Jibber Jabber - Q1 - 29

YESSS!
Application off to college! Whew!! That's a load off of my mind!
And I've written the first 2,000 words or so of my next submission...I get the feeling that this is going to be a long one.

Congrats, and good luck!

(I'm applying to grad schools at the moment myself.)

Sweet!! Good luck to you too! If you don't mind me asking, what field are you pursuing?

Sweet!! Good luck to you too! If you don't mind me asking, what field are you pursuing?

Thank you!

I'm pursuing getting my MFA in Creative Writing. I figure since the quest to improve the craft is ongoing and an MFA is an important qualification should I ever decide to teach, it makes sense to startle two birds with one stone-like but completely harmless object.

Sweet!! Good luck to you too! If you don't mind me asking, what field are you pursuing?

Thank you!

I'm pursuing getting my MFA in Creative Writing. I figure since the quest to improve the craft is ongoing and an MFA is an important qualification should I ever decide to teach, it makes sense to startle two birds with one stone-like but completely harmless object.

Unless, of course, "they" decide to implement a PhD for creative writing as a terminal degree. Bizarre as it seems, I've heard the idea bantered around.

Great metaphor there, though!

Q1-wise, I think I broke my entry. Good thing it's short and I have plenty of time to pretend I have plenty of time to fix it.

I have plenty of time to pretend I have plenty of time to fix it.

Bwhahahahahha! You just described me this quarter.

I haven't finished my entry for this quarter yet. I will have time over Thanksgiving week. The story itself is set and just needs to be typed, but I haven't come up with the ending yet. Usually, the point of my story is in the ending but with this one, the whole topic of the story is the point of the story so I don't have a clean ending identified yet. I just hope a good one will present itself in time so I don't go writing a Stephen King ending.

I don't know if I'm going to enter a retouched story or one of my newer ones. Hard decisions...

I'm focusing on my e-publishing right now, but I've got a short story I can send. We'll see if I can get these two novels finished, first.

The story I picked for Q1 came back from Clarkesworld just under the three-week query mark, so guess I won't have to reach for the backup. Yay! ...I think...

The story I picked for Q1 came back from Clarkesworld just under the three-week query mark, so guess I won't have to reach for the backup. Yay! ...I think...

Sometimes it's hard to tell dark cloud from silver lining...

I think submitting intended WotF entries to other markets first is a win-win if you look at it from the right angle. If it gets picked up by a major market, great! If it comes back and can compete, great!

It's all good. Every rejection is a momentary let down, but I move on pretty quick. Just hoping its long stay at Clarkesworld means good things for its WotF chances.

Well, I've just submitted my story to WotF. My first entry into the competition. I know it's early but I needed to do it to resist the urge to tinker.

Grats on the sub Delli!
Sometimes it's best to just letter rip. (and get thinking about the next quarter.)

I'm in the process of rewriting mine from word one. Not an unusual path to storytelling for me.

Congrats and good luck, Delli!

So, after mocking y'all for submitting so early, I submitted mine today.

It's a story I that came back very unexpectedly when the publication that had it for almost 8 months folded suddenly. I originally wrote it four years ago, but with a few tweaks I think it's now excellent contest material, and I didn't really have anywhere else to send it first. We'll see how it fares. Fantasy, a little over 3,000 words, and a lot less stress than wondering if the novelette I was planning to put in this quarter will come together in time or not...

I've almost decided on my Q1. It's a bit of a risky story; but I don't mind risk.

I have another story at Analog, and expect results there soon. If it's rejected there, that will be a better Q1 story. And in that case, my current Q1 will probably go to self-pub.

Cheers to those of you who've already made your Q1 submissions!

I'm at a loss as to what to submit. The only story I have in and ready at the moment has a speculative element that builds slowly. It would definitely not make the grade for being clearly fantasy at the onset, and there is no way to bring it forward without also weakening the story.

I'm also trying to finish a novel that's been languishing for far too long. I think my end of the year doldrums have spread to my writing. I may have to sit this quarter out.

I may have to sit this quarter out.

Don't do that! Submitting something you're pretty sure will lose is better than not submitting, because the long-shot at least has a shot.

My Q1 is coming along nicely. The first half is pretty much there, I'm just working on the second half and the dreaded ending. Plot is still a bit dodgy, but I guess we'll see how it turns out.

Q1, Q1--what have I done.

I'm in bind on my intended Q1. Getting the writers anxiety all over it. I think I'm going to do something shorter for Q1 (2-3K range) so I can gain my confidence back and not try to force a longer story...which I'm sure will equal rejection.

I'll keep the intended Q1 story for Q2 after I've given it the time it deserves.

I can't wait to hear who will win for Q4. I'm rooting for a few of you guys on the board!

Cheers to those of you who've already made your Q1 submissions!

I'm at a loss as to what to submit. The only story I have in and ready at the moment has a speculative element that builds slowly. It would definitely not make the grade for being clearly fantasy at the onset, and there is no way to bring it forward without also weakening the story.

I'm also trying to finish a novel that's been languishing for far too long. I think my end of the year doldrums have spread to my writing. I may have to sit this quarter out.

Are you sure? Have you tried? There is almost always a way.

