What's the Matter With You?
o/` "Yes, and the ocean parts when I walk through, and the clouds dissolve and the sky turns blue
I'm held in very great value by everyone I meet but you
'cause I've used my talents as I could, I've done some bad, I've done some good
I did a whole lot better than they thought I would so, c'mon and treat me like you should!" o/`
-- "Everybody Loves Me Baby" performed by Don McClean
I'll preface this by saying that I have had four years participating in therealljidol to observe patterns and figure these things out. What works for me may not work for you.
I'll probably cost myself votes by speaking my mind on the matter anyhow but --- isn't that how the game is played? It's LJ Idol, modeled off of American Idol (except that Gary, as host, is much kinder to his participants). You shouldnt really expect to be adored and applauded. You shouldn't even really expect that everyone will like what you write.
How Reading, Commenting, and Voting Work for Me
- If I left a comment at all, consider yourself lucky. There are far too many entries at this point for me to individual comment on them all. I would have to never sleep. If I commented on your entry, it means that something special caught my eye. That means you, as a writer, did your job admirably.
- I read all the entries, then I place votes, and then I comment if appropriate. Do not assume that because you did not see a comment, I did not vote for you.
- I tend to skim entries. Veteran writers who have participated at least once before tend to get skimmed because I know what to expect from them. I skim to make certain they haven't lapsed in my expectation of the quality they produce and then I move on. Later, if the piece was particularly attention getting or the person is a favorite or already a friend, I go back and read the entire thing.
- People new to the competition get read more closely because I don't know their writing styles and I want to familiarize myself with them. People who were in prior competitions but got voted out early get the same attention because I always feel I didn't get to experience their full potential and I want to do so.
All well and good, but what gets a vote?
- The first thing I look for is a literary device called a hook. If there's nothing in the title or the first paragraph to catch my attention and hold it, I am not as likely to finish reading the piece or to look favorably upon it. That is a criteria I apply to new writers and veterans alike.
- Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure need to be as precise and advanced as possible. If I'm looking at a child's writing or the writing of someone for whom English is not the first language, I don't weigh this as heavily. I look at their level of mastery and if the piece is readable overall then I let it pass. The piece has to have been readable to the best of the write'rs ability. Unless it's an integral part of the flavor of the piece for some reason, I tend to frown on slang, chatspeak, unnecessary abreviations, and improperly used works. Very few people can pull off ee cummings, Hemingway, or Longfellow effectively so it's probably best to pay attention to the basic structure of the language in which you are writing.
- A piece can still bore me to tears and get a vote if it's well written. I do not vote soley based on whether or not I agree with the writer's perspective. I do not vote solely on whether or not I like the writer's personality. With me technical execution and expertise --- that is, ease of writing on the subject --- are the main factors.
What improves your chances of making it to the next round?
- Don't rely on gimmicks or trends. People can spot them and if your writing is the same old thing rehashed into the next topic, readers will notice.
- Write in your style, not what you think other people want to see. Very few people can actually pull off a satire and still fewer can adopt another's style. If you're imitating another LJ Idol participant, it can come perilously close to plagiarism.
- Ask for and recieve constructive criticism. Find out from your fellow contestants what works and what doesn't. You may think you have a strength in one area but someone has noticed another strength you're not developing. Or maybe you have a favorite phrase or theme you unconsciously repeat and it needs spicing up. Comments are opportunities for growth and development and for advancement, not personal digs.
- Socialize sincerely and honestly. Respond to comments in the Green Room which attract your attention and develop the conversation. Get to know your fellow contestants. Don't just go through the entries and comments leaving a 'me too' or 'you're right' or 'nice work' generic commentary. People who reveal themselves to be...well...people are more likely to make it to later rounds. You might even find yourself with some new permanent friends. More than half my current friends list is people I met in LJ Idol and developed friendships with.
- Adderess the topic. Subtle treatments are excellent when they can be pulled off but dont bury the topic in such a way that your piece ends up not reflecting the topic at all. It can be one of the best written pieces in the world but it does not get a vote if it did not do its job. I personally am more likely to be grabbed by off-beat and more obscure or unique applications of a topic. It shows the writer can think under pressure and has the creativity to adapt to difficult circumstances.
