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This is a critique group for writers that will be entering a story for the first quarter of 2009 in the Writers of the Future contest (26th year), and do so on an early schedule.
Anyone is welcome to join. If you do though, please follow the directions for such. Currently, the group consists of me: WriterDan
If you want to join the group for this quarter, please re-post the current names list in a reply and add your name to the bottom.
Deadlines for this quarter's crits are as follows:
September 1st: Start writing
October 7th: First drafts out for crits
November 7th: Second drafts out for crits
November 30th: Mail-in final drafts for Q01
Note: The official mail-in deadline for this quarter is December 31st; however, this group's deadlines are set up so that all entries can be mailed up to a month before the deadline, and hopefully beat the rush at the end of the quarter.
When you send out drafts for critique, please do so in a generic format so that everyone will be able to open your file. (eg. rtf, txt. Pdf is okay too, but won't allow for in-text comments.)
Sign up! And let's get busy writing!
Award count for this WotF critique group (Q03 2008 - present): Finalist: 0 Semi-finalist: 3 HM: 5
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Filling in for those who don't care to read my CAREFULLY PREPARED and METICULOUSLY DETAILED instructions... lol Cut and paste works miracles, but can cause some of the worst debugging errors ever. Beware the unwary!
Hey, welcome back. Long time no see. But serious, boredcRow?? You mean I've been misreading it this entire time?? The mind boggles!
Posts: 2185 | Registered: Aug 2007
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With apologies for not always honouring my responsibilities this last quarter, due to host of family and personal problems and illness, I promise to do better this time around.
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Oops. Sorry for the mis-read Crow. I've totally read it Cow ever since first seeing your name. Will make that change in my long-term memory.
Posts: 599 | Registered: Sep 2007
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Sigh. I'm still stuck on finishing China Station. Fortunately I have a good draft of the story I'm planning to submit. I get to worry my way through polishing instead of writing from scratch. I'm absolutely horrible in first draft. No one would want to read one of those.
I've decided this next quarter it will be "Cory's Fall From Grace." First off, I need a better title although this one is better than the simple "Cory" it used to have. This is that dark adult fantasy.
So, what're the rest of you guys planning on? Fantasies or sf?
[This message has been edited by arriki (edited September 07, 2008).]
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Mine's sci-fi... one of the only sci-fi stories I've ever written. My entry for 2008 Q04 was/is fantasy.
Posts: 554 | Registered: Jun 2007
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Not sure Arriki. My Q3 story was fantasy and my Q4 is Sci-fi. I suspect I'll do sci-fi again since that is what I'm mostly writing right now... but who knows. Posts: 374 | Registered: Jun 2008
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My entry for Q04 is Sci-Fi, and the one that I have planned to write for 2009Q01 is a Fantasy. Been looking forward to writing this one for some time actually. Now, I just have to finish my freaking 4th quarter submission so that I can start on the new one! Really looking forward to this quarter because I have everything planned out. During the 4th quarter, I gave up on a re-write of a past entry after a couple of weeks, got 9 pages into a new sci-fi before realizing that I didn't have the plot finished enough to continue, so I wrote 36 pages of a new sci-fi story that wasn't well-received by you guys or much liked by myself for that matter, to finally get to my current 40 page sci-fi revamp, which I'm now drafting. Ugh. MAN, am I looking forward to an easy quarter this time around! Looking forward to all the new stories.
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I'm pretty much the same as you, WriterDan, this quarter. I abandonded my first story, tried to write another, which I got about 2500 words into when I got sick, so it never got finished. Been sick now for ten straight days, just feel like I'm coming out the other side now. Haven't been able to look at a computer screen for days. Don't know if I'll get anything done for this quater, but determined to get something ready for the next.
I have it all planned anyhow. Another sci-fi. Perhaps I'll give fantasy a try one of these times.
Anyone heard anything from last time, yet? I'm still waiting to hear one way or the other.
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I got my Q3 rejection letter today. A little deflating at first but now I'm bouncing back. I realized that I could now go ahead and start to workshop my Q3 story.
It was my first completed work and received no workshop effort at all. I didn't even know what such a thing was!
Look for 'Old Magic' in the short stories forum shortly.
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Well, I don't feel so lame then. I wrote mine, struggled, scrapped, rewrote, and still struggled... don't know if I'll get something in for this Q4. My home life has been a bit turbulent. But I'm in for Q1-09.
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Well I'm in, but remember I'm "Down to the Wire Girl." As DWG, I typically mail it just prior to 5 PM on the last day of the quarter. Some quarters I have even managed to get it in the day *before* the last day of the quarter.