Submitting something you're pretty sure will lose is better than not submitting, because the long-shot at least has a shot.

You know you do that thing to me, right? That thing where I type out a paragraph to make a point that you make in a sentence? I'm just going to start running behind you saying "dido." Ha! That will show you who's succinct!

I'm at a loss as to what to submit. The only story I have in and ready at the moment has a speculative element that builds slowly. It would definitely not make the grade for being clearly fantasy at the onset, and there is no way to bring it forward without also weakening the story.

Are you sure? Have you tried? There is almost always a way.

Pretty sure. I've worked it down to one pivotal sentence, and haven't been able to make it work. I spent a lot of time thinking about how I could use it, if for no other reason than it's an inconvenient length to send out elsewhere. This one and the one for Q4 came out of some little novelette wellspring this summer.

Anyway, it's probably got more than one strike against it. It may have more adult content than fits well with WotF.

But now I'm going to have to think about it more. Because Kyle does have a point, and because thinking about how to make it work will distract me from waiting on Q4.

http://cosmicdriftwood.wordpress.com/

 

Submitting something you're pretty sure will lose is better than not submitting, because the long-shot at least has a shot.

You know you do that thing to me, right? That thing where I type out a paragraph to make a point that you make in a sentence? I'm just going to start running behind you saying "dido." Ha! That will show you who's succinct!

::blush::

...
But now I'm going to have to think about it more. Because Kyle does have a point, and because thinking about how to make it work will distract me from waiting on Q4.

Yes! Work it! Work it and get feedback!

Submitting something you're pretty sure will lose is better than not submitting, because the long-shot at least has a shot.

You know you do that thing to me, right? That thing where I type out a paragraph to make a point that you make in a sentence? I'm just going to start running behind you saying "dido." Ha! That will show you who's succinct!

I'm really not sure that formula makes any sense. It seems to assume the contest is judged on a strictly statistical basis, when in fact if what you have is probably going to lose because it's unfinished and/or you think it's subpar... then it probably is going to lose.

I guess the old "writer is worst judge of own writing" aphorism can be trotted out (check out that pssive voice to avoid accusing specific-you!), but to me, "enter whenever you have a story you are confident in" is much better advice than "enter every quarter, regardless of your story's quality."

And I know I'm probably oversimplifying the point you guys are making, here. But I much prefer debating on the Internet over doing useful things.

just checking to see if i've got the dates right

Q1 January 1
Q2 April 1
Q3 July 1
Q4 October 1

they are the quarters right?

so all i've got to do is remember those dates and i won't miss a quarter right?

just checking to see if i've got the dates right

Q1 January 1
Q2 April 1
Q3 July 1
Q4 October 1

they are the quarters right?

so all i've got to do is remember those dates and i won't miss a quarter right?

I'm afraid you're off by one. If you wait to the last minute, you'll be past the last minute.

Q1 Deadline December 31
Q2 Deadline March 31
Q3 Deadline June 30
Q4 Deadline September 30

Yeah, seriously, you're listing the beginning of each quarter, not the last of it. (Current 1st Q stories need to be in by Dec 31, and postmarks are hard on New Year's Eve, so that's Dec 30. And I am guilty of waiting until minutes before the deadlines!)

Yeah, seriously, you're listing the beginning of each quarter, not the last of it. (Current 1st Q stories need to be in by Dec 31, and postmarks are hard on New Year's Eve, so that's Dec 30. And I am guilty of waiting until minutes before the deadlines!)

The explanation I saw somewhere else on these forums is that if you want to think of the quarters in terms of quarters of the calendar year, you have to see them as judging quarters, not submission quarters. I.e. Q1 is judged starting in January, so has to be in (or postmarked) by Dec 31. Q2 is judged starting in April, Q3 in July, Q4 in October.

It suddenly made sense when I had that pointed out to me.

Will.

Yeah, if you think of them as judging dates, your dates are accurate. I just don't want anyone thinking they're submission deadlines. They're the first days AFTER close of submissions for the quarter.

...
But now I'm going to have to think about it more. Because Kyle does have a point, and because thinking about how to make it work will distract me from waiting on Q4.

Yes! Work it! Work it and get feedback!

Submitting something you're pretty sure will lose is better than not submitting, because the long-shot at least has a shot.

You know you do that thing to me, right? That thing where I type out a paragraph to make a point that you make in a sentence? I'm just going to start running behind you saying "dido." Ha! That will show you who's succinct!

I'm really not sure that formula makes any sense. It seems to assume the contest is judged on a strictly statistical basis, when in fact if what you have is probably going to lose because it's unfinished and/or you think it's subpar... then it probably is going to lose.

I guess the old "writer is worst judge of own writing" aphorism can be trotted out (check out that pssive voice to avoid accusing specific-you!), but to me, "enter whenever you have a story you are confident in" is much better advice than "enter every quarter, regardless of your story's quality."

And I know I'm probably oversimplifying the point you guys are making, here. But I much prefer debating on the Internet over doing useful things.

Well there is that thing about misjudging your own work. For me I try to enter every quarter because if I allow myself to decide it's okay to skip a quarter I will look back and find that I've unintentionally skipped 343254256 quarters. For me it's better to put in any effort rather than let myself become complacent. I understand not everyone is like that.