tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post3113985378552264997..comments2024-03-18T09:09:59.625-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: Writing Contest FINAL RESULTSJanet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-3431895336609792852016-10-19T10:28:56.170-04:002016-10-19T10:28:56.170-04:00Thanks again for the kind remarks, everyone! Thanks again for the kind remarks, everyone! Nom de plumehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01309604252298236431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-455541196409143792016-10-18T21:01:10.869-04:002016-10-18T21:01:10.869-04:00French Sojourn, thank you!
Mark Thurber, thanks f...<b>French Sojourn</b>, thank you!<br /><br /><b>Mark Thurber</b>, thanks for taking the time to help me out. I appreciate the advice. <br /><br /><b>Nate Wilson</b>, thank you for your kind words!Angel Lanpherehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18018211234380237842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-27297314859078227992016-10-18T11:56:02.005-04:002016-10-18T11:56:02.005-04:00Congratulations, Bethany, and everyone else mentio...Congratulations, Bethany, and everyone else mentioned!<br /><br />I also thought the injuries in Angel's piece were self-inflicted--too many times watching Fight Club, perhaps--but I love both the supernatural and already-in-the-room interpretations. The different possibilities add to the mystery, and entice me to read on (if there was more to read, obviously).Nate Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09690171790664252309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-32378817449121426192016-10-18T10:33:03.619-04:002016-10-18T10:33:03.619-04:00Angel, for what it's worth, I interpreted your...<b>Angel</b>, for what it's worth, I interpreted your wonderful story exactly as you intended, that the MC was hurting herself and attributing it to "Joe." I can see how people reached the other two interpretations though. It can be so hard to leave precisely the right clues in 100 words. (I find I most often fail in my flash fiction by being over-subtle and assuming that what's in my head gets through to the reader, which is why I invariably do better when I read it to someone else first.) Reading your story several more times, I think two points of possible confusion could be: 1) that it was unclear whether "Joe" was physically in the room where the MC was being seen, even though she left alone per the doctor, and 2) that the MC's saying "I live alone" might discourage the reader from thinking that Joe is a delusion of hers (although it could also be that she has learned others won't believe her if she mentions him). One possible idea on the first point might be to modify the last line to: "The doctor watched her leave THE EXAM ROOM as she came, alone."<br /><br /><b>Kae</b>, I've struggled to pull off fantasy in 100 words, so I was very impressed with how you created a world with small touches -- e.g. "Time was, he’d never have overnighted at an inn, but the threatening storm had his elderly dragon agitated." Then, of course, you very cleverly left it to the reader to fill in the ending to the story!<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09886045611763178062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-8163740013484052712016-10-18T06:53:51.807-04:002016-10-18T06:53:51.807-04:00Congratulations Bethany Joy. And everyone mentione...Congratulations Bethany Joy. And everyone mentioned. I enjoyed reading through the stories.Lisa Bodenheimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17809067722921953857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-4492032091148759382016-10-18T05:23:22.140-04:002016-10-18T05:23:22.140-04:00[Late commenting again - sorry...]
But WOW what hi...[Late commenting again - sorry...]<br />But WOW what high calibre writing! Congratulations, <b>Bethany Joy</b>, short-listers, and honourable mentions! <br />Thanks, <b>Mark Thurber</b>, for your comment on my story about the dragon and the wasp. I almost didn't post it, as it's so far removed from what I'd normally write - but I'm glad I did and that you enjoyed it :)<br />I, too, liked <b>Celia Reaves</b> musical entry, was creeped out by <b>The Noise in Space</b> and loved the poignancy of <b>Megan Laughman's</b> beginning and ending. But the entry that stunned me was <b>Mallory Love's</b> - those final words will stick with me forever, I think *shudders*<br />Kae Ridwynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10356868531870405990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-45807259460508509932016-10-18T03:47:14.241-04:002016-10-18T03:47:14.241-04:00Congrats Bethany...very nice.
