Thank you all for participating in the not-without-its-share-of-troubles January 2017 One Week Challenge. It was a fun ride and scoring has officially come to a close.

Now, for the results:

1st Place. Final Score - 4.63:
Into That Goodnight by Eric Wall (EWall433) - Short, Sci Fi - A young mother trying to raise a daughter alone, begins to suspect her anti-insomnia medication is altering her perception of reality in dangerous ways. 11 pages.

2nd Place. Final Score - 3.57:
Meeting The Other Woman by David Lambertson - Short, Drama - A wife discovers something important about her own life when she finally meets the other woman. 12 pages.

3rd Place. Final Score - 3.29:
Fifty by Vin Conzo (Conz) - Short, Thriller - When a mysterious Girl shows up in California looking to complete her lifelong obsession, a well known Psychiatrist fights to change her mind. 11 pages.

The remaining scripts will be listed in the order in which they were originally submitted. Thank you all for participating this year as I really appreciated the turn-out. =)

The Venus Heist by Chris Bodily (ChrisBodily) - Short, Film Noir - Two women report a heist to the same detective. But can these two best friends turn in their suspects... each other? And which one of them actually committed the crime? 11 pages. Final Score – 1.73.

Survival Mentality by Nolan Bryand (Nolan) - Short, Thriller - Constable Ross ends up in the fight for her life while attending a reported home invasion. 9 pages. Final Score – 2.23.

Rebirth by Richard Russell (RichardR) - Short, Sci Fi - The oldest woman on earth must undergo a rebirth and lose her memories of life before the 'purge'. 9 pages. Final Score – 2.80.

Cherry Pie by Tiago Laranjo (TiagoL) - Short, Horror - Natchitoches, Louisiana. 1950. A little lost girl gets allured by a strange smell and a mysterious old lady to spend the night in. But when no one's watching, nothing is what it seems to be. 12 pages. Final Score – 2.56.

Retribution Ridge by Brian Lewis (Digitaldecayfilms) - Short, Western - A mysterious woman comes to town hell-bent on avenging the murder of her father. 8 pages. Final Score – 3.21.

All That Glitters by Steve McDonell (Stevie) - Short, Western - A mysterious stranger confronts a widow and her daughters at their farm in Oregon during the American Civil War. 10 pages. Final Score – 3.27.

Anita Blackman by Steven Clark (StevenClark) - Short, Comedy - Two women gear up for a fun day of horse riding, but a Wimpy's Knickerbocker Glory proves to be much more than they can handle. 8 pages. Final Score – 2.07.

Lovers Divide by Zack Akers (Zack) - Short, Sci Fi - A young woman plans to leave her fiance, who has been acting very strange since returning from the Army. 6 pages. Final Score – 2.33.

Gym Bunnies by Bill Sarre (Reef Dreamer) - Short, Comedy - When a hotchpotch of Disney characters are sent to a gym they soon discover there is more to this  gathering  than expected. 12 pages. Final Score – 1.50.

Super Scoop by John Staats (JEStaats) - Short, Comedy - Lois Lane gets an exclusive interview with Wonder Woman. Do you really want an answer to that question? 8 pages. Final Score – 2.13.

Atoll's Edge by Mark Renshaw (MarkRenshaw) - Short, Action - A soldier finds herself marooned on an atoll island. She comes across a mysterious orb in an abandoned village and finds herself instinctively defending it from an ever increasing number of faceless demons. 10 pages. Final Score – 3.15.

Don't Stop Believing by Jeff Bush (Dreamscale) - Short, Horror - It takes a child's innocence to believe in that of which seems unbelievable, but a child's innocence is exactly what Evil preys on. 12 pages. Final Score – 3.25.

The First Womanned Mission to Mars by Mark Moore (irish eyes) - Short, Sci Fi, Comedy - Three women get more than they bargained for on Mars. 8 pages. Final Score – 1.86.

Poultice by Anthony Cawood (AnthonyCawood) - Short, Western - A desperate mother to-be visits the Native American wise woman who may be able to help her child live, if only her father hadn't murdered the woman's husband. 7 pages. Final Score – 2.47.

The Tenderest Cuts by Alexander Brauck (PrussianMosby) - Short, Horror - When a couple rebuffs their sex-obsessed roommate, they set free her inherited psychological craftsmanship. 9 pages. Final Score – 1.62.

