AW WESTERN CONTEST - Discussion Thread

We're quite the pair, aren't we? Too funny.

Toffee volunteers to be a second for both of ya. Gets the undertaker to take measurements. Chewing on an a piece of gum as the two crazy ladies initially back-to-back begin pacing, one - two - three - four -

Then throws up hands in exasperation as the two girly gun fighters start making up, run back to the line and start and huggin' kissin', cryin' n stuff...

Undertaker closes book and walks inside out of the scorching sun, angrily kicking up the dust as he goes... more business lost.

Toffeehead said:

Toffee volunteers to be a second for both of ya. Gets the undertaker to take measurements. Chewing on an a piece of gum as the two crazy ladies initially back-to-back begin pacing, one - two - three - four -

Then throws up hands in exasperation as the two girly gun fighters start making up, run back to the line and start and huggin' kissin', cryin' n stuff...

Undertaker closes book and walks inside out of the scorching sun, angrily kicking up the dust as he goes... more business lost.

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Ari Meermans said:

Well, it's hard to judge your own work, ye ken.

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Ain't it the truth. I tried to put a critical eye to my story and rated it - there is a fair number I rated higher. Even if voting for one's own was allowed I'd have to put mine down the list, the imagination and talent this contest has brought to light is amazing. Reading to the end was well worth the time spent.

That being said - I finished my first read-through and looked at my ratings sheet. Now comes the hard part since so many stories are so close it's gonna take a mighty use of will to cut any of them - that just plainly sucks.

I can't get over all the different story ideas that a single theme can generate - you folks are truly a talented bunch of writers. There's something for everyone here and I trust we'll have a large number of voters.

brad_b said:

I can't get over all the different story ideas that a single theme can generate - you folks are truly a talented bunch of writers. There's something for everyone here and I trust we'll have a large number of voters.

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How is that going Harry-One-Kenobe? Are we seeing many votes from non-participants? Has the word got out?

[Gives Harry big hug as a thank-you.
Pulls back thinking he might think I am trying to curry favor.
Resumes hug when remembers Harry isn't voting]

Well, for my two bits...

The purpose of the whole thing was to promote the genre... I presume writers need readers, so I say lasso the moon and bring them all aboard...

I'm for drafting asking Kelly and Ambrosia and crew to help twist arms if need be to bring in voters. Ambrosia is still a little confuzzled after her hard labor with the Poetry Contest and is taking a well-deserved rest, but she promises to bring her vote to the table when she can finally see straight.

It is a lot of words to wade through, but I found once I started I didn't want to stop because of the diversity. Every story brought a new angle on Westerns and I'm hoping others will discover the satisfaction of exploration I found. Reading is the easy part, it's narrowing the choices that's proving difficult for me.

Yep, let's promote the sucker.

I put a mention of the contest and voting in Historical SYW where we have a conversation thread. The thing is, anyone from outside western has to be willing to read all the stories, and there's such a variety people from outside western might get turned off if they're looking for historical or romance or mystery or ...

My gut feeling is there won't be many voters from outside western. I'm not sure that's a bad thing - seems to me the folks who put the effort into creating the stories ought to have the majority vote on which ones win. Puma

Hey, can you guys keep it down over there? I'm working on my next Western short story. Still having trouble with the mystery genre for Hillerman (even though I love him!), but now I have a hankerin' to try a weird western. I have a couple ideas, but they are in the nest and need some incubating.

For me this is the point...it doesn't really matter to me who votes or doesn't vote on the contest. The contest challenged us to try something new...I did and now I'm hooked. In that sense, I've already won something! Yay me!

Now if ya'll don't mind...I'm trying to write here...

Toffeehead said:

Toffee volunteers to be a second for both of ya. Gets the undertaker to take measurements.

Click to expand...

You are hillarious. I think perhaps Ari and I should leave the humor to you. But then again, what fun would that be?

For what it's worth, I put a notice in the March 2012 Blog Chain. Our participants are used to going through sets of short and wildly varied writing, so maybe that will pique some interest.

I didn't get in an entry but have read through the first twelve. Gave you a shout-out in another thread, too.

It's a lotta fence to lay.

The good, the bad and the ugly...

The good thing about promoting this contest in various other AW rooms and threads is that it may indeed bring many more reads, hits, and votes as well as a new and varied audience to your genre.

The bad thing (?) is that the contest may not then be decided (depending on the number of outside voters) by a majority core of western genre writers... who, one might assume, know their genre well.

The ugly: Is that it could foster some interesting questions as to what -perhaps- some western writers may have always perceived as marketable.

This is what you're deciding. It's up to you.
If you'd like more outside readers and voters, just say the word.
Let me know if more outside voters are...
how should I say this?

Okay to corral for this shootout?

(^you see what I did there, right?)

KellyAssauer said:

The bad thing (?) is that the contest may not then be decided (depending on the number of outside voters) by a majority core of western genre writers... who, one might assume, know their genre well.

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Not a problem! Many of us had never tried a Western before this contest...we don't know the genre either. LOL!

I think "the ugly" sounds great. Let's see what appeals to people that don't generally read Western. I think it could help us as writers write what people want to read.

So I vote get as many voters as possible.

Actually, it could be very interesting if Harry developed some statistics on the comparison of votes by the entrants and non entrants. It might help show what's interesting and not so interesting about western writing. Puma

Bring it on. I wrote and voted not knowing donkey plops about the genre post-Zane Grey. I trust others on the board to give the 40 a fair and reasoned airing.

Sounds like a plan.

Anyone happen to know where (what rooms or threads) you currently have a post up and running that will need bumped? And is there one amongst you lot... that thinks they have what it takes (ie about 30 minutes a day - maybe less) to help a lady out?

*can PM me if you're too embarrassed to say so in front of the other fellers*

The historical post is in SYW in the "I Lost My Scutum in Teutoberg Forest" sticky at the top. So not very bumpable. I'd suggest a separate new post in historical genre. Puma

Okay, here's a start:

In the: Office Party

In: Announcements, Events and Self Promotions

In Politics & Current Events (hey! It's an event and it's current!)

Please check them out and bump them when I haven't!