Jibber Jabber - Q1 - 29

I think this is *the* most supportive forum I've ever joined.

I think this is *the* most supportive forum I've ever joined.

I think there is too many of the other kind, we need to create balance. Support! Support! Support!

I think this is *the* most supportive forum I've ever joined.

We're the jock straps of the writing world.

I think this is *the* most supportive forum I've ever joined.

We're the jock straps of the writing world.

Lol! Not the underwire bra of the writing world?

We're also the bad-joke capitol of the internet. Just check out the kitchen sink subforum for further proof...

I think this is *the* most supportive forum I've ever joined.

We're the jock straps of the writing world.

Lol! Not the underwire bra of the writing world?

We're also the bad-joke capitol of the internet.

There's a joke between me and my spouse that the best support for breasts is a pair of hands.

That's funny Strycher-- my husband and I have the same joke. I was just about to type it when I saw you posted it first.

That's funny Strycher-- my husband and I have the same joke. I was just about to type it when I saw you posted it first.

Some truths are self-evident.

That's funny Strycher-- my husband and I have the same joke. I was just about to type it when I saw you posted it first.

That would explain why Sarah Michelle Gellar's "Hold Your Own Boobs" is such a popular product.

That's funny Strycher-- my husband and I have the same joke. I was just about to type it when I saw you posted it first.

Some truths are self-evident.

And those are the kind of truths you hold, right? 😀

Goodness gracious it's quiet around here. Is everyone writing? Or still eating turkey?

I've been a busy little gator, and believe my Q1 is pretty much done. I'll probably do a bit of final polishing/proofing, then submit it--unless I decide to risk sending it somewhere else first. I probably won't do that.

Not sure about the basic story/premise of this one. I think it might be even dodgier than some of my others, but I guess we'll see.

Still writing. Still eatin' turkey. My Q1/Q2 (I'm not going to sweat which one I enter) is going to be a long one, I can feel it. And, unfortunately, I still don't know how it's going to end...

Do gators eat turkey?

That's funny Strycher-- my husband and I have the same joke. I was just about to type it when I saw you posted it first.

Some truths are self-evident.

And those are the kind of truths you hold, right? 😀

Bwhahahahaha! Fair play to you.

Do gators eat turkey?

You bet! We eat anything that moves.

Fancy coming to my house for dinner?

Do gators eat turkey?

You bet! We eat anything that moves.

Fancy coming to my house for dinner?

If you do, don't move!

Do gators eat turkey?

You bet! We eat anything that moves.

Fancy coming to my house for dinner?

Depends what's cooking and who'll be doing the eatin'...

Do gators eat turkey?

You bet! We eat anything that moves.

Fancy coming to my house for dinner?

Depends what's cooking and who'll be doing the eatin'...

Just consider... Alligator... Cow... This does not bode well...

Just consider... Alligator... Cow... This does not bode well...

It looks like a date to me!

Hmmm, the gator seems a little out of control today.

Hmmm, the gator seems a little out of control today.

That's ok. I imagine I would be out of control too if a big, fat, hay bale told me that he wanted to dine with me over the internet forums.
woooow...How much more surreal can this get?

Just consider... Alligator... Cow... This does not bode well...

It looks like a date to me!

Don't underestimate the power of the cow--they can take on bears (at least, cubs: http://deadlykingdom.blogspot.com/2011/ ... -cows.html )

Just consider... Alligator... Cow... This does not bode well...

It looks like a date to me!

Don't underestimate the power of the cow--they can take on bears (at least, cubs: http://deadlykingdom.blogspot.com/2011/ ... -cows.html )

Yes, I see from those pics the cows have some calves with them. They can be fearsome then. I used to live on a farm with cows in fact, and one year our geese got in with them and their calves, and I'm afraid the geese got made into pate.

After a three day writing binge, I find myself still in the exact same place as far as a Q1 entry.

It appears I'll have to go with the odd fantasy. How much editing time do I have left?

How's everyone holding up? Status reports?

I still feel like it's too early to submit, and yet my Q1 has been done for months...I should just bite the proverbial projectile and send 'er off.

Just got feedback from two alpha readers that made my Q1 a better story. I'm thinking it'll be ready to submit early next week.

Marina, if it's done and it's not going to get any better, I'd say submit it. We're now into the stretch where you can't count on it being back in time from other markets you may try first, and that way you don't have to worry about life intervening between now and the quarter deadline.

My Q1 is out with beta readers and awaiting the final coat of lacquer. It was a huge struggle for me on a number of fronts. It's only the 2nd story I've ever written post-high school (and that was 20-odd years ago), and It seems like my natural length is 2k-3k words, which is far too short for the contest. I had this jumble of scenes that could have gone in any number of different orders, so the first task was getting the pieces together, and the second was erasing the sutures, if that makes any sense. One scene wouldn't write until I changed the POV character, and one character flat out refused to say a certain line that several earlier beta readers demanded. In the end, I trusted the character, but boy was that a weird feeling.

Thanks, Kyle, you're right. Best to get it off.

Kary, that's not too short! There have been stories in that range that have won before, so don't sell your story short. (Plus, I would kill to average in that range. I tend to average in the 7,000-13,000 range, which is a strange limbo-land. There are very few venues that give those word counts the time of day.) And yay for your second story! You've got the ball rolling.

It seems like my natural length is 2k-3k words, which is far too short for the contest.

I think it was mentioned somewhere that K.D.'s winning story was only around 2-3k. I know in recent volumes the tendency has been to long stories, but a well-written story is a well-written story. Length shouldn't matter (cue the wise cracks)!

Yes, the average sci fi judge's attention span is only 4 inches...wait, I think I may be getting that confused with something else...

I don't know what my Q1 is yet. I have two candidates which I like equally well. One I think is slightly better for the contest, but it's still out at Analog (53 days and counting). If Analog buys it or just doesn't reply by year end, then I'll submit the second. Otherwise, I'll submit that one and probably self-pub the second.

Still hoping something that's a better match to the contest appears in a beam of light, but if not, I've got something to submit, even if it likely won't be a winner (or anything else). I'm going to wait a bit longer for that flash of genius that kicks it to the curb.