Thx

[nevermore]

Just want to say not only am I new to the site, but this was my first time entering the short story contest. I very much appreciate the feedback on my story. Hopefully, next time, I'll get the hang of working out the format of my story. Us newbies have to learn my trial and error. Anyway, thx so much again for the advice, and for the inspiration! It feels so good to be writing my own stuff after so long. There's a big difference in writing for a newspaper and stort stories. Hope to learn a lot from you guys and gals! 

[Ed]

I'm glad you're enjoying the competition, and it's nice for me to know folks are getting something out of it. I received an email from one disgruntled member who took issue with the voting procedure, wanting to know why the winner isn't chosen solely by contestant votes, which would be how he would do it, rather than the contestants whittling the field down to ten and the final decision falling to the editor whose publication the winning story will appear in.

The upshot, I think, was that he felt like everybody was wasting their time, but I think (hope) most people get a lot more from the process than mere competition. To me, it's a real eye-opener and, as Del said in another thread, it's heartening to see some people love your story, even if some didn't get a thrill out of it. Editors are exactly the same -- each sees the stories subjectively, filtered through their own perspective, so just because one or two reject it, that doesn't mean it's a no hoper. Somebody out there would love it, so keep sending it out

BTW, you're right that journalism is very different from short story writing. Journalism is all about exposition, whereas a good fiction writer tries to keep exposition to a minimum. That's the biggest difference, I think. Where it helps you is knowing what makesa good story, and what the main points of interest are likely to be. One of the best writers I've met online was a journalist.