SHARE SOME GOOD ADVICE FOR SSC2016!
Printed From: NYC Midnight : Creative Writing & Screenwriting
Category: GENERAL DISCUSSION
Forum Name: Creative Writing Corner
Forum Description: Discuss NYC Midnight Creative Writing Competitions or Creative Writing in general.
URL: https://forums.nycmidnight.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=11750
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Topic: SHARE SOME GOOD ADVICE FOR SSC2016!
Posted By: topangarose
Subject: SHARE SOME GOOD ADVICE FOR SSC2016!
Date Posted: 21 Jan 2016 at 6:09am
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Hey NYC'ers! It's almost time to begin! When I first began my journey with NYC, I knew very little about this thing called writing. I'd never taken a writing class, didn't know terminology, or etiquette. What a novice! I only knew that I loved to write, and this looked like a fun and safe place to try it out for real. That turned out to be true. Everything I've learned over these years has made my writing experience easier and more fun, and all by virtue of the generosity of my fellow NYC writers. So, I was thinking that maybe we might pay it forward and use this thread to compile advice, links, or anything else of random writing nature that might be of interest to writers on this forum, but in particular with this comp in mind. *** I ran across a post the other day, that spoke to this subject and I thought it good enough to share, especially in the face of the impending competition... so, I hope our fellow writer, Jenna Willet, won't mind me posting her blog link here. Jenna's post, I think, is pretty useful in navigating
those fine lines between help and hell, when it comes to Beta
Reading.I was a few years in, before I'd even heard the term "Beta Reader" or
figured out what that was. If you don't know, it's a secondary reader besides yourself that reads your story and offers advice, points out holes and inconsistencies, questions, and in general gives you an idea of where your draft is falling apart. (or where it absolutely ROCKS!) They may offer advice that is yours to take or not.
If you have something to share, to pass it forward, please feel free to post it for the group. And, Happy Writing everybody!! ------------- https://forums.nycmidnight.com/r1-grp-23-a-light-dinner-for-dragons-fairytale-fan_topic62408.html" rel="nofollow - 250 wrd-2024 A LIGHT DINNER FOR DRAGONS |
Replies:
Posted By: Davenader
Date Posted: 21 Jan 2016 at 7:22am
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OK, I'll throw in my two cents. Although this is a competition, don't treat it as a competition. Treat it as a challenge. A personal challenge. Write a better story than you have ever written before. Be proud of your art, and if you haven't written a lot in the past then give yourself permission to be a bad artist and be proud that you produced something. You are on the path to becoming a good artist. It is easy to become competitive in this environment. It is nice to get points, but judging is subjective, and different groups are judged by different judges. How do you judge art anyway? Who is the better writer? George RR Martin or J RR Tolkein? Stephen King or H. P. Lovecraft? Neil Gaiman or Orson Scott Card? Enid Blyton or Andy Griffith? Does it matter? Write for you. Write to have fun. But please share it. Because it is more fun when you share. Much love and respect, Dave:) ------------- I tweet here @davenader1 I blog here http://www.davidtmyers.com/ |
Posted By: mrjaywilson
Date Posted: 21 Jan 2016 at 10:56am
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My advice is to have fun. Take crits serious by their content not by your emotion. Also, be respectful of your fellow winners. Just because you don't think it's a good story and just because you can think of 50 other stories that were better written in your opinion, doesn't make them better or worse than the story(ies) that were chosen. Snarky comments do no one any good, especially you. I can't emphasize this enough: This community works because there's respect and kindness. You really can't ever go wrong with those two when they work together in a community of people trying to help each other get better. No one says you have to be perfect, just think before you post, "Is my comment constructive?" Also, good luck everyone!! Fourteen more hours before we all drop the ball and kick it further away every time we get close to it. haha  ------------- http://bit.ly/1L0oxdw" rel="nofollow - RD1 H51: War of the Cupcakes (Comedy) |
Posted By: patsy
Date Posted: 21 Jan 2016 at 11:10am