- Don't start your piece with "This is my essay/work for this week's LJ Idol topic, which is...." None of us, I would assume, are still in grade school. To me this shows an inexperienced writer and one who is uncertain about going outside the boundaries of traditional forms. While competition in LJ Idol can definitely help mature such writers and greatly improve their essays, I'm afraid I consider that to be amateur and therefore below the scale of writing I've come to expect from this competition. It's especially egregious if I, as a former English teacher, can still see where you used the typical essay format to construct your piece. Better to stumble on your own words and falter than to stick to form and fail to shine utterly.
Know-It-All...Does this apply to your own writing?
You bet it does! For instance, in my Week 1 topic there are several gross errors I would never have tolerated from another contestant.
- Several contractions are missing their apostrophes (most likely because I typed so fast I failed to depress the key enough for the computer to register the character)
- Several poorly constructed sentences. The first big paragraph has at least two which should have been broken into separate thoughts beause, when read aloud, they're awkward.
- Faulty color descriptions. While I tend to frown on digging up weird color names such as "viridian" and "cerulean" along with the despised jewel tones like "amethyst" and "amber", I could have come up with better than "deep" this and "deep" that!
- Saying that one has 'absently torn' one's gaze away from something is a contradicton. Either the landscape is fascinating or you're bored to tears but you really cannot be both.
- At least one change of tense from present to past and back again which has nothing to do with the narrative, it was just laziness.
- The use of words like 'era' and 'nervous' and 'surprise' and their variations twice within the same passage or description.
- The use of junk words which really don't tell much about anything such as 'beautiful' or 'gorgeous'.
- The ending feels forced or abrupt. There ought to have been a bit more closure.
Your default icon...are you insulting me?
Nope! It's a family in-joke. If you read any of my LJ Idol entries last year, you might recall the one in which I detailed my first face-to-face meeting with diagenou when we were re-introduced. Saying it didn't go well would be a gross understatement. He called me a silly bitch, I called him an incorrigible bastard, we almost got into a physical altercation right there in the middle of the book store...and by the next morning we were lovers.
I'm held in very great value by everyone I meet but you
'cause I've used my talents as I could, I've done some bad, I've done some good
I did a whole lot better than they thought I would so, c'mon and treat me like you should!" o/`
-- "Everybody Loves Me Baby" performed by Don McClean
I'll preface this by saying that I have had four years participating in therealljidol to observe patterns and figure these things out. What works for me may not work for you.
I'll probably cost myself votes by speaking my mind on the matter anyhow but --- isn't that how the game is played? It's LJ Idol, modeled off of American Idol (except that Gary, as host, is much kinder to his participants). You shouldnt really expect to be adored and applauded. You shouldn't even really expect that everyone will like what you write.
How Reading, Commenting, and Voting Work for Me
- If I left a comment at all, consider yourself lucky. There are far too many entries at this point for me to individual comment on them all. I would have to never sleep. If I commented on your entry, it means that something special caught my eye. That means you, as a writer, did your job admirably.
- I read all the entries, then I place votes, and then I comment if appropriate. Do not assume that because you did not see a comment, I did not vote for you.
- I tend to skim entries. Veteran writers who have participated at least once before tend to get skimmed because I know what to expect from them. I skim to make certain they haven't lapsed in my expectation of the quality they produce and then I move on. Later, if the piece was particularly attention getting or the person is a favorite or already a friend, I go back and read the entire thing.
- People new to the competition get read more closely because I don't know their writing styles and I want to familiarize myself with them. People who were in prior competitions but got voted out early get the same attention because I always feel I didn't get to experience their full potential and I want to do so.
All well and good, but what gets a vote?
- The first thing I look for is a literary device called a hook. If there's nothing in the title or the first paragraph to catch my attention and hold it, I am not as likely to finish reading the piece or to look favorably upon it. That is a criteria I apply to new writers and veterans alike.
- Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure need to be as precise and advanced as possible. If I'm looking at a child's writing or the writing of someone for whom English is not the first language, I don't weigh this as heavily. I look at their level of mastery and if the piece is readable overall then I let it pass. The piece has to have been readable to the best of the write'rs ability. Unless it's an integral part of the flavor of the piece for some reason, I tend to frown on slang, chatspeak, unnecessary abreviations, and improperly used works. Very few people can pull off ee cummings, Hemingway, or Longfellow effectively so it's probably best to pay attention to the basic structure of the language in which you are writing.
- A piece can still bore me to tears and get a vote if it's well written. I do not vote soley based on whether or not I agree with the writer's perspective. I do not vote solely on whether or not I like the writer's personality. With me technical execution and expertise --- that is, ease of writing on the subject --- are the main factors.
What improves your chances of making it to the next round?
- Don't rely on gimmicks or trends. People can spot them and if your writing is the same old thing rehashed into the next topic, readers will notice.
- Write in your style, not what you think other people want to see. Very few people can actually pull off a satire and still fewer can adopt another's style. If you're imitating another LJ Idol participant, it can come perilously close to plagiarism.
- Ask for and recieve constructive criticism. Find out from your fellow contestants what works and what doesn't. You may think you have a strength in one area but someone has noticed another strength you're not developing. Or maybe you have a favorite phrase or theme you unconsciously repeat and it needs spicing up. Comments are opportunities for growth and development and for advancement, not personal digs.
- Socialize sincerely and honestly. Respond to comments in the Green Room which attract your attention and develop the conversation. Get to know your fellow contestants. Don't just go through the entries and comments leaving a 'me too' or 'you're right' or 'nice work' generic commentary. People who reveal themselves to be...well...people are more likely to make it to later rounds. You might even find yourself with some new permanent friends. More than half my current friends list is people I met in LJ Idol and developed friendships with.
- Adderess the topic. Subtle treatments are excellent when they can be pulled off but dont bury the topic in such a way that your piece ends up not reflecting the topic at all. It can be one of the best written pieces in the world but it does not get a vote if it did not do its job. I personally am more likely to be grabbed by off-beat and more obscure or unique applications of a topic. It shows the writer can think under pressure and has the creativity to adapt to difficult circumstances.
- Don't start your piece with "This is my essay/work for this week's LJ Idol topic, which is...." None of us, I would assume, are still in grade school. To me this shows an inexperienced writer and one who is uncertain about going outside the boundaries of traditional forms. While competition in LJ Idol can definitely help mature such writers and greatly improve their essays, I'm afraid I consider that to be amateur and therefore below the scale of writing I've come to expect from this competition. It's especially egregious if I, as a former English teacher, can still see where you used the typical essay format to construct your piece. Better to stumble on your own words and falter than to stick to form and fail to shine utterly.
Know-It-All...Does this apply to your own writing?
You bet it does! For instance, in my Week 1 topic there are several gross errors I would never have tolerated from another contestant.
- Several contractions are missing their apostrophes (most likely because I typed so fast I failed to depress the key enough for the computer to register the character)
- Several poorly constructed sentences. The first big paragraph has at least two which should have been broken into separate thoughts beause, when read aloud, they're awkward.
- Faulty color descriptions. While I tend to frown on digging up weird color names such as "viridian" and "cerulean" along with the despised jewel tones like "amethyst" and "amber", I could have come up with better than "deep" this and "deep" that!
- Saying that one has 'absently torn' one's gaze away from something is a contradicton. Either the landscape is fascinating or you're bored to tears but you really cannot be both.
- At least one change of tense from present to past and back again which has nothing to do with the narrative, it was just laziness.
- The use of words like 'era' and 'nervous' and 'surprise' and their variations twice within the same passage or description.
- The use of junk words which really don't tell much about anything such as 'beautiful' or 'gorgeous'.
- The ending feels forced or abrupt. There ought to have been a bit more closure.
Your default icon...are you insulting me?
Nope! It's a family in-joke. If you read any of my LJ Idol entries last year, you might recall the one in which I detailed my first face-to-face meeting with diagenou when we were re-introduced. Saying it didn't go well would be a gross understatement. He called me a silly bitch, I called him an incorrigible bastard, we almost got into a physical altercation right there in the middle of the book store...and by the next morning we were lovers.