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This is a critique group for writers that will be entering a story for the second quarter of 2009 in the Writers of the Future contest (26th year), and do so on an early schedule.
Anyone is welcome to join. If you do though, please follow the directions for such. Currently, the group consists of me: WriterDan
If you want to join the group for this quarter, please re-post the current names list in a reply and add your name to the bottom.
Deadlines for this quarter's crits are as follows:
December 1st: Start writing January 21st: First drafts out for crits February 14th: Second drafts out for crits March 7th: Mail-in final drafts for Q02
Note: The official mail-in deadline for this quarter is March 31st; however, this group's deadlines are set up so that all entries can be mailed well before the deadline and hopefully beat the rush at the end of the quarter.
When you send out drafts for critique, please do so in a generic format so that everyone will be able to open your file. (eg. rtf, txt. Pdf is okay too, but won't allow for in-text comments.)
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I'm in, too. My hard drive died and I'm having difficulties. Lots of difficutlies. Like, how do I get this new computer hard drive to remember my password here?
Sigh, I'm still working on Cory. I lost quite a bit of that with the hard drive.
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Dunno yet whether I'm going to be in this group or the normal-schedule group, but I also wanted to remind you, arriki, that I have a relatively new version of Cory if you need it.
And great question, PatrickJames. I was wondering almost the same thing - in my case, whether to write a futuristic fantasy with strong shades of humor, or a straight-out fantasy.
Just had some inspiration peoples, and I am STOKED for this quarter!
Had an idea for a story this quarter that I was pretty ho-hum about, and didn't really have an ending for yet. It was interesting, but not KA-POW, you know?
So, the other day I listened to this podcast on podcastle that I didn't particularly care for, but it got me thinking.
And most times, that's all it takes for my ideas to come.
OOH! I need to get writing. But dang I still have to draft my Q01 entry. Where's the love!?
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So how is everyone doing on their first drafts? Me? You're asking me? Well...um...I still need to get to that most very important first word.
Eep. Eep.
Yes, even the crickets agree: I am a slacker. Just got back from a whirlwind tour including my little brother's wedding, not to mention Holiday fun with the family. Was all a blast, but made my vacation time fly out the window like the proverbial finch. Actually, still suffering from the shock that I'm back at school. Ugh.
Anyhow, was curious where everyone else was sitting, and if maybe anyone else could use a bit of a delay on our first deadline. Would just like to know where everything is sitting for this upcoming quarter.
Luckily, I finished plotting my story on the bus this afternoon as I was riding up to school. Have to admit that I'm pretty excited about it. And all this after hours of contemplation on the big Q-word in relation to WotF. Sheesh.
Look, I got something done but it still needs work, and unfortunately, I have other loose ends to tie up. Just as soon as I get this old story fixed up I'll get back to my WotF and then bug the rest of you.
I am going to polish up THE VANISHING BASEMENT for this quarter. Take a two week break and write a first draft of a totally (or maybe finish the one set on Cyddonia Station -- orbiting Mars) new story from the list of ideas above my desk and then I'll finish Cory for the third quarter.
Think I can hold to that schedule?
The BASEMENT should not take more than 2-3 weeks. It's in pretty good shape as it is. Every teen and preteen who's read it has loved it.
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So, it looks like a decent 1st draft date would be the 21st.
Yea?
That still puts us two weeks ahead of the deadlines for the end of the quarter, which is good. I'll move the 2nd deadline back to the 14th too. That way we'll still have time for the all-important drafting stage. I'll update the first post to reflect these changes.
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Just throw it out to everyone. As far as I know, the list above is still in effect. Philo-- said he/she might have to drop out, but haven't heard anything else since then. Time for some spamming. I'll be looking for it.
Posts: 599 | Registered: Sep 2007
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I might submit something I did for the sudden fiction contest a while back. I'm still working on the other piece, and I haven't gotten very far. I have worked on the first story a little and it is now 2200 words. What do any of you think would be a good word count for WOTF?
Edited to add question mark.
[This message has been edited by philocinemas (edited January 16, 2009).]
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I'll trade off with you snapper and with anyone else who is ready.
(My story is "The Trade", so if anyone's already seen it in the last Sudden Fiction Contest, it hasn't changed that much - I've just touched it up and added a little)
I am putting some finishing touches on a few cosemitic changes based on some suggestions that the others made. Although, I have yet to understand how dousing it in gasoline and lighting a match will help it.
I'm open for any critting. Send yours my way. I'm not quite done with my story yet. Have it all plotted, just getting the prose out of my head now. Coming along slowly but surely.
