Who's got an answer, and who's stilll waiting for one? I know some results have gone out, but in a sort of irregular fashion.
(that would be the quarter ending on March 31st).
As a datapoint, I'm still waiting.
Posted by mommiller (Member # 3285) on :
Out of curiosity, what story did you send?
You can let me know off list if you would like.
Abby
Posted by luapc (Member # 2878) on :
I haven't heard anything yet, either. I did read on another site that at least some of the Finalists had been notified by telephone about a week ago. I don't know if all of them have been notified, but my guess is that they have. Other than that, I haven't heard much of anything about rejects, quarter-finalists or semifinalists.
Posted by Spaceman (Member # 9240) on :
I received a QF a couple of days ago.
Edit: I think that's actually Q1.
[This message has been edited by Spaceman (edited June 27, 2006).]
Posted by Silver3 (Member # 2174) on :
I know several QFs, one semifinalist, and a couple finalists, so I'm not sure they're doing it in an orderly fashion.
Abby, it's not a state secret I sent "Tamarind House", a Chinese fantasy. I don't think I posted it up for crits at Hatrack.
Spaceman: I'm lost with their quarters...And bummer about the QF (should have said it on Codex )
Posted by PatEsden (Member # 3504) on :
Yesterday I recieved my quarter finalist notification by mail. Wish I had something to send in for the 3rd quarter, but I don't.
[This message has been edited by PatEsden (edited June 27, 2006).]
Posted by Spaceman (Member # 9240) on :
Silver3: That story was almost purchased by "Son and Foe" before some tweaking. It was already sent to Strange Horizons.
Their quarters are just like the year, but it's the period where they read, not where you submit. You submit for WOTF Q1 during fiscal Q4 (dec deadline).
Posted by autumnmuse (Member # 2136) on :
Oh is that how it works! I've been so confused about that for forever. So, the reading period is the actual quarter. Thanks for clearing that up. I wish their website was a little more informative on that point.
Posted by luapc (Member # 2878) on :
Yah, and if you happen to win, the awards ceremony and workshop for your year is in the middle of the NEXT year in August sometime. So if you win in any quarter of 2006, then your awards ceremony would be sometime in August of 2007. It would be a long time to wait, especially if you win near the beginning of the year! It would give you a little more time to pile up some publishing credits, though.
Posted by ChrisOwens (Member # 1955) on :
Well, I just sent off a story for Q3 after missing Q1 and Q2. I feel so relieved. I'd be lying if I said I did not tweak wording here and there every day, when all I meant to do was proofread. But I'm glad it's shoved off, no longer in my hands. At least for a few months.
Now to revise a story for Q4...
Posted by Spaceman (Member # 9240) on :
That's my goal for tonight. Still have a few hours left.
Posted by LMermaid (Member # 2778) on :
I still haven't heard back. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
Posted by luapc (Member # 2878) on :
I finally found out through an email that I was a quarterfinalist. Don't know if not knowing by now is good or bad. You could send them an email and ask. I think most everyone has heard by now, but I'm not sure.
Posted by Spaceman (Member # 9240) on :
You can't judge your place by how long they hold a manuscript. I've received a form rejection after semi-finalists were announced because they found another box.
Posted by Eljay (Member # 1941) on :
Still waiting...and I queried, too, because I never received confirmation that they got my submission.
Sigh. I'm starting to think they never got it, but I know at least a few others are still waiting.
Posted by Silver3 (Member # 2174) on :
Got notified that I was a QF yesterday, by email.
I agree with Spaceman; you can't tell by the order of notifications. You'd better query.
Posted by Kolona (Member # 1438) on :
Guess who was also a quarter-finalist? Yep. I placed this time. I also sent a query. It was past the 8 to 10 weeks for a response and, like Eljay, I wondered if they had even gotten my entry since I hadn't gotten an e-mail acknowledgment as I had with an earlier entry.
I wonder how many entries they get each quarter.
Posted by JamieFord (Member # 3112) on :
Congrats! That's fantastic! Good luck.
