avery of the dead
from Kentucky is reading Cipher SistersFebruary 18, 2012 - 9:22am
I'm pretty much the facebook stalker of all of you. I have charts and graphs at work.
One day, in my memoirs, you'll find out about it.
Dave
from a city near you is reading constantlyFebruary 18, 2012 - 9:25am
Its all true. Even the good stuff.
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 18, 2012 - 9:42am
@Fritz: Shit, I had no idea anybody recorded me doing that.
@Alien: Actually, I'm going to need you to just go ahead and spray seed all over the place.
@nkwilczy, Fritz, Alien: shall I assume, since you're hanging out in the thread, that I need to put your names on the list of Battle Badassness? Don't be skeered.
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 18, 2012 - 9:45am
@Dave: I await your decision with breath abated. I hope you can free up the time. With the protracted schedule, it's actually not as demanding as it could be.
@Laurance: You should probably say yes. Your battle with Richard will be long over by the time this starts. Also, you should convince Richard (since you guys share that special bond that only occurs during wrestling matches) to join in, too. You hear me, Richard? F that MFA right in the A! You are needed here!
Matt Attack
from Richmond, Va. is reading As I Lay Dying, William FaulknerFebruary 18, 2012 - 10:08am
I am in.
風 Swift as the wind
林 Quiet as the forest
火 Conquer like the fire
山 Steady as the mountain -----Sun Tzu. "The Art of War"
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 18, 2012 - 10:10am
You most certainly are.
XyZy
from New York City is reading Seveneves and Animal MoneyFebruary 19, 2012 - 10:36am
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 19, 2012 - 10:37am
And so you shall.
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 19, 2012 - 5:09pm
So if I'm a seeder, does that mean I can't participate? Because I'm curious to. Also, will there be set genres and prompts?
Nick Wilczynski
from Greensboro, NC is reading A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. MartinFebruary 19, 2012 - 5:44pm
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 19, 2012 - 6:11pm
Alien, you can participate. If this were a thing for $100 winner or something then we might have to set it up with more distance for the organizers, but since this is a play for the honor of playing/winning, there is no conflict of interest. I fully intend to have you participate! Just waiting for your say-so.
@Nick: I love the theme I see growing in this thread!
Jose F. Diaz
from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary MantelFebruary 19, 2012 - 6:27pm
I think in honor of Chuck we should make one new rule for the (un)official War thread.
If this is your first time to the site...You MUST fight!
Laramore Black
from Joplin, Missouri is reading Mario Kart 8February 19, 2012 - 6:37pm
Haha, can we change it from writer battle to fight club?
Nick Wilczynski
from Greensboro, NC is reading A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. MartinFebruary 19, 2012 - 6:40pm
Isn't that what thunderdome is for?
And, apparently I missed the point of Fight Club, but when I read it I didn't think of it as a fistfighting "competition" per se.
Laramore Black
from Joplin, Missouri is reading Mario Kart 8February 19, 2012 - 6:42pm
We are beating the crap out of each other to change the world.
Nick Wilczynski
from Greensboro, NC is reading A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. MartinFebruary 19, 2012 - 6:45pm
No, I'm doing it for the fabulous prizes and for the pussy.
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 19, 2012 - 6:48pm
Gotta agree with Nick here. There weren't any tournaments in Fight Club. It was a bit less organized. Until Project Mayhem.
avery of the dead
from Kentucky is reading Cipher SistersFebruary 19, 2012 - 6:50pm
Shit - I thought of a serious concern earlier but now I've forgoten...hand on...it'll come to me.
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 19, 2012 - 7:15pm
You're making me PARANOID!
avery of the dead
from Kentucky is reading Cipher SistersFebruary 19, 2012 - 7:21pm
Sorry. I can't remember, but I SWEAR it was important.
Anyway...
about prompts. Are you going to pull them out of a hat? Or use one of those internet random...things?
I REMEMBER!! Tie breakers.
We have had several ties on here. How would be settle that?
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 19, 2012 - 7:30pm
In that case I can reserve voting to serve as a tie-breaker.
avery of the dead
from Kentucky is reading Cipher SistersFebruary 19, 2012 - 7:33pm
I don't think you gave that much thought. It was important though, wasn't it? So lucky to have me.
I guess that would work. But...who would tie break you? Also, everyone will know that your vote decided the outcome and you might be murdered.
.
February 19, 2012 - 7:39pm
If I lose the first round I'm going to be sad.
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 19, 2012 - 7:39pm
Murder is a risk I'll have to take, unless someone like Phil or Chester wants to wear the mantle of tie-breaker. I know! Craig Clevenger!
