Jibber Jabber - Q1 - 29

Possibly KD held back the SHM/semi/finalist pile. But even if this is true, with a new judge I'm not so sure we can all be sure of getting at least a SHM. The new judge may not agree with all her choices, and give some of us HMs, or even rejections.

True. However, I think that to get into this pile, the writing was good enough for at least an HM. All speculation, but I doubt you'd get a straight R.

Congratulations, Tara! That's a great start! Now write the next one!

Since someone inquired earlier, I put in a paper sub. No news though. . .

It's tempting to start e-subbing, since they appear to have worked out most of the kinks since the last time I tried to use it.

Really refreshing to see some HMs go out though instead of just the swamp of R's. ^o^ Congrats you guys.

To be honest, I'm not sure if I want to win the contest....which is a whole 'nother kettle of fish related only to my terror of a week as intense as the workshop and gala week.

Go to one of Dean Wesley Smith's writing workshops. That'll cure you of that particular fear.

Thanks, Martin. I feel like a proper member of the forum now, with you telling me to write write write 😉

Congrats to everyone receiving HMs today - even to those of you who have more than you'd like in the collection. To me, that just says you're writing at a consistently good level!

Congratulations, Michael!

And yes, Tara, you're one of us now. Sorry to be the bearer of the bad news...

Congratulations Ember!

And what of Martin, and those e-subbers who are left and have heard nothing? At least, if you've heard something, Martin, you're keeping it to yourself.

Do you want the Evil Martin answer (The stories I could tell you... ) or the Good Martin answer (NNi(S)NN -- No News is (Still) No News)?

From Hatrack:

I read until I know a story isn't going to be an HM or go into the possible Finalists pile.

.. I read a story until I know that it's not going to be an Honorable Mention or higher. That could be just a couple of pages or the whole manuscript. Anything that gets put into the possible Finalists pile is read all the way through.
Occasionally, I'll read a piece that is so outstanding that I'll mark it Finalist upon my first reading. That doesn't happen usually more than once or twice a quarter, though one fabulous quarter I wound up with five of those.

The designation of Silver Honorable Mention is for the HMs that made it into the possible Finalists pile and just missed being designated Semifinalist. We wanted to have a new category for those. They deserve recognition and encouragement.

It's late and I'm tired, but there are several other instances where KD would mention on a forum (either here or sff.net) that she does a first read through to get out the rejects and the HMs (placing possible finalist in a separate pile) and then a second read through for silver/semi/finalist sorting.

I doubt that anyone who gets a "hold" notice will receive less than a Silver HM. (I would be shocked to find one of you got a rejection, because as Martin mentioned, the new judge isn't going to spit on KD's choices.)

So we've got six paper subs accounted for for sure.

And yes, what is this "hold" pile? Claw-chomp inducing indeed.

Preston usually does paper subs, but I don't know if he uses Duotrope. Maybe when he is on here next he will let us know.

And now a magical hold pile? Good luck Gator Gal! I'm going to go ahead and guess good news for that one.

Yeah, I'm a last week paper submitter, and now I'm suffering for it. No word yet for me, not even a: "hey, you're in the hold pile." Not surprised. I have never been notified by email, though I always put my email address on the cover letter, and I get lots of other WOTF email announcements. And no, Tina...I don't yet use duotrope. But clearly, that's where my path is leading.
So yeah...still waiting.
Preston
(HM x 2)

Finally, some HMs. How exciting! Congratulations to the 11 (!) of you who announced your HMs. I'm so happy for you. In the top ten percent...that's ain't bad.

So here's the list of known HM recipitients.

Amanda McCarter
Josh
Alistair Kimble
Permanent Novice (Joseph?)
Corbin Maxwell
Anarresti
Grayson
Delli
Tara
Michael
Ember

I'm not at all surprised to see that some of you made the list, and I mean that as a compliment. Of course it'd be nice to go higher, so, as has been said before, congratulations/condolences. With most finalized HM lists running in the 80's-100s, there's still plenty of room for more. And we still haven't heard about an Silver's or semi's or finalists. Yikes! This is exciting stuff. Best of luck to all the survivors. Our little troop has just been severely diminished, but it's nice to see that at least some of you have been commended for your courage and bravery.
Preston Dennett
(HM x 2) and hoping this will change.