In The Arms of Justice by Dan Campisi (DanC) - Short, Film Noir - Has a gorgeous socialite done one bad deed too many? 12 pages. Final Score – 2.00.

Re(t)con by Ashlie Hollis (Ashlie) - Short, Thriller - A hooded teenager learns that, sometimes, being in the wrong place at the wrong time proves beneficial. 7 pages. Final Score – 2.13.

Life On A Dime by Libby Chambers (LC) - Short, Psychological Thriller - A man's perfect life unravels in the space of one day. 12 pages. Final Score – 2.38.

Anna by Cameron Duecker (CameronD) - Short, Thriller - For a young girl, everything changes in ten minutes. 10 pages. Final Score – 2.19.

Lipstick and Dynamite by Gary Kohatsu (Abe from LA) - Short, Thriller - A fashion model engages in a sinister game of cat and mouth with an unbalanced CEO of a cosmetics firm — with catastrophic results. 11 pages. Final Score – 2.69.

Into That Goodnight was fantastic. Well deserved. This has been a great challenge.

~Zack~

My Q&A is up under my script.

So, drinks? drinks anyone?

I actually expected worse.

Some surprises for me, there.

Jeff's and Alex's in particular.

Interesting chnage of pace for both writers.

I had Eric pinned as the write of Goodnight...as other s have said before, he is now the official king of the OWC.

We need to raise our collective games.

Well done all.

Good job, everyone!

It really explains a lot! Everyone did great.

Congrats to all, another high quality and fun OWC!

Well done Eric, Into the Goodnight was my clear favourite - I'm glad it won. Congratulations also to David, Vin and all the other entrants.

-Mark

I LOVE that the scores are available! That was a great thing at MP. I hope that will continue with future OWCs.  8)

Well, done Eric. And Dave and conz

And thanks Sean and Don for the opportunity

I think the revseral of sexes was cool, the allocation  of genres I think is not one I would recommend going forward. But like, everything, worth seeing to see it if it works.

3rd place is 2nd loser. - No Fear (Dangerous Sports Gear)

Good job to the top 2, they were my picks and well deserved.

Quoted from Grandma Bear I LOVE that the scores are available! That was a great thing at MP. I hope that will continue with future OWCs.  8)

If I had Chris' old code, that would've made this so much simpler. If I had it my way, I'd have that entire system (randomly-assigned scripts, a list of how many of each score you got and reveals at midnight) but unfortunately, that's not the case. Still, it could be possible to build such a thing over time. I'm certainly going to look into it.

Quoted from Reef Dreamer Well, done Eric. And Dave and conz And thanks Sean and Don for the opportunity I think the revseral of sexes was cool, the allocation  of genres I think is not one I would recommend going forward. But like, everything, worth seeing to see it if it works.

The random genre thing is something I won't do again. It only fit for this kind of topic and for any OWCs I do in the future, the genre will be static.

Quoted from Conz 3rd place is 2nd loser. - No Fear (Dangerous Sports Gear) Good job to the top 2, they were my picks and well deserved.

Congrats!

I for one have learned a great deal. For instance, I will keep in mind the GENRE when I'm reading scripts.

On that note:
Even though he doesn't wanna hear it from me 'Tenderest cuts' really was horrifying and vulgar.

Great job everyone and especially to the winners.  There were some fine scripts.

And hey, you didn't hate my script the most!!  Psyched!!!  

Seriously, this was a hard OWC and you guys handled it great.  

Mr. Blonde, as you can see, my fears about Film Noir were correct.  No one that had Noir scored well.  To have Noir without the lackey man was almost impossible to write especially without turning into a lesbian thing or triangle.

Again, great job to all and special congrats to the winners.  

Dan

Great OWC Blondie, up there with the time travel one.

Congrats to Eric, Dave and Conz!

Special kudos to the scripts that did film noir - I didn't really get into them myself but you did well to create the feel for a very tough genre

Quoted from Grandma Bear I LOVE that the scores are available! That was a great thing at MP. I hope that will continue with future OWCs.  8)

Makes a notation in his little book...

Quoted from Mr. Blonde If I had Chris' old code, that would've made this so much simpler. If I had it my way, I'd have that entire system (randomly-assigned scripts, a list of how many of each score you got and reveals at midnight) but unfortunately, that's not the case. Still, it could be possible to build such a thing over time. I'm certainly going to look into it.

