NYC Midnight : Creative Writing & Screenwriting Homepage
Forum Home Forum Home > GENERAL DISCUSSION > Creative Writing Corner
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - A new(ish) flash fiction competition
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

A new(ish) flash fiction competition

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  123 20>
Author
Message Reverse Sort Order
nod1v1ng View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt
Avatar

Joined: 26 Jul 2016
Location: ChillybytheSea
Status: Offline
Points: 12497
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote nod1v1ng Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: A new(ish) flash fiction competition
    Posted: 27 Nov 2017 at 11:04am
Originally posted by roccapia roccapia wrote:

I didn't place :( Didn't figure I would.


I didn't either. But 2 folks in my writing group did and from what I saw in Beta it was well deserved. 


:)
Back to Top
roccapia View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Addict
NYC Midnight Addict
Avatar

Joined: 21 Mar 2017
Location: Poulsbo, WA
Status: Offline
Points: 1061
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote roccapia Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Nov 2017 at 11:01am
I didn't place :( Didn't figure I would.
Back to Top
lisafox10800 View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt
Avatar

Joined: 18 Jul 2016
Location: NJ
Status: Offline
Points: 9440
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lisafox10800 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Nov 2017 at 1:02pm
Originally posted by Zblugg Zblugg wrote:

Originally posted by Zelda Zelda wrote:

Dead on the first round, Suave. Unhappy


Same here!

Me too.
lisafoxiswriting.com
My short story collection, Core Truths, is now available wherever books are sold.
Back to Top
Zblugg View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt
Avatar

Joined: 25 Apr 2017
Location: Cantley, Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 4256
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Zblugg Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Nov 2017 at 12:37pm
Originally posted by Zelda Zelda wrote:

Dead on the first round, Suave. Unhappy

Same here!
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest
Guest
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Nov 2017 at 1:03am
Dead on the first round, Suave. Unhappy
Back to Top
Suave View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt
Avatar

Joined: 25 Jan 2015
Location: Thailand
Status: Offline
Points: 25028
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Suave Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Nov 2017 at 12:46am
So, any of you make it into the money?
Back to Top
roccapia View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Addict
NYC Midnight Addict
Avatar

Joined: 21 Mar 2017
Location: Poulsbo, WA
Status: Offline
Points: 1061
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote roccapia Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Nov 2017 at 3:44pm
Here's the review I got on my story:
 
What the judges really liked about The Choice:

  • The ending felt right - the indication of forward motion without tying it up with a neat "happily ever after" bow.
  • The story is tender and plausible throughout. Details are accessible and believable. The take on the "chance for survival" prompt is individual and (while unexpected) solidly on point.
  • This felt like such a personal account, and very relatable. Investing the mental health and well being of the narrator in the new puppy was a clever way to draw the reader in. You dealt well with the backstory as your main character contemplated whether to carry on or give up, and filled in just enough detail to make her lassitude authentic. I liked the way you left the ending open, allowing the reader to take the story off the page.
  • You set up Amelia’s emotional state in an interesting and relatable way. The reader knows early on that this trip is not a good idea, and that is backed up by John’s gift. The setting is well established, and Amelia‘s interactions with the puppy were a good way to show her personality.
Where the judges found room for improvement:
  • The scenario of the boat capsizing and Amelia and Lily being physically fine seems implausible. If the river was that rough and Lily was just a puppy, it seems more likely the river would take her rather than just drifting to a river bank.
  • The sense of "stranding" called for in the prompt is somewhat underplayed - the protagonist has the means to leave the area, just not the will. The "you wanted this to happen" section is only a partial save for the supposedly experienced protagonist's inappropriate gear and preparation.
  • While utilizing the dog as the keeper of her mental health was relatable and believable, and mental health is an extremely important factor to survival, the dog was not the only means of her survival. Ultimately, it served as a catalyst for her own sense of self-preservation/survival to kick in.
  • The beginning of the story is mostly exposition. Perhaps describing the moment Amelia capsized in more detail and adding a flashback of Shawn leaving would help show more than tell. The tone of the story detracted from the conflict. The fact that she named the puppy and she was joking about sasquatches minimized the concern the reader felt for Amelia‘s mental state.
Back to Top
roccapia View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Addict
NYC Midnight Addict
Avatar

Joined: 21 Mar 2017
Location: Poulsbo, WA
Status: Offline
Points: 1061
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote roccapia Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Nov 2017 at 1:48pm
Originally posted by nod1v1ng nod1v1ng wrote:

Originally posted by roccapia roccapia wrote:

Just got my feedback for the final round. I was worried they'd outright kick the story out for not following the prompts exactly, but I wasn't disqualified. I don't particularly think I'll be in the top 3 though, although you can never tell. The "what I liked about the piece" section was strong, but so was the "where the piece needs improvement" section :P
 
It was very difficult trying to deal with two competitions in one weekend. Not sure if I'll be up for that again (unless I somehow miraculously place in the YeahWrite and advance in the NYCMidnight one!).


I got mine as well. And I didn't make me feel very confident about being in the top 3 either. 

I'm still struggling with this competition because in every round there was at least one comment from the judges that made me feel like they didn't really read the story carefully. (Complaining about elements that they felt shouldn't be in the story that weren't actually there, complaining they didn't know the reason for X when it was the first sentence, complaining that B happened before A, when the sentence clearly reads I did A, then B)

Doing both in one weekend was definitely a hard thing... maybe not a thing I'd care to repeat! Best of luck with the scoring!

Maybe they HAD to come up with something negative. So maybe we're both OK :D Good luck, regardless!

Back to Top
nod1v1ng View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt
Avatar

Joined: 26 Jul 2016
Location: ChillybytheSea
Status: Offline
Points: 12497
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote nod1v1ng Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Nov 2017 at 1:36pm
Originally posted by roccapia roccapia wrote:

Just got my feedback for the final round. I was worried they'd outright kick the story out for not following the prompts exactly, but I wasn't disqualified. I don't particularly think I'll be in the top 3 though, although you can never tell. The "what I liked about the piece" section was strong, but so was the "where the piece needs improvement" section :P
 
It was very difficult trying to deal with two competitions in one weekend. Not sure if I'll be up for that again (unless I somehow miraculously place in the YeahWrite and advance in the NYCMidnight one!).


I got mine as well. And I didn't make me feel very confident about being in the top 3 either. 

I'm still struggling with this competition because in every round there was at least one comment from the judges that made me feel like they didn't really read the story carefully. (Complaining about elements that they felt shouldn't be in the story that weren't actually there, complaining they didn't know the reason for X when it was the first sentence, complaining that B happened before A, when the sentence clearly reads I did A, then B)

Doing both in one weekend was definitely a hard thing... maybe not a thing I'd care to repeat! Best of luck with the scoring!


Back to Top
roccapia View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Addict
NYC Midnight Addict
Avatar

Joined: 21 Mar 2017
Location: Poulsbo, WA
Status: Offline
Points: 1061
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote roccapia Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Nov 2017 at 1:11pm
Just got my feedback for the final round. I was worried they'd outright kick the story out for not following the prompts exactly, but I wasn't disqualified. I don't particularly think I'll be in the top 3 though, although you can never tell. The "what I liked about the piece" section was strong, but so was the "where the piece needs improvement" section :P
 
It was very difficult trying to deal with two competitions in one weekend. Not sure if I'll be up for that again (unless I somehow miraculously place in the YeahWrite and advance in the NYCMidnight one!).
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  123 20>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 12.05
Copyright ©2001-2022 Web Wiz Ltd.

This page was generated in 0.203 seconds.