A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words Competition

First draft is done. It's 1400 words. I've got some editing to do.

Quote by verbal

First draft is done. It's 1400 words. I've got some editing to do.

Wow. And I thought I overshot on my first draft. You got me beat big time. 🤣

Quote by Mendalla

Wow. And I thought I overshot on my first draft. You got me beat big time. 🤣

Down to 1210.

Quote by verbal

First draft is done. It's 1400 words. I've got some editing to do.

Hopefully you are a better editor than me. My word count always goes up when I edit.

Quote by WriterGirl

Hopefully you are a better editor than me. My word count always goes up when I edit.

Oh, don't I know! 1078 words. Kill your darlings.

Am I allowed to be a smug little git and say that I hit exactly 1,000 words on my first attempt? Thought not...

Quote by Brad_Naylor

Am I allowed to be a smug little git and say that I hit exactly 1,000 words on my first attempt? Thought not...

Ooo that's worthy of a prize right there, Brad

Quote by Brad_Naylor

Am I allowed to be a smug little git and say that I hit exactly 1,000 words on my first attempt? Thought not...

I think that is worthy of some smugness.

Quote by Molly

Am I allowed to be a smug little git and say that I hit exactly 1,000 words on my first attempt? Thought not...

I think that is worthy of some smugness.

.

OTOH, Stephen King, in his semi-autobiographical book, On Writing, says that he rips through the first draft of a book, then circles back to slash about 1/3 of everything he's written.

So, he would start with roughly 1333 words, and edit it down to 1000.

Therefore, most of us are within "normal" bounds. Brad is just an outlier!

BTW, I started with about 1,450 words, eventually sweating it down to 1,000.

But that's fairly standard for me because I'm a wordy bastid…

Quote by JamesPBear

.

OTOH, Stephen King, in his semi-autobiographical book, On Writing, says that he rips through the first draft of a book, then circles back to slash about 1/3 of everything he's written.

So, he would start with roughly 1333 words, and edit it down to 1000.

Therefore, most of us are within "normal" bounds. Brad is just an outlier!

BTW, I started with about 1,450 words, eventually sweating it down to 1,000.

But that's fairly standard for me because I'm a wordy bastid…

You are a better author than mathematician James:

If Stephen King slashes 1/3 of what he has written, his first draft is 1500 words and he loses 500 which is a third to get down to 1000.

Which goes to show you and Verbal are well within Stephen's limit.

I have just (accidentally) submitted my picture story without the relevant picture (water and pines). Is it possible that a kindly moderator person be allowed to add the photo to my efforts (and gain my eternal gratitude)

Quote by CuriousAnnie

You are a better author than mathematician James:

If Stephen King slashes 1/3 of what he has written, his first draft is 1500 words and he loses 500 which is a third to get down to 1000.

Which goes to show you and Verbal are well within Stephen's limit.

(Giggles) I think Bear was thinking 1/3 of 1000 is 333. Ha! And got that 1333 thing. Haha! This is really really funny to me since I've gone to the Bear for finance advise. I'm gonna go double-check those numbers now... 🤣🤣

Teasing you, Bear! ❤️

And I've reverted back to my 2nd story idea that I had deleted. Buttercup purred when I told her about it, 😀 so it's a 'go'.

Quote by WriterGirl
Buttercup purred when I told her about it

If the cat likes it, it's a go.😊 Maybe I should get one. I'd probably get a black cat and call it something metal like Nightwish (my favorite rock band right now).

I am now caught up on reading and commenting and my own entry is in, so some new stories would be nice. How's it going folks?

The answer to my plaintive request 6 hours ago was --NO MERCY!

Quote by redwriter

The answer to my plaintive request 6 hours ago was --NO MERCY!

Could you not upload it? When I logged on and saw the question your story wasn't in the queue.

I think I have tried every conceivable Copying, Uploading , gliding and I still cannot make a connection. I had no bother initially in just plain copying to Word page before I started writing. But that simple technique didn't work and neither has anything else.

Quote by redwriter

I think I have tried every conceivable Copying, Uploading , gliding and I still cannot make a connection. I had no bother initially in just plain copying to Word page before I started writing. But that simple technique didn't work and neither has anything else.

Let me give this a shot. Below is a copy of the write your own story screen. The text of the story (but not the image) gets pasted into the box at the bottom of my image marked "Story". For the cover image, you need to have a copy saved to your computer. Then you click the box marked with a camera and "Cover Image". That will open a "File open" window where you can click on the file, then click Open. This will upload the picture and set it as the cover picture.

