posted
genevive42 - much the same. I think I've seen this elsewhere too (on critters, for example, you can view all crits for last week's stories and review them). I found the common problems are clearly most worth thinking about, but they're all useful. Some unique comments were instrumental in identifying what I felt were major issues.
Overall this is my first experience with a critique group and on the whole I'm loving it. I'll be in for next quarter (now, to actually write something for next quarter...).
posted
Since the comments to my story have generally been on the same side of the spectrum, I believe I do not need more people to comment it. I believe I know what you will say. I'm working on a rewrite which I hope will win more favour with the western hemisphere than the old version.
Posts: 1271 | Registered: May 2007
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posted
I'm ready to print and send. Anyone else at that point, and willing to give me a few pointers?
For example, what size envelope do you send the thing in with? Does the quality of paper you print on matter, and if I happen to drop a fiver in the envelope, would I be disqualified?< the last one is not serious.
posted
I haven't done WotF before but when I have to send out a hard copy I always use a 9x12 manila envelope. As for paper quality I hadn't really thought about it as it seems that most multi-purpose paper is sufficient. But if others have a different view about paper I'd be happy to hear it.
posted
I always just used normal printer paper and whatever size envelope the manuscript fits into with folding. I've used a couple different envelope sizes/types and I really don't think it matters to them.
Note on the SASE - if you don't want the ms returned and just give them a letter-sized envelope, but then you HM, they will still send you your certificate (in a bigger envelope they provide). So you don't need to worry about that.
posted
Buy the brightest white paper that you can get (without going overboard). I usually find 96 or 98 (100 is max). Having bright white paper and nice dark ink/toner makes the manuscript easier to read and look more professional. Also, bind the manuscript with one of those back plastic and metal Binder Clips (Image Googling this term will make it obvious what I'm talking about, though you can ignore the pics of the lady with a dress made out of them... lol) before sending it off. Just helps to keep the thing looking nice. Ditto Kitti on the envelope size, but yeah I do usually get the 9X12 size. Look at the link to Vonda McIntyre's Manuscript Preparation on the first page of this post for help with formatting (Speaking of, I should probably have a link to the WotF manuscript guidelines posted there as well), keeping in mind that any guidelines from WotF trump the generic ones listed there. Good luck!
Posts: 599 | Registered: Sep 2007
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This is my first time in the group. Do we ever do much of a post-mortem? Learn from our mistakes? After we've sent in our entry and it's come back with rejected or HM or Finalist or Winner, do we ever make the submitted version available to others who were in that quarter's group to discuss?
I'd discuss the pros & cons of the idea more but maybe it's obvious and already being done - is it?
posted
Not really, Ben. Mostly what we've done in the past is just announce what we got and move on to the next story. The group has had a bundle of HMs in the past and a couple of semi's. Letting the group in on the "secrets of a semi-finalist critique" from Kathy Wentworth would probably be helpful, but we have to get there first. Anything else is more like, "Good job, but keep on moving forward". You know? Maybe I'm being a bit too simplistic though. Posts: 599 | Registered: Sep 2007
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posted
I've put HM's up in F&F before (the ones where I can't figure out what was weak, as opposed to the ones that come back and I cringe when I see what I wrote) and asked for crits, but that's about it.
Posts: 715 | Registered: Nov 2007
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posted
I don't know if anyone still has my second draft and hasn't critiqued it yet, but if you do, don't worry about it. I've gotten the story to what I think is a good place and after one more check I plan to be sending it out.
And know that there are no hard feelings if you didn't get to it. It's a big story and we all have lots to do.
I would also like to thank everyone who did crit for me, first or second draft, or both. I appreciate the time you've all spent helping me to make a stronger story. Your input has been great!
posted
I'm officially resigning from this contest. I need to read some short stories before I participate again. I will go back to writing novels for the time being.