Angel, that's h...<br />Congrats Bethany...very nice.<br /><br />Angel, that's how I read it as I thought your beautiful last line was literal. Thinking she had self-inflicted the abuse. Great job.french sojournhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14262858704848580714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-68788535042477972862016-10-17T23:22:41.624-04:002016-10-17T23:22:41.624-04:00Janet, I'm honored to be a finalist. Thank you...Janet, I'm honored to be a finalist. Thank you so much. After I read your blog post this morning, I danced around my room! It certainly put a spring in my step. Great job everyone. Congratulations to Bethany Joy – I loved your entry. <br />Thank you all for your kind words. I'm absolutely thrilled my entry has caused some discussion.<br /><br />Since there were different opinions I thought I'd share what my story is about. I wanted the reader to assume my MC was beaten regularly by some guy named Joe. A doctor would never ask if everything is ok at home with the supposed abuser in the room (at least I think so) and she most likely wouldn't tell the truth in front of her abuser anyhow. Even though she sees Joe in the exam room the doctor was not aware of his presence. What I was trying to convey was this abuse was physically her own doing but in her mind Joe is the one inflicting this pain. A person who harms themselves and has delusions as to whom is doing it.<br /><br />So there it is. Based on your comments, my story does appear more like a poltergeist (and that's way cooler!) but I'm glad you guys enjoyed it regardless. Any tips on how I could have made my message clearer is appreciated. Thanks again.Angel Lanpherehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18018211234380237842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-33767669598314584762016-10-17T22:21:20.145-04:002016-10-17T22:21:20.145-04:00Thank you! Beyond proud to join the list! Thank you! Beyond proud to join the list! Nom de plumehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01309604252298236431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-32987041213663732232016-10-17T22:10:11.263-04:002016-10-17T22:10:11.263-04:00Congratulations Bethany! Very nicely done. And t...Congratulations Bethany! Very nicely done. And thanks for the mention, Janet. This was a fun contest.Just Janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12546035917149403735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-24075834144790322062016-10-17T22:10:00.470-04:002016-10-17T22:10:00.470-04:00Congratulations Bethany! Very nicely done. And t...Congratulations Bethany! Very nicely done. And thanks for the mention, Janet. This was a fun contest.Just Janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12546035917149403735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-71283285707688985262016-10-17T22:04:23.348-04:002016-10-17T22:04:23.348-04:00Congrats, Bethany Joy! What breathtaking writing--...Congrats, Bethany Joy! What breathtaking writing--intricate and so heartbreaking. <br /><br />And thank you to Celia Reaves, Beth and Brigid--this was my first time entering, so I was extremely nervous that I'd made it either too obvious or too obscure. But it's definitely a very fun challenge!The Noise In Spacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13433798159445551782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-57971174463184399962016-10-17T21:05:10.389-04:002016-10-17T21:05:10.389-04:00Janet, The only reason I picked a Jane Austin was...Janet, The only reason I picked a Jane Austin was because it was predictable and wasn't scary or threatening...unlike that thing that loner cat was watching on the wall...as it whispered your name...in the dark...in a storm....at nearly midnight....(insert evil laugh here: maawhahaaaa).<br /><br />I loved all the finalist! Congrats Bethany!. <br />(I think the closer it gets to Halloween the creepier the entries will get.)Kate Higginshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09861373649696211491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-58248492241608860512016-10-17T19:51:16.301-04:002016-10-17T19:51:16.301-04:00High-five to you, Bethany Joy. Great job capturing...High-five to you, Bethany Joy. Great job capturing the Shark's fascination. You steal Le Sharque's breath away, you're having a tremendous writing day. Doesn't get any better than that. Unless you add chocolate, I guess. <br /><br />However, confession: I, quite unfortunately, find myself in the remedial class this weekend because I don't think I'm following exactly what's happening in your story. I looked up "catatonic" to make sure I had the right definition. Ditto on "epilepsy." I'm a go read it again, see if a light clicks on or if I remain embarrassed...<br /><br />Well, that didn't work. See if a cold bottle of Budweiser helps clear things up.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Lennon Faris, your interpretation of Angel's story makes it SOOOO much more clever in my mind. Not to take away from what was already there -- and heck, maybe that's how it was originally intended -- but I had it being a poltergeist as well. <br /><br />The guy sitting there, his affiliation unknown to the doctor, makes it 57x more chilling. Angel, great stuff.John Davis Frainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18020019400599228492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-77861735844306831752016-10-17T19:01:29.605-04:002016-10-17T19:01:29.605-04:00Gypmar- Excellent, kudos to Nels for a crisp, funn...Gypmar- Excellent, kudos to Nels for a crisp, funny story!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09886045611763178062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-21980946899271105552016-10-17T18:48:48.449-04:002016-10-17T18:48:48.449-04:00[Public Service Announcement]
