The 2025 750 Word Story Challenge Support Thread

[ElectricBlue]

I like to do it in the complete opposite way. I write, and when I hit 750 words I stop. Editing is taking one word off there and adding it here type of thing.

Yep, me too. I just keep an eye on the target.

 

[Rustyoznail]

I like to do it in the complete opposite way. I write, and when I hit 750 words I stop. Editing is taking one word off there and adding it here type of thing.

Tried, but it's a lot like rapidly stopping an oil tanker. Momentum just carries things forward.

I'm down to 755 now.

 

[Duleigh]

I like to hang it up at 700 words, then sprinkle adjectives around until I hit 750. It's a good plan and it works IF you can complete a decent story in 700 words. (It happened once... it really did!)

 

[MillieDynamite]

Once is never enough. Too much is not enough. More than enough, might not be enough! To err is human, to write is divine. Give me divine every time not once, not enough, not more than enough, every fucking time.

I like to hang it up at 700 words, then sprinkle adjectives around until I hit 750. It's a good plan and it works IF you can complete a decent story in 700 words. (It happened once... it really did!)

 

[Rustyoznail]

Google docs tells me I've hit the mark!

 

[Aoife_from_Ulster]

I just finished mine!!! This was much more difficult that i would have thought. I can't wait for the potential feedback. Goodness this one was difficult considering the title, intro, story and ending is a total of 750 but it is done and saved to drafts just waiting to publish.

 

[MillieDynamite]

You only count below the title and anything that comes before it. In fact, I put the...

This story was written for the 2025 Literotica 750 Word Challenge, below this line are exactly 750 words:

Below the title and any disclaimers.

I just finished mine!!! This was much more difficult that i would have thought. I can't wait for the potential feedback. Goodness this one was difficult considering the title, intro, story and ending is a total of 750 but it is done and saved to drafts just waiting to publish.

 

[sinfantasy]

I have two drafts 780 and 823 words each. The problem is they are like weather forecasts, I won't even consider publishing them. Forget 750, I can't think of a way to make those stories work without crossing 1.5k words.
There is still time, need to think of a spark idea for something like a good appetizer with spicy meat.

 

[liftmykilt]

I tried. I watched my word count climb, calculated the introduction with character development, and calculated the story hooks with an eye towards the conclusion. Somewhere around 600 words... So far, I've exceeded 1500 on all 3. But hey, three stories is three stories. Maybe I should write the action first and then backfill?

 

[WaxPhilosophic]

I am weirdly excited to try this for the first time, it feels like a great way to get small story ideas out of my head without feeling lazy

I haven't read very far through the vast back catalog of 750 stories...

Are readers okay with stories that have minimal (or lightly sketched) sex in favor of a proper arc, or do they expect 750 words of fuckin and suckin?

Yes! Do it! I can picture it now...

You're a Flash Fiction Writer Penny Thompson

Penny dropped her pen across her open notebook. She stared at the blank page and sighed.

"You almost done with that English assignment, Red?" asked Mikayla. "I've got the itch and I'm gonna need you and Nine to take care of it."

"Sorry Kayla, you'll have to take a number. I promised Marci. And then Dr. Grace." Penny chewed her lip. "And then there's Sati..."

"The librarian?"

"It's you're fault, Kayla. You introduced us."

Mikayla frowned. "Hurry up with that paper, Red."

 

[M_K_Babalon]

Would gimme a reason to "exapand" on one of my nanofics I put on Bluesky and Twitter, but I dunno if I'll have it in me to do this, this year.

 

[PennyThompson]

Yes! Do it! I can picture it now...

You're a Flash Fiction Writer Penny Thompson

Penny dropped her pen across her open notebook. She stared at the blank page and sighed.

"You almost done with that English assignment, Red?" asked Mikayla. "I've got the itch and I'm gonna need you and Nine to take care of it."

"Sorry Kayla, you'll have to take a number. I promised Marci. And then Dr. Grace." Penny chewed her lip. "And then there's Sati..."

"The librarian?"

"It's you're fault, Kayla. You introduced us."

Mikayla frowned. "Hurry up with that paper, Red."

Haha! You've given me just the nicest story comments by the way, you don't take private messages so I haven't been able to thank you, but... Thank you!!

 

[PennyThompson]

Would gimme a reason to "exapand" on one of my nanofics I put on Bluesky and Twitter, but I dunno if I'll have it in me to do this, this year.

Dooo it, it's so challenging but not time consuming! Like doing Connections or Wordle, like a quick addicting little puzzle!

