"It's the final count down...." cue the air guitar!!!
Let's do this... in STYLE.
Which is probably why writers have such surly attitudes regarding critics...
Take your time. Many of us have already torn our own work to pieces already. There is no harsher critic than a writer reading his own work.agreed in both accounts
Writers are their harshers critics or their most devout defenders...while there are those who find wrong were others wont see it, a lot more would not acept critics or changes... not because they want to close their eyes... but damn every father sees their children as being beutiful... just ask my mother :P
I think this is why joining an organization where writing is workshopped is often helpful. You learn to critique in a way that is constructive. If something doesn't work, you learn how to say why it isn't working; giving an author an idea of what is wrong and possible ways to improve is much better than just saying what you don't like about it. Plus, saying what does work or is right with a story is always fine, too. :)
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I think this is why joining an organization where writing is workshopped is often helpful. You learn to critique in a way that is constructive. If something doesn't work, you learn how to say why it isn't working; giving an author an idea of what is wrong and possible ways to improve is much better than just saying what you don't like about it. Plus, saying what does work or is right with a story is always fine, too. :)
exactly what we try to do at Pathfinder Chronicler man, believe me all have learned to have a tough skin... and every comment is useful, even the ones not directly used.
But definitively the 2 ways of improving writing are simply to write, and to see what you are doing wrong, or where people misunderstands you, etc.
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If you didn’t know I was one of the judges.
I have been refraining from commenting for fear of letting too much out. I understand that you all want to know who won, but guess what, so are we. I really cannot wait to see the top pick.
[peek behind the curtain] When all the scores were complied the scores between the winners and “losers” was incredibly tight (though to be sure there were two or three that were far down at the bottom.) And the discussion amongst the judges, while not heated, was spirited. We all had a couple of favorites that didn’t make the top 5. [/peek behind the curtain].
I was very impressed with the VAST majority of entries. The diversity of settings, heroes and topics was enough to have me read 98% of them beginning to end, and the quality of writing (from my standards) was pretty high. I teach post-secondary liberal arts part-time and have found that a huge quantity of America’s high school students cannot compose a single coherent paragraph.
So . . . I post all this to say that there will only be one “winner” at the end, but the thing is, most every one of you has talent that simply needs polishing—if you haven’t heard it before, writing is hard work.
My advice to you is: if you enjoy writing and want to continue writing (if for nothing more than a hobby) DO NOT quit. [If you’re doing it just to get $100 is Paizo cash, then just stop now.]
However, if you choose not to quit, then join a writing group, whether it be the Chronicler or some other group. Make sure you surround yourself with people who love you enough to tell you what is good and what is bad, then put in the work to change it. If your reviewer(s) provide nothing but positive feedback, then you aren’t getting any better.
I enjoyed this immensely. Thank you Zux for the idea and thank you all for inspiring me to write better.
@ The people who don't win: Will you put your stories up on Chronicler so we can read them?
I will, certainly.
[peek behind the curtain] When all the scores were complied the scores between the winners and “losers” was incredibly tight (though to be sure there were two or three that were far down at the bottom.) And the discussion amongst the judges, while not heated, was spirited. We all had a couple of favorites that didn’t make the top 5. [/peek behind the curtain].
Ah man! Now I'm even more nervous.
Well, I'm late to the Messageboard party...
I came here looking for info on the finalists and saw this thread, so now I understand. And Friday CANNOT come soon enough.
I will also agree that even if my story isn't published, I'll gladly resubmit it to Wayfinder for posting to see what people think. I've done a lot of gaming in my time, but this was my first honest attempt at fiction writing (though I do plenty of business writing for my job). I would love to get feedback on my story from other writers.
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Honestly, whether I win or lose, I know that I did my best, and that the story was good (or at least that's what my proofreaders told me *shrugs*)
As a writer, I tend to be overly critical of my own work, but I think that's a trait of all artists. The trick I've found is to just...keep going, and more often than not, even if you think the final product is horrible, you're probably wrong. The point is not to get discouraged.
Whether or not I win, you'll see my story appear on my deviantart page once the contest is over. (links will be provided then, I promise!)
Until then, I plan to keep writing, and I hope some of you that feel discouraged can gather up the will to keep plugging away at it. :)
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Welcome to the message boards jddyslexia. I see you're new here (only one post in your Recent Posts tab). Lillith will probably be around with cookies soon to further make you feel welcome.
Wayfinder is a fanzine; you can submit your story to them, but you'll probably want to post your story to Pathfinder Chronicler (the website hosting the contest) if you want direct feedback on it from the community.
(wwww.pathfinderchronicler.net)
I'm really glad you're trying your hand at fiction. I've found that it improves the way I think about the fiction I read, as well as being a pleasure/torture in and of itself. When I wrote my story I had never written fan fiction before; it was really different working in the "shared universe" genre for the first time.
I'm definitely willing to put my story up on Chronicler.
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I can't spill the beans for the contest, but I will asure you all that we are looking into something I am sure will end this contest on a serious upbeat note.
Regardless, join us! Become a member of Pathfinder Chronicler! We will most certainly publish your story after we run it through our editing process. In this way, you will get more feedback than you ever could imagine.
