Discussion: Q1 Volume 39

Posted by: @dragonchef

I am rather hoping all the folks at Author Services and WotF get some serious downtime after the Gala. I suspect we won't hear anything on Q1 until next week after they all recover.

They should sleep for at least a week. Also, they may be further slowed by COVID quarantine. Company policy is that anyone who attends an event like the workshops must do a two-week out-of-office quarantine after.

Posted by: @toddjones

I find that Rob Zombie, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, etc. songs are great for horror writing.

Are you kidding?

I listen to these bands because they make me feel happy  

@henckel this part of your signature "(2020) Survived lockdown with minimal emotional scarring" cracked me up  

Thanks.

It was aspirational. 

Hey, all,

Just an update on Q1 - unfortunately it's going to be another couple weeks. Between various quarantines for COVID-19, event prep for the workshop and gala, and Jody needing to jump in mid-stream, we're progressing slower than we'd hoped.

Jody is going through the manuscripts very carefully. She wants to make absolutely sure she has a good feel for the breadth and depth of the submissions so she's reading more manuscripts than Dave would in a normal quarter, and she's reading more pages of each one as well. Quite simply, there's been more work and less time to do it in than a normal quarter.

We're going as fast as we can because we know how frustrating it is to wait.

Hang in there, and I'll keep you posted!

Cheers,

Kary

Posted by: @karyenglish

Hang in there, and I'll keep you posted!

Thanks, as ever! All your efforts are appreciated on all fronts.

Posted by: @doctorjest

Posted by: @karyenglish

Hang in there, and I'll keep you posted!

Thanks, as ever! All your efforts are appreciated on all fronts.

Thank you for the transparency! I'm sure everyone here appreciates a thorough approach more than a rushed one.

As DoctorJest said, thank you for all your efforts.

Posted by: @karyenglish

Hang in there, and I'll keep you posted!

Always honored to know of this contest's integrity. I regularly submit to another contest that sits on subs for over six months with no word at all.

Posted by: @karyenglish

Hang in there, and I'll keep you posted!

Thank you so much for keeping us in the loop. We appreciate everything you and Jody are doing!

Twitch mode turned off, for now.  

@karyenglish Thank you for keeping us informed.

@henckel Not sure if you were serious or not. 

For me, I love those bands.  I also have them on my list because they help me block out the world's distractions and focus.  The louder the better.  (no more dogs barking, lawn mowers, etc.) 

Oh, yeah, forgot to give respect to one of my favorite bands, Megadeth.   

Hello me, it's me again.

@karyenglish - Personally, Kary, I would rather you and Jody take your time, frustrating as that it might be for some. Rushing through something never turns out to be its best, from my experience. We've waited this long; I'm sure we can all find SOMETHING else to do (like write, as I am sure we are all doing) to while away another couple/three weeks.

I certainly hope everyone stays healthy after the gala and week of writing fun.

@karyenglish thank you for the update Kary. It is clear that we are all in good hand hands with you and Jody and the other judges! We’ll all just relax and write (and paint!) while you do your thing! 

@axeminister hi Dustin. 

@karyenglish thank you so much, Kary! I can return to productivity now. LoL putting away the twitchy eyes. 

@karyenglish. As previously mentioned I now have my new specs. Unfortunately I'm still getting used to them and wouldn't be able to see the results without moving the monitor in and out of focus for a while. So you go ahead and take your time.  

Now, where did I put my glasses?  

Thank you for the update  @karyenglish . I really really appreciate it ?

@toddjones 

My personal taste lean toward Motley Crue, Zakk Wylde, and nightwish. But Rob Zombie is my go-to for driving. 

For writing, yes, rob zombie can be super fuel for high energy horror. ... but I often move toward Roling stones (give me shelter) for better pacing (otherwise I'm not a stones fan). 

Mostly, when writing, I'll turn on low ambient. No lyrics. But for plotting and brainstorm, I listen to epic fantasy playlists. Still no lyrics.  

Posted by: @henckel

@toddjones 

My personal taste lean toward Motley Crue, Zakk Wylde, and nightwish. But Rob Zombie is my go-to for driving. 

For writing, yes, rob zombie can be super fuel for high energy horror. ... but I often move toward Roling stones (give me shelter) for better pacing (otherwise I'm not a stones fan). 

Mostly, when writing, I'll turn on low ambient. No lyrics. But for plotting and brainstorm, I listen to epic fantasy playlists. Still no lyrics.  

I'd guess that there's a sizeable gang of us here with tastes running this way. I'm a big fan of Devin Townsend, really love Avatar as well, and more recently went on a bit of a Ghost kick for a spell. I have multiple Cradle of Filth instrumentals mixed in with my listening music, too, as they throw a really dark ambience into their stylings. But by and large, I don't listen too much to my writing-only playlist anymore, but instead, just click on my Random Unsorted Stuff list and let it roll--it's a muddle of every damn thing I happen to like, or have liked at some point, pretty much, so you can get almost anything.

