Author Topic: The CoW Flash Fiction contest is now OPEN FOR SUBS!  (Read 7101 times)

danooli

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 1745
    • Who Doesn't Love Stories?

Fenrix

  • Curmudgeonly Co-Editor of PseudoPod
  • Editor
  • *****
  • Posts: 3996
  • I always lock the door when I creep by daylight.
Reply #1 on: August 16, 2016, 07:08:55 PM
Click here to submit!

You can't make me! Never give up! Never surrender!

All cat stories start with this statement: “My mother, who was the first cat, told me this...”


danooli

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 1745
    • Who Doesn't Love Stories?
Reply #2 on: August 18, 2016, 10:04:14 PM
Click here to submit!

You can't make me! Never give up! Never surrender!

I can't make you. That is correct.

However...




RajivMote

  • Matross
  • ****
  • Posts: 175
Reply #3 on: September 02, 2016, 01:39:35 AM
Is this the area where we'll be able to read the entries?



danooli

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 1745
    • Who Doesn't Love Stories?
Reply #4 on: September 02, 2016, 11:16:51 AM
Is this the area where we'll be able to read the entries?

Yes!  On October 8th, the first round will be posted in this subforum, in an area that only regisutered users will have access to. You have registered and made a post to confirm you're not a bot (but, you're also not Not-a-Robot  ;) ) so you're good to start reading and voting in just over a month!

And, also, welcome!



Peevester

  • Extern
  • *
  • Posts: 15
Reply #5 on: September 07, 2016, 01:04:52 AM
Is there something borked with the submittable page? I've tried making an account a half dozen times and I just get a blank screen when I submit my info. I tried sending them a message, no answer yet.

Edit: Blargh, I had to sign up for facebook to get it to work.

« Last Edit: September 07, 2016, 01:26:34 AM by Peevester »



Fenrix

  • Curmudgeonly Co-Editor of PseudoPod
  • Editor
  • *****
  • Posts: 3996
  • I always lock the door when I creep by daylight.
Reply #6 on: September 07, 2016, 01:46:57 AM
Is there something borked with the submittable page? I've tried making an account a half dozen times and I just get a blank screen when I submit my info. I tried sending them a message, no answer yet.

Edit: Blargh, I had to sign up for facebook to get it to work.



Weird. Mine isn't linked to Facebook.

All cat stories start with this statement: “My mother, who was the first cat, told me this...”


danooli

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 1745
    • Who Doesn't Love Stories?
Reply #7 on: September 07, 2016, 11:28:43 AM
Sorry Peevester! I hadn't seen this and I am not aware of any issues with Submittable. I am glad you were able to submit though!



Tango Alpha Delta

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1778
    • Tad's Happy Funtime
Reply #8 on: September 09, 2016, 02:06:47 AM
OPEN FOR SUBS!


This Wiki Won't Wrangle Itself!

I finally published my book - Tad's Happy Funtime is on Amazon!


danooli

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 1745
    • Who Doesn't Love Stories?
Reply #9 on: September 12, 2016, 04:34:10 PM
ha! Awesome!



RxHemmell

  • Extern
  • *
  • Posts: 1
Reply #10 on: September 17, 2016, 03:33:45 PM
Just a question, I've submitted to Submittable, do I have to repost the story here, or it will be done automatically? Many thanks!



danooli

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 1745
    • Who Doesn't Love Stories?
Reply #11 on: September 17, 2016, 04:38:49 PM
Just a question, I've submitted to Submittable, do I have to repost the story here, or it will be done automatically? Many thanks!

Great question!

Once the submission window closes on September 30, the stories will be placed into groups and then starting on October 8, posted here by me. The size and number of groups will be determined base upon the number of entries we receive.




Thunderscreech

  • Lochage
  • *****
  • Posts: 350
Reply #12 on: September 17, 2016, 11:11:17 PM
Just a question, I've submitted to Submittable, do I have to repost the story here, or it will be done automatically? Many thanks!
A quick addition to what danooli mentioned, don't tell anyone which story is yours!  It can be disqualified if you do because the votes should be based on the stories not any preconceptions folks have about the folks who wrote them. 

That's why I'm not gonna give any hints about which Hunger-Games/Twilight crossover story is mine.



danooli

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 1745
    • Who Doesn't Love Stories?
Reply #13 on: September 18, 2016, 11:45:27 AM
Just a question, I've submitted to Submittable, do I have to repost the story here, or it will be done automatically? Many thanks!
A quick addition to what danooli mentioned, don't tell anyone which story is yours!  It can be disqualified if you do because the votes should be based on the stories not any preconceptions folks have about the folks who wrote them. 

