I'm thinking of ditching my account with this website on the basis that I've not had anything from it that has been remotely useful to me.
Also, the 2013 & 2014 short story competition entries were NOT ALL read by the judge OR any other resource. I have asked them for an explanation for this and hit a blank wall. If anybody can shed any light on either of the above I would be much impressed.
@Carla: Thanks for the feedback, I agree with you about the subjectivity of the industry and accept that, after all it is not a science! I don't like short stories nor do I write them - I tend to write comedy scripts for tv, radio or topical standup material for comedians.
The Writer's & Artists 'membership' came from a prize I won for a comedy script quite a while back where the yearbook was part of the prize.
The short story issue is not one of sour grapes or even 'it shudda been me' but one of truth and honesty. If they read all the stories then show me the evidence, I did the math and nobody is going to devote 3 to 4 months of their life reading short stories for a third division north writing competition.
Persistence is a key point though Carla and a point well made. My friend used to paper the toilet wall with his rejection letters and would quote some verbatim in conversation like '...it is NOT our intention to insult our readers...' or one of his favourites '... so please cease and desist from sending any further communication... we will consider it harassment... reserve the right to future legal redress...' He became a regular over 16 years for Coronation street, Children's Ward & Emmerdale, became North West Playwright of the Year etc. etc.
Once more unto the breach my friend!
Hi Oliver,
It seems that writing competitions are not giving you the personal satisfaction you want. The literary world is very subjective, whether it's competitions, agents or publishers. It's possible that the winner of this year's short story contest may not even be short listed with the same story elsewhere judged by a different person.
It's disappointing when we're not selected, especially for those seeking to break into the market. It's a tough industry as you can see from the link below but if you want to succeed be kinder to yourself and persevere. Persistence pays off.
http://www.literaryrejections.com/best-sellers-initially-rejected/
@Admin: one further point that i wasn't going to mention but save for your response, but as we are aiming at a level playing field U thought I'd share...
I didn't enter the 2014 short story competition (for obvious reasons) but I did send in an entry using an alternative email address and name. That entry?
The View From Castle Rock.
It's actually a short story by Alice Munro and not myself. She was awarded The Nobel Prize in Literature 2013 and has been described as the "Master of the contemporary short story'.
Needless to say it bombed in your competition.
Needless to say nobody contacted me to say it was disqualified, etc, etc.