I doubt that anyone who gets a "hold" notice will receive less than a Silver HM. (I would be shocked to find one of you got a rejection, because as Martin mentioned, the new judge isn't going to spit on KD's choices.)

Thank you. That sheds a lot of light on the behind-the-scenes process.

I am philosophically obligated to stick to NNiNN (not to mention you would all laugh at me if I changed my tune now); but it's hard not to see that as encouraging.

Ok, this is where being a LAMP sucks the blue footed booby.

I don't know if I've been 'held.' I don't know if I've been read. And I have no clue when or how I'll find out.

Guess I better write something to take my mind off it, eh? Ok, here goes...

SOMETHING!

Tho I have to admit, the exploding house on my block around 5 pm today took my mind off it right quick. The humans all got out with only minor injuries, but they lost their pets and everything but the clothes on their backs. So check your smoke detectors folks. And remember that no matter how tense we get about the contest, it pales in significance when compared to certain things.

For paper sub's. The email said that the "hold" pile was put together while K.D. was working on paper subs. She may not have finished them. She said the holds would be resolved next month, so we are in for a wait.

Next month is less than a week away. She may not have meant a whole thirty days.

Cpngratulations hazlett! I'm looking forward to your next numerical analysis.

Well, another HM isn't a bad thing, considering how altogether different this story was from my last HM. My optimism was hoping for a semi, but it's content getting past rejection with this story. (I had no real expectations of winning, as the story's a classic tragedy, and I haven't seen anything similar in the anthologies, but it was ready and there's a lot I liked about it, so there ya go, right?)

Anyway, no gathering dust! My email's a revolving door, and it's already off again.

Congratulations to all the new HM's!

Yikes Kary! I'm glad everyone got out ok, scary stuff.

On paper subbing: Paper subbing is not that much different than when I esubed. When I esubed I still heard last, very last. Usually Semi's were coming out and I would get my Rejection. Every. Single. Time. This is my fourth submission (Q1).

I'd be sad if the new judge second guessed KD's opinion and didn't at least give the people in the "hold" pile a Silver or above. It'd be safe to say that out of respect those people are going to get higher than and HM. Good luck Francis and Elinor!

Where's hazlett? We need hazlett! What this thread needs now is some number crunching!

I do believe I've been summoned...

So, I got an HM.

On the plus side, it's the second science fiction story I've ever written and the first I've ever submitted anywhere (I self-rejected the first one, because it...well, it simply wasn't any good).

On the minus side, it was pretty darn creative. I don't know if I'll ever be able to come up with something that creative again. That said, I'll just fire it off to another market. Even when submitting it, I knew there was a risk it was a bit too dark. That's probably what did me in. That said, I designed my 2Q story specifically for the contest, and my readers all liked it (though I wasn't as enamored with it). Oh well, I'll know soon enough. Each quarter is a little experiment anyway. The hypothesis I tested this quarter was: Can I write interesting science fiction that someone might actually want to read? I assume an HM means "Yes." So, from that perspective the experiment was a success.

Anyway, now on to the math. Here's the old list of the entrants with the HM winners highlighted in blue.

Tina (gower21)
Corbin (1xF, 2xSF, 8xHM)
Francis Bruno (1xSF)
Amanda McCarter (1xSF, 1xSHM, 6xHM)
Martin Shoemaker (1xF, 1xSF, 2xHM)
Izanobu (1xSF, 2xSHM, 6xHM)
Grayson (4xHM)
Marina (2xF, 2xHM)
Kary
Dustin (1xF, 2xHM)
Jennifer Hicks (1xSF, 1xSHM, 6xHM)
anarresti (1xHM)
permanentnovice (1xHM)
joshpotter (1xHM)
Hazlett (1xHM)
The Happy Snappy Gator (1xSF, 2xHM)
Isto
Preston (2xHM)
gwasch
AlistairKimble (1xF, 2xHM)
Delli (1xHM)
Ember (1xHM)
DavidK (1xHM)
Tara (1xHM)
Michael Kingswood(1xHM)
Jess (2xHM)

The last analysis I posted suggested that assuming 1,000 entrants those on the list had a 66.7% to 71.4% chance of placing somewhere in the contest. Since then, the list has expanded by 2 people. So my prediction with 24 people was that 16-17 folks should place on the list. With 26 people, that prediction has to be adjusted to 17 - 19 to account for the additional people. So far, 13 have placed. I think it is fair to say that at least 4-6 people should place as well. That said, it is hard to make predictions using the latest results from Duotrope. because I don't know the proportion of HMs vs. straight rejections. I would be inclined to believe that all 15 reports (including the two faux acceptances and my currently unlogged rejection) are HMs. If that is the case, I think we are likely to see even more placements than the 4-6 here.

