Discussion: Q2 Volume 41

Posted by: @karyenglish

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@jose77sanchez Hi, Jose,

Apologies, but June / July is only for the writers. I'm not part of the illustration side, so I don't have any info about their judging schedules.

Best wishes in the contest!

Kary

 

Ok I understand. Thank you.

Thanks and later,

Jose  

 

 

 

@physa

very interesting observations indeed thank you and speaking of this I've also made a peculiar observation myself. It turns out that I have an HM from tge 4th Quarter of '23 and '24. Could one of the same judges had been slightly 'influenced' by my style or are they constantly rotated so that it's ALWAYS a different judge ? And another anomalie. For whatever reason, one picture was re-sent in both these quarters, meaning that I repeated the same image twice and it was part of the group that made the HM. Coincidence or something else ?...strange but happily welcomed.  

Posted by: @karyenglish

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Hey, all!

Just a friendly reminder from the slush team that Q2 results are always delayed because of the workshop and gala week. The event happened later in April this year, so slushing started later, too. No twitching until somewhere in the June (probably) / July (maybe) range.  😉

Happy writing!

 

Kary

Hmm. It's June...

I've been off there, busy writing, and it just occurred to me to come in here and wipe some cobwebs away. Things are a bit dusty and unused. 😉 

Is it time to start biting nails already?

I figured end of month ...

Shoot, I better get writing for my Q3 submission. Augh

@toddjones I'd agree end of the month seems more likely. Especially given Kary's note and the fact last year Q2 results were in July, it may be that additional slushers move the time frame up (though even that is unclear as I believe the additional slushers were in place earlier, just not official until recently, and the Gala which delays things was later this year). Just my best guess. I was thinking last week June of we're lucky. 💣 

But I've been wrong before  

I entered my short story in Q2 at the urging—some might call it nagging—of my wife. It’s her favorite story I’ve written. I have never entered a short story writing contest before so I’m not sure what to expect. I’m anxiously hopeful, nauseatingly excited, and trepidatiously anticipatory! My therapist said those are understandably normal feelings. I wasn’t sure if I should change therapists or ask to join their support group!  

Anyway, good luck to all who have entered! Like many of you, I will be entering more contests in the future!

J. Thomas LaCroix

Posted by: @knyghtstyk

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I entered my short story in Q2 at the urging—some might call it nagging—of my wife. It’s her favorite story I’ve written. I have never entered a short story writing contest before so I’m not sure what to expect. I’m anxiously hopeful, nauseatingly excited, and trepidatiously anticipatory! My therapist said those are understandably normal feelings. I wasn’t sure if I should change therapists or ask to join their support group!  

 

Anyway, good luck to all who have entered! Like many of you, I will be entering more contests in the future!

J. Thomas LaCroix

Not to be that guy who takes a joke too seriously, but thank your wife for me. A supportive family is so important to a writer (or artist, or...). I've soon too many unsupportive families, and they depress me. So just for tonight, your wife is my favorite person.

And good luck!

@martin-l-shoemaker Thank you for that! I let her read what you said and she was very touched.

Posted by: @knyghtstyk

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I entered my short story in Q2 at the urging—some might call it nagging—of my wife. It’s her favorite story I’ve written. I have never entered a short story writing contest before so I’m not sure what to expect.

Congrats on writing and finishing a story. Congrats on listening to your wife (sometimes it hard to block them out.  haha). Great that she will read your story and rate them. 

I look forward to my wife reading my stories and her comments that 'this' story is now her favorite or even if it isn't her favorite, 'this' story is the best I've written.  To me, that means my writing is getting better. I'll take the little wins from my wife. double haha (or is that quadruple).  

For me, writing is therapeutic. Keep writing and hopefully you'll find it's therapeutic for you too.

P.S. When you find writing frustrating and/or even maddening , just get a fresh cup of coffee (or whatever)  , vent in the forum , remember to breath, and go back to having fun writing.  

P.S.S. That's what I'm doing now. 

No twitching yet. I have Q3 to complete and Kary said June or July which I interpret as end of June or early July.

I also have a supportive family between my husband and mother.

My husband read my Q2 and told me I nailed the ending on this one. But I am not getting my hopes up.

Posted by: @knyghtstyk

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I entered my short story in Q2 ... I have never entered a short story writing contest before so I’m not sure what to expect. I’m anxiously hopeful, nauseatingly excited, and trepidatiously anticipatory! My therapist said those are understandably normal feelings. 

Welcome, J. Thomas! I wish you well. There's a lot of support in this forum. I find this contest keeps driving me to grow, improve, become the best writer I can be. Hope it does the same for you.

@ehonour Thank you! I’m very grateful for the welcome I have received from the forum!

J. Thomas

@ehonour I TOTALLY agree. Its almost mid-June now. I already submitted for Q3 so those results may not come until the Sept.-Oct. time frame ? Fall/pre-winter 2024...