That is something I wish I could build out.  

- Don

Quoted from Don Makes a notation in his little book...

*wink*

Congrats to everyone! Lots of great scripts and a great challenge run by Sean. Didn't even get to use my pitchfork.

Yes, I forgot to add that.  Thanks to Mr. Blonde for doing this.

Dan

Even if he did give me Film Noir AND I couldn't have any male lackeys!!

Well, it was my pleasure to host for you guys. Sorry, not everyone was happy with their genres or that the male writers heavily-outnumbered the female writers. Problems like that will hopefully be rectified in the next OWC. Hope to see you guys there. =)

Quoted from Don That is something I wish I could build out.

What if I were to talk to Chris and see if he still has the source code for MP and were willing to share it? Would you want me to look into something like that?

I wish you would have let us pick our own genres and if too many people picked a specific genre, then go by who submitted their genre last would have to pick from several choices.  I bet that you would have gotten a good mix.

Except for comedy and Noir.

Comedy is super-hard on this site because half of the regulars are in the USA and half are across the pond.  Comedy is totally different from country to country.  It would be nearly impossible for someone to write a comedy that everyone loves.

And Noir, without the men to be used, isn't really Noir.  This is sad to say, but, the only reason I kept Noir was because I was afraid of getting comedy or western.  My luck, I'd have to write a comedy-western...

Dan

Quoted from DanC I wish you would have let us pick our own genres and if too many people picked a specific genre, then go by who submitted their genre last would have to pick from several choices.  I bet that you would have gotten a good mix. Except for comedy and Noir. Comedy is super-hard on this site because half of the regulars are in the USA and half are across the pond.  Comedy is totally different from country to country.  It would be nearly impossible for someone to write a comedy that everyone loves. And Noir, without the men to be used, isn't really Noir.  This is sad to say, but, the only reason I kept Noir was because I was afraid of getting comedy or western.  My luck, I'd have to write a comedy-western... Dan

I don't get why no one mixed their genres?

Was that not allowed?

Maybe, it would have been an easier time for some.

Quoted from Female Gaze I don't get why no one mixed their genres? Was that not allowed? Maybe, it would have been an easier time for some.

I rolled Sci-fi, though I threw in a healthy dose of Drama. :)

~Zack~

@Ashlie.

I read a good article recently in a Now Write book about genre. Basically a pro writer saying genre is misunderstood by most writers and that there's always more than one genre in any story.

You have an overriding genre which sets the tone/atmosphere and has key genre elements eg horror...the overall tone is meant to frighten and there must be elements in the story that cause fear, you must know the genre elements and provide them for the audience.

But then the story will be another genre...mystery, or thriller, coming of age drama, or sci fi, adventure, action, buddy or a mix of all.


Good way to look at it, I think.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films @Ashlie. I read a good article recently in a Now Write book about genre. Basically a pro writer saying genre is misunderstood by most writers and that there's always more than one genre in any story. You have an overriding genre which sets the tone/atmosphere and has key genre elements eg horror...the overall tone is meant to frighten and there must be elements in the story that cause fear, you must know the genre elements and provide them for the audience. But then the story will be another genre...mystery, or thriller, coming of age drama, or sci fi, adventure, action, buddy or a mix of all. Good way to look at it, I think.

Agreed.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films @Ashlie. I read a good article recently in a Now Write book about genre. Basically a pro writer saying genre is misunderstood by most writers and that there's always more than one genre in any story. You have an overriding genre which sets the tone/atmosphere and has key genre elements eg horror...the overall tone is meant to frighten and there must be elements in the story that cause fear, you must know the genre elements and provide them for the audience. But then the story will be another genre...mystery, or thriller, coming of age drama, or sci fi, adventure, action, buddy or a mix of all. Good way to look at it, I think.

Which is why I originally had Drama as a selectable category then removed it. Drama is drama and everything has drama.

I consider mine mixed genre, Western setting, drama in the plight of the characters,,,  

Quoted from Mr. Blonde Which is why I originally had Drama as a selectable category then removed it. Drama is drama and everything has drama.

That makes A LOT of sense.

Congrats Eric and Dave!

Two great scripts.

And thanks to Sean and Don for another great challenge.

Also big congrats to Jeff... Can't believe your entry has been turned into an episode of South Park already ;D
Rabbit, Fawn and Bear all talk and protect the evil Queenie or the Anti Christ!
;D;D;D;D;D

Eric, congrats - great script (my fav).