Speaking of which, does anyone know what the protocol is for logging an HM in Duotrope? My inclination is to record a "personal rejection." Please let me know so I can record my status ASAP.

In the meantime, I'm sending my story out to the next market.

Congrats everyone!

Thanks Hazlett, we were all waiting. And congrats on the HM. Nice!
Here's another analysis, using the below scoring system:
HM = 1 point
SHM = 2 pts
SF = 4 pts
F = 8 pts
With so many tiers, it's difficult to see who's received the most recognition. But using this scoring system, the top three people on our list are:
Marina 18 pts
Annie (Izanobu) 14 pts
Martin 14 pts

Interestingly, none of you guys have received your response. Or have you and are now keeping a very special secret? I won't be suprised to see your stories in the next volume. Just a prediction. Either way, good luck!
Preston Dennett
(HM x 2)

Oh well, I'll know soon enough. Each quarter is a little experiment anyway. The hypothesis I tested this quarter was: Can I write interesting science fiction that someone might actually want to read? I assume an HM means "Yes." So, from that perspective the experiment was a success.

My experiment this last time was concerning how much of a difference the beginning made. I submitted essentially the same story as in Q4, except with a new intro. Straight rejection both times. That's consistency, and a sign that this particular story is not well suited for this particular market. Oh well, now I know.

Congrats to all those who've received an HM, and good luck to those still on "Hold" this quarter. Those with an R (like me)? We'll see what happens next time, right? My next one is shorter, better suited to the general tone of the anthologies, and overall just a lot tighter than anything I've submitted before--that said, I have some changes I'll make if it comes back as anything less than a published finalist, but for now, on to Q3!

Congrats, everybody!

Congratulations to all the HM recipients today. Well done!

So there's 13 names left on the list and 2 have been emailed about "the pile"? Exciting! Good luck everyone. I've been here before and still got an R right at the end, so like Martin says NNiNN... in the meanwhile who's up for some Q3 450 word crits

Anyway, no gathering dust! My email's a revolving door, and it's already off again.

Congratulations, Jess! And I love that line!

I'm awake, I'm awake...

First, I'll insert my opinion on us LAMPS.
(Going to use HE for ease of reading, not that I know anything.)
1. our stories are/were physically in Oklahoma. They need to be boxed up, those read and those not, and shipped to the new guy. This will take time.
2. the new guy will sort, making his own little pile of R, HM, and "hold".
3. speculation: Will the new guy insert his own high-tier possibles into the overall list then read again? Will he give more or less weight to those he feels may be finalists compared to those Kathy had already selected?

Professionally, I say yes. One way or the other, this is his quarter now. The finalists are ultimately his choice.

Personally I say no. Because my glass is half empty. I'm not superstitious, I'm pessimistic.
I'm all happy to still be "in" for the quarter, but the truth is, I haven't been read yet and could still get nothing. We shall see.

I do agree he won't tear down anything in the hold pile lower than HM, (Probably not lower than SHM)

I'm filtering Hazlett's list:

Tina - (LAMPS)
Francis Bruno (HOLD PILE)
Martin Shoemaker
Izanobu - (HOLD PILE)
Marina - (LAMPS)
Kary - (LAMPS)
Dustin - (LAMPS)
Jennifer Hicks (LAMPS)
The Happy Snappy Gator (HOLD PILE)
Isto - (LAMPS)
Preston
gwasch - (LAMPS)
DavidK

If I didn't write your status, you either didn't say, or I didn't see it in the list. (Sorry)

Marina, I submitted paper for Q1, but elec for Q2, so on Duotrope, only 1 paper is mine.

D

Clearly the new judge can't honor KD's opinion on any stories she hadn't read yet, so those LAMPS still unread will be the first to experience the new judge's preferences. (Hey, going for a positive takeaway whatever your result!)

