"A Drop" made a small splash (bragging rights)
The story just posted, " A Drop in the Ocean," was written Sunday night for a science fiction contest that I hadn't originally planned to enter.
I got home shortly before 10pm from a day spent with friends, and pounded this in, sending it off a couple of minutes before the deadline of midnight.
The message bounced.
The submission email address had been changed since the contest the year before -- and I spent a few minutes trying to determine who it should go to, as I was at home and the contest rules were at the office. Finally, I found what seemed like the right place -- but that turned out to be the judge, not the "agent" who strips authors' names from the pieces before they are judged.
It apparently was not rejected, though I expected it to be. I got this note yesterday from the judge:I just thought I’d tell you, not only was your story NOT disqualified (innocent routing error!) but it placed second, only one point behind the first place entry, with a score of 98 out of a possible 100. I thought the story was very nearly perfect, and were it not for a couple of stylistic stumbles, it would have scored perfectly!
Great job!
This year's theme was "unintended consequences." And the official results:Story: A Drop in the Ocean - Words: 1889 - Score: 98/100
Style: 18/20
A nice bold short one. Good sense of place, very immersive. ‘The shot pieced Lon’ should have been ‘the shot pierced Lon’. The next sentence or two doesn’t make sense: “though Lon’s heart chambers”.
Theme: 40/40
GREAT treatment of unexpected consequences, and a good twist at the end. I thought for most of the story that it was set on Europa, never expecting that it was Earth. Good show!
Plot: 15/15
Beautiful plot.
Feeling: 25/25
Immersive. Perfect title.
];-)
===|==============/ Level Head
I got home shortly before 10pm from a day spent with friends, and pounded this in, sending it off a couple of minutes before the deadline of midnight.
The message bounced.
The submission email address had been changed since the contest the year before -- and I spent a few minutes trying to determine who it should go to, as I was at home and the contest rules were at the office. Finally, I found what seemed like the right place -- but that turned out to be the judge, not the "agent" who strips authors' names from the pieces before they are judged.
It apparently was not rejected, though I expected it to be. I got this note yesterday from the judge:I just thought I’d tell you, not only was your story NOT disqualified (innocent routing error!) but it placed second, only one point behind the first place entry, with a score of 98 out of a possible 100. I thought the story was very nearly perfect, and were it not for a couple of stylistic stumbles, it would have scored perfectly!
Great job!
This year's theme was "unintended consequences." And the official results:Story: A Drop in the Ocean - Words: 1889 - Score: 98/100
Style: 18/20
A nice bold short one. Good sense of place, very immersive. ‘The shot pieced Lon’ should have been ‘the shot pierced Lon’. The next sentence or two doesn’t make sense: “though Lon’s heart chambers”.
Theme: 40/40
GREAT treatment of unexpected consequences, and a good twist at the end. I thought for most of the story that it was set on Europa, never expecting that it was Earth. Good show!
Plot: 15/15
Beautiful plot.
Feeling: 25/25
Immersive. Perfect title.
];-)
===|==============/ Level Head