NYC Midnight : Creative Writing & Screenwriting Homepage
Forum Home Forum Home > GENERAL DISCUSSION > Creative Writing Corner
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - R2 250 challenge results tomorrow!
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

R2 250 challenge results tomorrow!

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1 456
Author
Message
SumFemina View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt
Avatar

Joined: 14 Apr 2021
Location: New York
Status: Offline
Points: 2690
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (3) Thanks(3)   Quote SumFemina Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Mar 2023 at 6:04am
Very surprised I placed second in my group, and excited as hell to be writing this weekend. This is my first time making it to an NYC Midnight final!
Back to Top
ErikaM View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Addict
NYC Midnight Addict
Avatar

Joined: 23 Nov 2022
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 837
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ErikaM Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Mar 2023 at 9:12am
Congrats to everyone who is moving on! 

I did not place or get HM so a little disappointed but it's my first challenge ever so onward and upward. Looking forward to seeing the judges comments and can't wait to read the next round of stories for those who went through.

I was very surprised that some stories that I thought were shoe-ins didn't make it and in some cases didn't place. For other entries, I thought some stories might be in danger of not qualifying because they didn't seem "on-genre" and they got firsts and seconds. I'm guessing this is par for the course because writing/style/genre is so subjective but curious if people who have been doing this for a while find the same thing for all the competitions i.e. that some of the people's choice front runners don't necessarily make it.
Back to Top
Sqrlmom View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Regular
NYC Midnight Regular
Avatar

Joined: 26 Apr 2022
Location: New Haven
Status: Offline
Points: 389
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sqrlmom Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Mar 2023 at 9:19am
I’ve definitely found that to be true! There were stories I really liked that didn’t place at all. Can’t predict it at all.
Back to Top
CoachLisaB View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt
Avatar

Joined: 08 Oct 2019
Location: Ojai, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 3864
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CoachLisaB Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Mar 2023 at 12:17pm
I was disappointed not even to get an HM. I thought my story was good enough at least for that. However, not having seen the majority of the stories that placed, it's hard to know how mine stacked up!

The judges' feedback was really helpful and echoed a bit what some people said in the forum. So clearly there was a missing piece: the gruesome murder actually needed to happen in the story and not offscreen! Thus, I continue my streak of always making it to the second round, but only third round once. I'm gonna keep trying. Congrats to all who made it through!
Will do my best to return reads!
R1-250
Archive
Back to Top
NMiller View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt
Avatar

Joined: 15 Nov 2020
Status: Offline
Points: 6194
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote NMiller Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Mar 2023 at 12:56pm
Originally posted by ErikaM ErikaM wrote:

I was very surprised that some stories that I thought were shoe-ins didn't make it and in some cases didn't place. For other entries, I thought some stories might be in danger of not qualifying because they didn't seem "on-genre" and they got firsts and seconds. I'm guessing this is par for the course because writing/style/genre is so subjective but curious if people who have been doing this for a while find the same thing for all the competitions i.e. that some of the people's choice front runners don't necessarily make it.

There will never be anyway to predict the choices of three different judges. What they look for in each genre may differ and what they enjoy as well. It is very common for some of my favorites on the forum to not go through and to see surprises. This includes my own work. You never really know and since we don't see the whole list or the rubric, we don't even know how close we were to going forward. Was it some grammar error or prose choice? Either way, I have learned to keep writing what makes me happy and hope the judges agree.
Back to Top
FireHorse View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt


Joined: 13 Jul 2020
Location: Sydney
Status: Offline
Points: 4337
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote FireHorse Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Mar 2023 at 5:02pm
Originally posted by CoachLisaB CoachLisaB wrote:

I was disappointed not even to get an HM. I thought my story was good enough at least for that. However, not having seen the majority of the stories that placed, it's hard to know how mine stacked up!

The judges' feedback was really helpful and echoed a bit what some people said in the forum. So clearly there was a missing piece: the gruesome murder actually needed to happen in the story and not offscreen! Thus, I continue my streak of always making it to the second round, but only third round once. I'm gonna keep trying. Congrats to all who made it through!

