Susan, sounds she like definitely went overboard. Sorry about the not-winning. But you can be glad she's not one of the editors/agents you're targeting, right?

WDC, wrod. Part of me wishes I were better at it, and part of me thinks getting jazzed about what I read is one of my great strengths, and that some of the critics are kind of dispassionate.

Susan, sounds she like definitely went overboard. Sorry about the not-winning. But you can be glad she's not one of the editors/agents you're targeting, right?

Totally. And I think what I'll do is wait till Monday, and then send a politely worded note to the contest coordinator praising her hard work, talking about the great and helpful feedback I got from most of the judges, and then saying that while I don't want to raise a fuss or change the results or anything, I think she should know for next year's contest that Judge So-and-So is deducting inappropriately, IMO, and explain why.

Erika! Just popping in to add my congratulations! I haven't had a chance to read the article yet but plan to later tonight.

It's a great piece, Erika. Everything I read of yours makes me more impatient for that book.

Challenge #37: Falling

I’ve never been to Times Square on New Year’s Eve. I love New York otherwise—the energy, neon lights and voices and the rush of tires combining into a living pulse. But that many drunken people looking for excitement in one place frightens me.

On year, just uptown, I opened the windows to listen to the crowd cheering as the ball began to drop. I was watching it on TV, and counted down with them as the outrageous ball descended, brash and bright and too big, marking another year falling away with a rude good-bye. Quiet reflection comes with the hangover.

Oh, I love that AmyLiz. You captured it so beautifully.

Anyway, best wishes to everyone for their writing in 2005!

edit: Deb, I meant to ask how your final edits on the my turn piece went? I can't imagine much changed...

edit 2: Susan... Not that I know much about the historical market, but I don't get the first person hang-up? The voice should be more removed because the time period is??? feh, I say. As long as it's well written. The only real first person issues I've encounted is with poetry and even those seemed kind of ridiculous... I had a prof who cautioned that poetry (especially in first person) doesn't get treated as fiction and should you decide to write a first person ode to a (fictional) dead relative, you can expect condolence mail. Haven't tested that theory yet.

(holding ears and telling Brynn to take the crit theory to Literary, please please please)

Seriously. Talking about crit in here makes the thread uninhabitable for me, and this is one only three threads I still do inhabit. Please not? Pretty please?

re edits, no, not much changed. A couple of tweaks.

Deb,

Sorry. It can tend to explode out of me. I will take down the crit stuff and leave up the pov stuff which is more relevant. Again. Apologies. Ack I feel *really* bad.