Discussion: Q2 Volume 38

Apologies- I totally spaced on the other two finalists.

Big congrats to DPeony and babooher. So proud we have three…THREE!…forumites in the finals. Wowzuh!

@babooher

Awesome! Congratulations Bret!

@patezell

Awesome job, Pat. Hope I get to read the story sometime!

Posted by: @dragonchef

Apologies- I totally spaced on the other two finalists.

Big congrats to DPeony and babooher. So proud we have three…THREE!…forumites in the finals. Wowzuh!

 

Just for the record, babooher announced that he was a semifinalist, which is wonderful, especially since he'll get a critique from David Farland. The critique I received from Dave changed everything for me. May it do the same for you, babooher! CONGRATULATIONS!

Posted by: @scott_m_sands

Wow - tremendous results everyone! And I loved the encouragement to those who got rejections as well, in the fact that they are submitting. I was listening to the WotF podcast today with Scot Noel, discussing rejections (from publishers in general) and how rejections don't always mean they didn't like your story or that your writing isn't good.

Q2 is my first HM, which I'm pleased with. It's also the first time I made some significant changes to the formatting.

Hoping to get a few more results like this in future. Gotta keep working hard, though!

 

Congrats Scott! Good job on the HM. 

@disgruntledpeony Yes, I think I'm going to go for it! Thanks so much for the encouragement ? 

Congrats to the finalists! Fingers crossed for you both!!

What a lot of great news. Congrats to all who placed.

I took my first HM that never named my MC and gave her a name in the first paragraph. That and some tweaking from the things I've learned here, gave me the false impression it would place higher than the first time, nope, rejection. So for me I'll probably never re-submit a story.  

Posted by: @storysinger

What a lot of great news. Congrats to all who placed.

I took my first HM that never named my MC and gave her a name in the first paragraph. That and some tweaking from the things I've learned here, gave me the false impression it would place higher than the first time, nope, rejection. So for me I'll probably never re-submit a story.  

I'd say this--when I've made polishing edits (which sounds like what you did here), my resubmissions have come back ranked exactly what they did for my first submission. However, I do have two stories currently stewing as possible resubmissions--in one case, the story is 30% shorter and much tighter, with much of the colorful fluff removed (things I would have used in a novel, but that there's just not room for in a short story). The other is a fraction longer, but there were extensive changes around one of the relationships, to heighten the tension of some of the decision-making, and drive the emotional impact of the finale a little harder.

When I look at my HM entries versus my SHM ones, they tend to show the following distinctions:

• More issues with pacing, especially in the middle, often with bloated descriptions
• Characters lacking potent emotional stakes in the story, or sometimes lacking significant agency in their own tale
• Story takes too long to get to the heart of the stakes

The SHM / Finalist entries, by contrast, have few or none of these issues--they tend to be tighter, with elevated emotional stakes, invested central characters, and more well-controlled pacing and tension from beginning to end.

@doctorjest this is SOOO helpful! Thank you for posting this!!!

And remember, if you got a straight up R, the issue may have been in the first two pages.

There's an ap for that.

Or rather, a group.

Greetings everyone. This was my first ever submission to WotF or any other contest and

I'm happy enough with this result, truth be told this or a silver was the exact outcome I had been hoping for. I learned a lot in the last three months ever since I barely finished in time for the deadline, and I was hoping to fix this one up for a later quarter. Out of all short story ideas swirling in my head this is the one that feels fresh and unique on a more fundamental level, so I want to mold it into the best I can make of it. The confirmation that David Farland saw some merrit in it is certainly heartening, now I will just have to pray the flaws I identified match with what he considered lacking.

