Well, my straight entry finished in the top 100 this time (40th, to be precise) and it seems I actually beat Lacey this time, but not Lynne's parody. I guess that's progress of a sort! At least this time, the average scores and page views seem to make sense in relation to each entry's placement in the ranks. There don't seem to be any major disparities like there were last time.
So, here are the posse's entries in this round:
31st Lynne's A Different Light
39th Sarah's A Lighter Shade of Mauve
40th My Flings and Arrows
56th Sarah's Purple is the Color of My True Love's Lies
60th Sarah's Cat's in the Cradle
94th Lacey's Double-Crossed
Darcy didn't enter this week, as she was in the throes of moving.
At this point, it seems pretty evident that trying to write an entry with a valid shot at the finals is a waste of my time and talent (which apparently is more camp and comedic than I previously imagined). I seem to do much better with my parodies and have more fun with them, so maybe I'll stick to that from now on.
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9 comments:
I don't care if it's serious or a parody, as long as it's fun to read.
Alice
Well, I'll try, but I have to admit, I'm not feeling all that inspired just at the moment. But then, I rarely am on Friday when the guidelines are announced. I usually spend the whole weekend thinking I can't do anything, parody or straight, with the premise then fail to sleep on Sunday night because I'm with an idea which I subsequently dash off in a few hours on Monday and submit right before the deadline.
You'll get one, Jacq. I know by Monday morning you'll be frantically scribbling down something fantastic.
And congratulations on kicking my rear, too! AND getting your code up before me. I was the html bandit this time :-)
You know, maybe something slapsticky would work. As Lacey pointed out, Pam's chapter had the trip-over-the-tiger in it.
Well, I have to admit that I have had two perfectly wonderful ideas this evening. And neither of them is a parody (though one will have much to shocking an ending to have any chance of winning!).
I just don't know when I'll find the time to write them, darn it all. Monday mornings are okay for dashing out one, but two? Yipe!
Oh, and thanks for dropping by, Sara! If I know you, you'll be finaling again soon (and maybe even get to be the next fishbowl head, LOL!).
I know what you mean about writing an entry and having a shot at the finals. I don't know why I keep doing it. I guess just to be obstinate. LOL. But then again, I also think that you never know what might appeal to readers, maybe you'll write one that you think is only half-rate, but then it wins! It's all very subjective. Either that, or I'm just trying to fool myself and feel better. ;P
Even in RWA contests, where judges are supposed to justify taking off points, scores are still somewhat subjective. It's just the nature of the beast. In FanLit, even more factors come into play, and truly excellent entries sometimes don't make the finals. In some cases, they may not even make the top hundred.
A lesson I learned a long time ago is that I have to believe in what I'm doing. I have to know that I've done all I can to improve my story and do right by my characters, and this means listening to feedback from credible sources, reading GOOD books and learning all I can from them, and putting in lots of "butt in chair" time.
As long as I'm happy with the job I'm doing, I can handle those knocks that every writer gets. I may complain about them, sure, but they don't knock me on my arse the way they used to. I've been ridiculously lucky with FanLit so far, particularly considering what I've chosen to write. I'd like to think that I'd feel equally "Okay, whatever!" about it if my rankings were lower.
My favorite entry in the contest is Meankitty's Out Of Time, which ranked 143rd. As Damien would say, "What rot!" When I see an entry that good with such a low ranking, I feel pretty darn disgusted about the scores my own entries have received.
Well, I submitted my first entry, it's "straight" and I feel pretty pleased with it (except for the verb I inadvertently edited out of a sentence toward the end!). I doubt it'll do well enough to final, of course, but hope springs eternal.
I loved Meankitty's entry, too. Very funny. I also loved Cosima's Good Godwin which inexplicably placed 53rd in the last round (it was much better than my entry that finished 40th, IMHO).
I adored Good Godwin. It was one of my favorite entries in the round, and I couldn't understand why it didn't place higher.
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