Jibber Jabber - Q1 - 29

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

Ack, I do hope not. As Martin says, I would think the risk is small but I should have thought and warned you or at least not linked your blog here. My only excuse is it was very late and I was half asleep and I'm a poor skim reader at the best of times.

The risk is that the new coordinating judge (whose identity we do not yet know, suspicions aside, but who is surely a busy working writer) happens to read the blog of an unknown writer and notice the identifying details. Odds: very, very low.

Or if your story gets selected as a Finalist, the risk is that one of four Finalist judges (again unknown, though we know the pool of likely judges by looking at last year's judges) happens to read that blog. Odds: somewhat higher, but still very, very low.

Nevertheless, the first thing I do when I submit an entry is go through my blog and unpublish any post that evern mentions the subject or title of that story.

[onelowerlight]

Well, I changed the post, and the SFWA web admin took down the pingback, so I think everything's good now. If it is a problem, though, I'm the only one to blame. Thanks again for the tip!

Mine was an e-submission, btw. Not sure if that changes any of your calculations.

[onelowerlight]

And I agree; it's a great community you guys have here, very friendly and supportive even though we're all in competition with each other. But in my experience, the science fiction and fantasy community tends to be very tight-knit, both among fans and among writers, so that doesn't come as too much of a surprise.

[gower21]

Onelowerlight-

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your hold notice!

[Kary English]

LAMPS update: Duo is still saying 9 postal subs. At least one of those is a Q3 as it's only (pease porridge hot) 9 days old.

That being said, here's what I am surmising based on a few givens:

1) I have not heard anything. No rejection, no hold pile, nothing via snail or email.

2) I submitted on paper about 6 days before the end of the quarter.

3) At least one paper sub received an email rejection, and at least one paper sub got a hold pile notice.

Ergo..

I have not been read and could still receive a straight rejection. Sigh.

[gower21]

One of the papers got a hold notice? Which one? Marina???!!

[Kary English]

Was it Francis? I'd have to comb thru the thread to find out who it was.

[E.CaimanSands]

I thought we were all e-subs too.

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

OK, I've been holding back on this until I REALLY needed it. But this thread clearly needs it.

My buddy/editor Epee Bill has an incurable disease. He's a punster. I'm not sure if even physical violence could cure him of it. And believe me, we've been tempted! (And we're fencers, so when we're tempted to violence, it involves swords.)

He's also one of my First Readers, and my confidante on contest matters. When you people drive me crazy, he's the one I vent to. (I also harbor a small hope you'll see him as a contestant some day.) And a month ago, I mentioned NNiNN (No News is No News); and somehow it set him off.

I've been shielding you from these up to now; but you've pushed me over the edge. So here they are...

We are the knights who say NNiNN!

Mrs. Brisby and the Rats of NNiNN

NNiNN's Island

NNiNNing with Sharks

Eine Kleine NNiNNmusik

NNiNNcompoop

No news? Change the channel to CNNNiNN.

Person of NNiNNterest.

NNiNNmitation it the sincerest form of flattery.

Got TWO stories waiting at Analog? That's a case of the Doublemint NNiNNs

Or is that NNiNNalog?

NNiNNy

First NNiNN, first out.

Some Enchanted eve-NNiNN

Stop the NNiNNsanity!

Got a friend hooked on Duotrope? Organize a NNiNNtervention.

Planning a NNiNNvasion?

Trying to make this meme NNiNN-visible?

Pigs! NNiNN! Space!

Spice up the WotF forum with some CiNNiNNamin.

You haven't heard anything yet? That's NNiNNcredible!

The NNiNNcredible Hulk

Stop staring at the mailbox, go out the park and play some soccer. Take your NNiNN guards.

Do you watch Castle? It stars that guy from Firefly.. NathaNNiNN FillioNNiNN

Ok, I think I'm out. Unless I can get a NNiNNfusion of NNiNNspiration

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

Congratulations Lair!

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

I know, I know... Those puns were cruel and NNiNNhuman puNNiNNshment,,,

[Rebecca Birch]

Wow. And I thought I was all cool with the knights who say NNiNN. Little did I know what was lurking beNNiNNth the surface.

[Kary English]

Well, MartiNNINN,

I'd pass you the marshmallow shooter and say you know what to do with it, but that post sounds a tad too much like Evil Martin for my liking. That guy's NNiNNcorrigible.

Besides, he / you forgot Anais NNiNN.

[E.CaimanSands]

No news? Change the channel to CNNNiNN.

I like this one.

Gators are normally known for their patience, but yes, this being on "hold" business is even making the scaly one cranky.

[E.CaimanSands]

Well, MartiNNINN,

I like this one too!

[Kary English]

Welcome to the WOTF Results Line,

Please listen carefully as the menu options have changed.

Press 1 for an Honorable Mention.

Press 2 for a Semi-Finalist.

Press 3 for a Finalist.

Press 4 for a top-secret list of first-reader preferences.