@jose77sanchez last year 3rd quarter results came around mid-September.

I’m not saying it’s time to twitch, but you might start warming up your twitch muscles…

Warm up your writing muscles instead! The best cure for twitching is to throw yourself into your next story. Good luck, everyone. Fingers crossed.

Posted by: @martin-l-shoemaker

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I’m not saying it’s time to twitch, but you might start warming up your twitch muscles…

I refuse to twitch says the hobbit tidying up her hobit hole and putting up tables filled with scones and coffee.

Emails from Joni can sure get the heart racing. TWITCH!

Now it's literally Thursday - but does WOTF Thursday cometh? We'll have to see!

Still not twitching the hobbit says handing out lattes and cookies.

Posted by: @folkloremipsum

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Now it's literally Thursday - but does WOTF Thursday cometh? We'll have to see!

It’s too early. But WOTF Thursday is rumbling in the distance. In my view, there are 5 steps to WOTF Thursday. Step 3 is in progress. 3, 4, and 5 are shorter.

@gideonpsmith - So, you answered my Q1 results question the last time. BTW, I got an Illustrator's HM for that Q1 quarter. Now, any news on the results for Q2 (Jan.-Mar.) on the Illustrator's Side of the contest ?(we are now entering mid-June). By the way, I'm relatively new to this forum and still trying to figure out where all artists are actually located here in this forum ? Any advice ? or "inside info." ?... Thanks !

@crlisle THANK YOU ! Now, at least I have an idea of how long this might take, just as soon as I can get out my newest art entries and by then it will be (around the end of September), I'll have many extra pieces to choose from. I had already gotten in my Q2 and Q3 entries and right now, I'm floating around 7 new ones, so maybe by then, I could possibly have maybe 8-10 ?...we shall see...  

@jose77sanchez Hey Jose!  I'm not sure how much use I'm really going to be but I can try - first I'll tag @clfors the Q1 V41 illustrator winner who knows far more than I about that side of the competition after multiple finalists and @tashari also a past winner of the illustrators who did Death of the Taxman (she also won a prize for this at Boskone this year - I didn't know it was there and it was surreally exciting to turn the corner and see it there!) and sometimes posts over in the arts and illustrator section.

the "Thursday" people are referring to in this thread is the day general results are released, which is not always a Thursday in reality. Its just it often seems to have been so now its referred to as 'thursday' even if its not that actual day.

For the writers the general results last year came out for Q2 on July 5th. Illustrators results seem closely correlated in time but not precisely. From Martin's comments sounds like writers results may be ahead of schedule. maybe (?). But that implies nothing as far as I know about illustrators. I'll leave that and other things to @clfors (or other knowledgeable people!) to comment on.

Either way, its getting closer. Congrats on the Q1 HM   and keep entering

@morgan-broadhead agreed! I’m working on my Q3 at the moment and then gonna dive right in to an entry for Grist Climate Future Fiction! June is a crazy busy month!

@gideonpsmith thanks for tagging me I won’t be much help with anything involving time but I’ll give it a go. @jose77sanchez congratulations on your honorable mention! That’s great! 😃 So Illustrators results timing really varies. Last quarter it came about a week after the Writing results in mid-March. Some quarters it’s at the same time or even before writers. Once in a while you might not get a result until the results are published.  My advice is to make more art while you keep your ringer on, and your voicemail box emptied and checked. Sounds like you are already making lots of great art!

Welcome @jose77sanchez , and congrats! Keep up the submissions.

"still trying to figure out where all artists are actually located here in this forum ?"

Where are all the artists? I wondered the same thing back when I was starting to submit and checked on here. I didn't have any questions to ask, I had just been curious. Luckily I already had some artist Discord groups, and friends, as my support network. And I figured since writers deal more in words that it wasn't surprising they had more discourse on here.  

The simple answer is: I think the artists just *aren't* located here!  

... Yet?

If every artist who is interested in the forum peeks in and notices there isn't much to see, they'll keep moving on elsewhere.

I try to keep an eye on here these days in case people have questions I can answer. (But I don't have much insight on the inner workings of the competition.) I simply don't have the time or energy to be more engaged than that.

Unless, of course, you are asking where the artists [who are in the forum] are actually located? In which case, I am in my living room, just outside of Boston Massachusetts USA!

Also... Hi @gideonpsmith ! Are you a local here as well? So glad you got to surprise see Frank in person!

@tashari I am also in my living room, just outside Boston!

@gideonpsmith Thank you for your reply and insights into the illustrators part of the contest ! At least I now have an idea what path to take and thank you for your comments. I appreciate your help.

@clfors I will do just that-create more and more art and keep my antennae on in the meantime ! Thanks for your congrats - I very much appreciate it as it aint easy. THANK YOU...