Friday 30 March 2012

#RomanticFridayWriters Featured Writer and Runner Up announced. And...RFW enters the #AtoZChallenge

We have returned to announce the Featured Writer, the Runner Up and the People's Choice Encouragement Award.

You read both Donna's and Denise's critiques of the eligible writers in Wednesday's post. (If you missed it, it's the post below this one). We wondered if you would guess who we'd be choosing!


Without further ado, both Donna and I have chosen Adura as the RU this week for her sensuous poem entitled, She Wears My Ring. Congratulations Adura. Your poem rocked!


For FW we both chose Madeleine Maddocks for her heartfelt romantic story of an elderly couple. It was a beautifully written vignette, well deserving of the FW title.


And the People's Choice goes to...Anna and ahem, Denise! Isn't that lovely! I was hoping for a last-minute vote to even the tie, but it didn't happen. So Anna and I will post our Encouragement Awards on our blogs. Thank you, lovely people!

If you want to refresh yourself by reading any of the winning entries, go to the She Wears My Ring post below.

We noted the comments regarding having a separate competition for poetry and prose and yes, that is one of our motivations to stop the one-size-fits-all judging. Bear with us till May...



MORE NEWS!

I've previously said that RFW would be closing for the month of April as the A - Z Challenge was taking place and everyone would be too busy writing posts or reading them. However, I had an epiphany yesterday and decided instead of pulling down the blinds, I'm going to throw them open! 

RFW has entered the A - Z Challenge! 
There are several positive benefits:
  • We will gain more exposure for our group, something that many of you want to see.
  • Some visitors may follow RFW and become members in the future.
  • Flash fiction will be promoted.
  • Any RFW member taking part will possibly receive visits from commenters.
So, I took the train back to the city yesterday and while on the train I wrote 10 little stories, up to 'J'. Didn't take long, but I'm a crazy, quick writer - just give me an opening letter, sentence and my 'pantser' is away, writing the story for me. How about you? Does it take you long to pen a story/poem? (What slows me down is the editing, then more editing, then even more...)

Anyway, my challenge to you, dear members and followers:

Do you want to join this challenge with me? If so, you can write flash fiction from approx. 50 (called a Dribble - 100 (called a Drabble) - 200 words on any theme, hopefully, but not necessarily, with a romantic element, and email it to me for posting. I'll post the occasional 400 + word story so that's okay too! I'll need editorial rights so I can tweak it to fit the letter and fix up any little typos, tenses, grammar and punctuation if I should find any, perish the thought. If you send in a story, write a few words about yourself so I can post this under your story with your blog link. And send another picture if you want, otherwise I'll nab the picture you have when you joined as a member...

If you've already written a story in the past and would like to offer it for publication during the challenge, please send it along. We can post more than one each day if you offer up a surfeit of riches! 

To post to the A - Z I'm using the first word of the story as the letter of the month, so there's no theme for the entries. For example for A, the beginning of the story goes like this -" '...and that's the way it happened,' he said..."

I hope you like the idea of RFW stepping out into the bigger blogoverse and getting ourselves known just that much more. Remember, if you want to post an old story or write a new one or two or ten, please email me at den.covey@gmail.com. Also, if you have any more questions about it, please ask. 

Hope to see you visiting during April - every day except Sunday (challenge begins the first Sunday as it's the 1st April) even if you don't want any of your stories posted.

Don't forget, we reconvene for our challenges on Tuesday May 1st. There will be new guidelines and other changes. Our May 4 prompt is going ahead on the first Friday. This one can be up to 600 words, (an epic poem?) but there are guidelines to follow...

I see some of you have signed up for the A - Z Challenge yourselves. Leave your name below if you have so I can visit you!

Have a great April!

Denise (L'Aussie)

15 comments:

  1. Hi Denise & Donna and other RFWers,
    I have signed up for 'From A to Z in April', but I have not written flash fiction for it. I still could. My theme is my favourite colours and things with a focus on jewellery and related areas such as gemstones. But in order to not bore everyone who is not excited about jewellery, I could throw in some stories.

    My son critiqued my story about Ewin and Soft-Star. He suggests another name for Soft-Star (which sounds stupid in Swedish 'Mjuk-Stjarna') And he does not want them to be a couple in the end. (Blah! Kissing! Ughh!) So instead of a wedding, I am thinking about giving Edwin an extended family. As an only child (and a sensitive child aqt that) in a family of trolls, he really wishes for playmates, siblings, most of all, a little brother. Which means that my story will really fall outside of the framework for RFWers!!!

    But I have another story up my sleeve that I will e-mail to you, Denise. It might fit on the day for the letter 'M'.

