edonil Posted June 22, 2012 Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 (edited) Alright, so here's how this is going to go. This poll is open to everyone. Please vote! We've got some great stories to share, and the writers have done some great work. Please comment as well, we all love to hear from readers! The winner will be announced once we get all the tallies from the judges and authors. Authors: Please PM to me your weighted votes. You've got three of them to hand out, and it'll follow a 3,2,1 format. So, your top pick will get three votes, second will get two, third will get one. Also, submit a vote here in the poll. Please remember to leave feedback to everyone! Links to the Stories: ThePandaDirector The Wind and the Leaves Mako The First Move Chucklemonkey The Morning's Life of Diego Salazar Fetid Strumpet Flames of Madness Hardlec The Green Faery Absolution Black I Don't Like Mondays SilverChocobo Death's Servant UberGruber Morning After Thechosenone The Wolf in the Fog Grantt To the Governor With Love Edited June 22, 2012 by edonil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePandaDirector Posted June 22, 2012 Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 How long will this be open? Oh and I give my 3 points to The, my 2 points to Panda and my 1 point to Director. Some damn fine work between the three of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nilus Posted June 22, 2012 Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 I'm sad that my work schedule exploded and I didn't get a chance to write anything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UberGruber Posted June 22, 2012 Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 Could this thread be stickied until voting is complete? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted June 22, 2012 Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 Will take me a few days to get time to sit down and read them all, things are chaos until midweek! But I'll try to get it done as soon as I can, so I don't hold up the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetid Strumpet Posted June 23, 2012 Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 Same. I'm about to enter Tech week for the first of my shows. I'll read them all as soon as I get a chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edonil Posted June 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 Well, at least I'm not the only one life is smacking upside the head as far as these things are concerned... The plan right now is to leave this open for voting for at least one week. And Nilus, I'm sorry you didn't get anything done either. Hopefully when the next round starts up, life will be more cooperative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UberGruber Posted June 23, 2012 Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 Given there's around 25 000 words for people to read, inwardly digest, review (if also authors) and vote on, I'd say 10 days (that would embrace two weekends) would be a decent minimum period. On the other hand, any longer than two weeks (which makes the round 5 weeks in total), then say a week to start up the next round (would be six week intervals from one round starting to the next) and the whole thing might become too drawn out to maintain sustained interest. So perhaps a format of: 21 days to write and submit stories 14 days to vote 7 days 'recuperation' during which the next round's theme is put forward. is a six week turnaround. or 21 days to write and submits stories 10 days to vote and 4 days 'recuperation'. for a 5 week turnaround. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePandaDirector Posted June 23, 2012 Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 Just had an idea. Give 2 weeks to write the story, making it a bit more brutal (if Iron painters can manage it then so can we), but then have an extra week allowed for edits. That way people can edit after receiving feedback, but if, by the end of the 2 weeks, we all state we have no edits to make then we can go straight into voting. so: 14 days to write and submit 0-7 days to edit (no more submissions) 10 days voting plus extra days from edit week 4 days recuperation And I think we should have a more prominent side project similar to ITIC (maybe call it WFM - Wait For Me), that way people who can't produce something in the 2 weeks can submit something anytime within the 5 weeks and if they submit something each round then they can also win. To encourage feedback we can then have a reward for best feedback (as voted by authors). I mean we're trying to balance a competition (which is designed to push people) but also nurture the community and encourage writing and feedback. I think that to maintain momentum we need to place pressure on writing, support and reward feedback while offering incentives to busy people to submit. Just my thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UberGruber Posted June 23, 2012 Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 I like the look of that. Personally I think a fairly firm structure will help those with limited time. If you know every round will be (say) five weeks then you can think 'oh, okay, I won't be able to do this round because of x, or that one because of y, but the next one I should be free.' In some ways a monthly turnaround would be easiest because then you could have: starts on the 1st entries close on the 14th. edits done by the 20th voting and feedback by the last day of the month. and then everyone knows exactly where they are in any given month with regard to the competition. It does make things more hectic for the organisers at the start and end of each month though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePandaDirector Posted June 23, 2012 Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 My only issue with a monthly turnaround is ensuring that each story is read and receives feedback. I don't mind having to write a story in 2 weeks, but it takes more time to read and provide feedback to everyone. I suppose one way to address that would be to shorten the word count to 1500-2000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edonil Posted June 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 Honestly, I'm much more inclined to a five or six week turnaround. I'm in college and working full time currently, and while I don't mind delegating, that requires finding people to delegate things to...and beyond that, I know that a lot of people are really busy all around. So, while some people can get a story done in two weeks, a lot of people can't. I love the idea of doing a 'Wait for Me', although it also brings up the question of do we want to focus on individual rounds or an overall competition? I think doing a long term competition, keep going until you've got one winner, isn't really suited to writing, especially since a goal of this is to keep people writing. By letting people bow out of a round because of life circumstances, the muse has abandoned, this month is going to be nuts and so on, then allowing them to come back in for another round, I think that'd be better. And yes, that was one hell of a run-on. Meh. I think I'd rather have each round be its own competition, and let people come and go as they please, and also keep track of people who go multiple rounds in a row so they can get their bragging rights for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UberGruber Posted June 23, 2012 Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 