Adam
01-16-2008, 05:02 AM
Not that I thought I was a writing deity or anything, far from it.
And even though I expected a rejection in the form of not making it to the semi-final round of a writing contest on Amazon.com, when it happened I still wasn't ready for it.
It was like a severe blow to my gut causing me to lose my breath.
I guess since I'm finally throwing my stuff out there it's only natural that some people won't like it and will pass. But it sucks even more when you read through the 836 entries out of 5000 that made and you stare awkwardly wondering by what miracle did this piece get through over mine.
Maybe it's the sore loser in me, but I do honestly wish all that made it through well. But looking back at this contest I did learn a lot more about writing, and I'm only 24 as of a recent birthday so there's plenty of time to get out there. But still, the contest in my opinion and a lot of others was not run right. Having amateur reviewers from amazon making the decision was a bad idea, people who only read one genre will simply not make for a neutral reviewer, if they were trained it would be one thing, but they're not. They're just people who post reviews on Amazon and nothing more. So it's kind of upsetting to think that a general fiction fanatic who reads nothing else but "Jane Eyre" or "The Sound and the Fury" (although I love Faulkener) reviewed my sci-fi mech, anime like work. It just seems by default I was screwed because of the genre I was writing in, and it was that and not my writing skill that knocked me down. I still have much to learn, but the professors and other reviewers all seemed to love my work. So at the very least I knew I didn't suck...
Bah, I'm ranting because of the disappointment. Although rationality is setting back in.
Edit:
With full rationality back in kick I have made this a debatable thread. Haha, take that self.
And even though I expected a rejection in the form of not making it to the semi-final round of a writing contest on Amazon.com, when it happened I still wasn't ready for it.
It was like a severe blow to my gut causing me to lose my breath.
I guess since I'm finally throwing my stuff out there it's only natural that some people won't like it and will pass. But it sucks even more when you read through the 836 entries out of 5000 that made and you stare awkwardly wondering by what miracle did this piece get through over mine.
Maybe it's the sore loser in me, but I do honestly wish all that made it through well. But looking back at this contest I did learn a lot more about writing, and I'm only 24 as of a recent birthday so there's plenty of time to get out there. But still, the contest in my opinion and a lot of others was not run right. Having amateur reviewers from amazon making the decision was a bad idea, people who only read one genre will simply not make for a neutral reviewer, if they were trained it would be one thing, but they're not. They're just people who post reviews on Amazon and nothing more. So it's kind of upsetting to think that a general fiction fanatic who reads nothing else but "Jane Eyre" or "The Sound and the Fury" (although I love Faulkener) reviewed my sci-fi mech, anime like work. It just seems by default I was screwed because of the genre I was writing in, and it was that and not my writing skill that knocked me down. I still have much to learn, but the professors and other reviewers all seemed to love my work. So at the very least I knew I didn't suck...
Bah, I'm ranting because of the disappointment. Although rationality is setting back in.
Edit:
With full rationality back in kick I have made this a debatable thread. Haha, take that self.