Thanks to all who commented on mine - much appreciated.

I especially liked reading the scripts in this OWC  given the varied topics it never became tedious subject matter wise. Shout out to all who entered and contributed/commented and to SS for hosting another challenge.

Quoted from irish eyes Also big congrats to Jeff... Can't believe your entry has been turned into an episode of South Park already ;D Rabbit, Fawn and Bear all talk and protect the evil Queenie or the Anti Christ! ;D;D;D;D;D

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Funny.  I remember reading your review.  I've seriously never, ever watched a single episode of South Park.  Not my thang at all.  I'll provide comments on my script later, for those that give a shit.

Congrats to Dave and Conz!

And thanks to Mr. Blonde and Don as always!

I'm gonna take this chance to try and be humble and admit that this challenge probably challenged me less than it challenged most others. My protagonists tend to be weighted toward female anyway, and Sci-fi is right in my wheelhouse too. I was even thinking of writing something related to Simulation Theory (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulation_hypothesis) before the challenge came down. It only took a little nudging of my ideas to change it into VR instead. So to the extent that luck can play a factor here, fate loaded the dice in my favor. If I found myself stuck with Western or Film Noir, it would've been a rougher road indeed.

But I'm glad most seemed to like it. And thanks to everyone who gets involved (especially those who aren't obligated to).

Cheers!

I think Eric is being a bit modest.

Congrats, winners! I mean, challenge competitors with the highest votes.  ;)

Congrats to all! It's been an interesting challenge) and I'm glad my favorites came first.

And big thanks to the game sponsors, Don and Sean! Thanks for being so generous with your time.

Quoted from LC Congrats, winners! I mean, challenge competitors with the highest votes.  ;)

Lol, the dreaded "winner" word - I put an effort to avoid it here too))

Congrats to everybody once again and to the winners. The cream rises to the top and I think it was pretty clear what the standout scripts were this time around. The work they put in really shows.

And thanks to Blonde and and Don for putting this OWC on. I hate to say it, but I think this is only my 2nd OWC. I'm always so busy that I don't have time to write or I catch them the day scripts are due and miss out. (Woulda been third but literally had my comp crash at the stroke of midnight on day of submission for the games challenge long ago, lol)

But I love these things. Restrictions breed creativity and this was a deceptively simple challenge that forced a few out of their comfort zones. Can't wait for the next one.

Thanks Sean and Don. We all love these challenges!

Congrats to Eric, Dave and Vin. And to all who entered!

Not gonna add anything new, but congrats to the winners - I read the top 2 and they did indeed stick out from the pack.

Regarding my own work, I had a blast doing it regardless of style or content. Know some of you found it confusing and I may not have the slugless style to a tee but whenever I write that's how it comes out.

A big shout out to anybody who spent their minutes reading it and giving (the much necessary and useful) feedback.

Until next time, folks!

Quoted from TiagoL Not gonna add anything new, but congrats to the winners - I read the top 2 and they did indeed stick out from the pack. Regarding my own work, I had a blast doing it regardless of style or content. Know some of you found it confusing and I may not have the slugless style to a tee but whenever I write that's how it comes out. A big shout out to anybody who spent their minutes reading it and giving (the much necessary and useful) feedback. Until next time, folks!

That you got the balls to show up now, after not reviewing, is a miracle.

I gave you the advice before, when you were a stranger in my eyes and I reviewed your stuff, to share and engage. What a big platform you used when introducing yourself…

The focus of this site (I talk for myself not the Host) is to help, realize your group and your/our identity, be productive, and especially share.

A discussion between you and Steven would be great: I'm better. – No, I'm better… Read. – No, read mine.  – No read mine.. I and I and I and I…

Gotta agree with Alex here
Tiago you read 4 in total over a week.
I think Don asks for at least 5 and this OWC was kept within just for that very reason.

Ah well big shout out to Khamanna for her reads and reviews even though she didn't enter and this was in between 2 loads of laundry and making the dinner too... is there nothing those female people can't do ;D

Quoted from irish eyes Gotta agree with Alex here Tiago you read 4 in total over a week. I think Don asks for at least 5 and this OWC was kept within just for that very reason. Ah well big shout out to Khamanna for her reads and reviews even though she didn't enter and this was in between 2 loads of laundry and making the dinner too... is there nothing those female people can't do ;D

Think that's impressive? We have to shave ourselves!!  8)

Quoted from Female Gaze Think that's impressive? We have to shave ourselves!!  8)

Gave me a laugh :)

Quoted from Female Gaze Think that's impressive? We have to shave ourselves!

