Gym story contest

[Trab]

Neat idea. Of course I immediately jumped into it, thinking I'd be able to do this. Heck, I can write short stuff, just not long drawn out, chapter after chapter. :shock:

What a stupid thought THAT was. I had a concept, drawn from my own life, something that happened that took years to live down, and it branded me pretty clearly as not being all that straight, even though it didn't fully convince anyone I was gay either. But the seeds of doubt were sown, and extra care had to be taken at all times. Why was it a stupid thought? Well, because I can't write, mostly. I always have had the tendency to make my writing short and to the point. I cannot embellish. I can't do very good descriptions. I suck at conversation, even when I'm trying to talk to someone, and all the more so when trying to write a conversation. I did what I could. I put down the story, added as much as I could, padding it out, and ended up with 862 words. EIGHT HUNDRED WORDS, when the minimum required is 3000. There is no way I can make it longer. I just don't have the skill.

This isn't the first time I've had this happen, either. On another forum, there was a contest/challenge to use some very specific words in a valid and relevant manner. I did it, quite successfully, I might add, but managed to do it with only 50% of the required number of words. It is very frustrating when you seem geared to reducing verbiage, rather than increasing it. I suppose I'd best just stick with Flash Fiction, as that seems to be about the right length for me.

[DesDownunder]

Actually, one of my pet dislikes is competitions in the arts; especially where the organisers hamstring the artist with arbitrary conditions.

Inspiring talent is one thing, restricting it is quite another.

Trab, I don't see anything wrong with your writing. I like your economy of words and you always manage to entertain me with your stories.

[Cole Parker]

Trab, obviously it's been way too long since you were in fourth grade. When they have to reach a word minimum they just do what comes naturally to them.

They write very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very redundant sentences.

C

[Trab]

Wow. I like that idea. I'll maybe be a bit more imaginative, and add, with each line, 'and then he said, with deep emphasis on how he felt about the issue...'.

[Trab]

I could describe the copier problem too. 'And then another sheet of paper came out of the copier, with those same fateful and devastating words...' I could do that for all 400 copies. I'll get to that word count in no time at all.

[Camy]

Oh! good heavens, Charlie Brown!

[R.J.]

They write very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very redundant sentences.

Ouch!

Very guilty,

Rad

[Richard Norway]

Welcome Onlinev! Glad you're with us.

[Tanuki Racoon]

Hi,

This is onlinev from canada. I am a newbie of this site and i think this site has a lot to provide to the visitors.

onlinev

alcoholism treatment

Welcome Likely Spammer. I would hope your account is gone on my next visit.

[DesDownunder]

The likely spammer is likely, gone. Happy now?

I do wish they were more obvious.

[Camy]

The likely spammer is likely, gone. Happy now?

I do wish they were more obvious.

erm, how did you know he was a spammer? Is it because he left a link to a site that helps alcoholics? Inquisitive birds want to know.

[DesDownunder]

I found he had visited many unrelated sites and left similar posts.

Wibby suspected he was a spammer and he is very experienced in spammers...er, that doesn't sound good does it?

[JamesSavik]

Silly Emu-

it's a small community. If he had been legit, someone would most likely know him from one of our ugly step-sister sites like GA, I'Mafatbastard and so on.

His spam link inside the body of his post and not in the signature was a clue too. That allows him to spam something else every time he posts.

[Camy]

Ah, well then. A dance is in order, methinks.

[Richard Norway]

Well, I guess I was fooled.

[Graeme]

erm, how did you know he was a spammer? Is it because he left a link to a site that helps alcoholics? Inquisitive birds want to know.

Spammers are getting better, especially when they use humans to spam, rather than robots. In this particular case, another clue was the thread where the post was made. Why would a legit member find a thread that's been quiet for over a year old, and then make a completely off topic post? It didn't make sense. If they wanted to say hello, there were a lot of other threads and forums where it would be more appropriate, assuming they had actually read the contents of the forums.

[DesDownunder]

What Graeme says makes sense. Using a human to post spam...how underhanded is that?

Who are these humans? Are they cute? Where do they come from? Ex corporate managers, bankers, telemarketers, grumpy old men, women who watch daytime TV?

Don't worry about it Richard, most of us have fallen to welcome a spammer before we realise who they are. Better to welcome everyone than miss out on the genuine newbie.

I have been receiving spam that is getting past my ISP into my private email address. They seem to have some idea that I am intensely interested in saving my shoes. They promise that they will keep my soles in perfect condition for all eternity if I send them my bank account details. But I wasn't fooled because I know a scam when I see one, my shoes always lose the upper stitching before the soles wear out.

[Cole Parker]

One imagines it preferable that they have everlasting -- or until your bank account is empty -- interest in saving your soles than to have a similar interest in the size of your equipment. Many are the crusaders now filling the airwaves with their pleas for all men to come to them so they can enlarge their membership. You get to believing their cause is a noble one, to feeling it's legitimate and not a bit exploitative because they don't even ask to see your smallness, they already know. This suggests to you they're attached to a higher power. How else would they only contact those that could be helped by their service? So these scoundrels must be using some other method to discern ones lack of manliness. I wonder if it's something like gaydar, sort of a reverse gaydar?

One hopes, Des, you have not suffered a double whammy. No would should be subject to having both his soles saved and his manhood questioned.

C

[DesDownunder]

Are you implying that these people think that the size of my feet are in indication that my manhood is not worth saving?

Oh dear and I deleted the spam that promised me an enlargement of my various body parts hitherto considered satisfactory.

Woe is me.