I, too, believe the new judge will not undo any decisions KD already made on this quarter's entries. I cite as evidence that Rs and HMs have already been released and "hold pile" writers have been notified of such. I surmise the new judge has been instructed to start where KD left off and finish the job. That means starting with a pile of "better than HM, but not sure where the lines get drawn between SHM/SF/F." There is no room in that pile for straight HMs and Rs, whatever the new judge might think, and I expect s/he is professional enough to honor KD's work in progress rather than stomp on it and think his/her opinion is more valid.

Additionally, if KD marked any stories as a finalist straight out of the chute, the new judge will honor that. My guess is that anyone in that category already knows it -- I think all the results KD was certain of have been communicated, based on the immense flood of HMs that went out yesterday.

I'm awake, I'm awake...

First, I'll insert my opinion on us LAMPS.
(Going to use HE for ease of reading, not that I know anything.)
1. our stories are/were physically in Oklahoma. They need to be boxed up, those read and those not, and shipped to the new guy. This will take time.
2. the new guy will sort, making his own little pile of R, HM, and "hold".
3. speculation: Will the new guy insert his own high-tier possibles into the overall list then read again? Will he give more or less weight to those he feels may be finalists compared to those Kathy had already selected?

Professionally, I say yes. One way or the other, this is his quarter now. The finalists are ultimately his choice.

I do agree he won't tear down anything in the hold pile lower than HM, (Probably not lower than SHM)

I'm filtering Hazlett's list:

If I didn't write your status, you either didn't say, or I didn't see it in the list. (Sorry)

Marina, I submitted paper for Q1, but elec for Q2, so on Duotrope, only 1 paper is mine.

D

I, too, am a LAMP but not on Duotrope.

After a long conversation with poet-hubby, I have to agree with the professional opinion. He was INSISTENT that (if he were in the same position as the new judge) there was no way he would include a piece he disliked in the finalist pile. Of course, he's a poet and they're an odd group, in their own way... stylistically anal.

After a long conversation with poet-hubby, I have to agree with the professional opinion. He was INSISTENT that (if he were in the same position as the new judge) there was no way he would include a piece he disliked in the finalist pile.

What I'm saying is that, given people in KD's "hold" pile already know that's where they are--that is, being held for higher consideration--the new judge is restricted to placing those entries in the three higher categories. How s/he splits the hairs between them will, of course, be different than how KD would have.

Clearly the new judge can't undo KD's decisions on the Rs, HMs, and "straight-shot" finalists that have already gone out. Whatever s/he might have thought of, say, my story, s/he can neither demote it to an R nor promote it to something above an HM. The only material the new judge has to work with is what's in KD's "hold" pile, and those LAMPS as yet unread. The 8 finalists and 10 semifinalists must come from those stories.

After a long conversation with poet-hubby, I have to agree with the professional opinion. He was INSISTENT that (if he were in the same position as the new judge) there was no way he would include a piece he disliked in the finalist pile.

What I'm saying is that, given people in KD's "hold" pile already know that's where they are--that is, being held for higher consideration--the new judge is restricted to placing those entries in the three higher categories. How s/he splits the hairs between them will, of course, be different than how KD would have.

Clearly the new judge can't undo KD's decisions on the Rs, HMs, and "straight-shot" finalists that have already gone out. Whatever s/he might have thought of, say, my story, s/he can neither demote it to an R nor promote it to something above an HM. The only material the new judge has to work with is what's in KD's "hold" pile, and those LAMPS as yet unread. The 8 finalists and 10 semifinalists must come from those stories.

Right. He was referring to only those he would recommend for publication in the anthology. The others..... .

Also do we have a statistical breakdown of fantasy vs sci fi submissions? Seems like that would factor into the results. I can't see them doing all one or the other. Hazlett?

I'm filtering Hazlett's list:

Tina - (LAMPS)
Francis Bruno (HOLD PILE)
Martin Shoemaker
Izanobu
Marina - (LAMPS)
Kary - (LAMPS)
Dustin - (LAMPS)
Jennifer Hicks (LAMPS)
The Happy Snappy Gator (HOLD PILE)
Isto - (LAMPS)
Preston
gwasch - (LAMPS)
DavidK

Nobu's on hold . . .