The 2025 750 Word Story Challenge Support Thread

[ThanksForAllTheFish]

https://www.literotica.com/s/shauna-stuck-naked-in-a-sauna

This is the first time I've ever got all positive feedback, rather than the obligatory "too short, you should have continued this" comments might do another now, they are a great way to use up ideas I can't be bothered to fully flesh out

 

[SomaSlave]

https://www.literotica.com/s/shauna-stuck-naked-in-a-sauna

This is the first time I've ever got all positive feedback, rather than the obligatory "too short, you should have continued this" comments might do another now, they are a great way to use up ideas I can't be bothered to fully flesh out

Shauna’s Revenge, perhaps?

 

[yowser]

I swore, an embarrassing number of years ago, that I would never do one of these 750 word things again. It's a valuable exercise as a writer, trying to distill a story down so drastically that every word has to carry its own weight (and then some), but I figured I had reaped all the benefits possible in earlier iterations. And, frankly, they are a deadly deluge on the Litosphere, a Noah's flood of dismality that overwhelms the daily acceptance rolls, a little like Literotica saying it's half-price pint night at the pub so everyone shows up on what otherwise would be a slow time. Readers nearly universally detest these offerings, complaining (with over 90 percent accuracy) that they are 'too short' to be satisfying stories. (As an aside, as of today there are only 30 of the dozens and dozens of 750 worders with the suggested tag '750-25'.)

But, so weak is my willpower that I produce not one but two this year, (and I blame @StillStunned and his damned 'writing exercises' for spawning the first) but my latest (and last, honest), a faux second-person POV atrocity, an assault on the collective intelligence of the Lit readership, reflects quite badly on yours truly, and makes me cringe in shame that I actually pushed the submit button on the warped thing.

So I stand before you today and say:

My name is yowser, and I am a 750 Word Addict.

Amen, brother.

I have no control over my urges.

Tell it yowser, spill your guts.

Every February comes to me like a bad wind off the mountains, first the Pink Orchid challenge, Valentine's Day, and then the 750 word curse. My fingers itch, I start typing: 687, then 736, finally 821 words. Ahh no! I have to pare back. My throat tightens, my editing instincts crawl over my body like tarantulas, and I get the bastard down, exactly, to 750 stiletto-like indispensable words.

We hear you brother! You need a higher power!

I promise you that I will never do another one of these things, ever.

Yes! You've saved us from your incontinent drivel yowser! Thank you! May your will stay strong and your awareness ever vigilant! Good luck!

 

[StillStunned]

Mine has been approved for publication in about 12 hours:

Honestly, I don't see what the big deal is. I hit exactly 750 words in my first try.

(Yes, I'm a bit smug about it.)

 

[Series 6]

I swore, an embarrassing number of years ago, that I would never do one of these 750 word things again. It's a valuable exercise as a writer, trying to distill a story down so drastically that every word has to carry its own weight (and then some), but I figured I had reaped all the benefits possible in earlier iterations. And, frankly, they are a deadly deluge on the Litosphere, a Noah's flood of dismality that overwhelms the daily acceptance rolls, a little like Literotica saying it's half-price pint night at the pub so everyone shows up on what otherwise would be a slow time. Readers nearly universally detest these offerings, complaining (with over 90 percent accuracy) that they are 'too short' to be satisfying stories. (As an aside, as of today there are only 30 of the dozens and dozens of 750 worders with the suggested tag '750-25'.)

But, so weak is my willpower that I produce not one but two this year, (and I blame @StillStunned and his damned 'writing exercises' for spawning the first) but my latest (and last, honest), a faux second-person POV atrocity, an assault on the collective intelligence of the Lit readership, reflects quite badly on yours truly, and makes me cringe in shame that I actually pushed the submit button on the warped thing.

So I stand before you today and say:

My name is yowser, and I am a 750 Word Addict.

Amen, brother.

I have no control over my urges.

Tell it yowser, spill your guts.

Every February comes to me like a bad wind off the mountains, first the Pink Orchid challenge, Valentine's Day, and then the 750 word curse. My fingers itch, I start typing: 687, then 736, finally 821 words. Ahh no! I have to pare back. My throat tightens, my editing instincts crawl over my body like tarantulas, and I get the bastard down, exactly, to 750 stiletto-like indispensable words.

We hear you brother! You need a higher power!

I promise you that I will never do another one of these things, ever.

Yes! You've saved us from your incontinent drivel yowser! Thank you! May your will stay strong and your awareness ever vigilant! Good luck!

I’m glad you gave in.