Quote by redwriter

I think I have tried every conceivable Copying, Uploading , gliding and I still cannot make a connection. I had no bother initially in just plain copying to Word page before I started writing. But that simple technique didn't work and neither has anything else.

If you try what Mendalla has posted and it still doesn't work please just submit your story and I'll try to attach the photo of your choice.

I just submitted. Time for a nap.

Competition stories:

OpheliaTusk: https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/romance/ferdinand

CuriousAnnie: https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/romance/xx-2

Ping: https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/humor/i-am-woman-hear-me-rorschach

Brad_Naylor: https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/memoirs/the-healing-lake

JamesPBear: https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/flash-fiction/cold-3

Mendalla: https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/fantasy/what-lies-hidden-in-the-snow

Ceebees: https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/flash-fiction/dead-centre

verbal: https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/science-fiction/fire-and-ice-2

AnnaMayZing: https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/historical-fiction/peace-3

redwriter: https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/romance/winters-hope-3

Thank you, Scott. I was astounded at how easily that worked out after my hopeless attempts yesterday. I believe it is now being verified 9or not) Anyway, I am in your debt forever. Thanks too to Molly for your kind offer. Of courzse, I am blaming the laptop for these recent failings--it couldn't be me, could it? Could it?

Quote by verbal

I just submitted. Time for a nap.

(Shakes you awake) You are NOT taking a nap after your horror-flake story kept me awake last night. You tell me a sweet, lovely, gumdrops and snowflake fairies story RIGHT NOW, Verbal! 😠

Quote by redwriter

Thank you, Scott. I was astounded at how easily that worked out after my hopeless attempts yesterday. I believe it is now being verified 9or not) Anyway, I am in your debt forever. Thanks too to Molly for your kind offer. Of courzse, I am blaming the laptop for these recent failings--it couldn't be me, could it? Could it?

Rule number 1 of IT: It's always the computer's fault. 🤣(Yeah, I've been using that line for probably 30 years now)

Quote by WriterGirl

(Shakes you awake) You are NOT taking a nap after your horror-flake story kept me awake last night. You tell me a sweet, lovely, gumdrops and snowflake fairies story RIGHT NOW, Verbal! 😠

Oh come on, we get enough of those this time of year. A little darkness in the mix never hurt. Of course, it takes a lot to freak me out (But I still haven't forgiven Ping for his winning story in the 2021 Halloween comp. That one even freaked me out.😨)

And now we have 10!

Competition stories:

OpheliaTusk: https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/romance/ferdinand

CuriousAnnie: https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/romance/xx-2

Ping: https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/humor/i-am-woman-hear-me-rorschach

Brad_Naylor: https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/memoirs/the-healing-lake

JamesPBear: https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/flash-fiction/cold-3

Mendalla: https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/fantasy/what-lies-hidden-in-the-snow

Ceebees: https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/flash-fiction/dead-centre

verbal: https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/science-fiction/fire-and-ice-2

AnnaMayZing: https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/historical-fiction/peace-3

redwriter: https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/romance/winters-hope-3

Pnin: https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/historical-fiction/jewel

Quote by Mendalla
(But I still haven't forgiven Ping for his winning story in the 2021 Halloween comp. That one even freaked me out.😨)

I agree. I love spooky/scary stories and Ping's was great.

Quote by Molly

Now we have 10, eh? Then maybe I have a chance of cracking the Top 10 this time!

EVERYONE STOP! NO MORE SUBMISSIONS, PLEASE!

Quote by WriterGirl

(Shakes you awake) You are NOT taking a nap after your horror-flake story kept me awake last night. You tell me a sweet, lovely, gumdrops and snowflake fairies story RIGHT NOW, Verbal! 😠

For you, WG, I will write something sweet, about a lake, in exactly 1000 words (NOT as a comp entry, just cuz). It'll be my Christmas Eve Eve gift to you.

That said, I kinda like the story, 24 hours after submission. I'll stand by it.

Quote by JamesPBear

Now we have 10, eh? Then maybe I have a chance of cracking the Top 10 this time!

EVERYONE STOP! NO MORE SUBMISSIONS, PLEASE!

I'm sunmitting something, Bear 🤣🤣

Quote by JamesPBear

Now we have 10, eh? Then maybe I have a chance of cracking the Top 10 this time!

EVERYONE STOP! NO MORE SUBMISSIONS, PLEASE!

Oh come on. Where's the fun? We need at least 16 (which has kind of been our usual in previous comps) to make things interesting.😊

And with all the snowflakes blowing around out my window right now, I feel like I need to get a magnifier or microscope and look for either a perfect, beautiful snowflake or one with a serial number. 😜

(If you don't get the joke, read the comp entries)