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The things I see people get dinged on most by the judges are: 1. "This doesn't feel like a complete story." Make sure you have a clear beginning, middle and end. 2. Story Structure: I see that "Conflict, Crisis, Change" comment a lot in the judges comments that writers post. (I hate that comment!) Make sure your story goes somewhere and something happens and that it changes something about your character. 3. Grammar and punctuation. Use a Beta and run your spell and grammar check! Little things can keep you from scoring points! 4. Judges are Adverb Police. This helped me single those pesky adverbs out, and also helps identify clunky sentences: http://www.hemingwayapp.com/" rel="nofollow - http://www.hemingwayapp.com/ Anyone else have something I missed? ------------- https://forums.nycmidnight.com/topic64410_post691812.html#691812" rel="nofollow - My SS R2 Link |
Posted By: mrjaywilson
Date Posted: 21 Jan 2016 at 11:26am
I think those are pretty fair points, Patsy. Also, linked below are threads containing tons of Judge Feedback so you can read through and get an "idea" of what to expect. Remember, not everyone will get the same judge and not every contest will have the same judge as the last. However, Judges usually have some of the same stuff they pick on us about, so reading through them will give you some good ground when editing your work or beta reading for others. http://forums.nycmidnight.com/topic10377.html" rel="nofollow - http://forums.nycmidnight.com/topic10377.html http://forums.nycmidnight.com/topic10464.html" rel="nofollow - http://forums.nycmidnight.com/topic10464.html http://forums.nycmidnight.com/challenge-3-feedback_topic11614.html" rel="nofollow - http://forums.nycmidnight.com/challenge-3-feedback_topic11614.html http://forums.nycmidnight.com/round-1-feedback_topic11342.html" rel="nofollow - http://forums.nycmidnight.com/round-1-feedback_topic11342.html ------------- http://bit.ly/1L0oxdw" rel="nofollow - RD1 H51: War of the Cupcakes (Comedy) |
patsy wrote:Posted By: ShadowBeast
Date Posted: 21 Jan 2016 at 12:29pm
Number one piece of advice: Participate as much as you can.  Post a link to your story as soon as we receive the permission to do so in each level, then keep an open mind as others tell you what they thought. You won't agree with everything--but that's ok. Compiling multi impressions will give a good idea of what is working and what didn't work. It helps weigh things. When giving feedback to others be honest, but not brutal. If something isn't working in your opinion say so and try to explain why.  The other side of this is point out stuff you LOVED! This helps the author identify strengths, and helps to sooth the 'not quite there' areas. Be a good sport.I'm sure that others have amusing stories of judges feedback (because I have one myself, and shortly after heard of several others), be prepared for a mixture from them as well. Some will be 'canned' remarks. Some will seriously get into what they liked and encourage you to fix what wasn't up to par. Annnnddddd some ... will miss the point of your story entirely when close to a dozen beta readers never jumped to a false conclusion one judge did. If it happens, take it in stride. If the vast multitude of readers didn't miss the ... ohhh ... I dunno ... death of a character ... then it was probably a strange assumption by a overloaded judge. It sadly happens. Laugh when they tell you "You missed the opportunity to tell the best scene, how your character escaped." Ummm ... ok, here goes: "He died." There it is. Yup.  Take this contest as an opportunity to push yourself to tell an unexpected story, and cheer on the people around you! It makes it sooooo much better.  ------------- http://forums.nycmidnight.com/topic11898_post134588.html#134588" rel="nofollow - R1 A tightly packed parcel of contents that leave you wanting--which a publisher told me made her editing day. Suck it judges! |
Posted By: jenspenden
Date Posted: 21 Jan 2016 at 1:30pm
Thank you, @topangarose, for sharing the link to my blog about beta reader etiquette.  I'll echo what others have said above. Participate on the forum, keep a good attitude, and enjoy yourself. And if you get a genre you despise (ahem, political satire) don't give up! Remember, this is a challenge, so take whatever prompts you get and run with them. You might fail, but you'll gain valuable experience. If anyone is looking for some actual writing tips, I just published a new post on my blog ( http://wp.me/p3O1E2-1Qx" rel="nofollow - Jen's How To: 5 Tips For Writing A Short Story ). These are things I've learned through 13 rounds of NYCM, so maybe I can save some of you the hassle of going through the same trials and errors I have, haha. Good luck, everyone! And, remember to have FUN!