To draw an analogy, sometimes a little fast food is just as satisfying as a gourmet meal

 

[Erozetta]

I have one going live tomorrow. It's under reviews and essays,even though it's not really either. It's not really a poem, either. It's not a story. It's basically a sanitized version of my thoughts on love and my sexual history distilled into 750 words. So, I guess it could be seen as a review of my life?Naturally, some stuff got left out 'cause 750 words isn't a lot. It's equally inspired by the "In the Dungeon" writing exercise (side note: the writing exercise I did that's included in this was based on my real life) and a dream I had years ago where I was in a room behind a one way mirror and I could see various versions of myself on the other side, dancing with all of the men from my life. I wore a mask tailored to my experience with each one. It was riddled with this weird sensation of knowing I had to stay separate from them or I would cease to exist and only the masks would remain.

I didn't edit it. I just let it go where it went and let it end a bit abruptly. It was a cathartic exercise.

 

[Comshaw]

I've heard repeatedly that readers will complain about the brevity of a 750 word story. Out of the 55 comments I've gotten on both stories (the breakdown is 54 and 1) only one (on my LW story) complained about the length of the story. Is this complaint a blanket thing or is it limited to certain categories? This is just one of those random questions that pop into my shriveled up brain.


Comshaw

 

[SomaSlave]

I swore, an embarrassing number of years ago, that I would never do one of these 750 word things again. It's a valuable exercise as a writer, trying to distill a story down so drastically that every word has to carry its own weight (and then some), but I figured I had reaped all the benefits possible in earlier iterations. And, frankly, they are a deadly deluge on the Litosphere, a Noah's flood of dismality that overwhelms the daily acceptance rolls, a little like Literotica saying it's half-price pint night at the pub so everyone shows up on what otherwise would be a slow time. Readers nearly universally detest these offerings, complaining (with over 90 percent accuracy) that they are 'too short' to be satisfying stories. (As an aside, as of today there are only 30 of the dozens and dozens of 750 worders with the suggested tag '750-25'.)

But, so weak is my willpower that I produce not one but two this year, (and I blame @StillStunned and his damned 'writing exercises' for spawning the first) but my latest (and last, honest), a faux second-person POV atrocity, an assault on the collective intelligence of the Lit readership, reflects quite badly on yours truly, and makes me cringe in shame that I actually pushed the submit button on the warped thing.

So I stand before you today and say:

My name is yowser, and I am a 750 Word Addict.

Amen, brother.

I have no control over my urges.

Tell it yowser, spill your guts.

Every February comes to me like a bad wind off the mountains, first the Pink Orchid challenge, Valentine's Day, and then the 750 word curse. My fingers itch, I start typing: 687, then 736, finally 821 words. Ahh no! I have to pare back. My throat tightens, my editing instincts crawl over my body like tarantulas, and I get the bastard down, exactly, to 750 stiletto-like indispensable words.

We hear you brother! You need a higher power!

I promise you that I will never do another one of these things, ever.

Yes! You've saved us from your incontinent drivel yowser! Thank you! May your will stay strong and your awareness ever vigilant! Good luck!

I read your story (nice job, btw) and commented in what I hope was an appropriate manner.

 

[PennyThompson]

I've heard repeatedly that readers will complain about the brevity of a 750 word story. Out of the 55 comments I've gotten on both stories (the breakdown is 54 and 1) only one (on my LW story) complained about the length of the story. Is this complaint a blanket thing or is it limited to certain categories? This is just one of those random questions that pop into my shriveled up brain.


Comshaw

I've put "(750 Words) in the titles of all of my 750s, and included a little note above each story that it's part of the 750 challenge.

I haven't gotten a single negative comment about being too short, but several positive comments saying things like "I hope you write more with these characters."

I think folks just need to be more transparent about expectations!

 

[Series 6]

I've heard repeatedly that readers will complain about the brevity of a 750 word story. Out of the 55 comments I've gotten on both stories (the breakdown is 54 and 1) only one (on my LW story) complained about the length of the story. Is this complaint a blanket thing or is it limited to certain categories? This is just one of those random questions that pop into my shriveled up brain.


Comshaw

I've gotten a complaint or two about the length as well. I attribute that to people either not paying attention to the 750 labeling or me not clearly labeling it.

 

[SomaSlave]

My latest 750 Word submission, Soma Interviews Soma in 750 Words has now received three ratings (four if you count mine, which I don't). I had set a stretch goal of three comments, so I hope some of those raters revisit it and add a comment. On the brighter side, it's had 174 views, which I suspect is not too terribly bad for a Reviews & Essays item.

In the meantime, I'm waiting for approval for my next regular [sic] story. It's still Pending after 20 hours, which only feels long after the speedy publications of the 750 word entries. I wonder if they're being given special treatment.

 

[Comshaw]

My latest 750 Word submission, Soma Interviews Soma in 750 Words has now received three ratings (four if you count mine, which I don't). I had set a stretch goal of three comments, so I hope some of those raters revisit it and add a comment. On the brighter side, it's had 174 views, which I suspect is not too terribly bad for a Reviews & Essays item.

