Discussion: Q3 Volume 40

Posted by: @ease

↑

I genuinely don't think calls will go out for another month. MAYBE in two weeks, but I highly doubt sooner than then. Keep your twitching to your fingers upon your keyboards for Q4!

That’s the problem. I'm already in for QTR 4

I refuse to twitch until I finish this darn story for Q4. Every time I am about 3k words I come to this motivation halt and the task of completing it becomes a battle between time and perfection  

Results from the last 5 years are: October 4, September 27, October 6, December 2 and September 26.

With the exception of that December date which I believe was due to technical difficulties, the rest are fairly close together. 

Get your quarter 4 in, and hopefully there won't be long to wait for quarter 3.

Posted by: @writersaraho

↑

I refuse to twitch until I finish this darn story for Q4. Every time I am about 3k words I come to this motivation halt and the task of completing it becomes a battle between time and perfection  

Let me know if I can help somehow. E-mail me to bounce ideas or whatever. I really enjoyed the 450...

Posted by: @ajzach

↑

Results from the last 5 years are: October 4, September 27, October 6, December 2 and September 26.

With the exception of that December date which I believe was due to technical difficulties, the rest are fairly close together. 

Get your quarter 4 in, and hopefully there won't be long to wait for quarter 3.

A December Q3??? I must have missed that quarter. I'm sure I'd remember that twitch-fest. Q4 must have been a week later. Q4 last year was finished on Election day.

Posted by: @ease

↑

I genuinely don't think calls will go out for another month. MAYBE in two weeks, but I highly doubt sooner than then. Keep your twitching to your fingers upon your keyboards for Q4!

I agree. I'm trying to finish a new story for Q4 rather than turn an edited previous HM in.  New, even if not a better story, is good practice. And I need practice to catch up to some of you in the forum.  haha

@tj_knight Thank you! I will definitely email you sometime this weekend

Posted by: @tj_knight

↑

A December Q3??? I must have missed that quarter. I'm sure I'd remember that twitch-fest. Q4 must have been a week later. Q4 last year was finished on Election day.

I have December 2nd recorded for Q3 in 2021, and then December 8th for Q4 -- so not even a whole week between the two.

@doctorjest I remember this. The announcement for Q3 made it to blog before individual letters went out. But it was my very first HM so I was happy.

<saunters out of the farmhouse, shades her eyes with one hand and gazes toward the horizon>

<clouds build in the distance, a faint breath of wind stirs her hair>

"Locusts?" she mutters. "Color ain't right for locusts..."

<squints at the wheat fields, then back at the sky>

"Must be a Thursday, then. Looks to be a few days out. Still, I'd best get the chickens in."

<turns and flaps her apron at the birds, herding them toward the pen>

"Everybody in. There's a Thursday brewin'."

[runs around in circles]

[trips, picks self up and runs]

[screaming into the nearest tent]

[looks out the twitching tent]

[puts on the kettle and takes scones out of the oven]

"Everyone ready? Have a hot beverage and a pastry. The warmth will soothe your nerves."

[Sees the storm of flying story books].

[Oh no I forgot to get scones. We need scones]

[Darts to her flying car heading for grocery store]

[writes Q4 whilst eating a scone]

[sees storm clouds]

[jaw drops and partially chewed scone falls out]

Twitching time? But I was getting so much writing done. Oh well. There’s always time for scones…

If it helps any with the upcoming twitching, I received a rejection today myself. I noticed that the title referenced in the email's subject wasn't the title of my story. I very politely replied to the rejection pointing out that my story was called something else, and perhaps had the submission data gotten crossed somehow?

The editor equally politely wrote me back to say, no, the title in the subject header was the name of the volume to which I'd submitted, and yes, my story was still a rejection.

So I'll just be hiding under this here rock eating worms because not only did I get rejected, but I made an idiot of myself after.  😉 If there are any scones left, maybe you can stuff a few crumbs under my rock.

[looks under a rock]

[Underneath is a crevice]

[Inside is a comrade in arms, hit by rejection]

[eating worms...]

[passes a plate full of freshly baked scones to @karyenglish]

[and invites her to the tent where she can have a nice blanket]

[and a nice steaming hot mug OR ice-cold glass of her beverage of choice]

Oooh, scones, and tea, and an actual tent???  Thank you, verra nice!

<dusts herself off and nibbles a scone in the tent>

<dunks it on the sly when she thinks no one is looking>

You see, this is supposed to make me think "argh, results are coming soon", but instead, I'm trying to think if I've ever seen anyone dunk a scone in a cup of tea. And I'm fairly sure the answer is no. Which I now find surprising, because I've seen an awful lot of scones, and even more tea.

Though in fairness. some of those scones were cheese. And I think that doing that with a cheese scone might actually be punishable by stocks in certain English counties.

Well, see, the proper round ones with clotted cream and a dab of jam? Those are to be enjoyed just as they are, no dunking. But the taller, beefier, triangular sort we see in the States tend to be a bit dry, and those are dunkers.  😉

As for a cheese scone, might dunk well in a bowl of soup.

Kary, that must have been mortifying! I would have reached for the triple chocolate ice cream at that point - your plate of worms was very restrained. I once had a professor ask if she could show my essay to her other classes as an example of what not to do when writing an essay, which led to an underbaked vending machine cookie if memory serves.

I've never had a savory scone. They sound delicious, though!

can't say I enjoy the twitching tent, makes me even more nervous, but cheese scones??? No one said there would be CHEESE scones! My Favourite. That might actually be worth entering for

Posted by: @karyenglish

↑

So I'll just be hiding under this here rock eating worms because not only did I get rejected, but I made an idiot of myself after.  😉 If there are any scones left, maybe you can stuff a few crumbs under my rock.

Asking questions doesn't make you an idiot. I'd rather feel dumb by asking, than be dumb for not asking and continuing to ponder what the answer really is.

I'll save a seat next to me outside your rock. No pressure, just come out whenever your ready.

Posted by: @gideonpsmith

↑

Can't say I enjoy the twitching tent, makes me even more nervous, but cheese scones??? No one said there would be CHEESE scones! My Favourite. That might actually be worth entering for

Mine too! My wife occasionally makes them for me as a treat, usually if I'm particularly stressed out about something I'm dealing with. This certainly aids my mental well-being, but I can't claim it does wonders for my waistline.

There was a bakery in London Liverpool Street Station that made fantastic cheese scones. Completely irregular and weird shaped, but totally delicious too. I have no idea if they're still there. 

Brings lattes and donut holes to the twitching tent along with a computer. Might as well write while I waiting. After all tommorow is technically Thursday.

Not to be dramatic but I have my first classroom observation hour as a teacher tonight and because I'm already so twitchy over my performance I've silenced email notifications until the day is over.  

[stirs from deep scone-induced slumber]

[Sees @karyenglish in twitching tent]

[confusion and delight]

[notes everyone is twitching]

[springs up in a flurry of crumbs and blankets]

[bangs pots together]

Tomorrow is a Thursday! But is it the Thursday?

@gideonpsmith Once upon a time I loved cheese scones, but then it was the last thing I ate before my appendix tried to kill me. I'll settle for Kary's traditional scones with Devon cream clotted cream. I made jam from my fig tree should anyone like [passes it around the tent]

@watt_writes Just like I do not eat popcorn anymore after cracking a tooth on an unpopped one and needing a root canal to fix it! But I think if I had cracked a tooth on cheese scones I might still eat them 😉

Best of luck to everyone. I didn't submit for Q3, but I'm sure there'll be three awesome stories selected. May one of them be yours!