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The Dirty Secret About Challenge 2

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td333777 View Drop Down
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    Posted: 11 Sep 2019 at 2:02am
Something to keep in mind when the scores are posted for Challenge 1 tonight...

The first challenge's heats were divided up into nice, neat groups of 30-31 writers.  Of those writers, roughly half the heat (15 people) will score points.  If you score (in your mind) low--from zero to five points, for example--the usual response is "well, I'm screwed...not gonna make it to the next round, why bother writing a second story?"  My first response is the boring, customary spiel--you paid your money, why not maximize the contest's value?  Write a second story, and even if it doesn't score highly, you've got a finished story in your grubby little hands--one that you can be proud of, show to your family and friends, or maybe even submit to one of hundreds of fiction markets around the world.  Plus you get pro feedback, the zeitgeist of the forums, blahblahblahstuffyou'veheardadozentimesbefore.  But here's what you might not have heard, especially if you're new to NYCM contests:

There is a MASSIVE drop-off of contestants between Challenge 1 and Challenge 2. 

Not that there are any published figures to quantify that statement, mind you.  NYCM doesn't reveal percentages of non-submittals, or give any official statement about participation levels by round, but if you dig a little into the data they release at the end of each round, hints abound.

Last year's results for Challenge 2, for instance, revealed that three heats had point totals that didn't make sense, at least initially.  In two of the three heats, scores were given out for the top 14 finishers, but no one received the 15th place score (1 point).  In the third heat, no one received either a 1-point score OR a two-point score.  Common sense dictates the reason: only 14 people participated in the first two heats mentioned, and only 13 people participated in the third.  That's a drop-off of MORE THAN HALF.

Granted, that was only three heats out of 100, but that three percent is pretty telling.  If you assume those three heats were the top end of a bell curve, all the heats we CAN'T analyze probably followed a similar, although less intense pattern.  That would mean on average, 7-10 people PER HEAT didn't participate in Challenge 2.  In other words, up to a THIRD of your competition....simply won't show up.

What does that mean?  Simple--you have less competition for the Challenge 2 points.  WRITE YOUR STORY.  SUBMIT.  Every year a zero-point total from Challenge 1 kills it in Challenge 2 and makes it to the next round.  BE THAT WRITER.

I look forward to reading what you come up with!

Trey

PS Unless you're in my heat, in which case, give up, you have no hope. ;)
FF '17 - 1st, SSC '18 - 2nd, FF '20 - 7th
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gij316 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Sep 2019 at 7:36am
Thank you. I've often been a no-show on round-2. Hopefully, that won't happen this time, but this weekend is going to be crazy busy. Stern Smile
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Charlie72 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Sep 2019 at 8:00am
Originally posted by td333777 td333777 wrote:

Unless you're in my heat, in which case, give up, you have no hope. ;)

And the sooner they realize it, the better!  Smile
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Sep 2019 at 8:21am
Wow, that's brillz! Thank you! So you're saying that whoever sticks with it into this weekend is likely to get a higher mark than they'll get tonight, just due to the dropout rate? 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote EricM Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Sep 2019 at 9:24am
I appreciate the analysis from a vet!

And yeah it makes sense too, from what I understand of the contest. I think I figured out that like 70% of my Round 1 Group did not participate last year (of course, they could have participated in prior years, who knows?)

But assuming most of those 70% are true newbies, it makes sense that those who score low in Round 1 might lose enthusiasm and fall victim to self doubt. 

Obviously, we don't WANT that to happen, but I would understand it happening nonetheless.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote amrvitale Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Sep 2019 at 10:50am
Dang. Didn't realize that half of a heat in round 1 would essentially score a 0...now I'm nervously watching my email. Hehe, thanks for the tip. I'm going to take my (probable) 0 score and just keep going in the challenge. I like having feedback, even if it's "you're not cut out for this" haha. Thanks again and good luck to everyone.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote northernwriter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Sep 2019 at 11:01am
Originally posted by amrvitale amrvitale wrote:

Dang. Didn't realize that half of a heat in round 1 would essentially score a 0...now I'm nervously watching my email. Hehe, thanks for the tip. I'm going to take my (probable) 0 score and just keep going in the challenge. I like having feedback, even if it's "you're not cut out for this" haha. Thanks again and good luck to everyone.

Last year I fully expected that type of feedback for my first story ever. (I don’t mean for NYCM but ever as an adult and not a school assignment.) The feedback was very gracious and balanced even though I got 0 points. I tried again for round 2 and got 15 points! So please keep at it!! 

-Alex
Microfiction 2021: 4th place overall
Flash Fiction 2020: 8th place overall
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tim G Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Sep 2019 at 11:36am
I remember you discovering this in real time last year. It was awesome. Thanks for the reminder!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote jennifer.quail Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Sep 2019 at 11:42am
I'm just hoping I can GET e-mail, remember what time it is if I'm in Eastern or Atlantic, and I've got the other thing done that's due the 15th already. 

Vacations: they're for relaxing! (At least the satellite's working right now. It's rather gray and rainy out here in the St Lawrence.)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote sootfoot5 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Sep 2019 at 1:26pm
You are correct, of course, that many people do drop out after seeing their first challenge scores.  

However, what you don't seem to have considered is that most heats didn't have the correct number of participants to begin with.  In other words, some people didn't even write for challenge one!  Perhaps they forgot it was that weekend, maybe some important life event came up -- heck, maybe they saw the prompt and thought, "I'm not writing historical fiction! No way!"  For whatever the reason, it has happened that up to five people didn't write in the first round.

They used to do the score sheet differently.  Many remember the old score sheet, and the first couple of years of Flash they would put a dash instead of a zero for no shows.  This was LONG ago, like 2010, but I don't imagine people, and their reasons for not participating, have changed all that much.  The only thing that has changed is that NYCM doesn't acknowledge the fact on the scores sheet.  

In some groups everyone participated.  In some only one would drop out, and in others as many as five.  If was the luck of the roll, so to speak.  Someone else who is an Old, Old Timer might remember it differently, but come on, don't you think some people, despite paying for this comp, already haven't shown up?  

Absolutely write in the next round.  And may the odds be ever in your favor.  
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