[This message has been edited by MartinV (edited March 10, 2010).]
posted
Hey Martin, it sounds like you're more used to writing novels. If that's the case, I can see how trying to write short stories can come as a shock. It's amazing how much more demanding readers/critiquers are for short stories than they are for novels. Some things that would work perfectly well in a novel fall on their faces when used in a short story. For "good" short story examples, I'd suggest trying to get your hands on some of the most recent WotF anthologies and looking at the F&SF and Analog or Asimov's mags. Granted, not everything that you read in them will be good, but they're what's getting published with the big hitters. This group should still be around when you're ready to try this thing again, so don't forget us. Hope to see you back sometime.
[This message has been edited by WriterDan (edited March 13, 2010).]
posted
Well, I posted my entry off this morning. It was a big event for me, because it was my first ever submission to anything. Which means, even if the response is a skinny little rejection slip, or a 'So sorry' from the post office saying that it got rerouted to Bangladesh and eaten by a Royal Bengal Tiger, I can post the response on the wall and say I am here. Which is kind of cool, really.
Posts: 921 | Registered: Nov 2008
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I know the feeling. Been submitting to WotF now for a few years, and sent off my first-ever non-WotF submission about two months ago, and I'm still freaking out about it. No response yet. Hope you're going to be on board for this next quarter. Nothing has helped me more in my "consistency" goal than having these quarterly deadlines coming down the track at me all the time. Good luck this quarter!
I got back from vacation and distracted by real life, to the point where no writing has taken place since. I'm afraid I'm officially dropping out of this group. I just wanted to thank everyone for the crits, particularly Kitti. Your advice on what a short story is has inspired me to completely re-write my piece.
If anyone is still waiting/expecting a crit from me please send me a reminder email. Good luck to everyone who submitted!
posted
This is way, way late. I've been ill for two months and couldn't resist sprucing up a story and sending it in. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I sent this around weeks ago, but I spiced it up a touch and if anyone can do a quick read, I'd appreciate it.
Other than the basic story, I need to find out if the MC changes too much when he gets back to civilization.
posted
On March second I printed out my story. It took me over a week to buy an envelope, not because Walmart is far away, it's not, or because we didn't have enough money, we were fine, but because I was SCARED out of my MIND.
I've submitted stories before, but only online where you can click send and then freak out in the privacy of your own home. This whole printing out the story thing is real. You have to go somewhere and talk to someone and pay money in order to submit. It's no longer a dream just between me and my computer, I'm involving the entire USPS.
Because of this it took me another several weeks to get from my house to the post office, but yesterday I finally did it.
I submitted my story. It feels pretty awesome to make my dream a little more tangible, you know? I held my dream in my hand for a few weeks and then was brave enough to open it up for the whole world. That is scary and awesome, and I'm feeling pretty proud of myself right now for this next step I've taken on the way to achieving my dream.
Now I'm on to forgetting about this whole thing so when the reject button comes down I don't forget to keep going.
I myself just sent my very first entry/submission like two weeks back. I'm not sure how long it takes them to e-mail confirmation of receipt, but I'm not worried yet. Having mailed it near the end of the quarter I'd imagine it takes a little longer.
I've been trying to either envision/start/write as many short stories as I can in the next three months so if I get a big ol rejection I'll have a story to send next time. I'd imagine it's hard to start something new after that...
Here's wishing good luck - to both of us!
Axe
[This message has been edited by axeminister (edited March 30, 2010).]
posted
Mailed off my Q02 today along with my Q01 reject to another professional market. Looking forward to an uninterrupted 3 months refining my Q03 entry.
Posts: 710 | Registered: Oct 2009
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posted
Well, I just chucked mine into the mail. Still not happy with it, but I keep reminding myself that if I waited to submit stories until I was 100% happy with them, I'd never submit anything at all....
Posts: 715 | Registered: Nov 2007
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posted
I sent mine in March 10th and haven't gotten confirmation that they've received it. Is this time lag normal? Don't they usually send confirmation?
