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Am I out of the whole contest?

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TomMartinArt View Drop Down
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    Posted: 24 Oct 2015 at 8:31pm
So I didn't get into the group of five yellow people in my group, group thirteen for flash fiction. Now evidently the 2nd round has started and I haven't gotten an email about it. So, uh... am I out? Like... out out? Like I paid $57 to be in a contest for two flash fiction stories and that's it out? I feel like that can't be right. If so it's on me for not reading the rules and believing I was investing in a big experience, but wow, that's an excessive amount of money to throw at two 1,000-word shots among 29 people.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote MegOverman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Oct 2015 at 8:44pm
Yes, that is how it works. Some of the contests make cuts after one challenge. This one gives everyone two challenges, then takes the top five from each group for round two. From here, only five from each of the remaining groups goes to the final round.
Have a glass of wine and take it like a writer.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Suave Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Oct 2015 at 9:41pm
You know what could make it a bit more fun would be to double the scoring for the second story so that people that had low or no score on the first had a chance to make it back in on the second, sometimes the first story just did not click for a person.  It would also be nice if all the people in a group could read the stories that did score so that they could see that the judges were doing their jobs.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote nixie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Oct 2015 at 10:21pm
Instead of making the scoring random, NYC makes the prompts random.  

One suspects that if you got a genre and prompt that worked well for you in Challenge #1, and one that worked poorly for you (but well for other members of your group) in Challenge #2, you would be less excited about them receiving double points for the Challenge. 


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Suave Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Oct 2015 at 3:28am
nixie

It would keep the excitement going into the second half of the 1st round though.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote MegOverman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Oct 2015 at 11:07am
I think it would actually carry a lot of the same issues. If you felt like you did great in round one, and that it didn't matter because you were a bad match with your prompt for round two...I think there would be just as much disappointment and annoyance that round two arbitrarily counted for twice as much.

One thing you could do if you still feel like getting forum feedback (which tends to be pretty valuable) is to spend 48 hours writing to one of the 8 prompts, then post along with others to see what people think of your story. 

Not sure if anyone does this, but it's an idea! It could mean you get a third story out of the competition and some feedback on it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Suave Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Oct 2015 at 9:37pm
Originally posted by MegOverman MegOverman wrote:

I think it would actually carry a lot of the same issues. If you felt like you did great in round one, and that it didn't matter because you were a bad match with your prompt for round two...I think there would be just as much disappointment and annoyance that round two arbitrarily counted for twice as much.



Well sure the winners of the first story are going to feel threatened by the second stories scores - that is the point.  But, it would mean that even the writers with a zero score would still have a chance at making the grade to progress.  As it is now when a writer scores a zero on the first story they might as well be out of the contest.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote plkphoto Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Oct 2015 at 2:16am
It's not impossible to make it through with a zero. It happens every year. At least 3 people went through this year with a 15 and a 0 and one person went through with a 14 and a 1. And as the rules currently stand -- if one person in the group got a 15 on the first story and a 0 on the second and another got 0 the first time and 15 the second… the second round person would go through. So there's a tiny second story advantage already (but it has to be two identical scores for it to come into effect).

However, if lots of people see the zero then drop out of the competition - guaranteeing themselves a second zero - it makes it easier for people who got a score the first round to also score the second. 

For it to not matter at all, I think the best thing they could do is announce the scores after you've already written two stories… Announcing them two days before the second challenge begins probably caused some people to give up. Which is fine, but it likely skews the points totals for people who advance higher than they would be otherwise. 

Personally, I think it's fine the way it is. I don't think either story should be given extra weight. I'm glad they give you two chances the first time, so hopefully the group winners are actually showcasing their versatility across genres. 

For me, the reason to enter is the feedback I get from the forums. I know the judges feedback usually improves a bit if you make it to the later rounds (when they're not reading hundreds of stories each), but the feedback I receive from my fellow writers in the forums is infinitely more valuable to me. The fee is worth it - especially if you think of it as a writers' workshop with possible prizes at the end. But to get the value, you really need to post your story in the forum and take the time to read and comment on other people's. I've not entered any other competitions, so I'm not sure how the fee compares to others, but to me, the forum is worth the money.




Edited by plkphoto - 27 Oct 2015 at 2:18am
FFC 2018

Ch1 Gr62 -- The Other Side of the Coin (Thriller)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Suave Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Oct 2015 at 2:32am
Originally posted by plkphoto plkphoto wrote:

It's not impossible to make it through with a zero. It happens every year. At least 3 people went through this year with a 15 and a 0 and one person went through with a 14 and a 1. And as the rules currently stand -- if one person in the group got a 15 on the first story and a 0 on the second and another got 0 the first time and 15 the second… the second round person would go through. So there's a tiny second story advantage already (but it has to be two identical scores for it to come into effect).

However, if lots of people see the zero then drop out of the competition - guaranteeing themselves a second zero - it makes it easier for people who got a score the first round to also score the second. 

For it to not matter at all, I think the best thing they could do is announce the scores after you've already written two stories… Announcing them two days before the second challenge begins probably caused some people to give up. Which is fine, but it likely skews the points totals for people who advance higher than they would be otherwise. 

Personally, I think it's fine the way it is. I don't think either story should be given extra weight. I'm glad they give you two chances the first time, so hopefully the group winners are actually showcasing their versatility across genres. 

For me, the reason to enter is the feedback I get from the forums. I know the judges feedback usually improves a bit if you make it to the later rounds (when they're not reading hundreds of stories each), but the feedback I receive from my fellow writers in the forums is infinitely more valuable to me. The fee is worth it - especially if you think of it as a writers' workshop with possible prizes at the end. But to get the value, you really need to post your story in the forum and take the time to read and comment on other people's. I've not entered any other competitions, so I'm not sure how the fee compares to others, but to me, the forum is worth the money.




I received a 0 for the first story, and was pretty sure I would not progress, but wrote my second story anyway because I enjoy the challenge, but it would have been nice to actually had a chance at advancing.  I did score on the second.  As you say a lot of writers probably dont write a second if they dont feel they have a chance.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Archon1995 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Oct 2015 at 9:46am
Originally posted by plkphoto plkphoto wrote:

Announcing them two days before the second challenge begins probably caused some people to give up. Which is fine, but it likely skews the points totals for people who advance higher than they would be otherwise.
Then there's the people who quit after getting a low but non-zero score on their first challenge, because they feel it's was mathematically impossible to get enough points to advance. When this year three advanced 15-0, one with 14-1, and a buncha folks with 16s.
 
The judging itself could use some refinements IMO, but the methodology for scoring and announcing scores is okay.
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