Wednesday 10 October 2012

Wednesday Wrap Up Post - Birthday Madness. Linky sign up for Halloween House of Horrors and Meet the Judges!


Your hosts apologise for the length of this post, but there is so much to tell you and we're running out of time!

Thank you as always, members and friends for the wonderful stories and poems for our challenge! This week we welcome new followers - Kappu,  Alyssa and RW Richard. New members are Ekta, Gyanban, Kappu and Heaven has re-joined us. We invite you to participate in our challenges!

Our entries were down from our record-busting 20s due to commitments from members. We especially wish Crystal's mother a full recovery from her heart attack. 

400-WORD COUNT
Looks like a lot of people carried on their Hate My Beautiful Friend writings; and a lot of sisterly rivalry.  So cool.  This also seemed a difficult write for a lot of people; yeah the normal word count limitation.  We know all too well how difficult it is to develop a setting, plot and characters in a 400 (or even 600) word limit; especially for those authors fitting a work-in-progress or previously published novel segment into the challenges.  But it helps cut down on reading time (many bloggers don't have a lot of time to spend reading lengthy stories and the comment feedback may reflect this); and also gives our authors practice for when they submit to publications.  Your hosts appreciate the time and effort our contributors put into submissions; and a little over world count for RFW prompts is acceptable (except for special events with specific guidelines) and expected upon occasion.

CRITIQUES/FEEDBACK ISSUES
Another comment we've noticed regards the request not to edit a submission based on critique feedback.  If you are like your hosts, you read most - if not all - of the comments on every RFW post. (I confess we sometimes read them 2 or 3 times!) Many bloggers read at least one or two of the first comments and the one or two directly above their own.  If you follow much of the comments, don't you think it's downright annoying to see a lot of feedback comments that have no reference in the post because the post has been edited in response to comments.  The other outcome of the revised post is that later commenters may offer feedback that suggests to include all the changes that were deleted.

When a member is willing to accept critique type feedback and has posted FCA (Full Critique Acceptable) at the end of their entry, it is to their benefit to gather all requested feedback prior to revision so that all views are considered, and the author is not swayed by every comment.  Our contributing authors are at every stage of writing skill level, from beginning to multi-published, and feedback on YOUR post may be helpful to others in their own projects.  There have been many times when I've learned techniques from reading the critiques provided by other authors, and the discussion that sometimes continues in the comments.

We encourage our contributors to post the revisions when the challenge ends, or to exchange private e-mails as critique partners.  Some of us would like to see how the feedback was interpreted, others just want to see that the feedback was appreciated.  As a social writing group, RFW is pleased to see a number of writing relationships form within our membership.

If you haven't already, please read the Critiques Page.

SHORT CRITIQUES OF BIRTHDAY MADNESS ENTRIES

 Raelene:  continued with Maxine and Blake, and the hatefully beautiful friend Lola at Lola’s birthday party.  Ah, nothing like bringing a hand made gift and retching all over the expensive hor d’oeuvres  to grind in the embarrassment.  Good thing the rain washed away all the mess and the wind cleared the area of envy and deceit.  A complete flash fiction scene.  

Adura: posted from her WiP novel(la) with Michael feeling pressured by the flamboyance of his party, and Moji’s inappropriate emotional outburst.  Loved how Sadi is in his thoughts just enough to help set the tone of rivalry, but doesn't stop us from hoping he doesn't go all soft on Moji. 

Yolanda:  a lonely birthday party for two; and an invite never opened.  Tragic.  It's tough being a secret keeper – and did I detect a hint of repressed love from body guard? Refreshing POV.

Nilanjana:  wrote of inter-planetary social networking, and a much anticipated first meeting at a birthday party.  An exquisitely built world, the nervousness of our party goer palpable. Our first sci-fi piece for RFW.

Roland: celebrated in Victor Standish style with a death-defying ménage a trios.  Body parts and death are surely not an appropriate gift for anyone else; but at least there was devils food cake.

Donna: obviously had fun writing this, so much so that she had a spare 400 words on the cutting room floor. I loved the spooky tale, the battle of spell-casting wills. Ah those evil sisters.

Linda:  has the ultimate “joke’s on you” birthday present for the lusty best friend.  The innuendo is subtle, well formed, and gives a humorous twist to an irritating situation. Managed to make Nico detestable.