If it falls to me, then I'll have to have someone else, like Alien or somebody, stand as tie-breaker.
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 19, 2012 - 7:40pm
@jacks: pretty good chance it's going to be double elimination, so I wouldn't worry about it.
Jen Todd
is reading your lifeline and all signs are goodFebruary 19, 2012 - 7:52pm
Question: Drafts are due where? Do they go to you (and are they for edit?) or do we have to post them rough somewhere? I've never participated in a battle where there are drafts-- just one week (or two or three) to write and then submit, so I'm just wondering. =)
Thanks!
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 19, 2012 - 11:35pm
Is it true that whoever wins gets a book contract with litreactor?
Jose F. Diaz
from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary MantelFebruary 19, 2012 - 11:39pm
I'll throw in an autographed picture from my dog.
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 20, 2012 - 6:55am
@Jen: Drafts are due in the LitReactor workshop. At least the roughs are. It might be better if we just post the finals as an attachment to their poll, unless the author also wants to continue to polish the story independently and puts the story back in the workshop for further critique.
Also, running the contest as a single-draft event is one idea, and it's not a bad one. However, this contest has no prize beyond pride (at this point). That, and the opportunity to commit to getting better at craft. And that's what it's really all about. Yes, seeing how you stack up against everybody else. But also to improve. And there are people participating on the site who I would love to see participate in the contest who might not yet be educated as well as others about how to properly polish their piece. And for the purpose of helping them along in that discipline, one function of the contest will be to continue to offer review and critique of pieces prior to final deadline.
Jose F. Diaz
from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary MantelFebruary 20, 2012 - 7:08am
I know how to polish my piece. I just don't know how to revise my stories.
^
See what I did there, huh?
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 20, 2012 - 7:10am
I didn't see what you did there. Why don't you send a photo of what you mean to Alien and he can explain it to us.
Jose F. Diaz
from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary MantelFebruary 20, 2012 - 7:11am
Touche'
avery of the dead
from Kentucky is reading Cipher SistersFebruary 20, 2012 - 8:23am
Right - because the more we write, the better we are going to become at writing. It just makes good sense. When you post up a new story for the workshop, You are going to start to see things you do consistently - whether you do them poorly or brilliantly - and I think that is a huge help. You will be able to point out things in your own writing that you need to focus on.
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 20, 2012 - 8:33am
Which I consider to be one of the main goals of the competition. I see a lot of people post their rough drafts, but then never post a second or "final". In a double-elimination tournament, everybody who participates will have a greater encouragement to follow through.
And if that's not enough, it's a war, motherfucker! You do it to win. Because getting beaten up is not as much fun as doing the beating. Unless, you know, your mind works that way.
Richard
from St. Louis is reading various anthologiesFebruary 20, 2012 - 8:49am
will we all get the same prompt? i imagine it will be just like the Thunderdome battles we're having now, just one big NCAA seeded battle?
if this doesn't start for a bit, yeah, i'm in: WAR, what is it good for? great fiction, it seems
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 20, 2012 - 8:56am
@Richard: I think it would be a bit boring for the workshop process if we all got the same prompt, and unnecessary to make the competition fair, as each round is a series of head-to-heads.
And yeah, it doesn't start til 7:00 PM US Central, March 9. Glad to have you. I know you've got a busy schedule. This is a dream fulfilled for Utah. In case anybody is wondering, I'm calling it off US Central so that I don't get confused and fuck it up straight out the gate.
@Everybody: You see this, everybody? See where this is going? Bring your fuckin A game.
Richard
from St. Louis is reading various anthologiesFebruary 20, 2012 - 8:58am
so we can all turn in any story that is under 2500 words? we only have to write ONE story right, not one for each round? i know, obvious questions, just asking. march 9th is when we need the story turned in? when will the seeding begin, or does THAT start on the 9th? just looking at timelines here.
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 20, 2012 - 9:06am
What I have envisioned so far has been a story for each round. For a couple reasons. A) To keep each round truly head-to-head and B) In order to challenge each participant to complete the rough-to-final process several times.
Richard, I can understand that with your experience this might not be something that would benefit you as much as some of the rest of us. If you need to withdraw because of it I certainly understand. But for the sake of the contest it would be truly wonderful to have you. I think we'd all sack up just a bit tighter with the level of competition you bring to the table. I will not joyously remove your name from the contestant list, but if you want me to remove it I will.
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 20, 2012 - 9:10am
On the other hand, if everybody has been operating under the assumption that this contest was just to be one story from each of us, and think it is too much to expect one story every four weeks until victory of disqualification, then please let me know and I can readjust the plan to what you guys think would work best for all of us.
