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| SFReader Forums > Writing > Juicy Rumors and Other News > Ralan's Clincher Contest | Forum Quick Jump
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Rob Santa
Sage
      
Date Joined Apr 2004
Total Posts : 1485
| Posted 8/2/2005 3:35 AM (GMT -5) |   | Ralan Conley's annual writing contest is officially open for submissions, with yours truly as one of the preliminary judges. The last two years have involved the first 500 words of a story (with the contest being named the Grabber). This year Ralan is mixing it up a little and designing the contest around the last 500 words (calling it the Clincher).
Yes, there is a fee attached to this contest. While I've never entered a for-fee contest other than this one, I feel this one is justified. Come on, what writer hasn't used Ralan's site on a regular basis? One third of the fee goes straight to Ralan to maintain his site; the remainder is used for prize money. Besides, since I've placed both years this has run (which is the reason I'm inelligible this year) I've actually made all my money back and then some.
Information is here (www.ralan.com - as if you didn't know the address). If you want some insight into my writing style you can check out my winning stories from the last two years here (www.spectravaganza.com).
Good luck.
Rob
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Rob Santa
Sage
Date Joined Apr 2004
Total Posts : 1485
| Posted 9/6/2005 6:15 AM (GMT -5) | | I officially don't envy you editors that have to read unsolicited manuscripts. The Clincher contest received 66 entries, and while they maxed out at 500 words (most were in the 350-400 word range), that's still a lot of reading. I was surprised that so many of these story endings were similar: ending with the protag killing someone or being killed, both with little justification. I understand that originality is difficult to come by, and I struggle daily with my own writing in the hopes that I am doing something fresh. Still, what are the odds three different manuscripts would have a woman named Matilde? That's just freaky.
The shortlist was fairly easy to put together. After reading the ending, I asked myself "do I care about the beginning of this story?" If the answer was no, then it went into the circular file. There were only 14 yes answers, and now I have to put them in some kind of order.
It will be so much easy next year when all I have to do is write the darn entry instead of reading them. Kudos again to all of you that do this on a regular basis.
Rob
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Edward Knight
Jack of all Trades and Master of None
Date Joined Jan 2004
Total Posts : 1050
| Posted 9/6/2005 7:02 AM (GMT -5) | | Hmmm... I've read the beginning of a several hundred stories since we started AJM two years ago. Most went to the circular file somewhere on page one. I've never tried doing it backwards. I'm getting used to seeing cliche' hooks but haven't given much thought to cliche' endings.
Matilde isn't a name I'd want to see more than once. That is freaky.
Hope I made the short list. If I didn't I know who to blame. Just kidding. I thought my submission was weak. I felt Ralan does publishers a service, so I sent in an entry for a piece I had just drafted. I've been trying to polish the story up just in case by some wild chance it places. When I sent it in late August Ralan said he only had 10 entries. There must have been a lot of us jumping in at the last minute. Submissions closed Aug. 31, didn't they?
Edward Knight
Editor
Journey Books Publishing
Amazing Journeys Magazine
http://www.journeybookspublishing.com
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Rob Santa
Sage
Date Joined Apr 2004
Total Posts : 1485
| Posted 9/6/2005 7:08 PM (GMT -5) | | Yup, September 1 through 10 is for prelim judging and allowing anyone who broke the rules the chance to fix up their manuscript.
I'll be sending the shortlist to Ralan Wednesday afternoon. After that, I'd like to know which story was yours (since by then there can be no possibility of foul play). Don't volunteer any info until I give you the all clear signal, though, just in case I'm delayed getting the list out.
Now I'm terribly curious...
Rob
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Edward Knight
Jack of all Trades and Master of None
Date Joined Jan 2004
Total Posts : 1050
| Posted 9/7/2005 2:44 AM (GMT -5) | | The formatting was interseting. It's really the first time I've used the suggested e-format, no indentions, single spaced, and a double space between paragraphs-seemed odd to me. I don't make many e-submissions. I accept e-subs but wouldn't want subs in that format since we are a print magazine.
