Jibber Jabber - Q1 - 29

True story...

When my kidlet was a toddler, he insisted that we go by the monster tank every time we went to the grocery store. The very first time we went, a white-coated man whose apron was smeared with blood reached into the tank to pull out a dripping monster. The creature had too many legs, and it waved them in a slow, ethereal dance. Its segmented tail curled and uncurled, showing the lighter color where armored plates overlapped. The two front legs ended in enormous pincer-claws held shut by a thick rubber band that matched the monster's green-brown color.

This was rather too much for the kidlet, who let out a screech and tried to climb over my shoulder to escape the cthonic horror. There must have been a goodly dose of wonder along with the horror, because he asked to go back the very next time we visited. And if I ever lost track of him in the store after that, I knew I'd probably find him in the seafood department staring into the lobster tank.

Note to parents: Asking a child if he wants to see the lobsters is a trick question. When you're a two-year-old who hasn't a clue what a lobster is, the mind substitutes the apparently obvious word. 😀

Yikes. Those lobster tanks are scary, although they've always depressed me more than anything. Kind of like pet stores, and zoos.

Yeah. I agree. And fish tanks in sushi restaurants?? 🙁 San Diego zoo is nice, though.

San Diego's definitely nice.

The fish tanks in sushi restaurants are more cruelly amusing than depressing. I have a hard time feeling sorry for fish, anyway (even if I don't eat them). They're just so... fishy.

Q2 has just been submitted.

And a big thank you to Kary James for critquing my Q2. I ended up cutting about 3,000 words from the original and changing things as she suggested.

Huzzah!

True story...

When my kidlet was a toddler, he insisted that we go by the monster tank every time we went to the grocery store. The very first time we went, a white-coated man whose apron was smeared with blood reached into the tank to pull out a dripping monster. The creature had too many legs, and it waved them in a slow, ethereal dance. Its segmented tail curled and uncurled, showing the lighter color where armored plates overlapped. The two front legs ended in enormous pincer-claws held shut by a thick rubber band that matched the monster's green-brown color.

This was rather too much for the kidlet, who let out a screech and tried to climb over my shoulder to escape the cthonic horror. There must have been a goodly dose of wonder along with the horror, because he asked to go back the very next time we visited. And if I ever lost track of him in the store after that, I knew I'd probably find him in the seafood department staring into the lobster tank.

Note to parents: Asking a child if he wants to see the lobsters is a trick question. When you're a two-year-old who hasn't a clue what a lobster is, the mind substitutes the apparently obvious word. 😀

Yikes. Those lobster tanks are scary, although they've always depressed me more than anything. Kind of like pet stores, and zoos.

Yeah. I agree. And fish tanks in sushi restaurants?? 🙁 San Diego zoo is nice, though.

I believe the European Union recently passed a law against dropping live lobsters into boiling water. Apparently you can hear them screaming...

I believe the European Union recently passed a law against dropping live lobsters into boiling water. Apparently you can hear them screaming...

In a related note, carrot juice constitutes murder.

I've heard the screams of the vegetables (scream, scream, scream)
Watching their skins being peeled (having their insides revealed)
Grated and steamed with no mercy (burning off calories)
How do you think that feels (bet it hurts really bad)
Carrot juice constitutes murder (and that's a real crime)
Greenhouses prisons for slaves (let my vegetables go)
It's time to stop all this gardening (it's dirty as hell)
Let's call a spade a spade (is a spade is a spade is a spade)

I believe the European Union recently passed a law against dropping live lobsters into boiling water. Apparently you can hear them screaming...

In a related note, carrot juice constitutes murder.

That's just silly. Vegetables don't have a central nervous system...

If I recall, lobsters don't actually scream. There's just a lot of water trapped in their shells and as it turns to steam it escapes. . . more of a teakettle thing than anything.

Still you can understand why this would be disturbing, and I don't care if it's delicious, I've never been comfortable with the idea of boiling anything alive.

