March 2015 - LM - Re-imagined Fairy Tale SCORES

[J Anfinson]

Still, when it gets down to it, I couldn't care less. We're all adults, and nothing's going to change. I can dish it, and I can take it, and I won't be discouraged. I just hope everyone who enters has that mindset, also. People are different.

That's the mindset everyone needs if you're going to submit your stories to a professional market. Not all editors or agents will be gentle, so if your feelings get hurt over the criticism here then you better learn to suck it up, all you princesses.

[Pluralized]

Brutality has no place in my critiques, and I'm very happy about that.

...

People are different.

Not everyone has your panache.

[midnightpoet]

This has been said before, but it bears repeating. Critiques cross the line when the critique becomes a personal attack. I have not seen that here, and I imagine it that happened one of the head guys would rip the critiquer a new one. Critiques are successful if they are helpful to the writer.

[InnerFlame00]

Bluntness and brutal honesty has it's place for sure because that works for some people. Everyone responds to a different style of critiquing. Personally I respond best to the compliment sandwich - I need someone to let me know what is bad about my work so I can fix it, but I also need to also know what I'm doing right so I don't feel like a terrible writer, or over think what is already working. Other people may prefer just cutting straight to what doesn't work because they already know what works.

And yes, I am totally going to take it personally when my writing gets rejected by dozens of publishers, and it's gonna make me very sad. But, I'll get over it, and then get better. That's the one good thing about me, I get hurt easy but I always get back up. It's kind of funny because in life I prefer brute bluntness and honesty, but when it comes to my creations I get all sensitive lol.

I kind of agree on the judges being anonymous. Is there a specific reason why they are not at the moment?

[rcallaci]

I found all the judges crits quite illuminating- I have a thick skin so harsh or negitive crits don't offend or discourage me. We're all here to improve our craft and learn what our weak and strong points are. The feedeback I recieved was invabuable and I look forward to try my hand at more of these.

I thank all the judges for giving up thier time and sanity to judge these things- you guys are quite special..

I really got a kick writing my little piece- I have been writing my version of the Bible for the past ten years--full of fairy-tales and other blasphemous things.

my warmest

bob

[joshybo]

Bluntness and brutal honesty has it's place for sure because that works for some people. Everyone responds to a different style of critiquing. Personally I respond best to the compliment sandwich - I need someone to let me know what is bad about my work so I can fix it, but I also need to also know what I'm doing right so I don't feel like a terrible writer, or over think what is already working. Other people may prefer just cutting straight to what doesn't work because they already know what works.

And yes, I am totally going to take it personally when my writing gets rejected by dozens of publishers, and it's gonna make me very sad. But, I'll get over it, and then get better. That's the one good thing about me, I get hurt easy but I always get back up. It's kind of funny because in life I prefer brute bluntness and honesty, but when it comes to my creations I get all sensitive lol.

I kind of agree on the judges being anonymous. Is there a specific reason why they are not at the moment?

All that means is that you take your work seriously and that's not necessarily a bad attitude to have. And there is no point in trying to deny it if harsh critiques cut you a bit deeply, so I respect your honesty in admitting that they do and will. The important thing is just to know that if someone is giving you a true critique, it is never a testament to their personal feelings about you as a person or even a writer.

We put ourselves out there in this line of work because we have no choice but to do so. If we can't learn to appreciate the responses and feedback of our readers, then we'll have a tough time writing things that other people enjoy reading. I am by no means insinuating one should only write the things other people want to read, but learning how to convey your subject in a way that is palatable to the reader is essential to writing effectively, in my opinion. That's why I personally value the feedback of the judges so much. What sounds alright to me in my awkward little mind might sound utterly ridiculous to the majority of readers, so I'll take feedback whenever I can get it. Otherwise, I would not feel like I was giving my best effort to this thing that I very much love to do.

[TKent]

Thanks to everyone!! A lot of work goes into all of this and it is much appreciated!

[Zeynith]

I found the feedback much more brutal than usual this go 'round, scores-wise. For any who may be discouraged to enter, don't be -- please. Although it's not nice to receive a bad score, or have harsher critics review your work, it's crucial that you continue to challenge yourself. My favourite part of the whole process is the judges/authors conversing in the scores threads. Showing -- in a more conversational way -- what elements didn't work for them, or what the writers' intentions were, etc.

The competition, for me, is about two things:

First (and foremost): FUN. I want people to spread their wings and fly. Try something different -- a new style you're messing with, perhaps. Telling the story from the perspective of an inanimate object; going all-out, bat-shit crazy; giving your inner creator something to bite into. Who wins means nothing to me, but I don't know about other folks.

Secondly: IMPROVEMENT. The scores don't mean a goddamn thing (as is clear in the fairytale competition, where apparently everyone was kinda average). It's about the feedback, always. We all know that; it's no secret. Some will like it (your work), some will detest it, and neither is afraid to say it. As much as I disagree with certain methods of relaying that information, it's just the nature of high-level critique.

Be brave! Go for it, I say. Screw us judges, ha; do your thing, and smile.

Zeynith: You write well! My advice would be to write two different stories, if you can, and pick the best one. That would have helped you this go 'round, it seems, though I enjoyed your piece just fine.

Thanks Bruno, but to be honest I really don't think I am cut out for short stories. I wasn't upset with the scores or comments, and agreed with most of them, and can go through step by step all the things that feel apart from the massive cuts I had to do just to make it fit into the word limit. I actually did a complete rewrite after the first version (that I liked better) was cut into a disjointed mess. So I thought I would try again making it more of a dark comedy(which is something I never tried before). Where is the comedy you ask? Well that got cut too. Not helped by the fact that Bluebeard's wife doesn't have a name in the actual fairy tale, it was just a mess. I probably wouldn't have submitted at all if I hadn't wasted so much time on it. I liked the prompt and wanted to try something different, but I think I have learned my lesson.

[Zeynith]

Congrats again to all the winners!

[Crowley K. Jarvis]

I enjoyed all of them myself, from the perspective of a reader that eats everything with no bias... Maybe that's not a good thing though.

The difference is if someone is trying to help. If the Mentors here didn't care and thought you should give up, they'd say it, and not be judges and stop being mentors, but they don't.

And the thing is, they're open to their own shortcomings as well. (They critique each other too. No one is perfect.)

Sorry... I like throwing pennies everywhere my two cents can land. Congratulations!