So, count me in, but I'm still in early revisions on my Q4 entry so I've got a bit of time before I know what I'll be doing next quarter. I'm happy to help with any crits for current quarter for other down-to-the-wire folk, and I'll be needing some as soon as I add in the scene Annepin recommended.
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Glad to see more of you in on the game for this coming quarter. Hope things get better for you, annepin, and we're more than happy to accommodate your delayed schedule, KayTi. Mostly, we're just glad to have the two of you along for the ride.
[This message has been edited by WriterDan (edited September 09, 2008).]
So, how are the first drafts coming? Started? Mid-way? Finished? Our posted deadline for first round crits is coming up fast at just under three weeks away. Wanted to give everyone a push along and wishes that things are going well.
Between critiques and drafts of my Q04 2008 story, I've managed to bang out almost 5k words on my new story for this quarter. Probably a little more than a third of the way through my plot arc and coming along nicely. Actually haven't had a story come out this smoothly in a long time, which is nice to see and makes me hope for some good to come of this quarter.
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My Q04 2008 story is down to the last proof. I wrote maybe 200 words on the new story, just to put something on paper. I'm expanding it from a flash, so I sort of have that as an outline.
Posts: 72 | Registered: Apr 2008
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Well...I haven't started my story. I know the story, have an old version of it I need to extend, but haven't written one word of the new version. I still have to finish a read through and minor edits of this quater's story, which I will do before I start the new one. All I have to do then is find some way to print it, since my printer has decided it doesn't want to work.
Posts: 626 | Registered: Mar 2007
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The story I'm going to use for this time is in its third draft. I think it's one of the better stories I've written, but it still needs a lot of work to become polished and shiny.
After I send out my 2004 Q4 story, I want to work on ironing out some of the flaws, such as the weak beginning the story currently has.
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I've started two stories... one kinda hit a dead end, the other I need to think about how I'm going to work it. I'm going to try to finish at least one this weekend.
Posts: 2185 | Registered: Aug 2007
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I've written three stories in as many weeks so I suppose I'm doing fine. I'm not sure I'll make a specific effort to write a WotF story but rather send in the best of the stories I have written since my 4Q story.
Not that I won't want crits so don't think you're off the hook!
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annepin, I'm like you. I started one and it just ended. Maybe some other time for that one.
Now, I have a second that I like a lot. It's one of those stories that comes with the big parts all worked out, I just need to get those pesky details out on paper! I plan to work on it this weekend. I doubt I will finish it, because I have a big day job deliverable on monday, but I will try.
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I've written 2000 words, although I've decided that the first 500 aren't really necessary. It'll probably be somewhere between 5000 and 8000 words when I finish.
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I have written about 6k words and I think this one won't be that long. The way it is going now, I think the first draft will be close to 8k. Though the draft really is in a horrible state right now. The characters need a lot of improvement, but I like the way the plot has evolved in my mind. Only if I were able to put it down to words...
Posts: 51 | Registered: Jul 2008
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I just signed up for the regular time-table, but I'm more than willing to critique for you high-aiming early people.
Posts: 255 | Registered: Aug 2007
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At the bottom of the email, he says to feel free to share the information with friends, and there weren't any qualifiers on it. I figured this was the easiest way to share it with the groups, and I've stated that it came from him. Do you think that I need to be more careful and specifically ask about posting it here? If you do, by all means I will. Just seemed like it'd be okay to me.
Posts: 599 | Registered: Sep 2007
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Permission granted. Is there somewhere that we could post this info semi-permanently, Kathleen? That way I can just reference a Hatrack discussion link at the beginning of each new quarter with the info.
Posts: 599 | Registered: Sep 2007
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I'm using a story that I've been working on for a while now called "The Dying Time." I think it's at a good place, but once I polish it a bit, I'm looking forward to getting feedback on how to make it even shinier.
Posts: 554 | Registered: Jun 2007
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The last few days have been spent solely on my Q04 entry. Got a little time to draft the first part of my 2009 Q01 story tonight. Still at about 5k words with the plot arc 1/3 done. I'm shooting to have my first draft of this one done on time though (Oct 7th). I really need to spend some time with my co-authored novel this month (haven't touched it since last Feb), and the whole early-submission thing should allow me to do that. Plus I need to start formulating my next Q02 entry. Now that 2008 is over and done with, I think it's time for some inspiration to hit. So, okay. Any time now...
Posts: 599 | Registered: Sep 2007
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I think I will have my first draft finished on time. It is coming along somewhere between 8000 and 9000 words. I have written 8000 already, but need to go over a few scenes to make it look more compact.
Posts: 51 | Registered: Jul 2008
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I've changed track three times and still not sure which idea to pursue. I think I'd better join the regular timeline.
Posts: 72 | Registered: Apr 2008
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