Posted by: @sinsyne

Greetings everyone. This was my first ever submission to WotF or any other contest and

I'm happy enough with this result, truth be told this or a silver was the exact outcome I had been hoping for. I learned a lot in the last three months ever since I barely finished in time for the deadline, and I was hoping to fix this one up for a later quarter. Out of all short story ideas swirling in my head this is the one that feels fresh and unique on a more fundamental level, so I want to mold it into the best I can make of it. The confirmation that David Farland saw some merrit in it is certainly heartening, now I will just have to pray the flaws I identified match with what he considered lacking.

Congratulations! It's a nice way to get your feet wet, isn't it?

hi everyone. Q2 was the first time i've ever submitted anything anywhere and i got an honorable mention! i'm super stoked because, upon revisiting my piece, i see quite a few things i want to change. so, yeah. just feeling super encouraged. going to try hanging out in these forums now as it looks like a great place to grow. so hi and thanks for having me 😀 

@sinsyne

Wow - that's terrific! Hope it feels good, and now you can send that story off to another market (always good to have another check over it first)

Posted by: @patezell

@doctorjest

Thanks for the lesson! And, while I'm at it, I want to tell you how much I loved Ashwright. Awesome story, and that you created such an original idea in a traditional fantasy setting is rarely managed. If we had a hat-tipping emoji, I'd insert it here.

I did want to throw up a thank-you for this. I'm glad you enjoyed the story! In the past it's tended to be a little divisive, with people either loving or hating it on the whole, but it's been nice to see it getting some love after its PodCastle incarnation.

Welcome to the forum foxed. Congrats on the HM.

R for me. Fingers crossed for the finalists!

Congrats to all who got HM and above--including a first timer--and to @disgruntledpeony  

Been at least a month since I have been to the forums, shame on me. Again though I had a complete rejection. I have kept learning about writing, but so far it hasn't done me any good. (Sigh) 

Posted by: @ldwriter2

Been at least a month since I have been to the forums, shame on me. Again though I had a complete rejection. I have kept learning about writing, but so far it hasn't done me any good. (Sigh) 

Clearly you enjoy writing, because you’re still submitting, so don’t ever stop! Keep writing, reading, and learning.

Good luck with Q3!

Posted by: @lost_bard

Posted by: @ldwriter2

Been at least a month since I have been to the forums, shame on me. Again though I had a complete rejection. I have kept learning about writing, but so far it hasn't done me any good. (Sigh) 

Clearly you enjoy writing, because you’re still submitting, so don’t ever stop! Keep writing, reading, and learning.

Good luck with Q3!

Thank you 

Posted by: @doctorjest

Congratulations! It's a nice way to get your feet wet, isn't it?

Thanks man. It certainly is.

Posted by: @scott_m_sands

@sinsyne

Wow - that's terrific! Hope it feels good, and now you can send that story off to another market (always good to have another check over it first)

Now I'm no longer under pressure to finish the current quarter(barely submitted in time) I'll give my previous piece a major revision with what I learned in the meantime and any feedback I can get. Trying other markets is certainly on my agenda but with this one I really want to try again here in a later quarter. From what I researched here in the forum and David Farland's blog there is no issue with sending in the same story again.

Posted by: @sinsyne

Now I'm no longer under pressure to finish the current quarter(barely submitted in time) I'll give my previous piece a major revision with what I learned in the meantime and any feedback I can get. Trying other markets is certainly on my agenda but with this one I really want to try again here in a later quarter. From what I researched here in the forum and David Farland's blog there is no issue with sending in the same story again.

One hundred percent true! Only stories that place semi-finalist or finalist are ineligible for resubmission. If you finish with a silver honorable mention or below, you're completely free to revise, improve, and try again with the same story.

@time thanks, Tim! You're an awesome crit partner. ♥️

@prestondennett thanks, Preston! The Forum and the Wild Pack have been lifelines.

@derbestin thanks, Donovan! You'll get there! 

@sinsyne you are amazing. HM on your first try! Well done!

@wulfmoon thanks, Moon! Jedi master., Sensei and Magic Sword. ?

@scribblesatdusk thanks! Twitches will resume tomorrow, I think.