Press 5 if you're going postal on "Hold" status. Please note that pressing 5 doesn't actually do anything, but we thought it might make you feel better.

Press 6 for Time Travel to the date of the next blog post.

Press 7 to listen to Heinlein's Rules.

Press 8 to legally change your middle name to Freakin'.

Press 9 to send bribes of cash / chocolate / Scotch to the judges.

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

Wow. And I thought I was all cool with the knights who say NNiNN.

Now that you mention it, that one WAS yours, not his. I copied and pasted notes from an IM conversation, and that was at the start. But now I remember that I had cited you, and that was what set him off.

So blame Rebecca, everyone!

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

Wow! Duotrope now lists three acceptances! I guess the quarter's over now.

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

Well, MartiNNINN,

I'd pass you the marshmallow shooter and say you know what to do with it, but that post sounds a tad too much like Evil Martin for my liking. That guy's NNiNNcorrigible.

Besides, he / you forgot Anais NNiNN.

Touch left! (In fencing circles, that's a compliment.)

[Strycher]

Hey there. I'm the guy who may or may not have disqualified himself with that last blog post.

You'll probably be okay. Like Martin said, the odds are long that any of the judges would have read that particular post, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

When you people drive me crazy . . .

Us? Surely not. We're so lovable.

We are the knights who say NNiNN!

Okay, I actually, genuinely, laughed out loud when I read that.

[E.CaimanSands]

Welcome to the WOTF Results Line,

Please listen carefully as the menu options have changed.

Press 1 for an Honorable Mention.

Press 2 for a Semi-Finalist.

Press 3 for a Finalist.

Press 4 for a top-secret list of first-reader preferences.

Press 5 if you're going postal on "Hold" status. Please note that pressing 5 doesn't actually do anything, but we thought it might make you feel better.

Press 6 for Time Travel to the date of the next blog post.

Press 7 to listen to Heinlein's Rules.

Press 8 to legally change your middle name to Freakin'.

Press 9 to send bribes of cash / chocolate / Scotch to the judges.

**Sound of scaly claws pressing 5, and pressing 5, and pressing 5.... and pressing 6... and pressing 5... and pressing 9... and pressing 5, and pressing 5... and pressing 8... and pressing 5... and pressing 5, and pressing 4, and pressing 5... and pressing 5, and c h e c k i n g .. e m a i l...**

[Rebecca Birch]

Wow. And I thought I was all cool with the knights who say NNiNN.

Now that you mention it, that one WAS yours, not his. I copied and pasted notes from an IM conversation, and that was at the start. But now I remember that I had cited you, and that was what set him off.

So blame Rebecca, everyone!

Woohoo! I'm an instigator! It's my very first time.

[gower21]

Welcome to the WOTF Results Line,

Please listen carefully as the menu options have changed.

Press 1 for an Honorable Mention.

Press 2 for a Semi-Finalist.

Press 3 for a Finalist.

Press 4 for a top-secret list of first-reader preferences.

Press 5 if you're going postal on "Hold" status. Please note that pressing 5 doesn't actually do anything, but we thought it might make you feel better.

Press 6 for Time Travel to the date of the next blog post.

Press 7 to listen to Heinlein's Rules.

Press 8 to legally change your middle name to Freakin'.

Press 9 to send bribes of cash / chocolate / Scotch to the judges.

I hate these dang phone menus....because usually my issue can just be resolved by a quick conversation with an operator, but do they list that option? Oh no, they make me go through the whole menu while I desperately press "0" and grunt into the phone my subvocal cursing when the operator says "Please call back during office hours" -- I stare at my clock wondering what timezone??

And duotrope reporting the winners? Horray! the stress is over! The sky is no longer falling! And I can finally shave my legs! (I should have never made that promise to stop shaving my legs until the quarter results came out...it's been quite itchy and summer is almost here. Geez, of all the quarters to become superstitious).

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

Press 3 for a Finalist.

Why would anyone press anything else?

[izanobu]

Can I press 0 for being done? No? Final entry. I'm cursed that this is dragging out so long. I'm not going to win and yet the universe wants me to stay in limbo for as long as possible. Argh.

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

Woohoo! I'm an instigator! It's my very first time.

Careful... That tends to draw flying marshmallows!

But being an instigator is fun! Just ask my nieces and nephews! (But don't ask my brothers and sisters. They don't seem to appreciate my instigating skills nearly as much.)

[E.CaimanSands]

Press 3 for a Finalist.

Why would anyone press anything else?

I figured it must be a trick option, so I told the gator not to press it.

[E.CaimanSands]

Woohoo! I'm an instigator! It's my very first time.

I think I'm the only instiGator around here thank you.

(Oh dear, I must be feeling cranky, resorting to puns.)

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

(Oh dear, I must be feeling cranky, resorting to puns.)

You've been hanging around bad influences...

[E.CaimanSands]

(Oh dear, I must be feeling cranky, resorting to puns.)

You've been hanging around bad influences...

That as well.