 15:38 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



I'm somewhat confused by the results. Let's be clear, I'm not criticising the authors with my confusion. I'm just confused.First the overall voting. 20 people voted for each category. That's low compared with previous totals. I am wondering why that is. I've created this post for it to be discussed.

Here are the overall results:

Which two stories interpreted the picture best
  • Dura et Pulsans (12) 60%
  • Homosexual (2) 10%
  • Nick Park (14) 70%

Which are your favourite two stories?
  • Dura et Pulsans (10) 50%
  • Homosexual (9) 45%
  • Nick Park (12) 60%

The individual polls for each tale, though:
  • Dura et Pulsans - 29 people filled out the survey
  • Homosexual - 39 people filled out the survey
  • Nick Park  - 16 people filled out the survey

These numbers seem odd compared with the overall results.

[Updated on: Sat, 01 April 2017 15:45]




Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: I am confused  [message #72783 is a reply to message #72782] Sat, 01 April 2017 16:22 Go to previous messageGo to next message
William King is currently offline  William King

Toe is in the water

Registered: October 2016
Messages: 98



Tim,
I believe you could improve how people vote, which might make voting simpler. At present the voting for best matched the picture/theme and best story overall is separate from the list of categories for each story. Perhaps if these were together, listed under each story, so after reading the story you tick all the categories that you thought applied, you then rate the story as to how well it matched the picture/theme and give the story an overall rating. You would have to change the matched picture/theme and overall rating to a mark out of 5, then add the marks at the end.

What seems to have happened this time round is that a lot of people read, completed the category markings but not the overall, or visa versa. I guess in summary my point is the voting should be simpler and definitely on the same page at the end of the story. Then you vote immediately and aren't directly trying to compare one story to another and trying to remember them, when you maybe read them days apart.

I hope that is clear, in any event it was fun 😊
icon7.gif Re: I am confused  [message #72784 is a reply to message #72783] Sat, 01 April 2017 16:57 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Mark Driver is currently offline  Mark Driver

Getting started
Location: California
Registered: March 2017
Messages: 21



First, thank you Tim for sharing the photo.  At first I was thrown by it, but in the end I saw (as one of my characters admitted) it's quite a special photograph.  This was a great idea to prompt stories. 

I appreciated hearing what you enjoyed about Nick Park.  Your kind thoughts will help me focus on what I did well. 

I hope that a few more will read my sequel, but if not, that's OK too.  As long as a few enjoy it, that means a lot.

I agree with William King that the event was fun.   
Re: I am confused  [message #72785 is a reply to message #72783] Sat, 01 April 2017 17:33 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



"William King wrote on Sat, 01 April 2017 17:22"
Tim,
I believe you could improve how people vote, which might make voting simpler. At present the voting for best matched the picture/theme and best story overall is separate from the list of categories for each story. Perhaps if these were together, listed under each story, so after reading the story you tick all the categories that you thought applied, you then rate the story as to how well it matched the picture/theme and give the story an overall rating. You would have to change the matched picture/theme and overall rating to a mark out of 5, then add the marks at the end.

What seems to have happened this time round is that a lot of people read, completed the category markings but not the overall, or visa versa. I guess in summary my point is the voting should be simpler and definitely on the same page at the end of the story. Then you vote immediately and aren't directly trying to compare one story to another and trying to remember them, when you maybe read them days apart.

I hope that is clear, in any event it was fun 😊

--
The issue with voting on the story's own poll and on the overall poll is the risk of folk voting on the overall poll prior to finishing all the tales. I could easily present the overall poll at the foot of each tale. But would that provide a true representation of the readership's overall impression

I could remove the "overall" concept completely, but that removes some of the fun.

I am technically unable to prevent folk from voting overall unless they have read all the tales.

Look, though, at the individual votes cast on the tales. Why has one of them a much larger number than the others? I Present the tales on the site in a randomised order to prevent the top one on the list from getting the most reads and votes



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: I am confused  [message #72786 is a reply to message #72784] Sat, 01 April 2017 17:35 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



"Mark Driver wrote on Sat, 01 April 2017 17:57"
First, thank you Tim for sharing the photo.  At first I was thrown by it, but in the end I saw (as one of my characters admitted) it's quite a special photograph.  This was a great idea to prompt stories. 

I appreciated hearing what you enjoyed about Nick Park.  Your kind thoughts will help me focus on what I did well. 

I hope that a few more will read my sequel, but if not, that's OK too.  As long as a few enjoy it, that means a lot.

I agree with William King that the event was fun.   

--
Fun is the objective. Fun stretches authors. It is a special picture, but it is special in a way for everyone who interprets it, too.



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: I am confused  [message #72787 is a reply to message #72785] Sat, 01 April 2017 18:35 Go to previous message
andypaz is currently offline  andypaz

Getting started
Location: buenos aires
Registered: June 2016
Messages: 16



Will. King is right. Ii is not easy (specially for those of us to whom English is a second or third language) to answer the polls. Some questions should be labeled "for writers only" E.g.:Is the punctuation ok? Is grammar or paraphrasing well employed?-- Then the question,"Which story did you like best?" should only have one option. After all we read for pleasure, and all authors deserve  to be thanked for their good work in our benefit. IOMFATS is as always the best place in the web to read gay stories. It would be nice to have a few "new" stories of "old" times. I mean those which took place in public bord. schools in 1950/60s (eg. The outcasts or Chris&Nigel. Or more sweet and romantic as ZO´s Brasil. Or Journey of Love (The Jman.)Thank you all for such good work.
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