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Public feedback is fine. I am not sensitive. I have never posted to Pathfinder Chronicler but I will be looking in to joining up this weekend.I am also curious about what my score was.ahh the good Baker, she got 75
do you desire further feedback, public or private?
feedback here
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Ha! I'm honored that several people liked Kaer Maga enough to set their stories there! I might have to go check those out. :)
Obviously, I would love to have you read my take on Kaer Maga if you have the time. If you like it (or if you don't even) let me know. By the way, I have talked up Kaer Maga with all of my friends and the local game store. It really is a great source book.
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As for the heated race. We had a scoring system that brought 10 entrees to the top. Though we give honorable mention to each Judge's favorite, the points speak something a little different. Out of 100 possible points, here is how the top 10 panned out. Thank you Montalve for keeping such a fantical excel sheet. I just want a few of our contestants to see just how incredibly close they came to being in the Top Five. I believe everyone deserves a shake of the hand and serious acknowledgement for their efforts and I will attempt to do that in the coming days ahead. Once this Wayfinder business is sorted out.
87 Points: Rain of Redemption
87 Points: Enchained
86 Points: Unrequited
84 Points: A Feast to Remember
82 Points: Tea with the Laughing Fiend
81 Points: Family Business
81 Points: The Wandering Kingdom
80 Points: The Three-faced Card
79 Points: The Half Elf and Echinoderm
79 Points: A Bride in Korvosa
D'OH!!! Just 3 points kept me outta the top 5?!? 3!?! Firp-ding-nabbit-n stuff!
Seriously, though. Congrats to everyone, especially William Dodds, my close personal friend and eternal gaming buddy, who wrote the second-place winner, "A Feast to Remember". We both worked hard on these and supported each other a great deal when it was getting down to the wire, and I'm very proud to see him do so well in the face of such competition. We've already got more stories in mind for the characters we wrote about, and look forward to getting them done. I can't speak for him, but personally I would like to post "A Bride in Korvosa" to the 'Chronicler for editing and feedback. I've already registered at the site- just need to email request how to get involved with pretty much anything I can (if you remember my earliest post, I stated I was not overly tech savvy). This was a great experience, and I can't wait to get started on the stories my friend and I need to write!
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I gotta admit I too was attracted by the idea of getting my story read by James, so Mr. Sutter add me to the begging list for comments on my story Nahdep's Journey. My email is Johns.anglin@yahoo.com
Yeah, getting comments from James was actually my biggest drive to enter this--more than the potential gift certificate or even getting into Wayfinder.
SO...James, if you ever feel like reading and commenting on the Top 10 (which would only be 5 more) *cough* hint/beg/beg/hint *cough* I'll gladly toss you my email OR you could feel free to drop by Pathfinder Chronicler (http://www.pathfinderchronicler.net/?cat=212) and post comments there or in the Forums.
Actually, anyone who wants to read #2-10 should stop by PFC and check them out. ;)
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Seriously, though. Congrats to everyone, especially William Dodds, my close personal friend and eternal gaming buddy, who wrote the second-place winner, "A Feast to Remember". We both worked hard on these and supported each other a great deal when it was getting down to the wire, and I'm very proud to see him do so well in the face of such competition. We've already got more stories in mind for the characters we wrote about, and look forward to getting them done. I can't speak for him, but personally I would like to post "A Bride in Korvosa" to the 'Chronicler for editing and feedback. I've already registered at the site- just need to email request how to get involved with pretty much anything I can (if you remember my earliest post, I stated I was not overly tech savvy). This was a great experience, and I can't wait to get started on the stories my friend and I need to write!
Thanks Enyn, ole' buddy, and thanks to everyone for the well wishes, the judges committee (you guys rock! 67 stories read and judged in such a short time!) and James for the selection. Being in the top five with such fine competition is a point of pride. I can't wait to read more of the other short stories!
Now, to figure out Chef Vondal Daine's next tale..
Thanks Enyn, ole' buddy, and thanks to everyone for the well wishes, the judges committee (you guys rock! 67 stories read and judged in such a short time!) and James for the selection. Being in the top five with such fine competition is a point of pride. I can't wait to read more of the other short stories!Now, to figure out Chef Vondal Daine's next tale..