I think Ralan does a great service to writers and publishers so I don't feel too bad about the $20 entry. I think it's the only contest I've ever entered that required a fee, but it was money well spent win or lose.
I'll tell you which was mine after you made your choices. Just let me know.
Edward Knight
Editor
Journey Books Publishing
Amazing Journeys Magazine
http://www.journeybookspublishing.com
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Rob Santa
Sage
Date Joined Apr 2004
Total Posts : 1485
| Posted 9/7/2005 12:00 PM (GMT -5) | | It's official...the short list is off. As far as I can tell, my involvement with this contest is over, and I see no impropriety in discretely talking about it. Ed (and anyone else who entered), if you tell me the title of your entry I will let you know if you were one of the 14 on the short list. If your entry was untitled, we can figure something else out.
Rob | | Back to Top | | |
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Edward Knight
Jack of all Trades and Master of None
Date Joined Jan 2004
Total Posts : 1050
| Posted 9/7/2005 12:38 PM (GMT -5) | | It was titled "Essex".
Edward Knight
Editor
Journey Books Publishing
Amazing Journeys Magazine
http://www.journeybookspublishing.com
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Rob Santa
Sage
Date Joined Apr 2004
Total Posts : 1485
| Posted 9/7/2005 1:54 PM (GMT -5) | | Sorry, Edward. "Essex" was in my "no" pile. I remember sitting on the fence about this one, and what decided it for me was that the ending didn't seem like a gut-buster, the kind that either brings total resolution to a story or one that knocks your socks off with a whammy you never saw coming. On the plus side (and this is a very big plus, I might add), this was one of the few entries that had no technical problems (or so few that I didn't notice them). Even the entries I rated as the top three had a few grammar or spelling errors.
Rob | | Back to Top | | |
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Edward Knight
Jack of all Trades and Master of None
Date Joined Jan 2004
Total Posts : 1050
| Posted 9/7/2005 2:41 PM (GMT -5) | | Oh well. It was still a good $20.00 investment. It was the wrong story for the contest but the only thing I had to send. I had hoped the twist at the end, where the man being interviewed turned out to be the villian of the story rather than the officer of the ship, would be enough, but I guess not.It might have made better competion in a grabber contest. The hook may be stronger in that story than the ending.
Thanks for looking at it. At least now I know I can go ahead and send it someplace else.
Edward Knight
Editor
Journey Books Publishing
Amazing Journeys Magazine
http://www.journeybookspublishing.com
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Bill Snodgrass
Acolyte
Date Joined Apr 2004
Total Posts : 469
| Posted 9/7/2005 5:56 PM (GMT -5) | | How about "Earth Shaken?" I sent that in just to support Ralan, but I think it is a pretty good story. It is hard for me to imagine the last 500 words rose above the rest, though. But, I am my worst critic. I'd be happy to be wrong on this one.
----
Bill Snodgrass
www.theswordreview.com
www.siliar.com
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Rob Santa
Sage
Date Joined Apr 2004
Total Posts : 1485
| Posted 9/8/2005 2:59 AM (GMT -5) | | Sorry here, too, Bill. "Earth Shaken" also made it into the "no" pile, mostly because of those intangibles you must see every day as an editor. It just didn't grab me and shake me up. I think there was a lot going on at the beginning and middle of this piece that the last 500 words couldn't do it justice. As with a lot of these entries, I'm sure it is better as a whole and not a writing fragment.
You had a spectacular piece of dialog though. I'll paraphrase for everyone else: when the protagonist is told to leave his weapon so that someone who is willing to fight could use it, the reply is "find someone to take it from me and you can have it." Great line.
Rob | | Back to Top | | |
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BethS
Adept
Date Joined Jun 2004
Total Posts : 751
| Posted 9/8/2005 9:22 AM (GMT -5) | | Rob,
Just curious--
Did you have the whole stories by which to judge the endings? Or a synopsis of the rest of the story? Or only the last 500 words?