I just went back and reread your story and the feedback.

Agree you got great feedback. My gut feel is that over the last 3 (?) years that I've been doing this, the overall quality of judge feedback is improving. Really think it's worth rating the judges - at the very least it gives NYCM an idea of what we're looking for.

You wrote a fantastic story too, with a fabulous premise. But the question is always about the stories which get through but which we didn't see. Wish they were all there so we could learn from them. 

I second what one of your judges said: a writing talent worth continuing with!
Back to Top
FireHorse View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt


Joined: 13 Jul 2020
Location: Sydney
Status: Offline
Points: 4337
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (3) Thanks(3)   Quote FireHorse Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Mar 2023 at 5:13pm
Originally posted by ErikaM ErikaM wrote:

I was very surprised that some stories that I thought were shoe-ins didn't make it and in some cases didn't place. For other entries, I thought some stories might be in danger of not qualifying because they didn't seem "on-genre" and they got firsts and seconds. I'm guessing this is par for the course because writing/style/genre is so subjective but curious if people who have been doing this for a while find the same thing for all the competitions i.e. that some of the people's choice front runners don't necessarily make it.


God help my poor sleep-deprived brain, but (this morning at least) I think NYCM is Masterchef for Writers.
- We get a challenge: take these random ingredients and whip something up before the deadline
- They judge it. Someone always gets knocked out.
- There are people's favourites. They may or may not get through.
- Favourite chefs / writers may have an off day when inspiration is lacking. Judges may not like a specific treatment. It's not a question of who is best overall, it's a question of who is best on a specific day, for specific ingredients / prompts, as decided by specific judges.
BUT there's a wonderful supportive community (at least on TV, the Masterchef participants support each other) with lots of opportunity to learn from judges and each other
AND the people's favourites very often succeed in the wider world, even if they're not outright winners here.

The whole 'it should have gone through' is even wonkier on NYCM because we don't see all the stories. So we just can't tell. Ouch 
But I'm not in it for the money. I'm in it for the learning, the community and because NYCM. Gives. Me. Deadlines. Which I apparently can't do without!ConfusedLOL
Back to Top
CamsynClair View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt
Avatar

Joined: 20 Jan 2022
Location: Bowie, MD
Status: Offline
Points: 3367
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote CamsynClair Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Mar 2023 at 5:20pm
Despite not getting through, I got some of my best feedback in my NYCM journey!! Judge 1996 is getting a raving review from me. Clearly spent a decent chunk of time with my story and definitely knows how to make a writer feel good about their work. Overall super happy with my first MF250 experience and will be doing it again come November! Well, not like that says much as every NYCM is on my radar this year with what should be the exception of Rhyming, but the dopamine hit at smashing that “registration” button may be too high if that competition rolls around at the right (wrong?) time LOL
Back to Top
leolegras View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Regular
NYC Midnight Regular
Avatar

Joined: 26 Jan 2022
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Status: Offline
Points: 316
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote leolegras Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Mar 2023 at 5:24pm
Originally posted by ErikaM ErikaM wrote:


I was very surprised that some stories that I thought were shoe-ins didn't make it and in some cases didn't place. For other entries, I thought some stories might be in danger of not qualifying because they didn't seem "on-genre" and they got firsts and seconds. I'm guessing this is par for the course because writing/style/genre is so subjective but curious if people who have been doing this for a while find the same thing for all the competitions i.e. that some of the people's choice front runners don't necessarily make it.

My favorite story I've written for NYCM, and the one that got the most positive feedback on the forums, is also the story that knocked me out of SS in the third round last year. I suspect it was a genre issue, as there wasn't much constructive feedback. But this last round, I felt I bent genre pretty noticeably, and came first in my group. Truly impossible to know - it's all a crapshoot, so I've decided to just keep doing what I'm doing and see what happens! LOL


Edited by leolegras - 04 Mar 2023 at 5:26pm
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1 456

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 0.156 seconds.