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Damn it, and I thought I could get away without even reviewing all of the submissions...

At 8/10/09 08:14 PM, WritersBlock wrote:
post about standing up for ones self, edited out to save space :)

I was attempting to go for the humerous side of self-deprecation.
I have the confidence to back up any of my own work, otherwise I wouldn't do it. If I didn't feel confident I could write up a story based on a music piece I would not have entered in the first place.
My downfall isn't confidence, it would be motivation.

I'm not one for trying to win all the time. All I did was make a little story and want to see how it fared in the world of more professional writing.
I entered the competition and completed my entry, I'm happy with that alone.

[and just to be a little smartass myself, it should be "Let's GET back and read" :)]

And btw, either I missed the meaning of the rhetorical question or you missed that one out.

At 8/10/09 08:17 PM, Lost-Chances wrote:
I haven't even finished voting.

Fuck you.

Tell me, how was I supposed to know that?
I dont follow this thread like a religion so EXCUSE ME if I miss a post or a few, there really is no need to jump down my throat with a rusty chainsaw about it. Chill a bit why dont you? Jeez. . .

Je-sus! Lighten up, people. My first thought when all this went down was the scene from the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, where the news of the fraud is on TV and then Charlie finds the ticket in his candy bar. "Run home, Charlie!"

Really though, lighten up. To improve at anything requires the realization that you can always do better, and that there is always someone better than you, but also that you are worthy, and that your hard work and long hours have brought you somewhere worth being proud of. Self-esteem is important. But stop being so damn serious about it!

At 8/10/09 08:26 PM, PARABLK wrote: Stuff

Yeah, I got that impression from your comments. And I agree, if you don't win, it still means a lot to get mentioned, or even to get some experience in your belt and some criticisms to go from. It's one thing I'm really looking forward to for this month when the results come out.

At 8/10/09 11:43 PM, flashman16 wrote: More stuff

I can see what you were aiming at when you point it out, but in general, the comments in the original post were unclear, and whether you're a genuine sad sack or not is irrelevant. You said what you said, I said what I said, and I mean what I said. Enter for the challenge and the experience, don't try to bring us down.

Also, I didn't mean to write "Let's get", but rather "Let's go", but whatever, it's the same deal as your post, it's hard to say whether I meant "get" or "go".

Now, let's just go back to waiting patiently for the results train to arrive. What's that over the hill? Steam, from the engine?

At 8/11/09 08:32 AM, WritersBlock wrote: Now, let's just go back to waiting patiently for the results train to arrive. What's that over the hill? Steam, from the engine?

:O

*Watches quietly hoping train arrives soon*

At 8/11/09 08:32 AM, WritersBlock wrote: Some stuff about me brining down mood and how it's not all about technicalities of words and in-it-to-win-it and being amo stuff

Well my aim with my post was to bring at least a smile to a couple of people, clearly that one failed =/

I shall now let it drop here since i dont want to be accused of bringing down any more moods, so I bring forth this:

The second I read your last bit I immediatly thought

"What's that coming over the hill?
Is it a monster?
It's just the results!"

Hey guys cheer up, it's my birthday!

I am sure that the results will be announced publically soon. It would incredibly rude of gumOnShoe to PM winners privately.

However it has been almost two weeks and gumOnShoe has neither posted information on judging times nor officially confirmed that the deadline has been met.

The amount of effort made into the stories is superb. I honestly thought that there would be only a few entries. I am glad to see that people care about this competition and I hope I speak for everybody in that we all eagerly await judges comments and official results.

Sammi.

At 8/11/09 02:32 PM, EKublai wrote: Hey guys cheer up, it's my birthday!

But it's not MY birthday! >:|

Anyway, I have confidence in my writing. Sure, it might not be the best writing in the world where it makes even God bow down to my skills, offering me wealth and a harem full of sexy angels. However, it's way better than those writings I see in bathroom stalls at my local community college. Now, back to sitting in my leather chair, smoking a pipe as I reading the news paper and make witty comments about the government.
"Obama? More like, NObama! Har har har!"

At 8/11/09 07:51 PM, Koji98 wrote:

"Obama? More like, NObama! Har har har!"

More like Obama gon bomba yo mama!

I read the stories on the train back and forth to work... I should finish sometime next week. Keep your pants on. ;)

Also, in case any judge didn't already know. PM your results to me. You need to rate each story on a 10 point scale. I need all of those ratings, for every story. Then, you need to give me your top five AS WELL in order from best to worst. You can't tie anyone. You may use decimals in your ratings. I encourage it.

So

1) Give me the top 5 scorers on your list in order from best to worse. Break any ties in scores there with decimal points.

