Pod Castle Flash Contest - Rules

[Unblinking]

This contest is so much more about the fun of being a part of it than it is about winning. With a 100+ entries, the chances of winning are pretty slim, but who cares?

Actually, the chances of getting accepted via the contest (3/121= 2.47%) are about the same as the Duotrope-reported acceptance rate for a normal PodCastle submission -- 2.76%.  Plus the added benefit of being able to see reader comments and the fun of the contest structure.

Good luck to everyone!

Overall, probably.  For me, I reckon my odds are much higher in the contest because I don't have to get a story past Ann Leckie. From past experience I reckon I have a 0% chance of ever sending her a story she will pass to the editors.  With a contest I have a chance, slim as it may be.

--Note: I'm not complaining about Ann.  Just observing that I've gotten some close calls at most of my favorite markets, but have never gotten the slightest hint of interest here, and I've sent pretty much everything I've ever written.  She did, however, send me a rejection that earned me a pizza bought by Ferrett Steinmetz. So that's something, at least. 

Anyhoo, bring it on!  Just back from paternity leave and am now swamped with projects I put on hold until I was back.  What's a little more swamping, when all is said and done?

[Cakebox]

You know what they say! "No-one ever died wishing they'd spent LESS time swamped with an unending stream of soul-destroying work!"

[DoWhileNot]

Um, I don't think that's true.

[Windup]

Overall, probably.  For me, I reckon my odds are much higher in the contest because I don't have to get a story past Ann Leckie. From past experience I reckon I have a 0% chance of ever sending her a story she will pass to the editors.  With a contest I have a chance, slim as it may be.

--Note: I'm not complaining about Ann.  Just observing that I've gotten some close calls at most of my favorite markets, but have never gotten the slightest hint of interest here, and I've sent pretty much everything I've ever written.  

OK, I'm going to go all Daniel Kahneman on you: Do you really think you've submitted enough stories to tell the difference between a 0% acceptance rate and a 3% acceptance rate?  If you have, I think I'm awed by the volume of your output...   

[MoarPye]

Wow... Any tips for reading 121 flash stories without suffering from some serious concept-bleed? I always have this problem, that short stories blend into a single wierd narrative if I read too many without taking the time to digest them properly.  

[Cakebox]

You know what they say! "No-one ever died wishing they'd spent LESS time swamped with an unending stream of soul-destroying work!"

Um, I don't think that's true.

How rude! I presume you've checked with the dead, at the very least?

Ooooh. Maybe that should have been a second contest entry. Necromancy-as-argument-settler? Has it already been done?

[danooli]

Wow... Any tips for reading 121 flash stories without suffering from some serious concept-bleed? I always have this problem, that short stories blend into a single wierd narrative if I read too many without taking the time to digest them properly.  

Likely they won't be posted all at once...usually a bunch per round with a day or so between rounds being posted.

[Fenrix]

Wow... Any tips for reading 121 flash stories without suffering from some serious concept-bleed? I always have this problem, that short stories blend into a single wierd narrative if I read too many without taking the time to digest them properly.  

Likely they won't be posted all at once...usually a bunch per round with a day or so between rounds being posted.

It's always a struggle to balance between reader fatigue and overwhelming folks. From start to finish I think these usually take 1.5 to 2 months.

[DoWhileNot]

Here's what I do - It's not perfect, but work and life have been kind of nuts for a while so I don't have as much time to devote to this as I did when we did the Escapepod contest.

I make a list of the six or eight stories that show up in each group and then do a really quick read of them.  As soon as anything annoys me in any of the stories I stop reading and the story gets an NA vote.  This is kind of my version of the blue line of death, and it usually happens within the first couple sentences.

Then I go back and carefully read the ones that I liked and give them a vote of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best.

And then I vote for the ones with the highest scores - usually we'll get three votes in each group of  the first round of stories.

Oh, and if my story is in the group I have a nervous breakdown and click on refresh every 2 seconds as I watch the scores move around and try not to scream at the screen about how crazy it is that people are voting for THAT story instead of mine.

[Unblinking]

Overall, probably.  For me, I reckon my odds are much higher in the contest because I don't have to get a story past Ann Leckie. From past experience I reckon I have a 0% chance of ever sending her a story she will pass to the editors.  With a contest I have a chance, slim as it may be.