Working my way through the stories now, and that one was damned fun and original. It's nice to see a protagonist who isn't an adventurer.
Plus, as a pseudo-foodie, I loved it.
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Darn your rules! *shakes fist at that not published bit*
;)
Not that it matters now or to be a jerk or take anything away from anyone, but I thought this was a Fan Ficiton contest, "of the fans, by the fans, for the fans".
If Neil can win, and he's already a published and established contributor to Paizo for all his work, then why couldn't Todd have entered or why was Neil allowed to enter and win? Just wonderd.
Not that it matters now or to be a jerk or take anything away from anyone, but I thought this was a Fan Ficiton contest, "of the fans, by the fans, for the fans".
If Neil can win, and he's already a published and established contributor to Paizo for all his work, then why couldn't Todd have entered or why was Neil allowed to enter and win? Just wonderd.
They clarified the rule so only people who had published fiction were barred... not those who had published game materials. Todd did in fact have an entry in the contest.
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Not that it matters now or to be a jerk or take anything away from anyone, but I thought this was a Fan Ficiton contest, "of the fans, by the fans, for the fans".
If Neil can win, and he's already a published and established contributor to Paizo for all his work, then why couldn't Todd have entered or why was Neil allowed to enter and win? Just wonderd.
Clearly Neil IS a fan (who just also happens to write for and has published game material for Paizo)--so it's still "of the fans, by the fans, for the fans." ;)
But, if your overall point/subtext is about amateur vs professional and fan vs contributor, I guess it's just a way to 'up the bar' on the contest.
Contests are never really 'fair' in that if anyone can enter then there's bound to be a wide variety in the level of skill of the writer and the quality of the work. So, I'm not sure how much someone's background in a related-but-different field matters since there may have been entries that were written by people who were just as talented and had no connection to gaming but maybe had experience in technical writing, or editing, or whatever else that could give them an 'edge' even if it wasn't direct support/previous experience.
Those who're unpublished and trying to jump into writing (myself included) will just have to try that much harder because the competition is just that much better than they may have anticipated.
So, maybe a lot of those who entered seemingly brought knives to a gunfight this round, but we'll try to hone our skills and come loaded for, and *expecting* bear next time...(but we'll still hope the pros all get writer's block and massive hand cramps :p )
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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm a little too excited to say anything much coherent right now--I definitely never believed I'd make the top five!
THANK YOU to the judges and Sutter, and to Pathfinder Chronicler for hosting the contest and posting the stories.
I hope people enjoy Enchained!
I really enjoyed it. Qadira is one of my favorite settings in Golarion and I loved your daivrat protagonist. I hope I get to read more from you soon!
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If Neil can win, and he's already a published and established contributor to Paizo for all his work, then why couldn't Todd have entered or why was Neil allowed to enter and win? Just wonderd.
I understand your concern and we thought about it when we planned the contest. But also we talked to James Sutter and he told us (and we agree) that Game Developing and Writing Fiction are basically different schools of writting, you just don't ask the architect that built your home to plan for that 2 miles long bridge you need to finish a country road.
I believe that the contest main prize was actually to have James Sutter read your story, and I know they were looking for this, because even as contributors they don't have access to him.
James is not receiving any fiction he doesn't ask for. This was a golden chance for everyone ta have him to read and consider their works.
To tell the truth I am actually envious of the top 5 stories, I can't be judge and constestant so I am out of the loop.
Yet I am too happy with the results and hearing a lot of people being happy with the idea of writing that it doesn't really matters. So it was really worth to be part of this and it makes me very proud.
Edit: besides as Valmar pointed, some of this contributors reached there through a contest were they showed talent so Paizo began looking at their work. But they began as you and me, fans of Paizo's work, and they still are. It only means you and me need to strive further and harder.
I am ready for that.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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If Neil can win, and he's already a published and established contributor to Paizo for all his work, then why couldn't Todd have entered or why was Neil allowed to enter and win? Just wonderd.