2) Give me the scores for all of the stories.

3) ???

4) I release results without having to go back to judges later asking for clarifications. :D

You may all now resume speculation as to my absence, how rude I am, and whether or not I'm really Elvis.

The answers to any and all of your questions are an unequivocal yes.

At 8/13/09 09:38 AM, gumOnShoe wrote: I read the stories on the train back and forth to work... I should finish sometime next week. Keep your pants on. ;)

That's great news, gum. I wait in anticipation.

The answers to any and all of your questions are an unequivocal yes.

Now, this question has been on my mind for quite some time now...
Is Bob Barker my real father?

At 8/10/09 11:43 PM, flashman16 wrote: Tell me, how was I supposed to know that?
I dont follow this thread like a religion so EXCUSE ME if I miss a post or a few, there really is no need to jump down my throat with a rusty chainsaw about it. Chill a bit why dont you? Jeez. . .

You weren't. So don't jump down throats unless all the judges have informed you they have voted.

At 8/11/09 07:49 PM, UpoqvoSAMMIovpoqU wrote: The amount of effort made into the stories is superb. I honestly thought that there would be only a few entries. I am glad to see that people care about this competition and I hope I speak for everybody in that we all eagerly await judges comments and official results.

Sammi.

What kind and supporting words... Makes me feel all the more guilty about the quality of my entry :'(

After spending a bit more time than I had previously planned, I have finally finished reading and scoring all of the eligible submissions. However, I probably won't be sending my scores until tomorrow. I still would like to look over my top ten to see if I'm truly satisfied with my scores, and I also still need to hand out a few zeros to those submissions which unfortunately didn't meet the guidelines.

Concerning the actual submissions, I'm happy to report that I enjoyed the majority of the stories. Only a few wowed me, but overall, I was impressed by the talent in this contest. Unfortunately, I was also disappointed by some of the problems in other stories. Most stories showed a genuine attempt to produce something done well, but I felt a few annoyances could have been fixed with some more development.

Now that I've sufficiently freaked out a few of you, I shall retire.

At 8/14/09 02:01 AM, blakedatch wrote:

Now that I've sufficiently freaked out a few of you, I shall retire.

*cleans mouth of vomit* thanks for the update!

At 8/14/09 02:01 AM, blakedatch wrote: I still would like to look over my top ten to see if I'm truly satisfied with my scores, and I also still need to hand out a few zeros to those submissions which unfortunately didn't meet the guidelines.

It's top 5 right?

At 8/14/09 04:21 PM, EKublai wrote:

At 8/14/09 02:01 AM, blakedatch wrote: I still would like to look over my top ten to see if I'm truly satisfied with my scores, and I also still need to hand out a few zeros to those submissions which unfortunately didn't meet the guidelines.

It's top 5 right?

The top 5 is contained within the top 10, so naturally, some judges will feel the need to narrow it down in such a manner.

At 8/14/09 08:30 PM, WritersBlock wrote:

At 8/14/09 04:21 PM, EKublai wrote:

At 8/14/09 02:01 AM, blakedatch wrote: I still would like to look over my top ten to see if I'm truly satisfied with my scores, and I also still need to hand out a few zeros to those submissions which unfortunately didn't meet the guidelines.

It's top 5 right?

The top 5 is contained within the top 10, so naturally, some judges will feel the need to narrow it down in such a manner.

Only about 13 or so entered this time didn't they? Top ten isn't really narrowing it down this time.

At 8/14/09 09:44 PM, Podburrys wrote:

It's top 5 right?

The top 5 is contained within the top 10, so naturally, some judges will feel the need to narrow it down in such a manner.

Only about 13 or so entered this time didn't they? Top ten isn't really narrowing it down this time.

Although I had a pretty solid top 4, I felt the fifth spot could have been filled by a few entires, so I had to read over them again. Consequently, I was able to eliminate the possible submissions that weren't as appealing on the repeated reviews.

In other news, I have also finally submitted my scores. I went a day over than I had wanted, but I've read over most of the entries multiple times and feel satisfied with my results. I have critiques for all the stories that met all the contest rules, and I'll post them on the results thread once its up. If you would rather me PM your critique, tell me somehow and I'll send them to you once the results thread is up. Also, if your submission did not meet the rules, PM me and I'll read your story and write a critique.

I won't be releasing critiques early, so if you're dying to know how you fared, you can look at my rubric on my userpage to get an idea of how I judge. Other than that, I wish you the best of luck dealing with the anxiety.

So what we got so far is

GumonShoe: Reading
Lost-Chances: Reading/Judging
BlakeDatch: Sent in
BankingontheEnemy: No idea.
Zerok: No idea.