Denise: used an interesting dialogue to set the setting, tone, and mystery for a reverse gift giving for the purpose of retaining love.  Diamonds may be a woman’s best friend, but they are a cold lover in the scheme of things.

Nancy: was visited by the dreaded 'malware' message so not everyone could access her story. Nancy sent it to me via email and what a great use of the Birthday Madness prompt. This story had a lot of movement, mystery and cultural undertones different to our own - good use of birthday horoscope.

Anne:   turned a typical lovers' quarrel scenario into a study of regret and understanding.  The back and forth POV shifts gave insights into each lover’s feelings and motivations.  A happy marriage is such a blessing.

Sally: a descriptive tale of sisterly rivalry, with a unique twist for cleansing the atmosphere.  Descriptive grandeur and a funny twist.

Michael; continued his noir tale with the mysterious lady clothed in a lacy black hat and plume of cigarette smoke.  The embarrassing moment is not hers, however, and a nervous party crasher makes his awkward appearance with a poorly wrapped present.

Anna: teased us with a prequel, and a foreshadowing of future events.  My stomach growled at the thought of all that food to dream of for seven long years.

So well done, one and all.

Only 9 votes received out of 13 entries, but the majority choice was Linda Katmarian with 3 votes! Congratulations Linda on your riveting story. Please post the badge on your blog and link to your winning story. Also congratulations to Sally who came in second!


Now our hopefully huge challenge for Halloween is ready for sign ups. This time you only have to signal your intention to play - SIGN UP NOW at the bottom of this post with your blog URL if you are going to write a story/poem for this challenge. We will send a bulk email reminder on October 19 to remind you to post on your blog.




It's Halloween soon!

Another FW/RU Challenge is here!

This time your entries, both prose and poetry, will be judged by our most qualified judges, Ann Best and Nas Dean. (Read more about them below.)


RomanticFridayWriters is looking for chilling stories of ghosts and haunted locations – and maybe even love from beyond the grave. Come on, let your imagination soar to world's unknown... 

A romantic element is essential, but we’re looking for stories with a thrilling edge of fear and dread to add to the romantic tension building between our Hero/Heroine.

Have some ghouly fun with this one! 

Don't forget the Romantic Element! Or did I already say that?

Let your head go! 

And this time, to cater to all who struggle with the 400 word limit, you can write between 800 to 1,000 words of prose/prosetry!

If you choose to keep it much lower, I'm sure our judges will be grateful, but you have the option of 1,000 words. 

This will be our last challenge until December  where we will host a gigantic holiday blogfest. Stay turned for more details...

Let's introduce our judges...

ABOUT ANN BEST:
As far back as Ann can remember, she has loved to read and write, and signed up for every creative writing course she could manage through high school and into graduate school, eventually receiving a master of fine arts degree in creative writing. She's also been an editing intern and full-time proofreader, and has judged writing contests, both poetry and prose, along the way. Her full-length memoir, In the Mirror: A Memoir of Shattered Secrets, was published in May of 2011, and is currently a best seller on Amazon.  

To learn more about Ann's other books and more about Ann herself, check out her blog: http://annbestblog.wordpress.com/

ABOUT NAS DEAN:
An avid and passionate reader and reviewer of romance, Nas Dean loves reading and when not reading can be found gardening, her second favorite. She has written romances, including a Vampire/Witch, but has not sought publication as yet. Recently she started Freelance Editing. She edits and proofreads for Entangled Publishing and also for some Harlequin authors. She blogs at Romance Book Paradise. Befriend her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter or 'Like' the ROMANCE BOOK PARADISE Facebook page!

And you can join her Romance Giveaway group on Facebook for information on all the giveaways!

Her reviews can also be found at 




  • Amazon.co.uk 
  • Amazon.com 
  • Barnes & Noble 
  • Goodreads 
  • Harlequin 
  • Library Thing 
  • Mills & Boon UK 
  • My Shelfari 
  • The Book Depository

    And
  • I Review for... 


  • So as you can see, Ann and Nas are ably qualified to judge our forthcoming entries. Thank you dear ladies and friends for agreeing to take on this difficult task.






    THIS IS THE LINKY SIGN UP FOR HALLOWEEN
    It will be re - posted soon in a post of its own...



    get the InLinkz code

    23 comments:

    1. Certainly looking forward to this challenge ladies. Ann and Nas, thanks so much for helping out poor Denise and Donna. They were besides themselves with the last challenge they had to judge. I know they will sleep much better knowing you both are on board.