 

[Rob_Royale]

I will likely have at least two this year.

 

[Duleigh]

I have two drafts 780 and 823 words each. The problem is they are like weather forecasts, I won't even consider publishing them. Forget 750, I can't think of a way to make those stories work without crossing 1.5k words.
There is still time, need to think of a spark idea for something like a good appetizer with spicy meat.

Keep trying, The first one is really, really tough. But once you figure it out, it gets easier with each story. We had one writer that was so delighted that she discovered the secret, she wrote another 19 stories. She tried to put one in each category.

I like to do one in first person, the next one in second person (I hate writing in second person), and my Year Of The _____ entry (Year of the Snake this year) is in 3rd person.

 

[PapaRomantic]

I have one ready to go. I actually submitted it for last year's event, but it was held back and finally rejected on the last day of the publication deadline. Too many separators that counted as extra words for her. So I've fixed it for this year and am ready to submit. I'm using the counter on Word - hope it doesn't fail me.

 

[liftmykilt]

I'm using the counter on Word - hope it doesn't fail me.

You can try copy/pasting the text into the New Story Text field. When you expand that, it shows you the word count at the bottom (which I assume is the standard). If you're trying to submit it as an attached file, delete the text after seeing the word count.

FWIW: If you want to use the text field to submit the story, use extra paragraph breaks in Word. When copy-pasting from Word to the editor, the story editor changes a single paragraph break <p> to a line break <br>. Using two effectively counts as <br><br>.

 

[Erozetta]

I've got an erotic horror ready to go.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Guys, this is why it's The 7th Annual 750 Word Story Challenge. If it were easy, we'd call it the 750-word walk in the park. You have to consider it a single scene that has a beginning, middle, and ending in 750 words. You just need the characters to meet, and shit happens. Later, you can expand it or incorporate it into a different story.

 

[PennyThompson]

Logistical question... Would it be possible to put a 750 in the publishing queue now, with a mod note asking to publish it in February? Or would they just drop it whenever, and disqualify the story from being added to the event index?

Would it make Laurel & Friends' lives easier if these stories trickled in earlier, instead of a hundred of them flooding the queue on Feb. 1st?

I'm just anxious about having these things sitting in my Drafts tab for another three weeks, and also the fear of one getting rejected for formatting or accidental length error, and then running out of time to resubmit.

 

[MillieDynamite]

They would publish it when they publish it. They might or might not take the suggestion to wait. Either way, it will be included in the Challenge!

Logistical question... Would it be possible to put a 750 in the publishing queue now, with a mod note asking to publish it in February? Or would they just drop it whenever, and disqualify the story from being added to the event index?

Would it make Laurel & Friends' lives easier if these stories trickled in earlier, instead of a hundred of them flooding the queue on Feb. 1st?

I'm just anxious about having these things sitting in my Drafts tab for another three weeks, and also the fear of one getting rejected for formatting or accidental length error, and then running out of time to resubmit.

 

[sinfantasy]

Finally done with my piece. I have no idea how many times I ended up rewriting the same scene again and again. My writing tends to be wordy, and this was a good exercise to evaluate every word to make it fit just right.

@Duleigh - As you had warned, this is addictive. I might try a few more, just for fun.

 

[Comshaw]

For the first time, I have one ready. According to WordPerfect AND MS Word it's right at 750. We'll see when I paste it into Lit. I've been doing some polishing on it but damn is that difficult. If I take one too many out and change a passage where that word isn't needed, I have to find some place else to stick one in. Now you wouldn't think with an erotic story it would be so difficult to find a place to stick it, but a place to slide it in can be elusive.

Comshaw

Oh come on now people! Isn't anyone going to give me a bad time about this innuendo? Or at least add to it? This is an erotic site, no? Geez Louise!


Comshaw

 

[MillieDynamite]

Consider your pun chastized.

Oh come on now people! Isn't anyone going to give me a bad time about this innuendo? Or at least add to it? This is an erotic site, no? Geez Louise!


Comshaw

 

[alohadave]

Logistical question... Would it be possible to put a 750 in the publishing queue now, with a mod note asking to publish it in February? Or would they just drop it whenever, and disqualify the story from being added to the event index?

Would it make Laurel & Friends' lives easier if these stories trickled in earlier, instead of a hundred of them flooding the queue on Feb. 1st?

I'm just anxious about having these things sitting in my Drafts tab for another three weeks, and also the fear of one getting rejected for formatting or accidental length error, and then running out of time to resubmit.

If you put the note in the Admin Note section, she'll hold it until the first day of the challenge.