Hatrack River Writers Workshop: Calling all WotF Critique Groupers from Hatrack!

This is topic Calling all WotF Critique Groupers from Hatrack! in forum Hatrack Groups at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

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Posted by WriterDan (Member # 6456) on :

Dustin (Axeminister) had a great idea about keeping track of honoraries from each quarter of WotF entries. He suggested that at the end of each quarter I should edit my original post to show those members of the critique group for that quarter that received some kind of "award" (from HM all the way up). That way, current and potential members of the group could look back on the last several quarters and see how the group is doing. Also, as kind of a "woo-hoo!" list for the group. Critters has one after all. Why not us?

Thus, this is a call for everyone that has had a story through the critique group for this last year (27th vol, Q01, for right now) to post here what they got and I'll transfer that information to the beginning post for the appropriate quarter. So how bout it peoples? What'd you get?

I'll start. I got...

zilch!

Nuts. Well that was a grand way to start us off...

Posted by axeminister (Member # 8991) on :

Dan,
Page five of quarter one has a post from Dark Warrior listing a bunch of HM's already. Not sure if he got them all though, but that'd be a good place to start as long as no one minds.

Axe

[This message has been edited by axeminister (edited June 12, 2010).]

Posted by snapper (Member # 7299) on :

Nope. Got one.

Snapper.

Wolves In The Fold

Status on it...

Asimov - rejection (she did say send more after reading it though)

Daily Science Fiction - form rejection

It is currently on the desk of another pro-magazine

Posted by WriterDan (Member # 6456) on :

Great job of keeping up on the submissions, Snapper. I should probably being doing that with most of my past WotF submissions as well.

Q01 post updated to here.

Posted by snapper (Member # 7299) on :

Let's get this thread back and expand it a bit.

I have submitted 9 stories to WotF. Of those 9...

Four received Honorable Mentions.

Three got straight out rejections.

Two are pending.

Of the seven...

One HM and two straight out rejections have been published. One rejection I have retired, but the other three I am still shopping around. Those three I feel are among my best. I expect all three to get picked up by someone.

Posted by JenniferHicks (Member # 8201) on :

Q1: Wedding Day, HM (in submission)
Q2: Grounded, HM (in submission)
Q3: Pending reply
Q4: In critique

Overall, I've entered the contest seven times with four HMs, two straight rejections and one pending.

Posted by Owasm (Member # 8501) on :

Q2 09 - HM
Q3 09 - HM
Q4 09 - Rejection
Q1 10 - Rejection
Q2 10 - HM
Q3 10 - In slush
Q4 10 - Second draft in process
I have submitted the first four to markets and haven't placed any of them.

[This message has been edited by Owasm (edited August 12, 2010).]

Posted by Kitti (Member # 7277) on :

I've subbed 6 times (4 since 2009, 2 many years earlier) and am half-and-half rejections and HMs.

Posted by TamesonYip (Member # 9072) on :

This may sound really mean, but reading about you guys flat out rejections makes me feel better.

Basically, if I get a rejection, it doesn't mean much.

Posted by JenniferHicks (Member # 8201) on :

It took me awhile to figure this out, but sometimes, all a rejection means is that one particular editor (or contest judge) didn't like the story or thought it wasn't the right fit for that market. It doesn't necessarily mean the story is bad. One of my two sales so far was a WotF rejection.

Posted by snapper (Member # 7299) on :

quote:
This may sound really mean, but reading about you guys flat out rejections makes me feel better

You shouldn't be upset about straight out rejections. The official stats on how many submissions earn a HM a quarter is 10 to 15%. However, if the latest estimates of how many stories WotF has been receiving of late is accurate, the real figure is to 5% or less. The fact that Hatrack submitters have been managing a 33%, HM or better, ratio is a testament to the talent and potential of the people that frequent here.