--Note: I'm not complaining about Ann.  Just observing that I've gotten some close calls at most of my favorite markets, but have never gotten the slightest hint of interest here, and I've sent pretty much everything I've ever written.  

OK, I'm going to go all Daniel Kahneman on you: Do you really think you've submitted enough stories to tell the difference between a 0% acceptance rate and a 3% acceptance rate?  If you have, I think I'm awed by the volume of your output...   

Well...  maybe.  Looking at my records, I've submitted 36 times to Podcastle.  But I think all but one were a form rejection signed by Ann, so I didn't get much of anywhere.  Maybe I just write in a more horror-y style--have sold 4 of 22 that I've sent to Pseudopod.

[Unblinking]

Here's what I do - It's not perfect, but work and life have been kind of nuts for a while so I don't have as much time to devote to this as I did when we did the Escapepod contest.

I make a list of the six or eight stories that show up in each group and then do a really quick read of them.  As soon as anything annoys me in any of the stories I stop reading and the story gets an NA vote.  This is kind of my version of the blue line of death, and it usually happens within the first couple sentences.

Then I go back and carefully read the ones that I liked and give them a vote of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best.

And then I vote for the ones with the highest scores - usually we'll get three votes in each group of  the first round of stories.

Oh, and if my story is in the group I have a nervous breakdown and click on refresh every 2 seconds as I watch the scores move around and try not to scream at the screen about how crazy it is that people are voting for THAT story instead of mine.

Good strategy.  I do something similar except that in the initial rounds there are rarely more than 3 that I might've voted for anyway, so I don't often have to do a 2nd readthrough.  For most stories it's not that I hate them, it's just that there are some things that interfered with the tension, suspension of belief, or something like that.  Which is pretty typical of what I've seen in magazine slushpiles as well.

[Fenrix]

Here's what I do - It's not perfect, but work and life have been kind of nuts for a while so I don't have as much time to devote to this as I did when we did the Escapepod contest.

I make a list of the six or eight stories that show up in each group and then do a really quick read of them.  As soon as anything annoys me in any of the stories I stop reading and the story gets an NA vote.  This is kind of my version of the blue line of death, and it usually happens within the first couple sentences.

Then I go back and carefully read the ones that I liked and give them a vote of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best.

And then I vote for the ones with the highest scores - usually we'll get three votes in each group of  the first round of stories.

Oh, and if my story is in the group I have a nervous breakdown and click on refresh every 2 seconds as I watch the scores move around and try not to scream at the screen about how crazy it is that people are voting for THAT story instead of mine.

Good strategy.  I do something similar except that in the initial rounds there are rarely more than 3 that I might've voted for anyway, so I don't often have to do a 2nd readthrough.  For most stories it's not that I hate them, it's just that there are some things that interfered with the tension, suspension of belief, or something like that.  Which is pretty typical of what I've seen in magazine slushpiles as well.

I open a new window for a round of stories, with the voting pane on the left and every story in new tabs to the right. I close the tabs for anything I wouldn't vote for and move the ones worth considering to the left of the voting pane. If I get down to three by this method, the unread survivors on the right get free votes. If I have more than three on the left, then I get meaner or more capricious.

[flintknapper]

Last time I read all of them, but I was usually pretty quiet outside of rooting for my favorites. That was a mistake. As a contestant, I enjoyed getting feedback on my piece whether someone liked it or didn't. The honest criticism helped me understand better what my strengths and weakness were in my own writing.

I am going to try to be more vocal this time commenting on everything. That probably means it will take me a day or two to read through the entries, but I think it is valuable. I am aware it is going to burn me out.

Unblinking, the only things I have ever read/listened to by you were horror. I am surprised to hear that you have submitted 26 stories to pod castle! You are not writing about elves with butcher knives are you? hehehe...

Also thanks Windup. I am glad you liked the story.



 

[Devoted135]

Here's what I do - It's not perfect, but work and life have been kind of nuts for a while so I don't have as much time to devote to this as I did when we did the Escapepod contest.

I make a list of the six or eight stories that show up in each group and then do a really quick read of them.  As soon as anything annoys me in any of the stories I stop reading and the story gets an NA vote.  This is kind of my version of the blue line of death, and it usually happens within the first couple sentences.

Then I go back and carefully read the ones that I liked and give them a vote of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best.

And then I vote for the ones with the highest scores - usually we'll get three votes in each group of  the first round of stories.