If being beat by Neil bothers you, just run a PbP for him and then take it out on his character. That's what I always do. "While you're in the dungeon, the orcs eat your mount" ... that kind of stuff. ;-)
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I understand your concern and we thought about it when we planned the contest. But also we talked to James Sutter and he told us (and we agree) that Game Developing and Writing Fiction are basically different schools of writting, you just don't ask the architect that built your home to plan for that 2 miles long bridge you need to finish a country road.I believe that the contest main prize was actually to have James Sutter read your story, and I know they were looking for this, because even as contributors they don't have access to him.
James is not receiving any fiction he doesn't ask for. This was a golden chance for everyone ta have him to read and consider their works.
To tell the truth I am actually envious of the top 5 stories, I can't be judge and constestant so I am out of the loop.
Yet I am too happy with the results and hearing a lot of people being happy with the idea of writing that it doesn't really matters. So it was really worth to be part of this and it makes me very proud.
Edit: besides as Valmar pointed, some of this contributors reached there through a contest were they showed talent so Paizo began looking at their work. But they began as you and me, fans of Paizo's work, and they still are. It only means you and me need to strive further and harder.
I am ready for that.
Heh, don't get me wrong--I've stared at the list showing that I was #7 of 10 and *2* points out of being Top 5.
It's definitely a mix of joy at placing so well and the utter disappointment of being just on the cusp of making it and then missing it by SO little (in a way I think a score of '50' would have at least let me know that I sucked--now I know that I almost didn't suck enough to get into the 'big show').
I would disagree with the idea that there's no advantage to being a published contributor to Paizo.
To be published means that you must know how to write well enough to have been *published*. So, you know the raw mechanics of grammar and the rules of how to structure your work. You're familiar with deadlines and word counts. You're clearly familiar with the world and the material. And while a stat block may not be the same thing as a short story, successfully creating a module has all of the above requirements of mechanical precision AND most of the same elements that make for good fiction: you need an engaging plot, some way to move things along, an idea of pacing, development, characters, etc. Plus, as a Paizo contributor (in particular) you have a sense of what works, what doesn't, what people are looking for and probably have tons of ideas floating around.
So, I don't think being published for RPG content for Paizo is all that far off from writing fan-fiction in that same world/setting as some believe. It's not like working in the cafeteria or the company band and then writing fiction.
I do think it's a clear advantage to have been published by the company you're writing fan fiction for.
BUT, like I said, that's the nature of ANY competition--from your first experience playing kickball to your last (next) job interview--nothing is ever going to be 'fair' since 'fair' is an empty concept.
I read some posts on Chronicler where people think they deserved better scores, or thought their works were better than those pieces selected as Top 5 or Top 10, and that's fine--you should be proud of you work and it's human nature to think what you made is better than whatever someone else made (ask mothers of ugly babies everywhere).
The point is, the winner won by writing the best piece. While background experience may have definitely helped propel his work above the rest, that's the nature of competition--someone's always better.
If Neil can win, and he's already a published and established contributor to Paizo for all his work, then why couldn't Todd have entered or why was Neil allowed to enter and win? Just wonderd.I understand your concern and we thought about it when we planned the contest. But also we talked to James Sutter and he told us (and we agree) that Game Developing and Writing Fiction are basically different schools of writting, you just don't ask the architect that built your home to plan for that 2 miles long bridge you need to finish a country road.
I believe that the contest main prize was actually to have James Sutter read your story, and I know they were looking for this, because even as contributors they don't have access to him.
James is not receiving any fiction he doesn't ask for. This was a golden chance for everyone ta have him to read and consider their works.
To tell the truth I am actually envious of the top 5 stories, I can't be judge and constestant so I am out of the loop.
Yet I am too happy with the results and hearing a lot of people being happy with the idea of writing that it doesn't really matters. So it was really worth to be part of this and it makes me very proud.
Edit: besides as Valmar pointed, some of this contributors reached there through a contest were they showed talent so Paizo began looking at their work. But they began as you and me, fans of Paizo's work, and they still are. It only means you and me need to strive further and harder.
I am ready for that.
Here's how I started out:
I wrote a metric ton of Planescape-related fan fic and posted it online, plus a storyhour for a 3.x Planescape campaign that was around 2k pages of text last I checked (sadly on hiatus for lack of time to finish). After putting all of that out for public consumption, when I submitted a querie to Dragon magazine, one of the editors already knew who I was based on the online presence and the material I'd been carpet bombing the internet with for the past two years.