Besides, rejections happen to the best of writers. Dr Phil Kaldron serves as a good yardstick for the contest. He is a frequent participant in the contest and is one of the better ones that submit. One of his stories, although it didn't win, was used to help fill out WotF #24. Here is his history (according to his blog) as of Jan 17th of this year.

quote:
Rejected 5
No Call 1 (apparently USPS lost some subs in Dec 2002)
Finalist 3 (1 published in WOTF XXIV, 2 Finalists in one year, 2007 Q1 Q3)
Semi-F 2
Quarter-F 10 (designation changed to Honorable Mention in 2007)
H-M 9 (Quarter+H-M = 19)
Total 30 (24 certificate rank)
Subs 31 (WOTF 2010 Q1 in)

His last rejection (going from memory but I believe it is correct) he received the quarter after his last finalist placement.

Posted by axeminister (Member # 8991) on :

Good call Snapper,

I too was going to comment on the HM's that our folks get.

Looking at this quarter's numbers, so far there are 65 HMs. If the third list has 30 or so more, that's 100. If there were 2000 entries, that's 5%.

If you score in the top 5% you're doing pretty well.

This makes me even more amazed at the folks that win.

We have three winners that still visit here, right?
JohnBrown
Skadder
Brad T.

Also, Snap, I've been meaning to ask about David. You said he's been aiming for HM for a while now, was this past quarter his first? If so, send him a congrats from me.

Axe

Posted by snapper (Member # 7299) on :

65? Really? Never really counted them. The current estimate of submissions a quarter has been around 1800, according to Jordan Lapp (WotF #25 winner). Where he got that info is not clear.

And yes. That HM was David's first.

Posted by genevive42 (Member # 8714) on :

Has Dr. Kaldron published some of these stories elsewhere?

Posted by shimiqua (Member # 7760) on :

I'm one for one. So my batting average is better than it should be.

Talking Flowers, Q2 2010 - HM

Posted by axeminister (Member # 8991) on :

Hey Shimmy,
Now I remember you and I both commented on entering the contest for the first time on the busiest quarter ever.
Guess we did pretty good considering.

Now the question is, can we continue or even raise our game?

Axe

Posted by Crank (Member # 7354) on :

I entered WotF twice, back in the early 2000s, when I really wasn't all that good, and was rejected both times.

Sicne then, I've entered twice during the past two years, and earned an HM both times.

So, that makes me either 2 for 4, or 2 for 2, depending on how you look at it.

But, wait...! I was never part of a WotF critique group, so technically my stats shouldn't be posted on this thread.

But, I wandered here anyway because of something that's been said several times (I'm paraphrasing and personalizing): having earned HMs my last two times out, I'm close, so it's time for me to work even harder to push myself over that next hurdle...an opinion I agree with. So, I'm wondering...perhaps, being apart of a critique group might give me that extra push I'm looking for...

Essentially, I'm reading these WotF critique group threads to get a feel for what I'm in for. There are some exceptionally talented writers who participate, and I'm looking forward to the challenge of joining that next rung. 'Til next quarter...!

S!
S!

Posted by shimiqua (Member # 7760) on :

Axey,
Woo hoo for you! Congrats!

And Writer Dan too, now you can't say zilch. Way to go!

And of course, my favorite, snapper. A silver congrats to you.
Couldn't happen to a nicer person.
~Sheena

Posted by WriterDan (Member # 6456) on :

So, I'm not zilch for the contest, just for the time period that I had specified above.

This is my track record for the last 16 quarters:

Non-entries: 4
Returned with no comments: 3
Rejection form letter: 3
Honorable mention: 6

That includes this most recent quarter that was just announced.

Also, I just updated the first post from Q02 to reflect the results. If I've missed listing anyone's name that got an award, please let me know and I'll add it on.

[This message has been edited by WriterDan (edited August 13, 2010).]

Posted by satate (Member # 8082) on :

I have one hm from last year. I can't remember which quarter it was, maybe 4. So...

1 entry - hm

Posted by snapper (Member # 7299) on :

quote:
Has Dr. Kaldron published some of these stories elsewhere?

I don't know the specfics of each of his stories but he has blogged about a recent HM he sent to F & SF. He waited a good couple of months before the editor sent him a letter back letting him know he was on the fence with it and regret to inform him he fell on the wrong side of the fence (about as big as deal you can make out of a rejection).

He has sold plenty of stories and I know of at least one sale he has made to Asimov.