This seems oddly off-topic. Unless you account for the fact that sci-fi loves to spin up freaky delicacies.

Are rejections still going out for Q1? I haven't gotten one yet, and that makes me worried that it got deleted or lost, since my story was crap.

They're still going out. We're expecting another wave tomorrow or Thursday, though that's probably not the final wave. Many of us haven't heard yet, so we're guessing that they're only about halfway through.

Are rejections still going out for Q1? I haven't gotten one yet, and that makes me worried that it got deleted or lost, since my story was crap.

We haven't seen much in the way of Honorable Mentions yet and semis and finalist won't go out for some time, so it could be that you're story was in fact not crap. But, to answer you question, while nothing official has been said, it seems like rejections are still going out.

Re: Lobsters -- Yeah. The boiling it alive part freaked me out too much too. I know the end result is the same, but still _how_ the thing died was a bit too much for my sensitive 1st world finickiness. Ah the joys of living in a country where I'm not starving and can select what/where/when/how much I want to eat.

Are rejections still going out for Q1? I haven't gotten one yet, and that makes me worried that it got deleted or lost, since my story was crap.

We haven't seen much in the way of Honorable Mentions yet and semis and finalist won't go out for some time, so it could be that you're story was in fact not crap. But, to answer you question, while nothing official has been said, it seems like rejections are still going out.

Have we seen ANY Honorable Mentions yet??

True story...

When my kidlet was a toddler, he insisted that we go by the monster tank every time we went to the grocery store. The very first time we went, a white-coated man whose apron was smeared with blood reached into the tank to pull out a dripping monster. The creature had too many legs, and it waved them in a slow, ethereal dance. Its segmented tail curled and uncurled, showing the lighter color where armored plates overlapped. The two front legs ended in enormous pincer-claws held shut by a thick rubber band that matched the monster's green-brown color.

This was rather too much for the kidlet, who let out a screech and tried to climb over my shoulder to escape the cthonic horror. There must have been a goodly dose of wonder along with the horror, because he asked to go back the very next time we visited. And if I ever lost track of him in the store after that, I knew I'd probably find him in the seafood department staring into the lobster tank.

Note to parents: Asking a child if he wants to see the lobsters is a trick question. When you're a two-year-old who hasn't a clue what a lobster is, the mind substitutes the apparently obvious word. 😀

Yikes. Those lobster tanks are scary, although they've always depressed me more than anything. Kind of like pet stores, and zoos.

Yeah. I agree. And fish tanks in sushi restaurants?? 🙁 San Diego zoo is nice, though.

And gummy bears when you bite their heads off...

Kary usually the forecast is showers of rejections, followed by a storm of them. We get a cold front (no news) then a break in the clouds, HM's spring from the ground with the occasional sprinkles of left over rejections. Then a random sunny day where we get news of Semi's. Then it is hot and heavy, endless summer of waiting to find out who ARE the Finalists. Then the winners are announced and we throw a pool party! Then I look outside and it look warm and wonderful...but it is a tricky trick jet stream, frigid. It got cold again and I forgot my coat. My next entry is out and I see the rain clouds gathering in the distance.

Here is a description on what to expect, quoted from myself (gower21/Tina) from about five-six pages back.

Yeah. I agree. And fish tanks in sushi restaurants?? 🙁 San Diego zoo is nice, though.

And gummy bears when you bite their heads off...

No, no! Don't eat me!! I like to bite the legs off first, so the head has some time to contemplate its demise.

Ehhhh... just got the rejection email from Joni.

Already sending the story somewhere else! <img src="

Me, too. *takes a brownie from the pile and offers one to the others here in need of one*

I had serious doubts about this story, based on the content. *sigh* Guess I should have gone with my gut, but I had nothing else out at the time. Now I'm worried about my current Q2 story....

Oh, sure, now you're gonna have people staying up all night, switching between their email and Duotrope and the forum...

Oh, sure, now you're gonna have people staying up all night, switching between their email and Duotrope and the forum...