------------- https://forums.nycmidnight.com/topic67229_post715602.html#715602" rel="nofollow - SSC R1: Remember Us, Remember Everything |
Posted By: mrjaywilson
Date Posted: 21 Jan 2016 at 1:58pm
Fun... fun!? I hate the word... as I hate Hell, all Montagues, and stinky brie! ------------- http://bit.ly/1L0oxdw" rel="nofollow - RD1 H51: War of the Cupcakes (Comedy) |
Posted By: jenspenden
Date Posted: 21 Jan 2016 at 3:43pm
Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, FUN!!!!!   ------------- https://forums.nycmidnight.com/topic67229_post715602.html#715602" rel="nofollow - SSC R1: Remember Us, Remember Everything |
Posted By: mrjaywilson
Date Posted: 21 Jan 2016 at 3:59pm
  ------------- http://bit.ly/1L0oxdw" rel="nofollow - RD1 H51: War of the Cupcakes (Comedy) |
Posted By: jenspenden
Date Posted: 21 Jan 2016 at 4:05pm
 ...Yeah, I'm like, two-years old. ------------- https://forums.nycmidnight.com/topic67229_post715602.html#715602" rel="nofollow - SSC R1: Remember Us, Remember Everything |
Posted By: mrjaywilson
Date Posted: 21 Jan 2016 at 4:37pm
 I smell war... or brie... probably it's the brie.  ------------- http://bit.ly/1L0oxdw" rel="nofollow - RD1 H51: War of the Cupcakes (Comedy) |
Posted By: jenspenden
Date Posted: 21 Jan 2016 at 5:29pm
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Seriously, just laughed out loud. ------------- https://forums.nycmidnight.com/topic67229_post715602.html#715602" rel="nofollow - SSC R1: Remember Us, Remember Everything |
Posted By: topangarose
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2016 at 2:49am
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I did too!! And wow! A ton of good advice has already popped up on this thread! Go team NYC!! ------------- https://forums.nycmidnight.com/r1-grp-23-a-light-dinner-for-dragons-fairytale-fan_topic62408.html" rel="nofollow - 250 wrd-2024 A LIGHT DINNER FOR DRAGONS |
Posted By: drbyn
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2016 at 11:05am
That Hemingway App site is great! Thank you for that! :) |
Posted By: EttaG
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2016 at 1:05pm
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Hi! I'd just like to add...it makes it much harder to glean some of the great Forum crits when there are multiple "conversations" between responders. Much easier when the back and forth chit-chat is done through member messages or in a seperate topic post. ------------- R1 DONNY AND DOODY 2nd https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_j10VA7aZgtckJEcGVxci1rRDQ/view?usp=sharing R2 SAFE AT HOME |
Posted By: CathyM
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2016 at 7:39pm
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As a newbie to NYCM. I was terrified with FFC, but the people on this board eased my fears and gave me both great critiques where needed and praise where they felt it was deserved. I learned very fast it was the people on the board that will help you grow as a writer and they all bring the warmest wishes to each of us. I know, because I've witnessed it. My daughter was a FFC writer and ran into a huge writers block and some of the people on this board private messaged her and got her back into the game. They deserve a HUGE round of applause. So my word of advice? If you are a newbie here remember the reason you joined this contest was to help your writing skills, hopefully help others improve and to meet some of the BEST people. Good Luck to ALL. ------------- Rnd 1 Micro https://forums.nycmidnight.com/topic62574_post673617.html#673617" rel="nofollow - How Herbs Fall in Love |
Posted By: RmMatthews
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2016 at 8:03pm
Thank you for these little tips. I will be sure to focus on these 'do not do's'. ;) Roxy
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Posted By: NotForProsser
Date Posted: 23 Jan 2016 at 5:09am