Sorry, I meant to ad...<b>[Public Service Announcement]</b><br />Sorry, I meant to add this to my last comment, but forgot... If you're hunting around the blog archives and come across a writing contest not on The Spreadsheet, please let me know. There are contests on the blog that are not included, but that's because they either a) depend upon a photograph (e.g., a caption contest, or a "book spine poetry" contest), or b) required entrants to submit their entries via email (I think this was the very first writing contest). So if you find one that doesn't fall into one of those two types, and isn't on the list, email me (see my Blogger account for my address) please so I can make the list as complete as possible. That way, when we get to the 100th contest (this one was #92 by my count), there's no dispute about the number. :)<br /><br />Thank you!<br /><b>[END PSA]</b>Colin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-68404909118442902602016-10-17T18:42:23.170-04:002016-10-17T18:42:23.170-04:00Congratulations to Bethany Joy (beautiful name!) a...Congratulations to Bethany Joy (beautiful name!) and all the finalists, mentions, and everyone who entered. Such great stories! I, too, got a kick out of flashfriday's--laughed out loud, then laughed again with the re-read when I took better note of LemmingCliffBottom's line about peer pressure. I'm laughing again just thinking about it. It's a lemming. That followed the other lemmings off a cliff. Peer pressure. So funny! Getting giddy.<br /><br />Janet, thanks for the mention, and for these contests. Writing stories with 100 words or fewer is good writing practice. And very fun. Who needs to write novels? Just kidding. Just kidding. Just kidding. Please don't tell anyone I said that.Amy Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05324408700941398495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-58451573165153953182016-10-17T18:36:25.946-04:002016-10-17T18:36:25.946-04:00Congratulations Bethany!Congratulations Bethany!CynthiaMchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12175917641033760408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-42760485539952343932016-10-17T18:26:42.371-04:002016-10-17T18:26:42.371-04:00Mark, "Shaun" was my 13 year-old son Nel...Mark, "Shaun" was my 13 year-old son Nels entering for the first time (with his dad's log-in.) He will be tickled by your comment!Gypmarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10023108950501721303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-30174830158760474042016-10-17T18:17:07.059-04:002016-10-17T18:17:07.059-04:00The Writing Contest Spreadsheet in the Treasure Ch...The Writing Contest Spreadsheet in the <a href="http://www.colindsmith.com/TreasureChest/" rel="nofollow">Treasure Chest</a> is now up-to-date.<br /><br />Congrats, again, <b>Bethany</b>!Colin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-68322558320889398382016-10-17T18:11:28.634-04:002016-10-17T18:11:28.634-04:00Congratulations, Bethany!Congratulations, Bethany!JD Hornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05538238148744690853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-74093659067614968672016-10-17T17:58:34.723-04:002016-10-17T17:58:34.723-04:00Wow, these are really great entries! I'm in aw...Wow, these are really great entries! I'm in awe. Congrats to <b>Bethany</b>!Kittyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09868642232827730189noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-79096512606615736922016-10-17T17:51:13.786-04:002016-10-17T17:51:13.786-04:00Ooh, a paranormal twist to Angel's is pretty c...Ooh, a paranormal twist to Angel's is pretty cool. I like that interpretation. Creepy either way! Lennon Farishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03570629350169504234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-42925019284476741292016-10-17T17:15:40.912-04:002016-10-17T17:15:40.912-04:00Janet, thank you for absolutely making my day! The...Janet, thank you for absolutely making my day! The contests are a great opportunity to practice storytelling & I appreciate everything you do to inspire writers. <br /><br />Thank you everyone for your kind words; they mean so much to me. This goes without saying, but each entry was fascinating and it was a pleasure to read them all. Celia, I wish I could take your class because the subject is endlessly interesting.Nom de plumehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01309604252298236431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-4088802049250422042016-10-17T17:02:02.754-04:002016-10-17T17:02:02.754-04:00Told you it wasn't preferred. Not sure why Bet...Told you it wasn't preferred. Not sure why Bethany became Germany. My phone must be smarter than I am.Timothy Lowehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07514224628760035696noreply@blogger.com