600!?

[IPlanToBiteYou]

o.o Hush, you.

[shorestar]

Hehehehehehe... I was the person who made that call and was heartily entertained that the solution I found to avoid trashing those apps entirely (or unfairly disadvantaging their more rules-oriented compatriots) is remembered so very... fondly. I'm the kind of person who enjoys going at the Gordian Knot the... efficient way.

That being said, I've seen some beautiful things done in a very small number of words. 

I suppose it's unfair to give advice at the 11th hour, but I didn't wander into this thread until then, so ah well.

As far as the limit goes, keep in mind the things that DON'T matter. Suppose a character is in a battle.
- We probably don't need to know exactly what two sides are fighting
- We only need to know why they're fighting if it's relevant to understanding the character, and we only need to know as much as we need to know to understand the character. For example, if you're writing a shrew who will defend her tribe even when she thinks they're in the wrong, we need to know that she feels guilty about what her tribe did and that she won't turn her back on them anyway. We don't need to know exactly what her tribe did, and we certainly don't need a paragraph or more of detail about it, especially if the character wasn't personally involved. If she was personally involved, great! You can certainly have her think about it, but then it's HER thinking, and we get more of her character by seeing how and what she thinks.
-We don't need to know what her opponents are thinking, probably not even in general terms
-We may want to know what she thinks her opponents are thinking.
-We only need to know what her fellow soldiers are thinking if it provides a springboard for an interesting reaction from our shrewgel

Does that help? 500 is plenty, as long as you use the 500 appropriately, and really zero in on your own character. You can frequently show other character's actions through the lens of your character's perceptions, thus making even time spent "away" from your character time spent on your character.


I will say one of my personal favorite entries so far came in substantially under the word limit.

[IPlanToBiteYou]

*gets the sniper scope*
Right. I... think I know what I'm doing...
*BLAM*
...
oh dear.
( ._.)

[Cricket Argyll]

So, Shorey's judging? If I might be so bold, who else is on the judging panel?

[Opal]

Well, since I think my judges are all above accepting bribes (:P), besides myself, there's the Baron (Ulrick), Shorey, Orion, Stonewall, and Ealasaid (The Artist Formerly Known As Squiggly). :P

[Ms Pearl]

Well, since I think my judges are all above accepting bribes (:P), besides myself,

wait, does that mean you do accept bribes?

[IPlanToBiteYou]

I suggest bribing them all with pies. Delicious cherry pies.

[Opal]

Well, since I think my judges are all above accepting bribes (:P), besides myself,

wait, does that mean you do accept bribes?

Context, m'dear, context!

(I'll take your bribes. I'll freely take them off your hands if you want to give them to me, only your review will stay exactly the same. I'll take your free pie though! :P)

[shorestar]

I will be happy to change the score of anyone who offers me a bribe...

...but I'm not sure you'd like the change!

>: )

[Wolverine]

In that case, every author except me asked me to give you this bribe on their behalf...

[IPlanToBiteYou]

No reward for the correct application of delicious cherry pies? :(

[creepy pine marten girl]

apple crumble? :)

[Jarrtail]

I will be happy to change the score of anyone who offers me a bribe...

...but I'm not sure you'd like the change!

>: )

Better cancel that dimond necklace order, then.

[Cricket Argyll]

Eh? No bribes? But then how will we be able to complain that you weren't impartial when our characters are rejected?! :twitch:

[shorestar]

Afraid so. I can't imagine what my husband would say, anyhow, about my receiving such elegant gifts from another. ^_~