I'm open to all of your suggestions and concerns regarding this.
I'm not married to one idea.
avery of the dead
from Kentucky is reading Cipher SistersFebruary 20, 2012 - 9:17am
I personally vote for one story per round, with a different prompt each time. But that's just me.
Like...as an example...I battle Utah with a prompt, naturally I win. Then I get matched up with Jacks with a new prompt and we duke it out. Right?
Until it is down to two people. And they write a story based on one prompt and then the winner eats free at Applebee's. Or gets that weird feeling where they want to celebrate, but they can't, because they feel bad for everyone else.
Richard
from St. Louis is reading various anthologiesFebruary 20, 2012 - 9:28am
if we're going to do a battle a week, maybe lower the stories to under 1000 words each? that seems more possible, to write, edit and post up a fairly polished flash fiction story every week. i'd be up for either a prompt for every round, a prompt for each matchup per round, or no prompts at all, wide open.
probably better to have no prompts at all. everybody brings their "A" game, and part of that is planning and plotting. BUT the only way to make sure people aren't just regurgitating OLD stories they've written is to have a specific prompt, something that can only be written NOW. i mean, sure, you could always go back and insert, for example, a necklace into an old story. we can't police everything.
i think i just confused myself.
Matt Attack
from Richmond, Va. is reading As I Lay Dying, William FaulknerFebruary 20, 2012 - 9:28am
Utah are any of the big shots (published writers) going to be like the "final bosses" for the top four or something? I mean if so, that would be fan-fucking-tastic.
R.Moon
from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's DigestFebruary 20, 2012 - 9:30am
think it is too much to expect one story every four weeks until victory of disqualification,f
- Shit, that works for me. I thought it was a story every week or two.
RT's involved now? Damn... Now I've gotta add a couple of plus' to my A-game. :)
Great to have you Richard!
Jose F. Diaz
from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary MantelFebruary 20, 2012 - 9:32am
If you guys don't do prompts I would like to suggest using the 1000 words of a story, and the winner gets to keep on expanding by 1000 words each week. That way by the end you can have some really polished work and have something to really show for your time in the battle. Maybe, thought in the works.
Richard
from St. Louis is reading various anthologiesFebruary 20, 2012 - 9:33am
@matt - that's where the seeding comes in. the veteran reviewers here at LR will rank the entries based on how they see the talent. if we get a whole field (32) then there would be either total rankings (1-32) or divided into four division (north, south, east, west) like they do in the NCAA basketball tournament. the top seeds earn the right to play the bottom seeds, and then they all work their way towards the middle.
@moon - thanks. we'll see. could be i get embarrassed twice in a couple weeks here.
R.Moon
from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's DigestFebruary 20, 2012 - 9:35am
@RT: Well, in any case, it'll be great to go head to head with the likes of you. Of course, if I make it that far... LOL
avery of the dead
from Kentucky is reading Cipher SistersFebruary 20, 2012 - 9:37am
No, it would be one story every, like...three weeks, right? Or four actually.
Promt, then one week to write rough, then two weeks to prepare final, then one week to poll, then new prompt for the winner.
So four weeks.
Am I right? Am I confused?
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 20, 2012 - 9:38am
@Richard (and everybody): Right now it is not a story every week. The schedule as it stands is a story every 4. It goes like this:
Prompt.
Then a week to write the rough.
Then, because of the volume of work that will flood the workshop, 2 weeks of workshopping/final prep.
Then a week of polling (not poling, Alien) to decide round outcome.
This seems to me a managable volume.
At this moment, to prevent the regurgitation of old work that Richard has brought up, I still plan to stick with prompts for each matchup.
@Matt: Final Four could be bosses. It depends. Do you plan on allowing Richard to beat you on his way to the Final Four?
R.Moon
from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's DigestFebruary 20, 2012 - 9:39am
I think you're right, but I am a little confused as well. Hey, I thought a story every week or two... Four weeks works fine for me.
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 20, 2012 - 9:40am
@Avery: your mathematics are sound. Society would not have me expect that of you.
I'm pretty much the facebook stalker of all of you. I have charts and graphs at work.
One day, in my memoirs, you'll find out about it.
Its all true. Even the good stuff.
@Fritz: Shit, I had no idea anybody recorded me doing that.
@Alien: Actually, I'm going to need you to just go ahead and spray seed all over the place.
@nkwilczy, Fritz, Alien: shall I assume, since you're hanging out in the thread, that I need to put your names on the list of Battle Badassness? Don't be skeered.
@Dave: I await your decision with breath abated. I hope you can free up the time. With the protracted schedule, it's actually not as demanding as it could be.
