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Question on points per group |
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SuzanneWrites 
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Joined: 03 Aug 2015 Status: Offline Points: 107 |
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 Topic: Question on points per groupPosted: 03 Aug 2015 at 10:03am |
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On the group assignments page, points are listed as 15 (most) to 1 (least). With 40 writers in a group, how does that work? Is it possible that 25 writers end up with no points? If so, how do you know where you rank within the 25?
Newbie question - thanks!
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nixie
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Joined: 02 Aug 2015 Location: Setubal PT Status: Offline Points: 9058 |
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Posted: 03 Aug 2015 at 10:15am |
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With 30 - 40 contestants and only 15 folks receiving points, it seems a given that the rest receive no points - guess we will find out whether further 'ranking' info is also provided. But remember that regardless of where you finish in the pack, all participants get good, specific feedback. Knowing how you, personally, did is probably going to be a lot more valuable to you than where you ranked in a group of random strangers anyway :)
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plkphoto
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Joined: 14 Jan 2015 Location: AliceSprings OZ Status: Offline Points: 3153 |
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Posted: 03 Aug 2015 at 10:20am |
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From what I understand, they only rank the top 15 stories from each group, so you don't know an exact placement. There are only 30 people per group (or 29 for some) - so half the stories will get points of some kind.
I've only done the Short Story Challenge in the past, though, and it doesn't use the point system at all. You only find out if you're in the top five stories… or not. I like the idea of having two chances and the top half of the stories getting some kind of recognition even if you don't advance. Only a fraction of the people who enter even post their stories here for critique, so you won't necessarily even get a chance to read the stories that scored higher (or lower) than you… It's all a bit ambiguous because many people keep their stories completely private.
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plkphoto
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Posted: 03 Aug 2015 at 10:24am |
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I should also note, that you'll get much better (and broader) feedback by posting your story onto the forums (after you receive your confirmation in a few days) than you will from the judges. Especially for the early rounds when they have 1400 stories to comment on. Feedback seems to improve if you make it to the later rounds.
Your judges' feedback will be specific to your story, and I found mine helpful when I finally got it (received long after the results for the round were announced and the second round commenced), but the other participants that haunt the forums are an excellent source for critiques - and they provide immediate (well, after 72 hours anyway) feedback while the story is still fresh.
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SuzanneWrites
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Posted: 03 Aug 2015 at 10:28am |
Thank you! My group had 40 writers! My main purpose in entering was to force myself to write (i.e. finish) something and then of course to get the feedback so your reply is appreciated!
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SuzanneWrites
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Posted: 03 Aug 2015 at 10:30am |
What form does that feedback usually take? Is it a general thumbs up or down, or is it more specific? I kicked myself after seeing there were beta readers available! Will be better prepared for Rnd 2. Thank you!
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fsenese
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Joined: 23 Sep 2013 Location: Appalachia Status: Offline Points: 483 |
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Posted: 03 Aug 2015 at 12:08pm |
FORUM FEEDBACK: Speaking just for myself: When someone gives me a detailed critique, rather than just an "attaboy", I give them detailed feedback on *their* story. When someone just tells me they liked it/hated it, I'll do the same for them. My advice would be: Give the level of feedback you'd like to receive in return. JUDGE'S FEEDBACK: It's generally no more than a couple of paragraphs. First is "What the Judges Liked" and second is "What Needs Improvement" or something like that. You'll see feedback from 2 or 3 judges, usually, and sometimes (hilariously) one judge will completely contradict the other. Judging is subjective, so that's to be expected.
Edited by fsenese - 03 Aug 2015 at 12:13pm |
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plkphoto
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Joined: 14 Jan 2015 Location: AliceSprings OZ Status: Offline Points: 3153 |
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Posted: 03 Aug 2015 at 6:54pm |
What group were you in? I was pretty sure they divided up the writers evenly with either 29 or 30 in each group…. And ditto to what fsenese said above about the feedback. Forum people will give you much better feedback and be as specific as you'd like. Many people give the same level back as you give them. There are some people who always give awesome and detailed feedback - but they only give feedback on stories for people who have taken the time to read and comment on theirs. Be prepared to spend some time at the forums reading stories, commenting on them, giving feedback -- and you'll get heaps of excellent feedback in return. You can go through the stories from last year to see what I mean. Go to the Creative Writing Corner forum, then click on the 2014 Flash Fiction sub-forum at the top of the page. Check out some of the round one/two stories that have heaps of comments.
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trailtrekkie
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Posted: 03 Aug 2015 at 7:07pm |
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I'm curious--what's a beta reader?
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plkphoto
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Posted: 03 Aug 2015 at 8:54pm |
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A beta reader is someone who looks over an early draft of the story and gives you feedback - can be anything from overall thoughts to nit-picky "you forgot an apostrophe here" details. Can be a friend or (better) a fellow author -- just not someone in your own group. A lot of people trade stories. This happens BEFORE you submit your story. It's a bit harder given the short time frame of Flash, but people still find time to help/get help.
Come hang out in the Creative Writing Corner and you'll see a thread during the next round for people looking for betas.
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plkphoto wrote: