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This week: Shooting Yourself in the Foot! Edited by: Fyn  
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I have a tendency to sabotage relationships; I have a tendency to sabotage everything. Fear of success, fear of failure, fear of being afraid. Useless, good-for-nothing thoughts. ~~Michael Buble
Procrastination is, hands down, our favorite form of self-sabotage. ~~Alyce P. Cornyn-Selby
It's one thing to shoot yourself in the foot. Just don't reload the gun. ~~Lindsey Graham
Shooting yourself in the foot. That's what you call that. We talked a couple of days ago about staying crisp and not making simple mistakes, but that's what we did today. We can't have a lapse of concentration like that. But you have to keep the hammer down. You can't take the approach of: 'we've got a faster boat so we won't push it too hard,' because that's when it comes back and bites you. ~~Terry Hutchinson
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Ever gotten a ticket for speeding? I have. I made a choice. Pick a reason: a)I was in a hurry/was late. b)Everyone else was over the limit and I was going with traffic. (And if they jumped off the roof, would I blindly follow? I can hear my mother's voice in my head!) c) I didn't see the speed limit sign (probably because someone was going too fast to see more than a blur) or d) The weather was good, the roads were clear, the radio was blasting, I was in a great mood and felt like it!) I had to take the consequences. I had no one to blame but me. I should have thought about why the rule was in place. I wouldn't be so cavalier about someone driving drunk. They could have killed someone! Never stopped to think that I might have as well. It did matter.
Now I am well aware that many on WDC only write as a hobby, that they have no inclination to be 'published' or are simply letting off steam or (as a friend calls it) are just dabbling. While I may seem (to some) to be over-zealous on this subject, I feel that our words and our thoughts (regardless of the desires behind them) need to communicated the best way we are capable of doing so.
"It's just writing. No big deal!" I hear a voice mutter. "Just a contest. I have more important things going on," I hear another. To some, I'll admit, it may not be a 'big deal' and, yes, there is a world outside of WDC. I get that. BUT ... and this is a big thing ... on the other side of the coin, things like following prompts, fulfilling submission guidelines or polishing writing before submitting it should (in my opinion) be a matter of course. Imagine a doctor saying, "It was just a tonsillectomy. I didn't see that carotid artery a millimeter away from where I was cutting. I missed that part." Now, wouldn't you be, ah, shall I say, just a tad miffed? Of course you would!
Take prompts for example. Yes, sometimes, they may seem complicated. They may require extensive attention to detail. (Read that as thoroughly proofing your work or making sure the rules are followed!) Many contests here are more than the simple contest they may appear to be. Many of them have an underlying intent for the writers to learn something that will make them a better writer. As such, the folks running the contest have spent much time and effort into devising their prompts to force the writer to explore areas in which they may be unfamiliar with or are outside their comfort zones. They may be trying to get writers to push themselves to new heights, discover additional methods to play with their words or to get them to try additional writing techniques, structures or forms. Writing is a learning process, after all. Other contests are straight forward, simply seeking writers to put forth a good effort. Still, it takes little time to proof one's work.
Revision, revising, editing are crucial steps for any writer. Vital steps that are but a part of the process of writing.
Excuses do not cut it. Been there? Done that? Excuses are just a way of justifying the oversight, to yourself, as if you are saying, 'that rule didn't apply to me.' We all make choices. Sometimes, they are not good ones. Yet those choices are ones we made and we have to deal with the consequences of them. If a writer can't be bothered following a contest prompt, then the writer, possibly, is not following guidelines elsewhere either. I hear more muttering. "Just a silly contest; it has nothing to do with real life."
Ah, but in contests, as in life, it usually does. It does matter, it is important and it is a reflection on those who choose to not follow guidelines, rules or (let's take it a step further,) laws or expected societal behaviors. Sometimes, prompts or guidelines are specifically complex. Why? Because the point is to see if one is paying attention to the details, if they care enough about their work to give it the consideration or due diligence it deserves.