@Laurance: You should probably say yes. Your battle with Richard will be long over by the time this starts. Also, you should convince Richard (since you guys share that special bond that only occurs during wrestling matches) to join in, too. You hear me, Richard? F that MFA right in the A! You are needed here!
I am in.
風 Swift as the wind
林 Quiet as the forest
火 Conquer like the fire
山 Steady as the mountain -----Sun Tzu. "The Art of War"
You most certainly are.
aWARe reWARd beWARe Evelyn WAUGH lukeWARm FrancOIS Rabelais thWARt qUARtz toWARd WARren BEATty hardWARe dWARf Potter SteWARt WARped qUARantine coWARd WARrantee sWARmed awkWARd cassoWARy dinnerWARe downWARd WARble antiqUARian bourgeOIS...
I would like to participate.
And so you shall.
So if I'm a seeder, does that mean I can't participate? Because I'm curious to. Also, will there be set genres and prompts?
Alien, you can participate. If this were a thing for $100 winner or something then we might have to set it up with more distance for the organizers, but since this is a play for the honor of playing/winning, there is no conflict of interest. I fully intend to have you participate! Just waiting for your say-so.
@Nick: I love the theme I see growing in this thread!
I think in honor of Chuck we should make one new rule for the (un)official War thread.
If this is your first time to the site...You MUST fight!
Haha, can we change it from writer battle to fight club?
Isn't that what thunderdome is for?
And, apparently I missed the point of Fight Club, but when I read it I didn't think of it as a fistfighting "competition" per se.
We are beating the crap out of each other to change the world.
No, I'm doing it for the fabulous prizes and for the pussy.
Gotta agree with Nick here. There weren't any tournaments in Fight Club. It was a bit less organized. Until Project Mayhem.
Shit - I thought of a serious concern earlier but now I've forgoten...hand on...it'll come to me.
You're making me PARANOID!
Sorry. I can't remember, but I SWEAR it was important.
Anyway...
about prompts. Are you going to pull them out of a hat? Or use one of those internet random...things?
I REMEMBER!! Tie breakers.
We have had several ties on here. How would be settle that?
In that case I can reserve voting to serve as a tie-breaker.
I don't think you gave that much thought. It was important though, wasn't it? So lucky to have me.
I guess that would work. But...who would tie break you? Also, everyone will know that your vote decided the outcome and you might be murdered.
If I lose the first round I'm going to be sad.
Murder is a risk I'll have to take, unless someone like Phil or Chester wants to wear the mantle of tie-breaker. I know! Craig Clevenger!
If it falls to me, then I'll have to have someone else, like Alien or somebody, stand as tie-breaker.
@jacks: pretty good chance it's going to be double elimination, so I wouldn't worry about it.
Question: Drafts are due where? Do they go to you (and are they for edit?) or do we have to post them rough somewhere? I've never participated in a battle where there are drafts-- just one week (or two or three) to write and then submit, so I'm just wondering. =)
Thanks!
Is it true that whoever wins gets a book contract with litreactor?
I'll throw in an autographed picture from my dog.
@Jen: Drafts are due in the LitReactor workshop. At least the roughs are. It might be better if we just post the finals as an attachment to their poll, unless the author also wants to continue to polish the story independently and puts the story back in the workshop for further critique.
Also, running the contest as a single-draft event is one idea, and it's not a bad one. However, this contest has no prize beyond pride (at this point). That, and the opportunity to commit to getting better at craft. And that's what it's really all about. Yes, seeing how you stack up against everybody else. But also to improve. And there are people participating on the site who I would love to see participate in the contest who might not yet be educated as well as others about how to properly polish their piece. And for the purpose of helping them along in that discipline, one function of the contest will be to continue to offer review and critique of pieces prior to final deadline.
I know how to polish my piece. I just don't know how to revise my stories.
^
See what I did there, huh?
I didn't see what you did there. Why don't you send a photo of what you mean to Alien and he can explain it to us.
Touche'
Right - because the more we write, the better we are going to become at writing. It just makes good sense. When you post up a new story for the workshop, You are going to start to see things you do consistently - whether you do them poorly or brilliantly - and I think that is a huge help. You will be able to point out things in your own writing that you need to focus on.
Which I consider to be one of the main goals of the competition. I see a lot of people post their rough drafts, but then never post a second or "final". In a double-elimination tournament, everybody who participates will have a greater encouragement to follow through.
And if that's not enough, it's a war, motherfucker! You do it to win. Because getting beaten up is not as much fun as doing the beating. Unless, you know, your mind works that way.
will we all get the same prompt? i imagine it will be just like the Thunderdome battles we're having now, just one big NCAA seeded battle?
if this doesn't start for a bit, yeah, i'm in: WAR, what is it good for? great fiction, it seems
@Richard: I think it would be a bit boring for the workshop process if we all got the same prompt, and unnecessary to make the competition fair, as each round is a series of head-to-heads.