All of the stuff I'd written for the heck of it and posted online really served to get me at a point where my writing was at the entry point for publishing RPG stuff. And getting some notice by Paizo folks was awesome, and for whatever reason they've come back to me for freelancing. :D
RPG creative writing and fiction are related but quite different. The former you don't have to worry about pacing, about character development to the same degree, or story flow, dialogue, etc. You're more reciting details rather than telling a story. Tangential to each other, but being good at one does not automatically make you good at the other.
I'm quite happy for a top 5 placement given the skill of other folks in the contest, the word limit, and the short time I had to write it. More than anything, more experience and getting some really good feedback made it worth it because it's something I enjoy and want to get better at and hopefully published in. Plus, I have two other in-progress Golarion stories on my desktop (one of which would so -totally- have been rejected on the basis of story content and maturity for this contest).
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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Montalve, out of curiosity, do you write any Pathfinder fiction in Spanish, too? I'd love to read some, if you can post it on Pathfinder Chronicler; I want to brush up on my bilingual reading skills, which have sadly atrophied since college. :)
I'd love to read any French entries on the Chronicler for the same reason. Our multilingual Paizonians should know they are wanted.
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Montalve, out of curiosity, do you write any Pathfinder fiction in Spanish, too? I'd love to read some, if you can post it on Pathfinder Chronicler; I want to brush up on my bilingual reading skills, which have sadly atrophied since college. :)
Heh, we'd need more bilingual editors if he did, as any of us who ever did speak another language have all long forgotten most of it.
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Montalve, out of curiosity, do you write any Pathfinder fiction in Spanish, too? I'd love to read some, if you can post it on Pathfinder Chronicler; I want to brush up on my bilingual reading skills, which have sadly atrophied since college. :)Heh, we'd need more bilingual editors if he did, as any of us who ever did speak another language have all long forgotten most of it.
Perhaps issues of mechanics couldn't be adressed, but issues with plot, pacing, characterization and Aristotle's Unities certainly could.
If Montalve edits one of my stories in English, I'd expect him to be less concerned with my spelling and grammar, since that is not his natal language, and see more of the flaws in my pacing. If I read one of his stories in Spanish I think I could still be a fair editor. My Spanish hasn't atrophied so far that I can't read without a dictionary.
If the website couldn't get enough editors in a given language, though, maybe having a link or direction to a different place to post, just for reading enjoyment and the sake of inclusion?
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Perhaps issues of mechanics couldn't be adressed, but issues with plot, pacing, characterization and Aristotle's Unities certainly could.
If Montalve edits one of my stories in English, I'd expect him to be less concerned with my spelling and grammar, since that is not his natal language, and see more of the flaws in my pacing. If I read one of his stories in Spanish I think I could still be a fair editor. My Spanish hasn't atrophied so far that I can't read without a dictionary.
If the website couldn't get enough editors in a given language, though, maybe having a link or direction to a different place to post, just for reading enjoyment and the sake of inclusion?
Well, at least you didn't ask to discuss the Platonic Forms.
I'm new and don't want to speak for Montalve or PFC fully, but imho:
I think PFC wouldn't be opposed at all, we're just small, and right now we're focusing on English as everyone speaks it so it's all-inclusive (albeit to varying degrees) and we can each read what everyone writes so we can each edit what's submitted.
We use a three-pass system, where each submission gets at least three editors to look at it. If we tried multi-lingual then we wouldn't have enough people with enough fluency to pull it off.
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Fair enough.
But if Montalve or anyone else still wants to share their foreign language work elsewhere, maybe providing a link, I for one want to read it.
my pleasure Zeugma.
Actually 2 of my first stories from Golarion were in spanish, I translated the first, but didn't didn't did the same with the second, working it differently in english, both ultimately are left inconcluse. I also translated the 1st part of Life of Korvosa to spanish and worked a flash fiction both in spanish and english based in an story that remainded me of a Calistrian. Deviant Art for the moment serves me well to post anything that can't go in the PF Chronicler, like science fiction, a bit of horror, vigilantes, etc.
English versions are for comparison if you so chose.