That's why I'm not gonna give any hints about which Hunger-Games/Twilight crossover story is mine.

that is such a great point, I felt it should be repeated. Loudly.



sharmibarmi

  • Extern
  • *
  • Posts: 8
Reply #14 on: September 25, 2016, 04:38:39 PM
Thanks for all the info! I'm totally new to this, and was a little confused about how to voting process worked. But I've submitted (getting it to under 500 words was TOUGH!), and am now super excited to read all the entries!

Oh, and hello everyone! :)



DoWhileNot

  • Matross
  • ****
  • Posts: 225
    • doWhilenot.wordpress.com
Reply #15 on: September 26, 2016, 04:40:35 PM
Hey Welcome!  These contests are a TON of fun.  If you haven't participated before, it wouldn't hurt to poke through the lists of previous contests an see how they go.

Comments can sometimes be pretty straightforward - not only will you see a bunch of extremely good stories, but you'll see some very talented slush readers and editors digging in and sharing their opinions on the stories.   Sometimes this requires the authors to have pretty thick skin.  It's tempting to throw a tantrum when someone bashes your story... Just take a deep breath, count to ten, take a walk, and then remember that their story will be getting hit just as hard.

I've learned some really valuable lessons by having my stories ripped to shreds here - and all I can say is Thank You Escape Artists  :)



dagny

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 719
Reply #16 on: September 26, 2016, 07:12:38 PM
Comments can sometimes be pretty straightforward - not only will you see a bunch of extremely good stories, but you'll see some very talented slush readers and editors digging in and sharing their opinions on the stories.   Sometimes this requires the authors to have pretty thick skin.  It's tempting to throw a tantrum when someone bashes your story... Just take a deep breath, count to ten, take a walk, and then remember that their story will be getting hit just as hard.

I'm a jerk, and everyone knows it.

But I'm a well-meaning jerk! :)

"Wolfman's got nards!"


Varda

  • Rebound
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 2710
  • Definitely not an android.
Reply #17 on: September 26, 2016, 09:42:37 PM
Quote
Comments can sometimes be pretty straightforward - not only will you see a bunch of extremely good stories, but you'll see some very talented slush readers and editors digging in and sharing their opinions on the stories.   Sometimes this requires the authors to have pretty thick skin.  It's tempting to throw a tantrum when someone bashes your story... Just take a deep breath, count to ten, take a walk, and then remember that their story will be getting hit just as hard.

Remember: once the sunburn peels, your wings will finally unfold. ;)

Medical Microfiction: Stories About Science
http://rckjones.wordpress.com


shanehalbach

  • Matross
  • ****
  • Posts: 189
  • Clockwork Lasercorn
    • shanehalbach.com
Reply #18 on: September 29, 2016, 02:32:20 PM
Quote
Sometimes this requires the authors to have pretty thick skin.

I wouldn't ask anybody to say anything that was untrue, or praise a story that is not praise-worthy, but I do hope everyone will remember that this is the CoW contest and therefore may have a higher percentage of young or new writers than, say, the pseudopod contest.

I would feel particularly badly if I completely savaged a story, only to find out later that it was an earnest teenager submitting his very first story.

(That being said, I try never to completely savage a story anyway, because even grizzled veterans with steely-eyed gazes and solid platemail for skin don't deserve to be savaged!)


Unblinking

  • Sir Postsalot
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 8729
    • Diabolical Plots
Reply #19 on: September 29, 2016, 06:10:13 PM
Quote
Sometimes this requires the authors to have pretty thick skin.

I wouldn't ask anybody to say anything that was untrue, or praise a story that is not praise-worthy, but I do hope everyone will remember that this is the CoW contest and therefore may have a higher percentage of young or new writers than, say, the pseudopod contest.

I would feel particularly badly if I completely savaged a story, only to find out later that it was an earnest teenager submitting his very first story.

(That being said, I try never to completely savage a story anyway, because even grizzled veterans with steely-eyed gazes and solid platemail for skin don't deserve to be savaged!)

Yes, agreed!

I try to be honest but not harsh in my responses in the contest.  Sometimes if I think a story really really didn't work, I at least try to spell out specifically why so that maybe the author will at least come away with an idea for what this one reader didn't like specifically to consider for future stories.  And especially so in this one, yes.  I try to be a bit gentler than on feature stories because on those, the author at least has been published and paid, while in contests there may be many authors without publication credits, and this might be their first submission entirely.



eytanz

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 6109
Reply #20 on: October 01, 2016, 01:17:31 PM
Well, I missed out on the submission window - I have a rough draft that I just couldn't get into a shape I was happy with. Oh well, this will mean I can read and discuss the submissions without stress :)



danooli

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 1745
    • Who Doesn't Love Stories?
Reply #21 on: October 01, 2016, 03:16:28 PM
Oh no! But, I do love your silver lining outlook  ;D