;D ;D ;D ;D

Quoted from Female Gaze Think that's impressive? We have to shave ourselves!!  8)

Speak for yourself.

Quoted from Female Gaze Think that's impressive? We have to shave ourselves!!  8)

And us guys don't have to?  I just spent 15 minutes on my balls and sack, and it's smooth as a baby's bottom again.   ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Quoted from Dreamscale And us guys don't have to?  I just spent 15 minutes on my balls and sack, and it's smooth as a baby's bottom again.   ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Great! don't forget the backdoor....we hate that.  :K)

Quoted from SAC Speak for yourself.

I speak for the trees!

IMO, Ashlie is a breath of fresh air! Welcome to SS!  ;D

Quoted from Sally Speak for yourself.

Just because you get waxed and a happy ending by an old Chinese man down a back alley behind your  local 7/11...

Quoted from Grandma Bear IMO, Ashlie is a breath of fresh air! Welcome to SS!  ;D

Awww. Thank you, Pia. (see I added the correct comma and everything! I listen.)

I do take the blame for reading so few, I knew I wouldn't have the proper time to dedicate to it afterwards but yet I pressed ahead and wrote the thing.

I promise I'll be more active and next time, I will only write if I know for sure I can give as much as I can get from you guys.

My sincere apologies to everybody.

Quoted from Female Gaze Great! don't forget the backdoor....we hate that.  :K)

Some places here in Oz have a special - Sac, Back and Crack for $60

Quoted from stevie Some places here in Oz have a special - Sac, Back and Crack for $60

Yeah they do.... ;)

Quoted from Mary Just because you get waxed and a happy ending by an old Chinese man down a back alley behind your  local 7/11...

Jealous?

Quoted from Moe Lester Jealous?

Yeah of course

I don't have a 7/11 by me
;D

Quoted from irish eyes Yeah of course I don't have a 7/11 by me ;D

Ok, that's funny.... ;D ;D ;D

Quoted from Female Gaze I don't get why no one mixed their genres? Was that not allowed? Maybe, it would have been an easier time for some.

I somehow always blend drama into all out comedy.  I don't think many people like that.  Going from one genre to another.  I wish I could simply jump back & forth between the two...

These time zones - I miss out on all the fun talk here!

Thanks, Irish, the reads were a nice break from all the laundry. Must be harder for you - you get to read between the workouts.

Does someone remember - did we get to see our scores on MP? I totally forgot.

I don't think we did, I think we just saw where we were placed.

Quoted from khamanna Does someone remember - did we get to see our scores on MP? I totally forgot.

You got the percentages of how many of each score you got, not the score itself. If you'd like, I can tell you how many of each you got...

Quoted from Mr. Blonde You got the percentages of how many of each score you got, not the score itself. If you'd like, I can tell you how many of each you got...

No, seriously I got the message  :'( :'( :'(

Otherwise, thanks for your effort. It is a treat to have a OWC. Bring on the next one  8)

Well done to all the participants, and in particular to Eric for his beauty of an effort.

Properly good work by all, really high standard amongst all of the scripts.

Quoted from stevie Some places here in Oz have a special - Sac, Back and Crack for $60

No idea where you are in Aus but that's a proper bargain Stevie, I think Melbourne prices are at least double that bad boy!!!

Quoted from Mr. Blonde You got the percentages of how many of each score you got, not the score itself. If you'd like, I can tell you how many of each you got...

No thanks, I just wanted to restore my memory.

@Bill, I'm sorry I did not submitt - mine would totally hold your back.

Quoted from Cameron Well done to all the participants, and in particular to Eric for his beauty of an effort. Properly good work by all, really high standard amongst all of the scripts. No idea where you are in Aus but that's a proper bargain Stevie, I think Melbourne prices are at least double that bad boy!!!

Lol that was a price in Melbourne a few years back My sister told me about it - we have a very similar sense of humour!

Inflation shocker! The country's gone mad Stevie, big Malcolm needs to step in and sort this nonsense out, down with this sort of thing