Posted by: @karyenglish

Hey, all,

Just an update on Q1 - unfortunately it's going to be another couple weeks. Between various quarantines for COVID-19, event prep for the workshop and gala, and Jody needing to jump in mid-stream, we're progressing slower than we'd hoped.

Jody is going through the manuscripts very carefully. She wants to make absolutely sure she has a good feel for the breadth and depth of the submissions so she's reading more manuscripts than Dave would in a normal quarter, and she's reading more pages of each one as well. Quite simply, there's been more work and less time to do it in than a normal quarter.

We're going as fast as we can because we know how frustrating it is to wait.

Hang in there, and I'll keep you posted!

Cheers,

Kary

This is what I expected from the start and I think it's the right call. You can't just casually fall into the groove of someone with decades of experience at the same task. I'm sure David Farland adjusted the time he gave each entry as well as his instincts sharpened with hundreds and thousands of stories. Perhaps our new overlord will hit a similar rhythm with time. Or perhaps she will remain a less harsh critic and give entries that don't hit it out of the park immediately more of a chance and we hit a new normal for results that is a bit later than it used to be. Neither seems in any way unreasonable.

@karyenglish 
I'm a bit late adding my thanks, but I will. While all of us can be patient and await results whenever they come, it is very considerate to give us a heads up. We know that we can relax a little for the next couple of weeks.
Thank you.   

To the discussion of writing playlists that was going on, there for a bit:

I find I can't write with(almost) any kind of vocals in the mix. The voices drown out my own wordy thoughts. Anyone feel the same?

(My new groove for all things work related is LoFi Hip-hop, but mostly I write fiction in silence)

Posted by: @angelslayah

To the discussion of writing playlists that was going on, there for a bit:

I find I can't write with(almost) any kind of vocals in the mix. The voices drown out my own wordy thoughts. Anyone feel the same?

Exact same for me. I mostly write in silence, but if I need some extra stimulation, I have been known to put on some dark ambient tracks (for writing creepy sci-fi). You can find tracks on YouTube that are hours long, so no risk of browser temptation!

I write to the sound of many children screaming. So I guess that counts as death metal?

@jennyperrycarr 
Re: Dark Ambient

Yeah, I've found youtube tracks called things like "Dark Fantasy" and "Music for D&D" that work really good!

Basically everything on the Cryo Chamber label.... 

@scribblesatdusk ? You and I have the same writing soundtrack!  Lol

@angelslayah Yes! Love Cryo Chamber!! Highly recommended to those of you that write SFF, especially of the darker flavor. You can find tracks to suit various settings and moods.

I tend to write in near silence, where possible. I too have spawn of the occasionally screaming variety, but if I'm writing and my wife is looking after them, I'm in my room with industrial-grade headphones on. I also write at night, when everybody else in the house is having blissful rest.

So much is found in silence. 

Posted by: @elainemidcoh

Hi all! I don't post much (at all?),but am a devoted lurker who has learned much from this forum and am most appreciative of the helpful tips

I have a style question for you. If writing a story in third person, which do you think is a better way of conveying the main character's (MC) thoughts, keeping third person or going to italics for the first person POV? For example, suppose MC has just insulted a friend ("Joe, you're blah, blah, blah"). Which do you think works better:

MC watched as Joe stalked out, slamming the door behind him. Why oh why did he say that? Joe's no blah blah blah - Joe was his best friend.

OR

MC watched as Joe stalked out, slamming the door behind him. Why oh why did I say that? Joe's no blah blah blah - he's my best friend. 

I have used both styles, typically keeping mostly in third person, with the occasional switch to italics first person for impact. But I recently wrote a story which heavily used italics first person for the MC's thoughts. I liked it, but am curious what forum folks might think: Good to use italics first person occasionally for impact or okay to use throughout the story or pick third person/first person and don't mix?  Of course, the right answer is whatever works, but I am still curious as to your opinions!!

Thanks!! 

Elaine Midcoh

PS: I don't know how to do the signature thing so here's what mine would say: Some R's, a few HM's, one SHM, one Finalist (published finalist, V. 37: "The Battle of Donasi")

 

My personal benchmark on this matter is primarily whether or not I need the italics for something else. I like using italics for intimate thought processes when writing third person, but some of the stories I write involve a symbiotic relationship between a human and a spirit (or a ghost, or some other kind of entity capable of speaking directly into a character's mind). In situations like that, I prefer to use the italics to indicate the possessing creature's mental conversational notes--which means I don't want to use italics for the POV character's thought processes in those stories, because that would get confusing for the reader very quickly.