In the meantime, I'm waiting for approval for my next regular [sic] story. It's still Pending after 20 hours, which only feels long after the speedy publications of the 750 word entries. I wonder if they're being given special treatment.

I think the quick publishing time is because of the brevity of the stories. It seems to me it wouldn't take much time to scan through a work of 750 words to see if it passes all the test.


Comshaw

 

[ThanksForAllTheFish]

Shauna’s Revenge, perhaps?

Definitely thinking about it!

 

[Actingup]

I swore, an embarrassing number of years ago, that I would never do one of these 750 word things again. It's a valuable exercise as a writer, trying to distill a story down so drastically that every word has to carry its own weight (and then some), but I figured I had reaped all the benefits possible in earlier iterations. And, frankly, they are a deadly deluge on the Litosphere, a Noah's flood of dismality that overwhelms the daily acceptance rolls, a little like Literotica saying it's half-price pint night at the pub so everyone shows up on what otherwise would be a slow time. Readers nearly universally detest these offerings, complaining (with over 90 percent accuracy) that they are 'too short' to be satisfying stories. (As an aside, as of today there are only 30 of the dozens and dozens of 750 worders with the suggested tag '750-25'.)

But, so weak is my willpower that I produce not one but two this year, (and I blame @StillStunned and his damned 'writing exercises' for spawning the first) but my latest (and last, honest), a faux second-person POV atrocity, an assault on the collective intelligence of the Lit readership, reflects quite badly on yours truly, and makes me cringe in shame that I actually pushed the submit button on the warped thing.

So I stand before you today and say:

My name is yowser, and I am a 750 Word Addict.

Amen, brother.

I have no control over my urges.

Tell it yowser, spill your guts.

Every February comes to me like a bad wind off the mountains, first the Pink Orchid challenge, Valentine's Day, and then the 750 word curse. My fingers itch, I start typing: 687, then 736, finally 821 words. Ahh no! I have to pare back. My throat tightens, my editing instincts crawl over my body like tarantulas, and I get the bastard down, exactly, to 750 stiletto-like indispensable words.

We hear you brother! You need a higher power!

I promise you that I will never do another one of these things, ever.

Yes! You've saved us from your incontinent drivel yowser! Thank you! May your will stay strong and your awareness ever vigilant! Good luck!

That was only 369 words. Seems like a missed opportunity to me....

 

[Trionyx]

I promise you that I will never do another one of these things, ever.

Wanna bet?

 

[LargoKitt]

I submitted three 750 word stories and Manu and Laurel have rejected them twice for length. I have reexamined them. They are all exactly 750 words. I copied the submitted versions and pasted it into pages. Still 750 words. I suppose I could cut or add to fit what they say is my story length but WTF...? I worked hard to get these the right length.

 

[Actingup]

I submitted three 750 word stories and Manu and Laurel have rejected them twice for length. I have reexamined them. They are all exactly 750 words. I copied the submitted versions and pasted it into pages. Still 750 words. I suppose I could cut or add to fit what they say is my story length but WTF...? I worked hard to get these the right length.

750 words excluding author's notes etc? If you've double-checked you could explain your counting method in the notes to the resubmission, or ask somebody here to triple-check for you and then resubmit with a note?

 

[Rustyoznail]

Paste the doc into the submission text box and use the diagonal arrows to expand it. You'll see the official word count.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I submitted three 750 word stories and Manu and Laurel have rejected them twice for length. I have reexamined them. They are all exactly 750 words. I copied the submitted versions and pasted it into pages. Still 750 words. I suppose I could cut or add to fit what they say is my story length but WTF...? I worked hard to get these the right length.

My guess is your story is ever so slightly short of the minimum 750 word length (depends how the word count is done). RustyOz is right, copy paste into the submission text box, and use that word count. Add a few words, just in case. Add a Note to the Editor, saying what you've done.

 

[StillStunned]

Mine is up: A Cold Dish, a non-erotic tale of loss and vengeance.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Okaaay! Problems overcome, 'submit' icon hit.

Good luck to all.

Edit: it goes up on the 18th.
Edited edit: Maybe not. Egregious typo in the first line, ow well!

Paging @AG31 you might enjoy TP's story Watched and Watching

 

[Erozetta]

Masked

This one will probably be my last. Six is more than enough.

But, I must say, doing these helped me a lot while transitioning off of my antidepressant/anti-anxiety meds. I didn't have the focus to really do anything longer right now because of that. So, I'm glad the challenge is around. It let me keep my mind occupied for short periods of time where I could focus on creative outlets of simple tales and vignettes.

 

[TiberiusPrime]

Mine is up as well: A Single Purple Rose

It's non-erotic, by the way.

 

[StillStunned]

Mine is up as well: A Single Purple Rose

It's non-erotic, by the way.

And doing very well too!

 

[TiberiusPrime]

And doing very well too!

And a small typo I know I fixed before uploading.... Grrr.

Ah well.