      I hope we get a huge influx of stories. How much fun will it be to read ghostly tales during this bewitching season.

      And HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN to all the RFW writes who are celebrating their Birthdays this month. I know of four so far. SOOOO many Libras.

      I guess their parents were really whooping it up during the holidays. LOL.Talk about Romance...

      ReplyDelete
    2. Oh, and congrats to Linda!

      Please don't mind the few typos in my previous comment. It is one o'clock in the morning. I'm beat!

      ReplyDelete
    3. Yay Linda; congrats on the people's choice! and Sally too, and everyone who participate in this weeks challenge. You are all winners to me for your awesome efforts.

      I'm so excited about the Halloween challenge. I can't wait to post.

      ......dhole

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    4. You sound so busy, it is time you took a trip to France again :-)))))) Keep well Dciane

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Hi Diane. Was just saying to a student who went to France this holiday that it's over a year since I've visited. I must get back soon. This time I hope we can meet. So close last time.
        Thanks for dropping by to say hello.

        Delete
    5. Hello,

      Congrats to both Linda and Sally! and thanks for a great wrap up post.

      In for the Halloween Challenge, so looking forward to the stories and critiques and the learning that happens from all of it.

      Nilanjana.

      ReplyDelete
    6. Congrats to Linda and Sally.

      Not quite sure why editing posts is such a big issue. Though it has become a RFW rule to avoid editing posts, my take on it is that sometimes one notices mistakes after posting (whether it was due to feedback or not) As to whether editing a published post is annoying, that's down to perspective. My two cents:)

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. It's not a big issue, Adura, and certainly wasn't meant to sound heavy. There was only one time, for a FW challenge, that your hosts asked that no changes be made due to your original piece was being judged. But it does help if we can relate the feedback to the original piece. We can all decide if we agree or not. For the Halloween entries we would naturally ask that you leave the original story.
        Of course if you post and see a typo and change it, it is different to altering your piece every time someone comments.
        Happy writing! So looking forward to our next challenge. Roll on spooks!

        Delete
      2. Hi Denise,
        On just observation, have to say I've not noticed anyone changing their piece every time someone comments. However if that's what they choose to do, that's their prerogative, I think. As adults we can make our own minds up. It's hardly a crime.

        Delete
      3. I will not be participating in this challenge. Good luck to everyone. Hope you enjoy reading and writing.

        Delete
      4. I'm so sorry to see this Adura. Your posts will be missed.

        .......dhole

        Delete
    7. Missed the last one while I was flittering around Sydney, but I'm in for this one!

      ReplyDelete
    8. Yes and congratulations to Linda and Sally! What great entries!

      ReplyDelete
    9. Congratulations Linda and Sally. Well deserved.

      Welcome judges Anne and Nas.

      I will have a story a week from Friday.
      Nancy

      ReplyDelete
    10. Congrats to Linda and Sally, excellent writing.

      As I said before I'm looking forward to the horror of romance. :)

      ReplyDelete
    11. Thanks for the welcome friends! I'm looking forward to reading everyone's horror stories! Bring it on!

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. It will be great Nas, and so good to have you with us!

        Delete
    12. Lovely to read the reviews on the same page. Could not take part this time but looking forward to Halloween posts.

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      Replies
      1. I hope you had a fabulous birthday too Ghazala!

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    13. Yay to Linda and Sally!! Welcome Nas and Ann!! Ghosts and scaries are right up my alley. Looking forward to this one!!! I'll be on vacation on the 19th, so will be posting from Eureka Springs, AK. :)) Do we link up now, before our entry is posted? Sorry, am confused. :/

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Candilynn, great that you're joining in. You link up now and post in the 19th. Can't wait!

        Delete
    14. Looks like I forgot to congratulate Sally... SOOO sorry. Congrats Sally!

      Happy Birthday again to DONNNA and of course Denise is STILL Celebrating hers.

      Also Happy Birthday to Ghazala too! ALL THE BEST LADIES!!!!!

      ReplyDelete
    15. Looks like we will have many spooky romances for Halloween!
      I'm sorry to read that Adura is not participating. We'll miss you, Adura.
      Happy birthday to everyone who had a birthday in October. (Sorry , I've lost count now.)
      Welcome Ann and Nas!
      Congratulations to Linda and Sally for the People's Choice Award; well deserved!
      And now to get some sleep! It is already after midnight!
      Best wishes & hugs,
      Anna

      ReplyDelete

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