Beth | | Back to Top | | |
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Edward Knight
Jack of all Trades and Master of None
Date Joined Jan 2004
Total Posts : 1050
| Posted 9/8/2005 9:41 AM (GMT -5) | | I think I can answer. We were only allowed to submit up to 500 words, so he couldn't have had the complete story. In my case, I only sent the last 210 words, not sure if that hurt my entry or not.
I think a lot would have to do with the story and the writers style. My piece was cerebral sf. The physical action was limited. I thought I had a nice twist at the end, but it's impossible to understand the twist without knowing the rest of the story. I'm curious to see the winners. My guess is that they will be action oriented.
Edward Knight
Editor
Journey Books Publishing
Amazing Journeys Magazine
http://www.journeybookspublishing.com
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BethS
Adept
Date Joined Jun 2004
Total Posts : 751
| Posted 9/8/2005 12:33 PM (GMT -5) | | Ed,
Hmmm. The thing is, I'm not sure how one tell whether an ending is a clincher or not, when one doesn't know what is being clinched, precisely. A truly great ending, full of subtleties and ironies and emotional truths, is not necessarily going to make sense on its own, I would think.
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Edward Knight
Jack of all Trades and Master of None
Date Joined Jan 2004
Total Posts : 1050
| Posted 9/8/2005 1:50 PM (GMT -5) | | As I said, I'm curious about the winners. Personally, I thought Rolan's Grabber contest was a great idea. Clinchers will be tougher to justify, I think. Then again, I may read them and say, Hey that was a cool ending. We'll see. I think the winners are announced some time this fall.
Edward Knight
Editor
Journey Books Publishing
Amazing Journeys Magazine
http://www.journeybookspublishing.com
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Rob Santa
Sage
Date Joined Apr 2004
Total Posts : 1485
| Posted 9/8/2005 1:53 PM (GMT -5) | | I agree with you, Beth. I feel like the endings I picked may be atrocious stories when looked at as a whole, and those I overlooked were spectacular stories with possibly weak or confusing endings. That's why I liked the first two contests so much (aside from the whole winning aspect): a good beginning leaves no doubt as to whether it's a good beginning or not. The rest of the story might stink, but the opening can be judged by itself.
And surprisingly, the entries I picked as the top three had no action whatsoever (well, maybe there was some in the second-place entry).
We'll see how this one turns out for Ralan. He might go back to the original concept after this one.
Rob
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Bill Snodgrass
Acolyte
Date Joined Apr 2004
Total Posts : 469
| Posted 9/8/2005 4:53 PM (GMT -5) | | quote:
Originally posted by Rob Santa
I agree with you, Beth. I feel like the endings I picked may be atrocious stories when looked at as a whole, and...
That it was quirky was part of what attracted me to enter. I wished long and hard for something with a better last 500 words--better in the sense that it was a powerful, near-stand-alone segment. I applaud Ralan for the daring to give this a try. Who knows what the whole story will be like--a 3000 word info dump with a brilliant ending.
Again, that mystique was part of the fun.
And, Rob, glad you liked that line! It was the "trump card" I hoped would sell the whole story. Hoped with a big "H" to be sure. I relate to the intangibles making the difference. Thanks for the feedback.
----
Bill Snodgrass
www.theswordreview.com
www.siliar.com
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Rob Santa
Sage
Date Joined Apr 2004
Total Posts : 1485
| Posted 11/1/2005 8:39 AM (GMT -5) | | So, the contest winners are posted at www.spectravaganza.com and all I've done is check out how good my pictue looks (ugh, don't look forward to it). But underneath my bio I did notice something oddly positive: while I listed recent writing credits, Ralan took it upon himself to add links to sites (including this here forum regarding Sages & Swords). Which means my favorite current project (sorry, Daniel, it's Magistria) is featured along with what I hope is my future favorite writing project (hint, hint).
I'll check out the stories and come back with some opinions. I'm very curious how the beginnings of these pieces could have improved/destroyed the endings I thought were well crafted.
Rob Santa | | Back to Top | | |
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