And yeah, it doesn't start til 7:00 PM US Central, March 9. Glad to have you. I know you've got a busy schedule. This is a dream fulfilled for Utah. In case anybody is wondering, I'm calling it off US Central so that I don't get confused and fuck it up straight out the gate.
@Everybody: You see this, everybody? See where this is going? Bring your fuckin A game.
so we can all turn in any story that is under 2500 words? we only have to write ONE story right, not one for each round? i know, obvious questions, just asking. march 9th is when we need the story turned in? when will the seeding begin, or does THAT start on the 9th? just looking at timelines here.
What I have envisioned so far has been a story for each round. For a couple reasons. A) To keep each round truly head-to-head and B) In order to challenge each participant to complete the rough-to-final process several times.
Richard, I can understand that with your experience this might not be something that would benefit you as much as some of the rest of us. If you need to withdraw because of it I certainly understand. But for the sake of the contest it would be truly wonderful to have you. I think we'd all sack up just a bit tighter with the level of competition you bring to the table. I will not joyously remove your name from the contestant list, but if you want me to remove it I will.
On the other hand, if everybody has been operating under the assumption that this contest was just to be one story from each of us, and think it is too much to expect one story every four weeks until victory of disqualification, then please let me know and I can readjust the plan to what you guys think would work best for all of us.
I'm open to all of your suggestions and concerns regarding this.
I'm not married to one idea.
I personally vote for one story per round, with a different prompt each time. But that's just me.
Like...as an example...I battle Utah with a prompt, naturally I win. Then I get matched up with Jacks with a new prompt and we duke it out. Right?
Until it is down to two people. And they write a story based on one prompt and then the winner eats free at Applebee's. Or gets that weird feeling where they want to celebrate, but they can't, because they feel bad for everyone else.
if we're going to do a battle a week, maybe lower the stories to under 1000 words each? that seems more possible, to write, edit and post up a fairly polished flash fiction story every week. i'd be up for either a prompt for every round, a prompt for each matchup per round, or no prompts at all, wide open.
probably better to have no prompts at all. everybody brings their "A" game, and part of that is planning and plotting. BUT the only way to make sure people aren't just regurgitating OLD stories they've written is to have a specific prompt, something that can only be written NOW. i mean, sure, you could always go back and insert, for example, a necklace into an old story. we can't police everything.
i think i just confused myself.
Utah are any of the big shots (published writers) going to be like the "final bosses" for the top four or something? I mean if so, that would be fan-fucking-tastic.
think it is too much to expect one story every four weeks until victory of disqualification,f
- Shit, that works for me. I thought it was a story every week or two.
RT's involved now? Damn... Now I've gotta add a couple of plus' to my A-game. :)
Great to have you Richard!
If you guys don't do prompts I would like to suggest using the 1000 words of a story, and the winner gets to keep on expanding by 1000 words each week. That way by the end you can have some really polished work and have something to really show for your time in the battle. Maybe, thought in the works.
@matt - that's where the seeding comes in. the veteran reviewers here at LR will rank the entries based on how they see the talent. if we get a whole field (32) then there would be either total rankings (1-32) or divided into four division (north, south, east, west) like they do in the NCAA basketball tournament. the top seeds earn the right to play the bottom seeds, and then they all work their way towards the middle.
@moon - thanks. we'll see. could be i get embarrassed twice in a couple weeks here.
@RT: Well, in any case, it'll be great to go head to head with the likes of you. Of course, if I make it that far... LOL
No, it would be one story every, like...three weeks, right? Or four actually.
Promt, then one week to write rough, then two weeks to prepare final, then one week to poll, then new prompt for the winner.
So four weeks.
Am I right? Am I confused?
@Richard (and everybody): Right now it is not a story every week. The schedule as it stands is a story every 4. It goes like this:
Prompt.
Then a week to write the rough.
Then, because of the volume of work that will flood the workshop, 2 weeks of workshopping/final prep.
Then a week of polling (not poling, Alien) to decide round outcome.
This seems to me a managable volume.
At this moment, to prevent the regurgitation of old work that Richard has brought up, I still plan to stick with prompts for each matchup.
@Matt: Final Four could be bosses. It depends. Do you plan on allowing Richard to beat you on his way to the Final Four?
I think you're right, but I am a little confused as well. Hey, I thought a story every week or two... Four weeks works fine for me.
@Avery: your mathematics are sound. Society would not have me expect that of you.