Yes each sound as a 'stand alone' seems the best idea. And I'm fine with six weeks as a turnaround time, I think a month would be easier to keep track of is all. I do however think that going forward 3000 words should be the absolute maximum if feedback is wanted because otherwise people are going to have to devote as much or more time to reading/responding as they do to writing their own story. I know people like to write longer stories but for a 'competitive' format that's not in my view sustainable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePandaDirector Posted June 23, 2012 Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 Agree with UberGruber. I suppose stand alone rounds does encourage more writing while not alienating those with less time. Another idea. Month - write, submit and edit 3/4 month - feedback and voting 1/4 month - recuperation The Ink's Still Wet - first person, first week submission Wait For Me - last person, last week submission Word For the Wise - best feedback voted by authors during recuperation No. Star Storyteller - for each round you complete you go up a star So you have a month to write, with incetives for each type of person, with an extra month for feedback and rewarding feedback. Hopefully by having incetives for sections throughout each round then you will maintain momentum throughout the competition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UberGruber Posted June 23, 2012 Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 Honestly, a two-month turnaround would put me off, especially if there was a full month from opening the round to feedback and voting. It would be possible of course to have overlapping rounds but i think that would be just too confusing so a 6 week turnaround may be the best compromise. It may be of course that other folk are happy with a longer turnaround (or indeed longer stories -- though I presume in such a case that they would also be keen to give timely feedback on equally long stories from others). Just personally I find timely comments a good incentive to keep posting. And it's my observation that 'momentum' is quite important (when one person comments, then another soon after, you tend to get more comments than when there's a lag between comments). It's also true that many people are procrastinators and given a time limit will seek to use it to its maximum, so there is a point wher eextending the time for submissions and comments does little or no good with regard to numbers or quality of posting. Edit: I do quite like the idea of rewards beyond simply 'winning' a given round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted June 23, 2012 Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 A four week turnaround, especially with a two week writing time, would basically mean me dropping out. There's no way I could fit that into my workload. I'll be lucky to manage a six week really... And some time off between rounds is also needed. I would quite like a two month turnaround, means I get some time away from writing. I probably wouldn't keep writing for it if I didn't get some breaks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UberGruber Posted June 23, 2012 Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 Could you not then adopt a policy of writing for every other round of a six week schedule? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted June 23, 2012 Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 For a six week - 3 to write, 1 to vote, and 2 off, I would hopefully be able to do every round. Two months per round would just mean a slightly longer time off rather than an extended round, so I could probably drop to a two week rest - it is iron quill after all, not write casually and have a month off between bits! But DNFing every other round would just suck. I wouldn't maintain any enthusiasm if I had to do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edonil Posted June 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 I'm still okay with the six week format, myself. Two months seems too long for an event of this style. And at six weeks, we've got a good amount of time to get things done, so the busy people can write, but the sprint writers aren't left twiddling their thumbs for too long. And now for the real reason I'm posting- 1000th post! Felt it was appropriate that it'd be in here. Granted, with all my posting in the OTT, I'm probably closer to 2,500, but eh, lol. I have a couple ideas for themes, but if people with time would like to recommend any items/art/whatever, please PM them to me. I think I rather like the idea of the next round's Mystery Ingredient being chosen from a list of options by the winner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted June 25, 2012 Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 Aye, 6 weeks will be hard work at times to fit in, but it's not supposed to be easy, right? And two months will be quite relaxed and lazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thechosenone Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 I'd throw in that I'd like a shorter time. Five weeks really. I know its hard for some people but I think a lot of the writers are seeking to get their story to a perfect state. It's Iron Quill. Its hard and its about speed just as much as anything else. Perfection is for Golden Demon level events. Iron Man stuff is about a combination of quality and dogged juggernauting through a piece. But I concede to the masses regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UberGruber Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 At the moment I'm feeling that since submissions closed and voting was opened, the momentum has really been sucked out of this. Very few comments post-closure compared to before. I'm wondering if the requested 'critiques' of each story are simply too time consuming when taken as an aggregate. I understand everyone is busy, it's not a complaint, rather an observation. If this is to continue then the 'voting' period needs surely to be as productive as the writing period in terms of what both readers and authors get from it. None of us seem, in the past week, to be leaving comments. that's a big change. This isn't a request for everyone to list their reasons for not commenting thus far. I'm sure they're all good ones. So please don't do that. But does anyone else feel that the momentum has faltered? And if so what might be done in future to prevent that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thechosenone Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 I just think that so much was said on individual pages that, i for one, feel its almost a reharsh to do it again. A bit more in depth but still. Look at the comments in those threads, there is some fantastic stuff there. Truly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UberGruber Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 In which case is asking for formal feedback as part of the competition redundant? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 I haven't had a chance to read them all yet. It was lucky timing that submissions closed just as things went mad here, although I thInk you're right. Finding the time and energy to sit and plan out some proper, thorough feedback is making it a little trickier. Doesn't look like I'll be getting any reading done until the weekend either... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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