I'll second that! Thanks for sharing that link, along with the rest of the tips, folks! I'll add my one little tip I gleaned from last year - don't make up words, no matter how clever you think you're being, or how obvious you think the meaning would be to a reader. (Mine was 'solidarily', and the judges did not like it) ------------- https://bit.ly/2OkP5kO" rel="nofollow - 2019 MFC R2H16 https://bit.ly/2owzXXB" rel="nofollow - 2019 MFC R1H1 Older Entries |
Posted By: RmMatthews
Date Posted: 23 Jan 2016 at 5:13am
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Can someone please explain to me how to get my story attached in blue (once completion, of course) to the bottom of my post like you all? ------------- Never let them believe you aren’t capable of what roars from your soul. |
Posted By: NotForProsser
Date Posted: 23 Jan 2016 at 5:16am
In your sig, enter this: ------------- https://bit.ly/2OkP5kO" rel="nofollow - 2019 MFC R2H16 https://bit.ly/2owzXXB" rel="nofollow - 2019 MFC R1H1 Older Entries |
Posted By: patsy
Date Posted: 23 Jan 2016 at 1:02pm
Try this post. Very helpful: http://forums.nycmidnight.com/signature-links-to-comment-page_topic10959_page1.html" rel="nofollow - http://forums.nycmidnight.com/signature-links-to-comment-page_topic10959_page1.html ------------- https://forums.nycmidnight.com/topic64410_post691812.html#691812" rel="nofollow - My SS R2 Link |
Posted By: Gadzooks
Date Posted: 24 Jan 2016 at 6:26pm
| Hey, How short is too short for the first story? |
Posted By: topangarose
Date Posted: 24 Jan 2016 at 8:12pm
Some past short stories have been very short and have done very well. "Ghost Glasses" comes to mind, which was very short, (I don't remember now how short,) but it won the entire comp. It may have been in flash, but still, the idea is the same. As long as you have a COMPLETE story... one that has a begining, middle and end that ties it all together, the word count will not matter. ------------- https://forums.nycmidnight.com/r1-grp-23-a-light-dinner-for-dragons-fairytale-fan_topic62408.html" rel="nofollow - 250 wrd-2024 A LIGHT DINNER FOR DRAGONS |
Posted By: topangarose
Date Posted: 24 Jan 2016 at 8:24pm
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ON PUTTING YOUR STORY LINK INTO YOUR SIGNATURE;
Just wanted to underline, that the link that you will put in your signature should be the link (address) to your STORY THREAD which you will post in the SSC2016 feedback forum which will be created as soon as all the stories are turned in and verified aproximately next Tuesday or Wednesday after the deadline. It should NOT be the direct link to your story, (which you should be posting on a BLOG somewhere, or in Google Docs or some other place that you can link to, other than on this site.) The link to your actual story (your blog address) should appear in the first post in your story feedback thread that you will create here at NYC next week. That's so when you leave feedback on our story, we can click your signature link that will appear at the bottom of the feedback you just left, and it will take us straight to YOUR story feedback thread, instead of having to hunt for it. Once there, we can click that direct blog link you will have inserted into your opening post and go straight to your story, then pop back to your thread and leave you feedback. The feedback we leave will have a link to our feedback thread, so you can follow it to reciprocate. If you are having trouble when the time comes, message one of us privately and we will help you. Many critique-ers (ok, I know) won't spend a lot of time, or any at all, if they have to hunt for your story thread. It's just too time- consuming. ------------- https://forums.nycmidnight.com/r1-grp-23-a-light-dinner-for-dragons-fairytale-fan_topic62408.html" rel="nofollow - 250 wrd-2024 A LIGHT DINNER FOR DRAGONS |
Posted By: RmMatthews
Date Posted: 25 Jan 2016 at 12:58am
Thank you for the tid bit and I am definitely lost. I will be getting in touch when the time comes for help. ------------- Never let them believe you aren’t capable of what roars from your soul. |