Discussion Q4 Volume 38

Oh, the tension! 

Tomorrow is Thursday!

Maybe Thursday will once again fall on a Thursday. That would make two weeks in a row.

Hey, all!

Here's some general info about how results work.

It takes me about a month to get through a quarter's submissions. Three weeks is about the fastest I can do it, and if there's a convention or something going on, it can take me six weeks.

Dave needs around 2-3 weeks for his side of things. Four if he's also got other events going on.

Finalist judging can take as little as 48 hours, or up to six weeks (and let me tell you, those were six long, hard weeks!).

After that, emails and phone calls are up to Joni's schedule. Occasionally, she's got something else going on that takes all of her time, so emails have to wait until whatever it is finishes. Dave and I won't always know if that's the case.

I'm hoping this helps everyone understand how it can happen that I might say I'm done with my side, or I might hint that Dave is done with his, and then you don't hear anything.

Waiting is hard, and sometimes hoping is harder.

I'm not posting this because of any particular event or anything, just - I know there can be some frustration when you have to be barricaded in the pillow fort for weeks on end. It's a toss-up whether it's kinder for us to hint that results are coming and then face the risk that they don't come as fast as we thought they would, or if we should keep quiet so we don't raise anyone's hopes.

Hang in there. Q4 will be wrapped up soon. I still think you'll hear this week, but that's a guess on my part.

@karyenglish 

No complaints from my side. It's a big contest, run very professionally and with a ton of support for the participants. And it costs nothing to enter. Everyone who takes the time to enter gets something out of it. I know I've learned a lot from the Forum, from the online workshops, feedback from other contestants, etc. For an aspiring professional or dedicated amateur writer of speculative fiction, no other contest even comes close.

@karyenglish Thank you for update.  No complaints on my side. Through this contest and people I have met through it, I have grown leaps and bounds as a writer. I have also found an online family.

@karyenglish Funny you mention the difficulty in deciding whether it is kinder to hint or not to hint. The other day I was just contemplating whether I'd rather have the hints or not. I couldn't decide. So I can only imagine how much harder it is to decide when it is for everyone.

Hey, I like having an excuse to keep checking in through the day! It breaks up periods of frustration in my work now and then.

@karyenglish, regardless of all else, thanks for what are clearly very carefully considered communications to us all. Driving our twitching into overdrive is likely no terrible thing.

@karyenglish 

thanks for the hint! I find it quite amazing you can get through the submissions in 3-6 weeks. It would have taken me 3-6 months to get through the first two pages of all those submissions, lol.

Just praying my (and all the other forumites') stories made it to Dave's this quarter! 

It's THURSDAY! Some of the Wulf Pack are announcing their results in our chat group. Start watching your email!

@wulfmoon in 2 and a half hours and it will be Thursday for real

@wulfmoon Thanks for the heads-up.  I've got some wine chilling.  Now all I need to know is am I drinking in certificate celebration or chugging in despondency.

I got my Q4 Email - straight R. Check those inboxes!

Disappointing as I really loved this story. It's my favorite of all my submissions to WOTF so far. Onto Q1!

Woo hoo, broke my R streak!  I don't know if this happens without tremendously useful input from @kent and @aliciacay.  Credit also to everyone who recommended The 10% Solution (it was painful, but it sure helped).  This was submitted with under an hour to go.  I'm so glad all the real-life distractions that caused the time crunch didn't tank my chances.  Best of luck to those who haven't heard yet.  Hope we have some finalists hanging around.

Staying in my comfort zone  

One more for the collection! I'm a little disappointed, but I have a few new stories simmering now--so not too disappointed. Onto the next one...

on a rewrite/revision of a previous Silver. So...at least I didn't backslide?

A new HM for me; I'll take it! A definite pattern; Now I find myself tempted to reapproach my story that got the 'R' and gussy it up enough to get an HM, just so my signature looks more uniform, heh!

Woot woot!

Whoo hoo. I set out a goal for 2021 to get at least an HM. I didn't get just one but two. The second one means a little more to me, because it tells me I retained what I learned for QTR 3. A hearty thanks to my reviewers.

So here is a tough one. For 2022 I am going to step up the goal to one SHM. I'm not sure I can make this one, but as Yoda says. Try not. Do.  

@folkloremipsum, Congrats!

That's Excellent!

@jennyperrycarr, Excellent!!!

The back-to-back results make me feel like I improved so much in the last week  

I have to admit I was a little surprised at snagging this. The story I submitted for Q4 was on the short side at just under 1800 words, so I was expecting a straight R. I'll definitely take the HM though. I might run a story on a similar track and try to build on this idea to see if I can develop it into something winner worthy

Awesome! This is incredibly beside the point, but I like the symmetry in having two of each placement.  

Keep ‘em coming! I know there’s more!

@folkloremipsum You’re making a GREAT start! Finalist and now a Silver? We’ll be watching you. Well done!
😁