Jibber Jabber - Q2 - Volume 34

[Ishmael]

Q1 tends to drag a bit when you submit in early October. I'm thinking what I need for Q2, in the unlikely event that I don't win Q1. Of course, I'll probably aim to submit long before the Q1 results are out anyway.

I wonder? My steampunk stories are probably the best performing outside WotF, though of course Matt did win Volume 32 with steampunk and it might be too early for another.

I don't know. I suspect anything that's good enough is also timely.

[DoctorJest]

I doubt that'd be a crippling condition -- Steampunk lies somewhere between sci-fi and fantasy anyway, so as a genre it's a natural fit. If you do your best work in that genre, then I'd think you'd have the best chance of writing a winning story in it. And I would hope that at the end of the day, it'd be the best story that wins out, regardless of the genre.

[MattDovey]

Nowt wrong wi' steampunk! Tim Powers helped invent it, after all :)

My gut feeling is that it's fine so long as you do something new with it, somehow--if it's just another Victorian Gentlemen in Airships with Steam Powered Rifles then it might get an HM for being well written, but if it subverts expectations in its setting, somehow, it's more likely to stand out and grab attention.

For example, I suppose, S&S: I wouldn't consider that steampunk at all, beyond the Victorian time period, because steam has been replaced entirely by magic. Squalorpunk, perhaps? Or more probably "factorypunk" or "industrialpunk". But whilst "alt-historical Victorian setting" isn't new, my particular tweak on it with the magic was, and I think that's a large part of what got it where it did. (Also the SF vote was totally split for the GP award, while I got all the undivided fantasy votes )

[Ishmael]

This is interesting. Of course, as 'The Man on the Church Street Omnibus' or 'Last of the Spice Schooners' showed, my tendency with Steampunk is to spend the first three quarters of the story eliminating all explanations for the mystery bar supernatural. That, we know, doesn't go down well with DF.

Actually my best extant steampunk has been with Hitchcock's for well over a year and two unanswered queries. Some editors make life really awkward for us hacks starving in garrets (or on smallholdings high on Sliabh Mannan).

Right now I'm trying very hard to write the third of my stories for the three Zombies Need Brains calls. Two of them were quite easy; the third is a real struggle but I'm getting there, I think. Of course I've no idea what any of these editors want.

[Muri McCage]

I'm so glad to see this. I've been trying to remember the Zombies Need Brains calls, and couldn't find the earlier reference to it. So thanks for accidentally helping me out, Ishmael! I think I've got something that fits Submerged. Possibly all three, though I'm not clear on Death. The personification of death, as in the Grim Reaper, etc.? Or the act of dying as the story driver? Little details like that can really trip me up.

[Ishmael]

I assumed a personification was required, though I suppose you could always animate death in a non-human form. I'd be inclined to think the more traditional your choice of character for death the less likely a story would be to succeed, but only other things being equal. For example the traditional portrayal in Ingmar Bergman's film 'The Seventh Seal' will probably never be bettered.

Now that you've made me think about it, death as a creature quite appeals, though for me it would have to be understated - the more teeth and claws the creature has the less I'd be impressed. Ravens, of course, may just have been done once or twice. How about Death as a Three-horned Kikuyu Chameleon? Now what a pity I've already entered.

[LDWriter2]

I assumed a personification was required, though I suppose you could always animate death in a non-human form. I'd be inclined to think the more traditional your choice of character for death the less likely a story would be to succeed, but only other things being equal. For example the traditional portrayal in Ingmar Bergman's film 'The Seventh Seal' will probably never be bettered.

Now that you've made me think about it, death as a creature quite appeals, though for me it would have to be understated - the more teeth and claws the creature has the less I'd be impressed. Ravens, of course, may just have been done once or twice. How about Death as a Three-horned Kikuyu Chameleon? Now what a pity I've already entered.

Make Death something different than the usual A Rainbow.

[LDWriter2]

Personally I love steampunk reading and writing. Of course, so far most of mine do not have a supernatural element to them, even though I have a gaslight tale that does.

I even have a steampunk novel you can buy. But so far the few stories I have sent out have been complete duds but there is one or two maybe I could try a revising on.

[Dustin Adams]

Oh my, I have an idea for Q2. Yay!

I have to flesh it out, but I've got a few months, so... We'll see!

[Athena]

I can't remember if I've asked this or only thought about asking. I know folks have submitted rewrites, and some have had pretty good success with that. Just how rewritten are the stories you submit?

[disgruntledpeony]

I can't remember if I've asked this or only thought about asking. I know folks have submitted rewrites, and some have had pretty good success with that. Just how rewritten are the stories you submit?

I've only done it once, and it was a very hefty amount of change. My original version was first person, present tense, and around 7,000 words long. I shifted everything to third person, past tense, and cut it down to between 4,000 and 5,000 words (I don't remember exactly how much got cut off the top of my head). I also gave the story a bittersweet ending, as opposed to just plain bitter. The story went from a first-round R to a SHM, but it was such an intensive rewrite that I feel it almost might as well have been a new story.

[Dustin Adams]

Very.
Usually I only keep the seed idea and the character names.

[J'nae Rae]

I expanded the one I submitted again. Changed some scenes around and tightened up the POV in some scenes. It earned a second HM, at least it didn't become a straight R second time around.

[kentagions]

Changed an R from First Person to Third Person Limited. Changed POV character to one with more emotional investment in the story. Increased suspense by increasing stakes to the point of gut-wrenching danger that grew from personal danger to community danger. I polished the hell out of it before the second submission. Ten months turn-around.

Beta readers got into it. Crits were favorable with no identified slow spots, plot holes or other hitches in form or flow.

