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On another forum, I saw KD Wentworth say that she has sorted through the stories.
Also, the names of the eight finalists for the second quarter (contest ending date, April 1st) are on the official WOTF site, under the BLOG section. And, boo hoo, I'm not one of them.
posted
I know the feeling. I had unrealistically high hopes for the Q2 story I sent, especially after getting a semifinal for the Q1 story. All that remains is to find out whether we are semifinalist, quarterfinalists, or total rejects!
I'm amazed how soon we found out--a month before the Q3 deadline! And I've never seen the finalist posted up front.
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Wow! The semifinalists are usually the last to know, even after the qurterfinalists and rejects (through my experience). I hope this is a new trend they can continue.
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arriki, the next deadline for entry is the end of this month, June 30, 2007. The contest is free to enter and is a quarterly contest that has been going on since the mid eighties with the deadline for each quarter running every three months: the end of March, the end of June, the end of September, and the end of December. It's a highly respected contest and probably the best and most influential for anybody relatively unpublished and writing science fiction or fantasy. To find out more, go to the following link:
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I haven't received mine back yet, but thanks to the WOTF blog, I know it's at best a quarterfinalist.
Galaxy Gal, I hope you don't let this dissuade you from continuing to write and enter the contest. Do you have an entry ready for the next quarter? The deadline is the end of this month for the next quarter.
There are no more quarter-finalists. They changed that to "honorable mention" because too many quarter-thought they were finalists for the quarter. I know because I got one and asked.
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Ha! Thanks spaceman for making that clear. I still haven't gotten mine back and was wondering just what was up with that. Like you said, this contest changes from quarter to quarter and is never predictable. Hope you have, or will, enter in the next quarter, and good luck!
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Yes, thanks for solving the mystery! I wish they'd update thier FAQ on the website or make a public announcement.
It's strange about the mixup. Didn't the entrants research the market before sending thier story there? And, besides, the quarterfinalist form seems to be clear enough.
I've yet to hear myself. I've nothing for Q3. Lots of stories I've started, yet none near finished. All rough draft stage. I was amazed and abashed when listening to the old '73 interview with Roger Zelazny. He talks about writing a short story in 2 or 3 days and sending it out. He did that for six weeks before he recieved his first acceptance.
Suddenly, this week, I began work on fixing my Q1 semifinalist story. Took me long enough! Kathy's feedback finally congealed in my head and I found an angle of attack. While I'm at it, I've implmenting some of the suggestions I got from Critters.
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I got mine back this last Friday on the 15th in the mail. This one ended up being a complete rejection, and hind sight being perfect, I think I know why. Every time I get a reject I realize that I didn't make the genre of the story clear in the first paragraph. This has been the reason for two of my three rejects. With the results coming back so quickly this time, it seems obvious to me that the error was in the first page, and this was likely it.
Anyway, I hope everybody enters for the next quarter. The deadline is the end of this month, so if you haven't sent something already, you really should!
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Sorry to hear that, Paul. I've still yet to hear. Every day I get home and check the mailbox, and upon not finding anything, I check it again, go through the junk newspapers, just in case it slipped inside.
I've struggled with some of my favorite children, making the genre clear in the first paragraph, bending over backwards to do so. Sometimes the story ends up worse off because it starts at an unnatural place.
Then again, I just read Games on A Children's Ward this weekend and had to wonder. The speculative element doesn't enter in the first paragraph or the first page. Without the story in front of me I can't say for sure, but the angelic-like blue woman and Death Man don't make an entrance until quite a few pages have passed. Too, the main characters are all children, another supposed no-no. At the same time, it was a gripping story from page 1, sad, flowing, haunting, and beautifully written. I felt that in regards to the speculative element, the story concluded confusingly and inconclusively, not really explaining it in totality, but otherwise, it was quite a masterful story.
Thus, I might revisit one of my stories, starting it in the proper place, and introduce the speculative element on page 3. Also, my protagonists will be a teen and a pretween. Who knows? It might work.
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If it was a forumla then it wouldn't be creative.
When I first read Robert Sawyer's disccusion regarding how dogged SF people are about "genre" as ghettoziation of SF I wasn't sure I agreed but now as I begin to really look at the types of stories I like to read and those I perfer to write I think he has a point.
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Definitely, anti-formulaic to be sure. However, there are warnings the first reader has given that can get a story slushed into the reject pile.
Such as, not making the genre clear on the first page, having child protagonist, ect...
From here on out, before I send a story to WOTF, I'll review the following: http://www.ericjamesstone.com/blog/2005/08 (the Writers of the Future Workshop Notes from 08-15-05 to 08-19-05). Especially Day 1, (see Adventures from the Slush Pile).
I think my story got axed because of: 16. Don’t use overused words. “orbs” “Impossibly.” “Smirked.” Don’t misuse words.
I used smirk in the first line--D'OH!
[This message has been edited by ChrisOwens (edited June 18, 2007).]
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Writing fiction definitely shouldn't follow a formula, but unfortunately, the publishing world does, especially from new authors. Like it or not, established authors get to follow a different set of rules. Once established, the author's name alone is enough to allow latitude, both from the editors and the readers. The sad part is that most stories from new authors only get one shot to get out of the slush pile and that is on the first page.
WOTF is no different. If you don't make the genre clear on the first page (and preferably in the first paragraph) it's likely to get rejected. I say likely because nothing is certain, but it still would be a very, very long shot. That doesn't mean that such a story is no good, it's just that these editors, including Kathy Wentworth at WOTF, have so many manuscripts to look through, they don't have the time for something that may or may not be good.
I still say write what you want, finish it and submit it. And if it doesn't sell now, sell it later when you are established.
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I was AGAIN out of town when the results came. My story was a quarterfinalist--er, rather, recieved an "honorable mention".
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Pleasing editors in the publishing world is just like trying to please your high school English teacher.
You have to find out what they want, and then you have to give it to them in order to get an A. Any way you slice it it's still your work...but it's a bit of a formula too. In order to win the WotF contest, you have to write a story -- not just a great story, but one aimed at winning this contest.
I loved school, but I was never a good English student. I never wanted to write what teachers wanted me to write. So I accept that there are editors out there who will reject me because they don't like my stuff. And I'm okay with that.
Doesn't mean I stink -- doesn't mean any of you do who never get past honorable mention. It could just mean that you're writing for yourself.
quote:We decided to change the wording as some entrants got confused, thinking they were finalists and finalists thinking the were not finalists, etc. The new name is more suitable and is a good acknowledgement of having written an exceptional story.
From somebody named Judy at WOTF. Don't feel bad about an honorable mention.
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Hey Chris, I guess that's the best you could have expected after they posted the finalists and semi finalists. Better luck next quarter.
I agree with Spaceman and Alethea. There's lots to be said for finishes other than finalist and semifinalists. With so many stories submitted, and so few finalists and semifinalists, many of the quarterfinalists (oops, Honorable Mentions) are just as good as those selected to be finalists, and all are as good as a lot of published material, so nothing to be ashamed of.
Deadline is in three days for the next quarter. Hope everyone submits or has already, and good luck!
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