Posted by Eljay (Member # 1941) on :
Another quarterfinalist. Sigh.
Oh, well. Since going to Bootcamp, I can see the major flaw in the story, and I think I even know how to fix it! And the one I sent for quarter 3 was, I think (I hope!), much better.
Posted by Spaceman (Member # 9240) on :
I usually just send whatever happens to be available at the deadline.
Posted by LMermaid (Member # 2778) on :
Hooray! I finally heard back today and I was a QF.
Posted by Jeraliey (Member # 2147) on :
Congrats, QFers!
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
I kinda hate to ask, but...anybody here who submitted not a quarterfinalist?
Posted by Kolona (Member # 1438) on :
Good question. I was kind of wondering myself. Also are there any present/past semi-finalists or finalists here who received a critique?
Posted by luapc (Member # 2878) on :
I placed as a semifinalist for the First Quarter of this year, and did receive a critique. The critique was mostly about story mechanics and what did and didn't work in the story. KD Wentworth did not go into any particular nits per se, but focused on things like character believability and plot. The reason she said mine didn't make finalist was because a very religous type character didn't follow through as she believed he would have. So she didn't find him completely believable.
I would say that the moral to this is simply to get your writing to a polished and professional level, then don't worry about every little writing detail, but focus on characters and plot. Also make sure that the genre is evident very early, preferably in the opening paragraph, and that you have a unique story, or at least a unique twist to an old type of story. I think these are the things that get you placed in this contest.
Remember, KD Wentworth is the slush reader, and every story goes through her first, before even getting to any other judges. Unless you are a finalist, no one else matters. I've read that the contest gets 2,500 plus entries a quarter, so that's a lot of stories for Ms. Wentworth to read. To win, it really has to stand out.
As a final note, I think that the reason there are so many QF's here, is that there's a higher percentage of quality and serious writers. It shows in the placements. Only 10 to 15 percent make quarterfinalist, so all it means is that there are a lot of high quality writers at Hatrack.
Posted by Eljay (Member # 1941) on :
I was a semifinalist for Q2 last year, and received a critique. It pointed out one of the major problems with the story (and one of my major problems in general)--clarity. It also addressed a few other issues, and mentioned some things I did well. It was a good critique--didn't pull any punches, but constructive and polite throughout.
It made a couple of suggestions, but none of them really felt like the right way to address the clarity problem. I had to go to Bootcamp before I figured that out, and what I learned there made it obvious. (In this case, the answer is that I really need to start the story in a different place, earlier, so I don't have to keep giving back story and confusing things.)
I've entered four times (well, and once back when I was 14, but I don't count that one), and made quarterfinalist three times and semifinalist once. I do know a number of people who have repeatedly failed to place at all. I'm not surprised at the high number of placers here, though. People who care enough to come here tend to care enough to learn.
Posted by Silver3 (Member # 2174) on :
I was a semifinalist twice, the two quarters before that one. Both times I received a crit from KD Wentworth, discussing what worked and did not work in the story. The first one pointed that my plot was weak (what it came down to was a character's choice for a lie even when the truth had been pointed out to her, which made her passive). I haven't touched that ending because I'm incapable of rewriting it the way KD Wentworth wanted it. I can see her point, though (but I'm not sure I wholly agree). The second crit was about a minor plot point (actually what this one came down to was a lack of clarity from my part), and a major plausibility problem, which I'm still trying to fix Both crits were thorough and immensely encouraging.
I've entered about eight or nine times now, and the rest of my entries have been QFs.
I'm not surprised either at the high level of QFs here. We're serious writers.
Posted by Kolona (Member # 1438) on :
The old artist's quandry -- self doubt (with maybe a healthy dose of skepticism). Rather than embrace our accomplishment, minor though it be, we question its legitimacy. Mea culpa. In fact, after I last posted and was away from my computer, I had to do a "Duh!" Of course there are those who weren't quarter-finalists -- I had been one myself before.
We are a company of serious writers. Congrats to the lot of us.
I sent "Tamarind House", a Chinese fantasy. I don't think I posted it up for crits at Hatrack. 
)
