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Trond24 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Trond24 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jul 2017 at 3:37am
Hi enngeecee, 

>>I think I would be far too shy to post my story on the forum. I love reading everyone else's work, but I'm not sure I'm ready to put mine *out there* yet. I'm looking forward to reading what the judges have to say and being able to improve on my work, but I've read and re-read it so many times and seen so many errors in it now that I'm just too mortified to think of putting it up in a public forum when I've read so many amazing stories.


You are under no onus to post in the forums, of course. One of the selling points of the NYCM is that you will get 3-4 judges' feedback on your first two stories no matter what.

A slight warning though - we only get results and feedback with 1-2 days to go before the next round starts. I just looked at my emails from last year and we got results on 9/15, then feedback on the 16th, and challenge 2 started at midnight of the 16th. So if you were looking to really analyze their feedback, you would have a very small window of time to do so.

Be warned as well that their judges specialize in particular genres. So you will probably not have the same judges in round 2 - point being that even if you learn from those three's comments, you will *probably* get completely different, subjective, judges the next round.

That is a very long winded way to say: you paid for this contest, and one OTHER method of payback is to get the reviews from 5-20+ extra people - people in your tribe - writers.

We tend to be gentle, and if you also mention in your story-link post that you know X, Y, and Z weren't great in your submission, very few people (hopefully 0) will mention those items at all. We ARE your tribe, we were all there at one time, and most of us beta read for others a lot. We can give constructive criticism without it burning.

I also think posting a story with flaws really helps you build a thicker skin. You will need that, in your writing life. We're all anonymous strangers so it shouldn't hurt as much. :-P

Do as you need to, of course, but I hope you post it! 

I am pasting the feedback from my first-ever challenge last year below, so you can see what it's like. I would have had about 10 hours to really absorb that my dialog and the tropes of the genre needed work. Because I posted in the forums, I'd absorbed those lessons, plus a bunch more, a month in advance.

Good luck!
-Trond


-- Feedback from Ch1 2016: ghost story / casino / pair of colored contact lenses

''Eyes on Red''     
WHAT THE JUDGES LIKED ABOUT YOUR STORY -   
{1651}  Interesting concept to be behind the scenes of the casino. The female in red, although we never find out any info about her, was memorable.…  
{1674}  The humor give this story a big boost. You establish your characters well with a funny exchange and a brief description of the job they do that feels physical and real. Your use of language is assured and a great balance between casual and stylishly descriptive.…  
{1669}  I liked this story. It was simple, fun, entertaining, unique. The voice is strong.…
WHAT THE JUDGES FEEL NEEDS WORK -   
{1651}  The ending feels explained away too quickly. It does not leave us with this satisfying feeling of dread that a great ghost story makes you feel.…  
{1674}  The way in which the conversation sparks up between Red and the protagonist isn't quite as natural or believable as the rest of the story. Perhaps you could also take note of or deal with the fact that the protagonist doesn't communicate with Mike when he's on the floor, which would be common practice in a casino.… 
{1669}  Watch your tense in the beginning. It switches to present, and while not technically incorrect, because it's at the beginning it can confuse the reader. It's also best to stick to one tense as much as possible, unless you absolutely have to switch.…
"Every time I think I've seen it all, a person comes along and objects to the mistreatment of rubber chickens."
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thesurrealari View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote thesurrealari Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jul 2017 at 7:18pm
Also, if you have any plans for trying to sell or submit your story--even a revised version--for publication in the future, you may not want to post, since most publishers would consider a publicly accessible link to be publishing your story.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote plkphoto Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jul 2017 at 7:47pm
Originally posted by thesurrealari thesurrealari wrote:

Also, if you have any plans for trying to sell or submit your story--even a revised version--for publication in the future, you may not want to post, since most publishers would consider a publicly accessible link to be publishing your story.

If you post only in the subforum (which is locked to members only, and not considered public) and use some of the methods discussed HERE to keep your story viewable only to forum participants, then the story is not considered pre-published. The forum is the same as a writer's workshop. If you post your story in the public part of the forum (here or in the main Creative Writing Corner), then it would be accessible to the public and would be considered pre-published. If you post on an open blog, ditto.

Lots of people that post in the forums still get their work published, they're just careful about how they share it with forum members. The key is that it can't be found/read by the general public if you want to publish.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote DBA Lehane Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Jul 2017 at 11:07am
I always prefer to post if I get through to the later stages...there's just far too many entrants in the early stages these days and i just don't have the energy to wade through them.  I've found over my 7 years of taking part, the peer feedback isn't all its hyped up to be.  You tend to get different kind of critiques:

1. The person who reviews you before you review them.  Often nice and positive (without much actual critique) in the hope you'll return the favour.  They most probably high five strangers for no apparent reason.

