@ Dwayne.
I know how to spell your name. I've spelled it wrong on purpose over and over ever since you spelled mine wrong. This is the first time you caught it.
Also, I didn't think you were upset. I just love saying "simmer down" ever since that Saturday Night Live skit with the phone book and Donna Summers name. Summas Don Na. Classic.
Either way. The read our stories part was exclamatory and not a joke. Don't know if you have yet, but I'd like to request that you do.
@J.R. - I did it once, after you got mine wrong to point out your typo. I noticed weeks ago, but you seemed determined to keep it up until I replied. I read them and voted in the poll.
And if you are referencing the SNL skit I believe it is spelled 'simma down now'.
@ Dwayne. You are right on all accounts. (Except that you spelled mine wrong first)
Glad you spoke up or I would had continued. I didn't know you noticed spelling mine wrong so I made a game of it.
As far as the SNL skit goes, I never saw it spelled out so was quite sure I got it wrong, I was just going with phonetics. But the Summers, Donna thing, there is no way to know how they spell that.
Except when they use celeb names. So Donna Summers was the way JR spelled it, and the one with David Schwimmer was "Schwimmer down now". And I just edited to note that I had originally missed what led to this line of conversation...
I want discussion, goddamnit, so I'm going to talk about these stories. Don't read lower if you haven't read them yet!
--- don't read below this line ---
So, in the end, my vote went to London Bridges. Needing to articulate the reasons I vote the way I did has made me super aware of the contradictions in what I thought was my voting style and what actually is my voting style.
First of all, before I go any farther, I want to note that I loved both of these stories. Like, loved with all my heart. They each broke my heart. But, of course, there's a but.
The Book of Broken Glass needs a lot of work. The plot is so beautiful and heart-wrenching and really captivated me. The grammatical errors and typos, though, really tore me away from the story. That was one of the reasons that my vote ultimately went to London Bridges. Even though London Bridges had typos, too, they were less noticeable because the story was longer. I noted this in Sound v. Renfield, too, because it's worth noting: the proportion of typos and word count make a huge difference in the way they're looked at.
I do think that TBOBG had more typos, but either way, they were inherently more noticeable because of the length. And even though the plot and world were beautiful and complex and deep, the characters were a little shallow and stereotypical. I didn't feel anything from either character, and although there was definitely a change in the narrator, it wasn't one I could really put my finger on because I couldn't put my finger on him very well.
London Bridges was heart-breaking, but its effect was dampened considerably because it was predictable. As soon as I saw that they were getting on a plane, I thought, Well, there goes the mother and daughter. It's partially because of the preface, but more so the entire plot. When you write a story about suicide and trace it back to its cause, and there's a love story and child involved, well... usually, it involves either death or divorce.
I definitely thought that TBOBG was way more unique and original than LB, but that wasn't enough for me in this case. Other times, like in Photon v. Ryan, I've been partially compelled to vote the way I did because the story I voted for was obviously more original and authentic than the other. This battle reminds me of Renfield v. Sound, though, because the story I voted for was the less original one, but had better mechanics and voice.
I think, ultimately, this battle came down to voice for me. A lot of the time, my first criteria is writing -- the technical prowess. Even though I could tell that both of these stories had incredible, immense potential, I didn't feel that the writing was either author's best work. (I've read stories by the both of you and I truly believe that you didn't do as well as you could, but if this is your "not the best" work, you're still lightyears ahead of some writers). The voice in LB, though, far overwhelmed the voice in TBOBG and it really swung me towards it.
Poll has officially closed and documents have been removed. It has been updated with author’s names after the story titles.
I want to first thank Mr. Frank Chapel for accepting the battle offer and submitting a great story. I enjoyed the whole experience.
I’d like to thank everyone who read and voted for the stories.
Special thanks to those who voted for my story ;)
Also, thanks to Courtney for breaking down the stories with constructive criticism, much appreciated.
Congrats Jon! Also, you did a great job too, Frank.
Jon, I waited until now to respond to your email. You said that you tend to go too predictable because you're afraid of being too subtle; I think you definitely overcorrected for this one, but I was very impressed by both stories, so it was at least a non-fatal mistake!
