My first instinct for not posting in awhile was to hang my "Gone Fishing" sign, but truthfully I'd only went once and got skunked. Thus my Freyish pic falsely advertising victory, yet realisticly depicting too much blood on my hands (yeah, I know - gloves - work with me, ok?).
You see, my wife's cousin SA from Chicago, the one living downtown in an old building where they filmed a "Chucky" sequel with Meg Tilly, informed me of a "24 Hour Short Story Contest," and after much consideration and discussion, we both coughed up the 5-buck entry fee and took the plunge.
On Saturday, 12 O'Clock noon (Central time) we received the following emailed prompt:
The bells on the door were still echoing as she stepped further into the old toy store. The owner winked at her and turned back to his black and white television set. She reached under the rack on the back wall and pulled it out. It was just where she'd left it last week. She approached the counter and put the item down. He turned to her, grabbed the item with surprise, and said, "This is NOT for sale." WORD COUNT: Stories for today's topic must not exceed 900 words.
Twenty-four hours later, we were left picking up a million little pieces. I complained to SA that my entry (submitted in the body of the email) had the following (WINDOW-1252?) crap inserted throughout. Their confirmation, which included my story, showed this. I resubmitted.
SA in turn reminded me that my 2nd submission would be deleted. I quoted Rule No#9: If you find part of your story missing, try sending a text-only attachment.
Could I resubmit under Rule#9? Nope. Why? Because my story did not have any missing parts; IT HAD @#%$!!! ADDITIONAL PARTS!!! Instead, I retyped my short story in that stupid little email box (how many writers write this way?) and resubmitted. They acknowledged receipt of both stories.
SA, who followed the rules, who emailed her story much earlier (or should I say much later - Chicago time), never received confirmation, which in turn meant disqualification.
The only redeeming aspect of this whole screwed-up experience is: 1) they will read my first submission "as is," 2) it was worth the practice, and 3) I can always use my short story as blog fodder.
I'll know the results in a month.
8 comments:
Hum, sounds like you should have taken a laxative. You'd known the results much sooner.
Hey Charles, next time I'm experiencing difficulties and need to let it out, I'll gladly take your advice. Thanks!
Cool! And good luck! Can we read the entries online? I like the story starter they provided you with. And 900 words (you did say 900 words, right?) is enough to spread your wings too! Keep us posted...
Oh and your fishing photo is too bloody for me! Blech!
hmmm, i wonder how many fish story pics aren't real from other people???!!!
on the short story--it sucks when you follow directions and you aren't the one who messes things up. hopefully, all will turn out well for you in spite of.
Hey JR,
Wishing you lots of luck with this one. The prompt sounds interesting. My husband found copying and pasting into that little email box a real pain when he had to submit his resume in that form to a number of prospective employers. Fortunately, that phase is over; he starts working again next week. He's happy to be employed again, but after nine months off (including most of the summer), he's also a little sad to give up his "semi" retirement! Thanks for stopping by and your kind words.
-R
Newsflash: SA emailed me today to say they acknowledged receipt of her story. She made the deadline! Hmmm... perhaps I can get 2nd place.
Sorry for the aggravation, but I hope you win, anyway! Wish I could reciprocate your kindness & throw my vote your way, of course. I'll keep my fingers cross, regardless.
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