Decisions of Faith, english version at PF Chronicler
Decisiones de Fe 1, Deviant Art (PDF)
Decisiones de Fe 2, Deviant Art (PDF)
Life in Korvosa, english version at PF Chronicler
La vida en Korvosa, Deviant Art
Bees / Abejas based on this art
by the way Zeugma, thanks for asking :)
PS: Damn! DA took the images I used as "cover" for my stories... or at least I can't seen them.. darn o well...
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So, maybe a lot of those who entered seemingly brought knives to a gunfight this round, but we'll try to hone our skills and come loaded for, and *expecting* bear next time...(but we'll still hope the pros all get writer's block and massive hand cramps :p )
But Neil's more like...owlbear. Yeah, I'll come loaded for owlbear, next time.
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But Neil's more like...owlbear. Yeah, I'll come loaded for owlbear, next time.
So, maybe a lot of those who entered seemingly brought knives to a gunfight this round, but we'll try to hone our skills and come loaded for, and *expecting* bear next time...(but we'll still hope the pros all get writer's block and massive hand cramps :p )
Rotating head and a lots of "Who?"
O/T: Puppy Pile stretching to Heaven yet?
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Thank you for sharing, Montalve! I'm reading them now. :)my pleasure, hope you like them :)
I know i need begin translating more... lol I just need to find some free time.
I'm gonna send you an e-mail so I can join the Pathfinder Chronicler. You do a good job translating your own work, from what I've read so far. Still, some turns of phrase just sound better in one language over another. If I can see what you're trying to get at in Spanish, I might be able to help improve it in English.
I really admire what you're doing. When I was taking Spanish in college I sometimes cried when I couldn't figure out how to write what I wanted and get the meaning across. It is SO difficult! Especially when there are exprssions that have not equivalent and just can't be translated!
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I'm gonna send you an e-mail so I can join the Pathfinder Chronicler. You do a good job translating your own work, from what I've read so far. Still, some turns of phrase just sound better in one language over another. If I can see what you're trying to get at in Spanish, I might be able to help improve it in English.
I really admire what you're doing. When I was taking Spanish in college I sometimes cried when I couldn't figure out how to write what I wanted and get the meaning across. It is SO difficult! Especially when there are exprssions that have not equivalent and just can't be translated!
thanks. yes, when that happens you need to search for something that says the same without changing the meaning... and sometimes that means rewriting part of the story. Its interesting? yes. As a wrtiter translating my own work its partially like writing something new... but damn I would hate people translating my work for the same reason.
still the secret is trying to keep as close to the original as possible, and thanks for the support :)
Hey everyone!
Congratulations again to everyone who entered--if there's anything I've learned about writing contests, it's that whether or not you win, the fact that it *made you write a story* is the biggest reward.
Unfortunately, as much as I wish I could read all the entries (especially the Kaer Maga ones!), I can't in good conscience do so. Not because it's unfair somehow, but because the pile of writing samples I have on my desk from professionals--folks with a dozen Star Trek or Dragonlance novels under their belt--is growing far faster than I can handle. So in the best interest of Pathfinder fiction as a line, I'm going to abstain.
...at least until next year, when Pathfinder Chronicler does the second annual contest? :)
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Hey everyone!
Congratulations again to everyone who entered--if there's anything I've learned about writing contests, it's that whether or not you win, the fact that it *made you write a story* is the biggest reward.
Unfortunately, as much as I wish I could read all the entries (especially the Kaer Maga ones!), I can't in good conscience do so. Not because it's unfair somehow, but because the pile of writing samples I have on my desk from professionals--folks with a dozen Star Trek or Dragonlance novels under their belt--is growing far faster than I can handle. So in the best interest of Pathfinder fiction as a line, I'm going to abstain.
...at least until next year, when Pathfinder Chronicler does the second annual contest? :)
Aww, but eet's only a wafer-thin mint*!
(*where 'mint' means a pile of 5 stories)
Well, we tried. ;)
Thanks again for your involvement, it was a fun prize to shoot for.
(...*cough* and they're up at PFC if you ever find time...*cough*)
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...at least until next year, when Pathfinder Chronicler does the second annual contest? :)
its part of the plans, yes... now lets the next year arrive and we will talk... and I will make sure to leave us a better reading margin :P
tsk tsk sorry, quick judging only this time... I am not that crazy specially if we get more!