2. The person who reviews you after you review them.  If you've been critical on their piece that criticism is often then returned.  They most probably sneer a lot in public.

3. The English school teacher (often called the Grammar Nazi). They're more concerned with grammar, tenses, sentence structures, paragraph breaks, etc. than the story.  They most probably wear socks and sandals.

4. The Sycophant (or Buddy Buddy). You're friends...they'll only say nice things and gush praise...even if what you wrote was a crock of $hit.  They say cool and awesome a lot, even if you're just telling them how your favourite grandparent has just died.

5. The Bestselling Author. Or rather they think they are.  Usually write more about themselves than your actual post.  Most probably has a moody b&w profile photo somewhere, and not looking directly at the camera.

6. The Newbie.  Have usually asked the same stupid question that gets asked every year and, having not had a response, asks it on your submission after "This is great.  But do you know if we're allowed to..."  Enthusiastic and tail always wagging, they're still not quite house-trained away from the forums either.

7. The bitter old lag.  Usually bored and seen it all before.  Only commenting because they know if they don't they won't get reviewed. Always cynical and moans persistently about the competitions, judges, prompts etc.  Likes to wear corduroy.

8. The self-depreciating One.  Tells you how your story/script is so much better than anything they could ever write.  They're emotional blackmailers and can normally be found collecting for some charity or other when not writing.

9 The Quoter. Loves the quote function to isolate words in your story or other people's comments on it. Really wants to get into the smallest of details of how the use of yellow was so distracting in your story. They have lots of stray cats they feed and hate the establishment.

10. The two liner. Enough said.

I'm sure there's many more, feel free to add. 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote steph9289 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Jul 2017 at 11:26am
Originally posted by DBA Lehane DBA Lehane wrote:


3. The English school teacher (often called the Grammar Nazi). They're more concerned with grammar, tenses, sentence structures, paragraph breaks, etc. than the story.  They most probably wear socks and sandals.


Uh, you may want to check your signature for typos. Wink

And for the record, I do NOT wear socks with sandals. EVER. Smile

Silliness aside. You are not wrong. Haha. But honestly, if you get a nice range of the types of reviews you mentioned, you could end up with a pretty solid piece.
#amrevising
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Carriebeth Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Jul 2017 at 11:31am
Originally posted by enngeecee enngeecee wrote:

I think I would be far too shy to post my story on the forum. I love reading everyone else's work, but I'm not sure I'm ready to put mine *out there* yet. I'm looking forward to reading what the judges have to say and being able to improve on my work, but I've read and re-read it so many times and seen so many errors in it now that I'm just too mortified to think of putting it up in a public forum when I've read so many amazing stories.


I completely understand your reticence to post your story, but I cannot overstate how much you will grow as a writer by posting. The feedback you get from other writers is invaluable. Best of luck!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote enngeecee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jul 2017 at 9:05am
Thanks to all for your good advice. I'll think about it. It's not that I am worried about constructive criticism (I welcome it) I'm one of those 'English teachers' DBA Lehane talks about in their post as well as being a noob to this competition.

I know where this story went wrong and why. And when I re-read it, I actually want to punch myself in the face a little bit at times, y'know? That's why I'm shy. Because I had a good concept, I initially wrote well, but my editing was poor (ugh. I gutted it and it sucks balls) and my resolution was weak and I haaaate it.

And to me, it feels like a high school English piece, OMG. And that's the worst. Because I teach high schoolers! So yeah. I guess I'm embarrassed by that. But I take on board everything that you all say. I will think about it and maybe I will upload it.

I don't know. I'll think about it. It's not going to hurt I guess. Argh. FS.

Edited by enngeecee - 23 Jul 2017 at 9:07am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Splinker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jul 2017 at 9:23am
Last week, when i was going to get a haircut, i got out of the car and my pants fell down.

I'm not proud of it, but I'm posting it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote stephenmatlock Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jul 2017 at 7:01pm
I've been too busy and distracted to review -- I need to spend time reading and thinking.

I will have more time now finally. So I intend to get back to reviewing the stories!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote phantom Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Jul 2017 at 7:00pm
I cannot seem to locate information on how to post your story. I am more than a bit nervous about it as I do not write comedy but gave it a go. The FAQ section didn't seem to have anything addressing how to post a current story so can someone help me out here? I apologize for being so dense about it but honestly tried to find some instructions on how to post it and came up with nothing.
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