Received another R.

No problem, my next two entries received HM.

[amoskalik]

I took an HM and made minor modifications. Streamlined the opening a bit, fixed the ending to create greater resonance.
Early round R.

The story has since been accepted elsewhere (although not published yet).

[Athena]

Hmmm. Thanks. I think I'll try to sell it elsewhere.

[reigheena]

The story I'm submitting this Q has already earned 2 HMs here. I don't quite remember the changes I made first time around except that I cut the first 3,000 words and started somewhere else to have it give the right promises to the reader. This time around, I redid the beginning, and completely redid the ending from a "what the heck have I done" to a tale of redemption.

And because otherwise I would probably spend all my time revising, I make myself submit a brand new story for every story I revise and resubmit.

[Ishmael]

Can I write a new story? Can I write fiction at all at the moment? I've struggled over two and a half thousand words for most of December.

I have one real blockbuster and forty odd other works out in the wild, some of which have already been round the WotF block once. I've never yet submitted a rewrite, but sometimes I've been able to make significant improvements after receiving HM or SHM. Arguably I could try that.

Of course WotF submission of one of these would mean waiting for a rejection first, but hey, they arrive pretty regularly.

Fortunately there's no rush!

[LDWriter2]

Can I write a new story? Can I write fiction at all at the moment? I've struggled over two and a half thousand words for most of December.

I have one real blockbuster and forty odd other works out in the wild, some of which have already been round the WotF block once. I've never yet submitted a rewrite, but sometimes I've been able to make significant improvements after receiving HM or SHM. Arguably I could try that.

Of course WotF submission of one of these would mean waiting for a rejection first, but hey, they arrive pretty regularly.

Fortunately there's no rush!

Yes you can.

[LDWriter2]

Got to finish the one I was working on. It isn't steampunk which is a good thing so I wouldn't have to make up something which it isn't, even though there are so many other genre it wouldn't matter for me to say it isn't.

[Rebecca Birch]

Email received from Joni today:

Dear Last Year Contest 3rd Quarter Entrant,

I'm writing to those of you who entered the 3rd quarter of the Writers of the Future Contest last year and wanted to let you know that our 2nd quarter of the contest for 2017 is about to start in the next few days. They are making a few upgrades.

As a reminder the site address is http://www.writersofthefuture.com

I'm of course encouraging you to enter this quarter (as I always do) and I hope you are having a wonderful year so far.

best,

Joni Labaqui

Um . . . huh? Am I missing something here? Like what upgrades?

Very odd.

But thank you for the reminder, Joni!

[Henckel]

ive not entered the last several quarters because everything ive written has exceeded the contest word count.

I've just started a new story this week for the new quarter. im at 5000 words and just hit act 2. hmmm. I think im going to excede the word count again.

on the bright side, im writing and loving it. that's what really matters.

hope all of you out there are having a great holiday.

[Ishmael]

Um . . . huh? Am I missing something here? Like what upgrades?

I'm assuming upgrades to the online submission software which has been creaking and groaning rather badly lately. DF even complained it wasn't letting him do what he wanted with the results if I remember rightly.

Not sure why this email went to Q3 entrants rather than Q4 though. Apparently Q4 set a new record number and must therefore be a larger mailing list (unless of course one of the faults is a refusal to deliver up said list!)

Fortunately I'm nowhere near entering at present. Last quarter I was already in long before Day 6!

[LDWriter2]

Email received from Joni today:


Um . . . huh? Am I missing something here? Like what upgrades?

Very odd.

But thank you for the reminder, Joni!

I received the same E-mail and also was puzzled. I wondered how that will effect uploading my next story.

[LDWriter2]

ive not entered the last several quarters because everything ive written has exceeded the contest word count.

I've just started a new story this week for the new quarter. im at 5000 words and just hit act 2. hmmm. I think im going to excede the word count again.

on the bright side, im writing and loving it. that's what really matters.

hope all of you out there are having a great holiday.

That is Good.

The loving your writing part that is.

Those are some long tales if they are over 17,000 words. I have come very close to that a time or three. I believe my Q2 will be considerably shorter this time since I am ever so close to finishing it. Monday if I don't do that this weekend. Anyway lately my WotF stories have been rather close to the max even though I can still write shorter stories for other events.

[Henckel]

ive not entered the last several quarters because everything ive written has exceeded the contest word count.

I've just started a new story this week for the new quarter. im at 5000 words and just hit act 2. hmmm. I think im going to excede the word count again.

on the bright side, im writing and loving it. that's what really matters.

hope all of you out there are having a great holiday.

That is Good.

The loving your writing part that is.

Those are some long tales if they are over 17,000 words. I have come very close to that a time or three. I believe my Q2 will be considerably shorter this time since I am ever so close to finishing it. Monday if I don't do that this weekend. Anyway lately my WotF stories have been rather close to the max even though I can still write shorter stories for other events.

Best of luck with your stories.

[LDWriter2]

Okay finished the story. But it is in four parts I will have to connect but this gives me time to have it sit for a month before I revise it and see if anyone wants to crit it

[LDWriter2]

In the famous words of the Enterprise Computer

Working.

[Ishmael]

Wow. First draft finished. Not exactly one of my quicker stories: this one must have been in progress since early last month. On the whole I'm pleased with it, which I thought I wouldn't be.

In fact it's far from bad.

I think.

[disgruntledpeony]

Kudos, Ishmael! :)

Still not done with my rough draft. I've been poking at it, but it's missing some oomph, and I don't know exactly what said oomph is yet. I'll figure it out eventually, I suppose. For now, I'm scratching out the barebones basics of the idea I outlined.