    Best wishes,
    Anna
    Questions? E-mail me at: adornment(AT)live(DOT)se

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    Replies
    1. Hi Anna. The A-Z posts don't necessarily have to be romantic as I said. Your Soft Star story would be fine, but a bit long. I was hoping to keep the posts about 200 max, but my first two are 400. I must be used to writing 400 words, lol!

      It'll be lovely to get a story for M. Look forward to it.

      Thanks for giving me your A-Z number. I would just use RFWer to access your site I think.

      Denise

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  2. A-Z Challenge? Yikes. I'm running for cover, not posting a darn thing on my fun blog for a whole month. No point really. The A-Z will kill traffic that isn't already A-Z crazed, and I simply don't have the time to engage in reading thousands of posts. ;)

    Byeeeeeeee....

    ReplyDelete
  3. P.S.
    Almost forgot to say that I'm number 860 on the 'From A to Z' linky-list! (At least for now. It seems to change. Maybe people are dropping out!)

    Best wishes,
    Anna

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    Replies
    1. No Anna, because one of the criticisms last year was false names/scammers/people who don't intend to post, the A-Z police are already going around deleting suss entries. They're also going to delete anyone who doesn't post in the first few days.

      Denise

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  4. Hello Denise, Donna & fellow RFWs.
    Many congrats to Madeleine, Adura, Anna & Denise!

    I'm not doing the A-Z Challenge (although I'm sure I could if I wanted to)...I'm with Francine re reading/commenting on thousands of entries...just doesn't appeal to me. Good luck to those entering.

    I hope you don't mind if I do a little self-promotion whilst I'm here. I'm starting a new blog called Lovers' Cove!. It's a monthly collaboration with a twist. You only have to enter 1-line of poetry in 15 words or less. Here's the twist...your line has to continue on from the person before you in the Linky! I'll keep adding updates over at Lovers' Cove! or on Facebook. Hope you can join in. Linky opens from 15th May-21st May (gives you time to recover from A-Z).

    Have a good weekend everyone. See you!

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  5. Congrats to all the winners, I hope the platform carries on, I have just about arranged my writing desk here. ;)
    I dropped out of A-Z this year though I had put down my name in Feb itself, even made a video for the challenge...sigh...
    I might come up with something-dribbles, drabbles and droubbles are my favourites in micro and flash.
    Can one write in any genre?
    As for your questions:
    My best ideas come in the afternoon or after midnight. 12 - 3 A.M/P.M is when I write the most. Prompts words and pictures help me write fast else I plod through a story specially long ones and sometimes abandon them half way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rek I'm sorry you dropped out but it is a big challenge to take on isn't it? I'd be delighted if you could write some dribbles, drabbles and droubbles for RFW during April. You can write in any genre, just a touch of the romantic if you can, but mine aren't very romantic! No theme, just using the first letter of the first word for the relevant day.

      So Rek, if you write something, email it along with a short bio and pic and i'll massage it to fit the day if you don't mind.

      Yes, I love prompts and first words or sentences.

      Denise

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  6. I’m just dropping by to say hello! I look forward to seeing the alphabet all over your blog in April!

    Konstanz Silverbow
    nothoughts2small.blogspot.com
    A to Z Co-host
    http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Konstanz! I look forward to your visits. D.

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  7. Woo hoo! Thanks for the harlot badge, Ladies. Seems befitting given the ahem...tone of the post, lol.

    Congratulations to Madeleine. Her story was fab! Well deserved. Congrats to Anna and Denise too.

    About the A-Z, Don't know if you realised it, Denise. You inspired me to sign on when you talked about it. I'm doing it in poetry on my blog as I've signed up for NaPoWriMo too at the same time. So come read and comment on my posts, fellow RFWers, please. I need all the support I can get. I'll come round yours too. Could be a long month!

    Have a fab weekend, folks!

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    1. Adura I spent half the night trying to comment on your blog and others too, but blogger was sending me error messages. This morning seems fine.

      Denise

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    2. Sorry, Denise. Seems to be a widespread problem. Hope blogger is on to it.

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  8. Denise, I think its cool that you have signed RFW up for A-Z. It is a great way for blogs to promote and get recognized.

    I'm not posting during April myself - I know I could never keep up, so I'm hoping to finish a couple projects. I wish everyone who has joined this endeavour good luck on the posts.

    .......dhole

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    Replies
    1. Hi Donna,
      It is quite a challenge keeping up with everything. I've spent most of today preparing myself for the first 7 days of the A-Z, and NaPoWriMo challenge. Only way I can do it. I'll be too busy during the week.

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