Would you rather I waited until tomorrow morning? =)

Stewart, too? Sorry, you three. Rather shocking to see them come in that fast.

Oh, sure, now you're gonna have people staying up all night, switching between their email and Duotrope and the forum...

And I was just getting ready to hit the sack! Screw it. I'm going to bed anyway.

I'll just check Duotrope first (and refresh my email)...

Commiserations and condolences, Jeannette, Dantzel, and Stewart. Sorry to hear that you're out.

Oh, sure, now you're gonna have people staying up all night, switching between their email and Duotrope and the forum...

And I was just getting ready to hit the sack! Screw it. I'm going to bed anyway.

I'll just check Duotrope first (and refresh my email)...

Commiserations and condolences, Jeannette, Dantzel, and Stewart. Sorry to hear that you're out.

Thanks, Patrick. Have a good night!

Thanks guys. I'm thinking that the content in mine made it slightly unsuitable for the contest - fully justified stuff, but still. Luckily my Q2, which is alllllllmost done being revised, is very different in tone. Unluckily, it's fantasy...

Nothing to do but send it anyway!

It's getting like one of those war movies in here.

Baker's Down! Morshana's down! I got Joni on my six.

Martin, take point and get the Finalists some cover.

Tina, get me an airlift for the HMs.

Grayson, evac the Semis on the hovercraft.

Move! Move! MOVE!

<goes around the room distributing brownies, tequila and root beer floats to the fallen>

Next time, friends. We'll get 'em next time.

Oh man! I've walked into a bloody battle field....

And I've already got a job.... Good thing I do well in high stress!

"I've got HM's guarded and covered"

Move, incoming.

Abort mission! I REPEAT, ABORT MISSION.

We'll have to save ourselves so we can live and distribute brownies/tequila/hugs another day.

'Night all. I'll come check the battlefield in the morning.

Good morning! Corpalieutergeant GB Morris reporting in. Semis are MIA, I repeat, semis are MIA, can't get a lock on any of the ten homing devices. They could be anywhere.

Ahhhh! *ducks and covers head* Oh, whew, another R-bomb just missed our position. Moving out again. We'll find those semis, Generamajor James.

Very sorry for Dantzel, Jeannette and Stewart. Condolences, everyone!

If I'm not missing anybody, 4 of last quarter's HMs are down already, so the situation's pretty out of control now.

While Kary, Tina and Grayson are waging a bloody war to keep us covered, it's gonna be a long tough week for the survivors.

Some more insignificant stats, if it's any consolation:

* 49 rejections reported on Duotrope (out of c.100)
* 11 rejections reported on the forum (out of I don't know, about 50 probably).

Try to hold on fast, out there.

check e-mail - check Duotrope - check forum - check e-mail - check Duotrope - check forum - check e-mail - check Duotrope - check forum ... hey, I've got to work also! and write my Q2! and do lots of other stuff!

How did the saying go?

PATIENCE... PATIENCE... PATIENCE...

Make that 50 out of c.100 and 12 out of 50.

Welcome aboard, AAravam. It's sad when your first post is a rejection report, but don't let this get you down. Better luck next time!

For your rejectomancing pleasure:

(image address:http://www.graysonbraymorris.com/img/QResultsChartQ4Q1.jpg.)

Where "Result Type" translates to:

1 = R
2 = HM
3 = SF
4 = Finalist got called

Data culled from the threads here (thanks to David Steffen's results-only threads, this is muuuuuuch easier for Q1v29 than for Q4v28). Note I didn't continue on after finalist calls/semis found out; some rejections and HMs came out later than that. Also note some Rs came out in the HM rounds, too. Last but not least, for our paper submitters: based on KD's post in her sff.net group last Nov. 13 (results day 24 of that quarter), HMs started coming out before she even began reading the hardcopy submissions.

Today is day 19 for this quarter. I leave you all to pounce on the data and froth forth predictions and analyses.

Duotrope is showing a new round or R's.