At 8/16/09 04:58 PM, EKublai wrote: Zerok: No idea.

Zerok is a judge for this contest?? We're never going to get these results...Stupid real life responsibilities - he should dedicate more time to worrying about what's going on in the interweb.

At 8/10/09 08:14 PM, WritersBlock wrote: Ergo, in waiting we see those who are willing to believe in their own abilities, or at least aspire to improve, and we see those who lack the spine to back their own writing.

Haha...Ergo.

Zerok has been awfully quiet this weather, where is he?

At 8/16/09 05:48 PM, RapeMuffin wrote:

At 8/16/09 04:58 PM, EKublai wrote: Zerok: No idea.

Zerok is a judge for this contest?? We're never going to get these results...Stupid real life responsibilities - he should dedicate more time to worrying about what's going on in the interweb.

I'll get in touch with him if I can, but a masters degree is important, and its likely he doesn't have much time. I've never been one for holding back results if a judge can't do his part, thats why I get so many judges. So, hopefully results will be out end of the week next week.

You guys need to just RELAX. lol

Its fun not judging things with how whiny some of you can be. ;)

I'm joking if any of you are sensitive. lol

At 8/16/09 06:33 PM, gumOnShoe wrote: So, hopefully results will be out end of the week next week.

Ew.

Ah well, I guess it can't be helped if you're busy IRL. Still, tis an annoying wait. :P

If I become a judge next time, I garuntee my results will come out quicker than this.

At 8/16/09 08:18 PM, Podburrys wrote:

If I become a judge next time, I garuntee my results will come out quicker than this.

You say that, but you'd be surprised. Honestly. I thought I'd be done a LONG LONG time ago, but it's hard going through each entry just because I have to set the mood (due to the music's job) and then read it instead of just reading it. Which is a problem due to crazy shit happening during August.

At 8/16/09 08:38 PM, Lost-Chances wrote:

At 8/16/09 08:18 PM, Podburrys wrote:

If I become a judge next time, I garuntee my results will come out quicker than this.

You say that, but you'd be surprised. Honestly. I thought I'd be done a LONG LONG time ago, but it's hard going through each entry just because I have to set the mood (due to the music's job) and then read it instead of just reading it. Which is a problem due to crazy shit happening during August.

A tip to thecompetitors: Judging isn't as quick or easy as you think. Some competitions it's like asking us to each read the length of a novella or a short novel in a couple of weeks as well as compiling a list of scores and critiques. Besides, the judges are all volunteering to do this, no reward besides the satisfaction of helping the writers of this site develop. They're all still well within their rights to take their time and still maintain real life issues and events.

I'm aware. I'm just impatient as it's my first competition and I'm curious how my story went. I guess I don't want an era to wait for results like last month's with Zerok. I understand IRL is a horrible reality, but at the same time it sort of feels that if you take the responsibility to judge someone else's work, that it'd be better to focus your time on it and quickly get it out of the way - a lot like school work, so you have the time to do your stuff as long as you want after. But that being said, I'm aware you're all volunteering. So thank you for that.

Sorry if I now seem douche-like.

At 8/16/09 06:33 PM, gumOnShoe wrote:
Its fun not judging things with how whiny some of you can be. ;)

Indeed, there is a whole host of things to do on a competition talk thread besides.... talk about the competition.

Though unfortunately it does seem to be the only thing that will strike up a conversation of 5 or more posts in the day, doesn't it?

At 8/16/09 09:27 PM, Podburrys wrote: I'm aware. I'm just impatient as it's my first competition and I'm curious how my story went. I guess I don't want an era to wait for results like last month's with Zerok. I understand IRL is a horrible reality, but at the same time it sort of feels that if you take the responsibility to judge someone else's work, that it'd be better to focus your time on it and quickly get it out of the way - a lot like school work, so you have the time to do your stuff as long as you want after. But that being said, I'm aware you're all volunteering. So thank you for that.

I see your point, and I agree with it partly, but at the same time, this experience has shown me you need two or more weeks to judge, even if you're entirely focusing on this contest. Apart from listening and dissecting the music (which takes quite awhile as Lost said), I needed to write a critique and let each story sit for a day or two for me to truly be able to give it a fair score. If I had forgone the critiques and had sent in my results without reading the pieces over again, I would have ended with incredibly different results, ones that I would groan over later. With time and thought process, I was able to see if I was judging a piece too harshly or too easily and eventually make the proper corrections to alleviate past, hasty decisions.

I realize waiting for the scores can be agonizing, but hopefully, the longer the wait, the less biased the results will be when they come out.

And yet I finished my judging first....hmmm...