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Thanks, arriki. I'll send it over. This was actually the first short story I had written in about 20 years. Asimov's and Analog didn't seem too impressed, so I figured, what the heck, I'd go ahead and submit it to WoTF. I've completed one since then, and I've got 2-3 in the works. The second wasn't as good, and the others are going slow. Posts: 2003 | Registered: Jul 2008
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Endings – I’ve got a new book on the subject which brought up some ideas I wanted to discuss with other writers.
First, it’s kind of like the advice that Donald Wollheim used to give out. He said that he always read the first page of a mss then (if that passed muster) the last page, to see if they were on the same subject.
In THE THIRD ACT by Drew Yanno (a screenwriting text but I read those for insight to story and plot and stuff like that),Yannoe talks about stories failing because the question raised in chapter one isn’t answered in chapter three (the last act).
In my latest story about a basement, I have all this happening with a basement but don’t really get down to answering the question raised that Tommy doesn’t believe in basements. Looking at the story as a whole I can see this is a weakness. The lack does not ruin the story. It’s more like a stumble, as if a step were too tall or too low as you’re coming down a set of stairs. However, stumbles like this are reasons why stories don’t get to finals, or, maybe, even to honorable mentions when they seem okay to the casual reader.
That’s what I’m struggling with right now on m WOTF story – answering the first question. That and the ending itself which Yanno says the third act is all about the final battle. Set up, the final battle, outcome of the final battle, denouement, and “the bridge.”
What do you guys think?
I’ve felt a weakness both in the basement story and in “Cory.” I think this may be part of, if not the whole, problem. And, as I come to understand this concept better, I think I’m going to be looking for or finding it in your stories as I critique them.
I thought I’d mention this so you are forewarned about my latest “great idea.”
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OSC talks about this in HOW TO WRITE SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY when he talks about the structure of his M.I.C.E. story categories and how each kind of story has to end.
I mention that here because it's a little more specific. Each kind of story asks a different kind of question, and each kind of story ends differently because each kind of question has a different kind of answer.
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At long last I've finished the re-draft of my story. It's the same one as last quarter that I lost a portion of. Is it ok to send to everyone?
Ready to recieve stories from everyone too. How's it all going? I've spent the last few weeks going over a novel I just entered into the Amazon Breakthrough contest but ready now to get back into WotF.
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Boy, I haven't even heard about the Amazon novel breakthrough contest before and here I've read about it twice in just the last couple of hours. Crazy.
Still working on my story. New one about...well...good stuff.
Go ahead and send your story out to everyone on the list, darklight. In fact, here it is again so you don't have to go searching.
WriterDan Patrick James Snapper darklight AWSullivan arriki philocinemas
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So, I just emailed you back and complained about the fact that it was a docx file. Apparently, Microsoft has a patch for earlier versions of Word that will allow for them to open docx files. Nice. Thought everyone else might want to know. Then again, maybe I'm just behind the curve and everyone knows this already.
Posts: 599 | Registered: Sep 2007
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Okay, here I am. It looks like I might possibly be able to finish the first draft of my story tonight. Only have about 2k words or so left to go, and I really NEED to get it done so that I can kick things into high gear with my PhD dissertation starting next week. So, watch for it coming down the pipe. It'll be by Monday at the latest. I'm such a slacker. But in my defense (of this self-inflicted attack), this was a big one. Posts: 599 | Registered: Sep 2007
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I'm sorry, but this was so...humorous I had to share the comment with you guys. I hope I'm on the right WOTF topic.
I'm reading the full moon thing and the first sentence stopped me cold.
A real nit, but, since it IS the first line – I thought he had a canteen of some liquid and was pouring it into something. You might want to use a different term for the place. I had no idea you meant a house of refreshment rather than some piece of camping equipment.
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I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I thought it was just a humorous oversight and wanted to share it because humor is so rare these days.
Posts: 1580 | Registered: Dec 2005
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My apology's arriki. I checked my records. I did read you Fish Story. How did that do in the WotF contest anyway?
Posts: 3072 | Registered: Dec 2007
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Just an HM. I really thought it deserved better, but then, don't we all -- think our stories deserved better.
I failed to finish CORY for the fourth quarter, so I don't have a story this time. I hope I can get the basement story polished in time and go on to CORY (after writing an entirely new story between them -- something to have simmering in my subconscious for a future quarter).
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That's okay, darklight, I would love if my stories were discribed as humorous. As it is they have been discribed as: Boring, barely readable, dull, nonsensical, sophomoric,...where is that one Annepin sent me... pathetic, not unlike water-boarding, and lacking character.
Critiques were sometimes as short as: Needs work... and I dont know where to begin.
Just joking about the Annepin comment. I am sure she would never say something so hurtful. The others on the other hand...
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And all this after hours of contemplation on the big Q-word in relation to WotF. Sheesh.
