thanks for the comments. the voting's over btw. but more each month on their forums.
the structure for this particular writing comp is UP TO 600 WORDS. So yeah, it makes for shorter reading, to try and make it easier for as many people to read the entries and vote.
In this case, my entry was only around the mid 400's though.
STL - thanks for your thoughts, i haven't tried to edit it, but after re-reading a few times I totally get your comments! Thanks for being considered in them and not just saying "this sux" or whatever. You gave me a good platform to think about my future writing.
DirtyD and Turtle Boy - thanks heaps!
Twit and insta @lukeabarnett