Oh, and if my story is in the group I have a nervous breakdown and click on refresh every 2 seconds as I watch the scores move around and try not to scream at the screen about how crazy it is that people are voting for THAT story instead of mine.

Good strategy.  I do something similar except that in the initial rounds there are rarely more than 3 that I might've voted for anyway, so I don't often have to do a 2nd readthrough.  For most stories it's not that I hate them, it's just that there are some things that interfered with the tension, suspension of belief, or something like that.  Which is pretty typical of what I've seen in magazine slushpiles as well.

I open a new window for a round of stories, with the voting pane on the left and every story in new tabs to the right. I close the tabs for anything I wouldn't vote for and move the ones worth considering to the left of the voting pane. If I get down to three by this method, the unread survivors on the right get free votes. If I have more than three on the left, then I get meaner or more capricious.

Fenrix, either you've said this before and I stole it from you, or we think eerily alike. I start with a tab for each story on the right of the voting tab and move really strong stories to the left of the voting tab. Good but not immediate vote stories get put closer to the voting tab than weak stories until I've read them all. Then I use my quick rankings to narrow it down to three. Rarely do I straight up close a tab before I've read all the stories in that group.

[Bre_0]

Very excited to read all the entries!

[Unblinking]

Unblinking, the only things I have ever read/listened to by you were horror. I am surprised to hear that you have submitted 26 stories to pod castle! You are not writing about elves with butcher knives are you? hehehe...

Fantasy is my default genre most of the time.  Horror is fun to write too, but more of my ideas are suitable for fantasy than horror.  SF I don't write a lot of, and even most of what I do is borderline fantasy anyway.  I've gotten some fantasy pieces published at different venues, just never here.

But I have 2 entries in the contest, so you'll get a free and easy chance to read my fantasy soon in any case. 

[Whiskerwing]

What's the standard recommendation for voting if you're an author in the contest? Should I avoid even voting in any brackets my piece appears in? Or should I only cast two votes -- ones NOT for my pieces?

Thanks!

[will write for beer]

What's the standard recommendation for voting if you're an author in the contest? Should I avoid even voting in any brackets my piece appears in? Or should I only cast two votes -- ones NOT for my pieces?

Thanks!

If you're proud of it, vote for it. If you're not proud of it, you probably shouldn't have entered it.
(i keed, i keed.)

[Cutter McKay]

What's the standard recommendation for voting if you're an author in the contest? Should I avoid even voting in any brackets my piece appears in? Or should I only cast two votes -- ones NOT for my pieces?

Thanks!

You should absolutely vote for your own and in your own groups. Sometimes it's the only vote your story gets, 

And definitely comment on stories in your own groups. Just be careful not to give away which stories are yours or to bad mouth others to garner votes for your own. (Not that I think you would do that).

But one of the great benefits of this contest is getting so much feedback from so many people, so return the favor and comment as much as you can. 

[Whiskerwing]

Thank you both, that helps a lot. (And I'll definitely comment -- but I may wait and see what the normal depth of critique is offered before I pipe up. My current writing group is a little intense and I need to get a feel for the podcastle contest levels).

I will say I peeked at the last contest entries and just ADORED Fetch (along with a great many other stories) so the reader in me is all giddy at new content!

[Thunderscreech]

Anyone else find themselves dropping in super frequently today to check if the first batch has posted yet?  Jeepers, this has me shivering with antici

[Whiskerwing]

Anyone else find themselves dropping in super frequently today to check if the first batch has posted yet?  Jeepers, this has me shivering with antici

You're the sort of writer who employs cliffhangers, aren't you? *grin and wink*

[Thunderscreech]

Anyone else find themselves dropping in super frequently today to check if the first batch has posted yet?  Jeepers, this has me shivering with antici

You're the sort of writer who employs cliffhangers, aren't you? *grin and wink*

pation!

[Cutter McKay]

Anyone else find themselves dropping in super frequently today to check if the first batch has posted yet?  Jeepers, this has me shivering with antici

Does every five minutes count as "frequently"?

[FireTurtle]

Anyone else find themselves dropping in super frequently today to check if the first batch has posted yet?  Jeepers, this has me shivering with antici

You're the sort of writer who employs cliffhangers, aren't you? *grin and wink*

pation!

Oh, you Sweet thing, you.