Inspired by a Phrase - Close the Lid: Challenge Results

The results of the current "Inspired by a Phrase" story challenge are here. We're displaying them all, so it's quite a large page. The stories are different and the styles are different. This page lets the authors see and understand how their story affected a readership where another author's story might not have. So this is a positive feedback they are all getting

Best of all, it acts as an encouragement to write more.

Individual story ratings

This is what we have always done. It lets the author see how well they met the brief, according to their readership. There can be very little vanity here! The answers are here, warts 'n all!

For your convenience the stories are linked from the head of each results poll

Full entrants

The full entrants were all submitted before the closing date of the challenge. You may need to refresh the page to force the poll results to update in order to see the absolute latest status. But you knew that anyway, didn't you?

All Washed Up

No longer available

Snow Day

Please rate Snow Day with the impressions it left you with
Either while reading this story, or afterwards, I found it to be/had/made me (Tick all that apply) [50 votes total]

Romantic (31)  62%
Erotic (40)  80%
Sweet (29)  57%
Gentle (24)  48%
Surprising (14)  28%
Realistic (30)  60%
Inspiring (8)  16%
An emotional read (8)  16%
Written with rhythm and pace (28)  56%
Thought provoking (11)  22%
Well laid out (paragraphs etc) (34)  68%
Technically well written (34)  68%
Written with good use of grammar and syntax (this does not mean pedantic use) (35)  70%
Easy to read (45)  90%
It invited me in (20)  40%
I could not put it down (13)  26%
Cheering (made me happy) (20)  40%
Uplifting (13)  26%
I identified with at least one of the characters (7)  14%
It felt like it was about me. I know it wasn't, but it felt like it (2)  4%
The plot was tough to read. (a tough [good] experience, not hard to read) (2)  4%
Not just prose, but almost a 'tone poem' (0)  0%
There could be spelling/grammar/punctuation improvements (2)  4%
Used the key phrase well (26)  52%

The Music Box

Please rate The Music Box with the impressions it left you with
Either while reading this story, or afterwards, I found it to be/had/made me (Tick all that apply) [40 votes total]

Romantic (19)  47%
Erotic (28)  70%
Sweet (33)  82%
Gentle (30)  75%
Surprising (13)  32%
Realistic (24)  60%
Inspiring (10)  25%
An emotional read (13)  32%
Written with rhythm and pace (24)  60%
Thought provoking (16)  40%
Well laid out (paragraphs etc) (28)  70%
Technically well written (31)  77%
Written with good use of grammar and syntax (this does not mean pedantic use) (28)  70%
Easy to read (34)  85%
It invited me in (22)  55%
I could not put it down (14)  35%
Cheering (made me happy) (14)  35%
Uplifting (18)  45%
I identified with at least one of the characters (7)  17%
It felt like it was about me. I know it wasn't, but it felt like it (5)  12%
The plot was tough to read. (a tough [good] experience, not hard to read) (6)  15%
Not just prose, but almost a 'tone poem' (1)  2%
There could be spelling/grammar/punctuation improvements (1)  2%
Used the key phrase well (27)  67%

Tomoko and the Goren

Please rate Tomoko and the Goren with the impressions it left you with
Either while reading this story, or afterwards, I found it to be/had/made me (Tick all that apply) [28 votes total]

Romantic (6)  21%
Erotic (2)  7%
Sweet (2)  7%
Gentle (4)  14%
Surprising (19)  67%
Realistic (3)  10%
Inspiring (7)  25%
An emotional read (15)  53%
Written with rhythm and pace (14)  50%
Thought provoking (17)  60%
Well laid out (paragraphs etc) (21)  75%
Technically well written (15)  53%
Written with good use of grammar and syntax (this does not mean pedantic use) (16)  57%
Easy to read (15)  53%
It invited me in (9)  32%
I could not put it down (4)  14%
Cheering (made me happy) (0)  0%
Uplifting (3)  10%
I identified with at least one of the characters (2)  7%
It felt like it was about me. I know it wasn't, but it felt like it (0)  0%
The plot was tough to read. (a tough [good] experience, not hard to read) (11)  39%
Not just prose, but almost a 'tone poem' (0)  0%
There could be spelling/grammar/punctuation improvements (5)  17%
Used the key phrase well (12)  42%

Blood Call

Please rate Blood Call with the impressions it left you with
Either while reading this story, or afterwards, I found it to be/had/made me (Tick all that apply) [47 votes total]

Romantic (36)  76%
Erotic (37)  78%
Sweet (37)  78%
Gentle (29)  61%
Surprising (29)  61%
Realistic (11)  23%
Inspiring (17)  36%
An emotional read (15)  31%
Written with rhythm and pace (34)  72%
Thought provoking (19)  40%
Well laid out (paragraphs etc) (37)  78%
Technically well written (37)  78%
Written with good use of grammar and syntax (this does not mean pedantic use) (38)  80%
Easy to read (42)  89%
It invited me in (34)  72%
I could not put it down (18)  38%
Cheering (made me happy) (22)  46%
Uplifting (19)  40%
I identified with at least one of the characters (8)  17%
It felt like it was about me. I know it wasn't, but it felt like it (4)  8%
The plot was tough to read. (a tough [good] experience, not hard to read) (2)  4%
Not just prose, but almost a 'tone poem' (3)  6%
There could be spelling/grammar/punctuation improvements (0)  0%
Used the key phrase well (37)  78%

Overall rating

Which three stories deployed the phrase best?
You may tick a maximum of three stories which you think met this criterion best [32 votes total]

Tomoko and the Goren (5)  15%
Blood Call (20)  62%
All Washed Up (12)  37%
The Music Box (20)  62%
Snow Day (11)  34%

Which are your favourite three stories?
You may tick a maximum of three stories which you enjoyed the most [34 votes total]

Tomoko and the Goren (8)  23%
Blood Call (21)  61%
All Washed Up (13)  38%
The Music Box (18)  52%
Snow Day (9)  26%

Return to list of entries

The inspiration

This phrase was used to inspire the challenge:

"Just close the fucking lid and go to sleep!"