Don't close your eyes and don't try to hide,
Fora silly spook an editor may sit by your side!
Shrouded in a daft disguise,
They pretend to terrorize.
Grim grinningghosts editors come out to socialize!
For
Shrouded in a daft disguise,
They pretend to terrorize.
Grim grinning
That's right, prepare to quake in your boots, because it's time for...
Megrim's Revision Championship
Introduction
This is a contest all about honing your revision skills. Hand-in-hand with that is practicing your ability to read critically and to come up with helpful feedback. Anyone is welcome to participate, and you don't need to have a finished story or "experience" with revisions. The idea is all about learning to use your inner editor.
The contest begins on Monday, March 6th. Sign-ups are closed!
Feel free to use the #RevisionChamp hashtag!
Requirements
The only thing you need to do is be willing to put in some time and effort. Everyone is going to write a fresh scene or story based on an initial prompt, and from there you'll need to revise it on a weekly basis, as well as review other contestants. Other than your own dedication, there are absolutely no other requirements!
How It Works
Round 0: An initial prompt will be given, and all contestants must write a new story between 1k-3k words, in any genre. What you write is totally up to you.
Round 1: Each round will last a week. Contestants will post their stories to the literary section, and review at least 2 other submissions that round.
Rounds 2+: Once you've gotten some feedback on your submission, it's time to get to work revising to make it better! A "tweak" prompt will be given to help direct you each round, but you'll still be using your original story and characters. (For instance, "bring out more emotion this time" or "add in a second conflict"). The idea is to incorporate feedback from reviews to improve your story, while the "tweak" prompt keeps everyone more or less on the same page, like a guide wire.
Post the revision as a NEW work and leave the old version intact. Do NOT edit the old version.
-> REVISED STORIES must be posted for the next round by midnight (YWS time) each Sunday.
-> REVIEWS on other people's submissions must be finished by midnight (YWS time) each Thursday, so the authors have a chance to use that feedback.
Upvotes: Rounds and winners will be based on upvotes. Any contestant can upvote as many submissions as they like, and you can keep upvoting even if you've been knocked out in a previous round. Simply comment on the literary work with the word "upvote!" (Not a review!). You may also want to take this opportunity to say why, such as, "I thought you did a really good job bringing out the character's background more" or "The descriptions are much cleaner in this version." The submissions with the fewest upvotes will be knocked out each round.
-> What do I upvote? - You should upvote any work that makes you think, "Wow, they did a really good job." Basically, if there's a significant improvement from the previous version. Whether that's because they took feedback in reviews really to heart, or they did a great job incorporating the new prompt, or whatever it is that impresses you.
To prevent this turning into a popularity contest, only upvotes from other participants will be counted.
Reviews
You MUST review at least 2 other submissions each round. There will be some requirements to make sure everyone gets at least some similar quality feedback. Feel free to expand upon this as much as you wish, but at a minimum please include...
- - Plot - At least one sentence about something you found confusing, boring, or unbelievable about the plot or pacing.
- Character - At least one sentence about something you found confusing, boring, or unbelievable about the characters' motives, backgrounds, or interactions.
- Setting - At least one sentence about something you found confusing, boring, or unbelievable about the descriptions, locations, or worldbuilding.
The author is allowed to include an author's note at the end of their story with two to three questions for reviewers. Please be sure to answer any questions that are asked!
There is no length limit on reviews. As long as you include feedback on the three points above, it can be as short or as long as you want.
And here's the trickiest rule: "nitpicks" such as grammar and wording comments MUST be a SMALLER portion of your review than the comments about content and craft. If you want to go to town on it, then you'll have to come up with even more to say about plot and character!
This may sound mean, but this contest is an exercise in training your inner editor, and being able to spot "big picture" issues in other people's work will help you do the same for your own!
PS: Reviews can count for R.E.D.
Reviewing Mentors / Assistance
If you're struggling to figure out what to say about a work, PM somebody from this mentor list and they’ll help with some suggestions or tips:
Spoiler! :
Winners:
First place - 5,000 points
Seond place - 2,500 points
Third place - 1,000 points
These top three will be featured in a Squills article about their story and their experience with the revisions. They'll also get a super-cool badge (will be posted to the thread when it's finished).
All participants will also get a badge. Plus guaranteed reviews and feedback!
Participation badge:
Winners badge:
Disqualifications:
If you don't comply with the rules, you'll be disqualified from the contest. I understand people are busy and forget things or make mistakes, so if it's an issue of a missed deadline or a misunderstanding, just PM me about it. However, some grounds for disqualification...
- Not reviewing 2 other stories each round.
- Reviews that disregard the minimum requirements.
- Not posting revisions in time for the next round.
- Being unsupportive of fellow contestants.
A Note On Sportsmanship
Real writing contests such as Pitch Wars, Pitch Madness, and Query Kombat are as much about the journey and the networking as they are about winning. Consider this championship as like a mini-version of those big contests, and you can take it as an opportunity to make friends, interact with new people on the site, and improve your writing skills. It's important to be positive and supportive of all your fellow contestants, both in your own reviews and in your responses to reviews on your work. You will get and/or give some harsh truths somewhere along the line, especially in the later rounds. Remember that everyone here is trying! Please avoid reacting defensively or lashing out against other contestants. I reserve the right to remove anyone from the contest for unsportsmanlike behavior.
List of Literary Works
A handy index of links and current upvotes.
Round 0 & Round 1:
Write a scene where your character arrives or enters somewhere they've never been, and encounters the last person they would have expected.
Spoiler! :
Round 2:
Introduce a second conflict between your main two characters.
Spoiler! :
Round 3:
Reduce your wordcount by 15-20%
Spoiler! :
Housekeeping Details
- Stories should be 1,000 - 3,000 words each round.
- Post revisions as a NEW work each round.
- Include [RC:RX] in the title, where X = the round number (for example, "My Story [RC:R1]")
- Post revised stories by midnight YWS time each Sunday. Post reviews by midnight YWS time each Thursday. This gives you 3 days minimum to revise based on your feedback.
- Make sure to use both the guiding prompt (these will be very general) as well as the feedback from reviews.
- You may include 2-3 specific questions for reviewers in an author's note at the end of the submission (not counted toward wordcount).
- You may review and upvote as many people as you wish. You don't have to stop at 2 reviews.
- You can post about this using the #RevisionChamp hashtag.
Contestant List:
PrincessInk - Winner!
Gender:
Points: 23295
Reviews: 264