If, in this case, the writer does not, then why should a judge or publisher? If the writer doesn't take their work, and, by extension, themselves, seriously, why should anyone else? Especially if said writer is in competition with others for a prize be it publication, winning or (ahem!) the satisfaction of knowing they gave it their best effort, to have their work be the best they are capable of making it? Why go through the time and effort to write something if you are not willing to be sure it follows the rules? Unless you are playing hopscotch, seems rather pointless to be bouncing around on one foot. Hard to cover much distance (accomplishing much of anything) that way!
As a publisher, I read hundreds and hundreds of manuscripts. The vast majority of the time, they are not anywhere near the level they should be before a prospective publisher sees them: riddled with typos, grammatical inaccuracies, tenses that change mid-sentence and points of view flip-flopping all over the place. Absolutely, one can expect that an editor will go over them once a manuscript is accepted; however, it should always be in the best possible shape before it is ever sent anywhere.
Going back to the multi-layered prompts (or guidelines) and consider the time and effort put into them. Extend that concept to submission guidelines for a manuscript. Neglect to follow the specific guidelines and your manuscript will hit the circular file by the end of the first paragraph - if it even gets that far! A reader with a stack of manuscripts three feet high has neither the time nor the inclination to plow through mistakes that a spell check would catch. Many times, it is exceedingly apparent that the writer never even reread the manuscript after they typed the last word. Glaring mistakes, plot-holes, tense changes etc. would/should have been noticed and corrected. But they all too often are not.
Contests could be seen to be practice runs for submissions elsewhere. I freely admit that they also can simply be a fun exercise. Regardless of the approach, shouldn't we still want it to be the best we can make it?
Simple proofing is important. If, for no other reason, than to be sure we are saying what we mean to express! I get it that there are people who have a great desire to write and who may lack the skills to express themselves as well as they might like. Putting a draft out there and asking for help, intending to learn from said help, is far different from that same writing being put forward as a finished piece.
"Thejobsarenowhere." How can this be written? "The jobs are now here." and "The jobs are nowhere." Makes a huge difference, doesn't it? Which way did you see it first?
Granted, I am very passionate about writing. (Yes, I expect that is an understatement, but it is who I am!) Yes, I extend the various nuances of writing and all that it encompasses to my everyday life. Little things. "Unimportant things" that get overwritten by busy daily lives, families, homes, jobs and life in general. Or, do they? Attention to detail follows through whether I am cleaning the kitchen or writing. As does observing what is going on around me whether I am taking a walk, driving, writing or talking to potential authors. Doing a job right - for both my own satisfaction and because others depend upon me to do so. Picking up all the pieces of glass after I break a dish so no one steps on it barefoot or proofing a manuscript or my own writing. Do I make mistakes? Of course I do. All the time. No one is perfect. I am still learning, and expect to be for the rest of my life! I am dyslexic. A writer's nightmare. I don't make excuses for it, I just have to deal with it and triple check what I do. (And then check it again because I know I'll have missed something!) I still don't catch every error, every slip-up or typo, but I try like heck to catch them all because it is a reflection on me, it is important to me.
The devil is in the details. On WDC or not, let's face it: Every day is a contest, a competition. We face judges every single day be they parents, bosses, other halves, other writers or kids. We are judged. Every day. Fact. It is all in how we present ourselves to those bosses, to our clients or customers, to our fellow human beings. We do not want to be found lacking. It could mean the loss of a job, a partner or a roof overhead. It is all about choosing the path we travel in every single thing we do. Just a silly contest? Living has consequences and rewards. So much in this life we have no control over, why wouldn't anyone exercise what control they have over the things they can?
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Mia - craving colour  says: Hi Fyndorian. Thank you for sharing your amazing experience with a time capsule and leaving an outline/suggestions of how we can create one. A lovely idea.
Robyn is PUBLISHED!  agrees: WdC Time Capsules!! Great idea!!
Other side of the coin: Ever entered a contest and had an issue with it? What about one that was especially fun? Challenging? Disappointing? WHY? I don't want to know specific contests but what about them did you love or hate? What floated your boat or drove you crazy? What could have been done better? What was done exactly right? Try to be specific! Learning how to run a contest is a learning curve as well! |
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For Authors: September 23, 2015 Issue [#7230]
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