Spectator Commentary thread for Ceramic DM (Winter 2005)

[Eeralai]

Writing time

Writing for Ceramic DM has been different for me. The longest block of time I ever have to write is two hours, which has been bad and good. It's bad because I love the moment everything clicks and writing until I simply can't anymore, but it's good because I step out of the story for long periods of time and can see it more objectively than when I write something straight through. The pictures are always such that I am never entirely sure where or how the story is going to end until I get there. I think the 72 hour time period is just right, also. However, it would be interesting to read some stories after being redone and not relying so much on the pictures.

 

[MarauderX]

From the main Ceremic DM thread:

I think Hellefire makes a lot of good comments about the contest. However, I would like to say that I would like to keep comments and judgements posted at the same time. I think the comments are really useful to the contestant who goes onto the next round, and often cushion the blow of losing. I also wonder at how silent this contest is. One Ceramic DM that I observed had writers, readers and judges much more involved in conversations about the stories. I miss that, and hope that the second round will spur more discussion than the first round.

I too like the comments and judgements to be placed together, and I could care less about how long the judges take as long as they can get to reading the stories and picking a winner. I like the feedback, win or lose, and can take that to improve what I do and put a fire under my butt to do better. This is not the only venue in which I write, and getting other peer reviewed winners to give free commentary is a benefit that is hard to beat.

I prefer not to add story commentary in the judge's thread for the specific reason that it adds to the story. I would want no more favoritism shown to mine or another's story simply because it was provacative or inspired others to post about it. Also Ceremic DM is certainly not a popularity contest. Getting unbiased judgement from judges who see the witty follow up posts would be harder, as I am sure some judges want to see contestants care enough to write stories for the next round(s).

 

[Eeralai]

I really like the beginning of your story Thorod. It has some of the best writing I have seen by you. I thought you did the snake picture well in the story. It's an interesting ending since it is more like a beginning. I can see that the story is really the detective going through an experience that gets him back to what he loves, but it did feel like an intro to a bigger story. I'll be curious to see what the judges say. Hopefully I will read your opponents story soon.

 

[BSF]

Alsih2o and I have had a brief out of channel discussion about merging the threads together. The only real concern is that when folks post a comment into the main story thread, it could be perceived as forming a non-judge bias for a story. We want the judges to be unbiased and we want to avoid any concerns if a Judge's comments are similar to a Spectator's.

Personally, I preferred the comments to be in-thread with the stories. It helped keep the thread a little more dynamic as the contest played out. Besides comments on storywriting are fun and interesting to everyone, Judges, Authors and Spectators.

I have also voiced concerns that when we bumped the contest from 8 competitors/3 rounds, to 16 competitors/4 rounds, we started asking a little too much from the Judges. We went from 14 stories to be judged to 30 stories to be judged. It is a lot to ask for, essentially, volunteer work. Perhaps Berandor or Mythago would be kind enough to give a judge's perspective on the time it takes to judge.

Of course, that is a relative issue. Some stories are easier to judge & comment on. I find that when we have good stories paired off against each other, it takes longer. I think that is a good thing since it does mean we have good stories to read. But there are drawbacks to that. Good stories with disparate writing styles are even more difficult to judge against.

These are difficult issues to grapple with while trying to keep the entire process low-stress. But if people have ideas, feel free to share them.

 

[MarauderX]

Wow, Thorod, you kicked my @$$! I really like your style in your round 2 story, I just wish it wasn't against me. I loved Merrik and his grounded perspective on the world around him. Your writing seemed to mesh with it perfectly, as your wording was just as logical and explanatory. Good work.

 

[Thorod Ashstaff]

Good work.

Thanks, I appreciate that. I may not have kicked your butt though, who knows who the judges will like, magic glasses or magic elders. And we both spent some time in Bangkok, spending Bhats, gotta love synchronicity! I saw picture two, and something in me said "go Hammett/noir", who knows why.

PS Chaos City is real, I have GOT to travel more.

 

[Hellefire]

So sometimes my anal-retentive attention to detail kicks in and I notice little things. Like when I was posting my critiques today and noticed the first post in the thread (is there a name for that? Head post? Starting post? Bed post?) said that first round was 4 pics, 5000 words and second round was 5 pics, 6000 words. But I could swear that I saw it posted as 7000 words somewhere. So I checked. And, sure enough, the first competitors of round 2, Eeralai and Mythago, were given an extra k of words. Now does this matter? Well besides the fact that everybody else has to squeeze their novel ideas into a mere 6000 words? Is that fair? Where's the justice?

Ya know, I crack myself up sometimes. Especially at 2am (which it is now) with a sick 15-mo baby. But I just realized that maybe my humor doesn't come across so...humorously...on a message board. I mean, sure, in person I'm a riot. People line the blocks to hear me joke. I'm a killer at a party. OK, nevermind, I'm lying and babbling all at the same time. I think I had a point here somewhere but I lost what it was. Oh yeah...someone made a typo, and I guess it's the one that says 7000 words cuz everything else says 6000 words.

Ok, official anal typo checker secretary type going to sleep now.

Aaron

 

[BSF]

Heh! Hellefire, you were not the only one to notice that. I almost sent off an email to Alsih2o about it, but I figured I would let it slide because when the stories came in, Eeralai was a bit over 4000 words and Mythago was just shy of 3600 words. In the grand scheme of things, it is a little detail.

Actually, Ceramic DM didn't use to have a word limit. There was a general warning that the judges have short attention spans. The word limit came in when my favorite writer jumped into the competition and output some long stories. I might add that the first of those stories firmly handed me my butt on a plate for my first effort. But it was worth it.

 

[orchid blossom]

I don't pay attention to the word limits, but that's because I've never broken 2500 words in Ceramic DM. I just don't have time to write 6000 of them!

 

[Hellefire]

*Yawn* g'morning. Polish vodka...good stuff.
Yeah I didn't think it made much of a difference in the actual competition, it just stuck in my brain after I had told my girlfriend and everybody who I was keeping informed about Ceramic DM that the second round had a 7000 word limit, and I thought maybe I had taken one drink too many or one too many shrooms or something. Honestly, I don't know why I notice things like that, or why I keep thinking about them. Too much mathmetician in me and not enough spontaneity I suppose

Aaron