Back to the keyboard.

Cheers Wulfy!
Congrats to all who went beyond R this round, as I join and commiserate with those like me who didn't.
Cinch your sashes, me hearties, and swab the deck!
iota2000 wrote:Rejected again. I won't be entering in the future.
Wulf Moon wrote:kizernix wrote:chuckt wrote:
I will add this. At his workshop, Dave said an SHM is often finalist quality but something needs fixing before you can win with it. He doesn't want the story to be a finalist yet because then the story is disqualified. He'd like to see it fixed and resubmitted. That's not what's going on for every SHM but it tells you how incredibly close you are.
Thanks Chuck, I didn't realize if your story makes it to finalist level it isn't eligible to be resubmitted.
Just to add to this, Finalists do not get feedback, other than Joni perhaps saying, "But Tim Powers really loved your story." They are not allowed to be resubmitted because they had their chance. The judges voted on them already, and they did not make the final cut. Semifinalists are the ones that get a brief critique from David Farland, the contest coordinating judge. This critique disqualifies the author from submitting that story again, because they had help from the judge on what it would take to make it a Finalist, and that would be unfair to others in subsequent quarters that did not receive such help. My story, "Weep No More for the Willow" was such a story. Dave said on the level of world building alone, it was stronger than all the other winners in that quarter. But he also said I need to "kill my darlings." Based on his critique, I toed back in my descriptions, sent it to Deep Magic, and it was published in the Fall 2019 issue. It shows you that semifinalists are very close, and with just a few words from a bestselling author and instructor like Dave, you can figure out how to make them winners. So, while you can't send them back to WotF, you can sell them elsewhere, and have a better chance at it, as I and others have proven.
Sometimes a story is at Semifinalist level, but Dave hopes to see it again. Instead of disqualifying it by helping the author with a critique, he gives them a Silver Honorable Mention, which he has said among some of those, he hopes the author will revise it and submit it again. Is yours one of those? Only Dave knows. But a pro likely will also know. Try to get someone that has pro sales to take a look at it. If you have the means, hire a pro if you can't find one--some do freelance editing. Or submit it to a workshop that has pro authors offering critiques. You might find with a simple fix, that story could be perfected.
So, when you get a Silver HM, Dave has told you he liked your idea, but there's something you need to fix. If you can figure it out, and I mean really figure it out by getting someone with more experience than you to point out what it is, you could submit that story again. It might just be your winner.
Best of success!
Wulf Moon
Dragonchef wrote:R for me maties. Sort of expected it though--always have trouble with that darn opening.
Back to the keyboard.And maybe a dram or two.
iota2000 wrote:Rejected again. I won't be entering in the future.
Dustin Adams wrote:Let's swap for Q3.
We'll work on the pesky openings.
PM me whenever you're ready.
Dragonchef wrote:Dustin Adams wrote:Let's swap for Q3.
We'll work on the pesky openings.
PM me whenever you're ready.
Sounds good, Dustin. I was also thinking, after reading several of the stories in the V36 Anthology, that maybe my stories just aren't weird enough. Seems we gotta get weird now to place these days.
Wulf Moon wrote:Not weird, Dragonchef. Original. Or at least an original twist on the old. Executed with technical expertise adequate to produce an emotional impact.
Rob Sawyer recently stated it this way: "What can I say in a way no one has ever heard before?"
Answer that question, WITH technical proficiency (the thing all aspiring writers lack in varying degrees), WITH emotional impact, and you will create your winner.
All the beast!
Wulf Moon
Dragonchef wrote:Dustin Adams wrote:Let's swap for Q3.
We'll work on the pesky openings.
PM me whenever you're ready.
Sounds good, Dustin. I was also thinking, after reading several of the stories in the V36 Anthology, that maybe my stories just aren't weird enough. Seems we gotta get weird now to place these days.
Obi-Wan Nobody wrote:I keep on reading the email about my first HM... tell me that I am not the only one doing this.
Anyway, what was the idea with the special notice at the end?
"I WILL BE SENDING YOU NEWS IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS REGARDING THE MOST EXCITING CONTEST NEWS EVER! BE LOOKING FOR THE E-MAIL. "
(Capital letters in original).
No further email so far...
KD Julicher wrote:So... since all the other results have gone out I should be in the clear for announcing:
![]()
This is my sixth time up at the plate. Will I actually get the home run this time? Here's hoping!
I got the call Monday but Joni asked me to keep quiet until she had sent out all the results (and contacted the other finalists).
KD Julicher wrote:So... since all the other results have gone out I should be in the clear for announcing:
![]()
This is my sixth time up at the plate. Will I actually get the home run this time? Here's hoping!
I got the call Monday but Joni asked me to keep quiet until she had sent out all the results (and contacted the other finalists).
KD Julicher wrote:So... since all the other results have gone out I should be in the clear for announcing:
![]()
This is my sixth time up at the plate. Will I actually get the home run this time? Here's hoping!
I got the call Monday but Joni asked me to keep quiet until she had sent out all the results (and contacted the other finalists).
KD Julicher wrote:So... since all the other results have gone out I should be in the clear for announcing:
![]()
This is my sixth time up at the plate. Will I actually get the home run this time? Here's hoping!
I got the call Monday but Joni asked me to keep quiet until she had sent out all the results (and contacted the other finalists).
KD Julicher wrote:So... since all the other results have gone out I should be in the clear for announcing:
![]()
This is my sixth time up at the plate. Will I actually get the home run this time? Here's hoping!
I got the call Monday but Joni asked me to keep quiet until she had sent out all the results (and contacted the other finalists).
KD Julicher wrote:So... since all the other results have gone out I should be in the clear for announcing:
![]()
This is my sixth time up at the plate. Will I actually get the home run this time? Here's hoping!
I got the call Monday but Joni asked me to keep quiet until she had sent out all the results (and contacted the other finalists).
KD Julicher wrote:So... since all the other results have gone out I should be in the clear for announcing:
![]()
This is my sixth time up at the plate. Will I actually get the home run this time? Here's hoping!
I got the call Monday but Joni asked me to keep quiet until she had sent out all the results (and contacted the other finalists).
KD Julicher wrote:Thanks for the good wishes! I am hoping this is the one, for sure! This story was a reworked HM -- I submitted it elsewhere and got a personal rejection with one line of feedback that showed me what needed to be fixed, so I trimmed 12% of the word count and tried again.
KD Julicher wrote:So... since all the other results have gone out I should be in the clear for announcing:
![]()
This is my sixth time up at the plate. Will I actually get the home run this time? Here's hoping!
I got the call Monday but Joni asked me to keep quiet until she had sent out all the results (and contacted the other finalists).
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