I can't spill the beans for the contest, but I will asure you all that we are looking into something I am sure will end this contest on a serious upbeat note.
Regardless, join us! Become a member of Pathfinder Chronicler! We will most certainly publish your story after we run it through our editing process. In this way, you will get more feedback than you ever could imagine.
[Channels Han Solo]I don't know. I can imagine quite a bit.[/channel] :)
Welcome to the message boards jddyslexia. I see you're new here (only one post in your Recent Posts tab). Lilith will probably be around with cookies soon to further make you feel welcome.
Wayfinder is a fanzine; you can submit your story to them, but you'll probably want to post your story to Pathfinder Chronicler (the website hosting the contest) if you want direct feedback on it from the community.
Yay, cookies! Welcome jddyslexia!
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[Channels Han Solo]I don't know. I can imagine quite a bit.[/channel] :)I can't spill the beans for the contest, but I will asure you all that we are looking into something I am sure will end this contest on a serious upbeat note.
Regardless, join us! Become a member of Pathfinder Chronicler! We will most certainly publish your story after we run it through our editing process. In this way, you will get more feedback than you ever could imagine.
you didn't saw the edit Malik was just working on...
believe me, some of our feedbacks look like slash movies... but tis rewarding when we saw the piece turns a lot better after it.
[Channels Han Solo]I don't know. I can imagine quite a bit.[/channel] :)you didn't saw the edit Malik was just working on...
believe me, some of our feedbacks look like slash movies... but tis rewarding when we saw the piece turns a lot better after it.
Actually, I have no doubt that you give lots of feedback. I mainly meant the Han Solo thing as a joke (although I really can imagine quite a lot having been through such things before).
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I'd love to post my entry on 'Chronicler, but I'm worried I had to gut too much out of it to make it a good read- I ended up trimming about 1100 words from it. I kept saving to an alternate file, then I'd go back and slash away. If I do post it, should I do the entry I sent in or the "unexpurgated" version? Maybe both, for comparisons? And do I need to edit three other stories before I'm allowed to post one, or is the first a "freebie"?
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I'd love to post my entry on 'Chronicler, but I'm worried I had to gut too much out of it to make it a good read- I ended up trimming about 1100 words from it. I kept saving to an alternate file, then I'd go back and slash away. If I do post it, should I do the entry I sent in or the "unexpurgated" version? Maybe both, for comparisons? And do I need to edit three other stories before I'm allowed to post one, or is the first a "freebie"?
if you want to upload in Pathfinder Chronicler we can work with the original text if that is what you want. Sometimes chopping words is necessary... but other times (specially to fit the wordcount) things can be lost.
We do not ask for writers to begin editing before they can upload any text (if they want to do it, they are welcome), being there is a group effort and is intended for all to work (both writing and editing) and believe me, with time we all cover our edit quota.
Still, regarding the contest we will make some announces on Friday after James Sutter reveals the Winners. Talking about that... I should be working on my own post regarding that.
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In any event, outside the word count restrictions of this contest, there's probably more things I could do with it, and I'd probably want to take it away and sit on it for six to twelve months minimum, just thinking.
whenever you can, there is no need to do it right now... still when the contest end I would like to talk to you about your story...
actually I would like to talk to everyone about them... the harshest part of reading every entry was not being able to discuss it with their authors right then and there :P
I'd love to post my entry on 'Chronicler, but I'm worried I had to gut too much out of it to make it a good read- I ended up trimming about 1100 words from it. I kept saving to an alternate file, then I'd go back and slash away. If I do post it, should I do the entry I sent in or the "unexpurgated" version? Maybe both, for comparisons? And do I need to edit three other stories before I'm allowed to post one, or is the first a "freebie"?
I very much had the same problem. I just started writing it all together and I was about two-thirds through the story when I hit the word limit. If I don't win, I may want to revise it back to the original story, since I had to cut out full characters to fit it all in the word count.
some people are asking for feedback and the question as always is... public or personal?
I'm not sure. For me, it probably depends on the level of criticism. If my story got torn apart (and ended up being one of those few that just didn't stand a chance), I may not want everyone to be able to see my extreme lack of talent/skill in that regard.
some people are asking for feedback and the question as always is... public or personal?I'm not sure. For me, it probably depends on the level of criticism. If my story got torn apart (and ended up being one of those few that just didn't stand a chance), I may not want everyone to be able to see my extreme lack of talent/skill in that regard.
Yeah I feel the same way. But then I probably already thought most of the negative criticisms that may come my way, and more. I tend to be pretty harsh on myself.
Do we know yet what time the winner will be revealed tomorrow?
And where the announcement will be made?
We have no word from the noble Paizo Editor.....yet!
In progress... things will proceed according to schedule!
IT IS DONE.
YOU HAVE BEEN JUDGED.
IT IS DONE.
YOU HAVE BEEN JUDGED.
Aww yeah! \m/
IT IS DONE.
YOU HAVE BEEN JUDGED.
Aww yeah! \m/
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I'll be back here @ 12:01 AM EST to learn my fate!IT IS DONE.
YOU HAVE BEEN JUDGED.
or here
I will try to have it at 12:01... time of Arizona :P