I did send it priority with tracking (no signature), so the Post Office has confirmed delivery; but WotF hasn't.
posted
Sometimes they miss. You can shoot off an email to Joni and ask her. Just be sure to send the email from the account that you listed on your entry or your response might be a bit delayed. Personal experience on that one.
Posts: 599 | Registered: Sep 2007
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posted
I sent mine off around March 20th, give or take a few days. I still haven't gotten a confirmation. I'm excited for everyone. Best of luck to all!
Posts: 32 | Registered: Jan 2010
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I wanted your input on something: I've been doing some anthology reading for WotF, and while I've only read a handful of stories, I haven't found a single one that has any kind of violent content. I've read the synopsis for a lot of the other stories too, and none of them sounds particularly violent. This troubles me.
Is WotF pacifist in nature? You all read my last submission. I eliminated all the gory in it, but it was, by nature, violent. People got shot and/or blown up. So my question is this: have you ever seen a winning entry/published finalist that had a militaristic feel and/or violence? I guess what I'm asking is whether I got screwed before I ever got out the gate. I had a lot of people say that my story was good enough to win, but I'm not sure if the content nuked it before it ever really got considered. If you do know of a winning story of a more violent nature, could you tell me the title and volume number so I can give it a read over?
posted
Have you read Gone Black in the latest edition? It is about a military base. That one is about as violent as they get for WotF.
WotF wants to be able to market their books to young teens so they keep the content down to a soft PG. If your stories exceed that you might be in trouble.
posted
I forget which edition it was in (2-3 years ago, maybe), but there's a story about a time traveling reporter who goes back and records war footage. There's definitely some violence in that one.
Posts: 715 | Registered: Nov 2007
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posted
Hmm... I still haven't gotten my reply that I'm in.
Should I start to worry at this point or should I be past starting and in full fledged worry mode?
@cynic: I've only read XXV so far but I've been surprised a few times by some things like the story Gone Black and some F bombs. Actually made me think more highly of them...
posted
Axe, don't be worried. I sent a query after they had had it for a month and got a response about two weeks later. Joni said the stack next to her desk was six feet high. I didn't get the impression she was exaggerating.
Posts: 1993 | Registered: Jul 2009
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posted
By the way, it was the first page of my story from this quarter that got me into Boot Camp. Thanks everyone for your critiques and comments. You're all awesome!!
Posts: 1993 | Registered: Jul 2009
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posted
I just got my confirmation two days ago, Axe, and I sent mine with a week to spare on the deadline.
Posts: 3072 | Registered: Dec 2007
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I only learned of the contest itself from Dark Warrior's post and that was something like a month before the deadline. Thus, I submitted a story that, while satisfied with it, I can't help but think would be so much better now considering all that I've learned in the past month.
I have a copy sitting in the drawer next to me and I'm a little nervous to look at it. I'm afraid I'll find all kinds of glowing errors that would make me /facepalm.
The good news is that even if I get a straight rejection, I can take my new found knowledge, edit, and submit to other markets. I feel the idea is sound, even if the prose is lacking.
posted
Still havent received confirmation of this quarters entry. Not worried about it but wondering if anyone else has heard from Joni yet?
Posts: 710 | Registered: Oct 2009
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"By the way, it was the first page of my story from this quarter that got me into Boot Camp. Thanks everyone for your critiques and comments. You're all awesome!!"
posted
Ah. They finally got to my entry. At least I'm in the massive slush pile that consists of WotF entries for Q2.
Posts: 1608 | Registered: Feb 2009
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posted
I totally had to laugh when I read that post. I just got the verification email from Joni that my entry for Q02 had been received. At least they got it though. Posts: 599 | Registered: Sep 2007
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Ditto Kitti on the envelope size, but yeah I do usually get the 9X12 size. Look at the link to Vonda McIntyre's Manuscript Preparation on the first page of this post for help with formatting (Speaking of, I should probably have a link to the WotF manuscript guidelines posted there as well), keeping in mind that any guidelines from WotF trump the generic ones listed there. Good luck!
