Hey LitReactor!
Missed me? I missed you. Last year, I was in the last throes of a miserable job. And yet, I was happy, felt creative, and felt good. Inspired. An inspiration that helped me quit that job and get a way better one. All because of you!
What inspired me was your challenge, Teleport Us.
Since that challenge, you have been dead silent. Isn't it time for a new one? Have you fallen out of love with challenges? Did it detract from your core business? Was it the feeble attempts at cheating?
Whatever it was, please consider a new challenge. Please. I need the inspiration. It brings inspiration into my life.
Come on, LitReactor. Challenge Us.
Feeble attempts at cheating? I'm interested, how did people manage to cheat?
The challenges are basically the writer's workshop plus competition. You could join the writer's workshop if you are looking for encouragement to write.
Anyone who would go to those kind of lengths to cheat, creating bogus accounts here and giving low scores to the others, that just reeks of someone who just can't write at all, they're a hack who doesn't care about the craft, just wants the score, and it makes me sick.
Whoever that was needs a swift kick in the balls and a public outing all over social media: This douche cheats at writing challenges, do NOT publish!
Unfortunately, this isn't the first time I've heard about someone trying to cheat the system. Writing challenges are sort of like the Olympics in that regard.
True enough, I didn't sign up for LitReactor until last year's Teleport Us contest. I would love to see a new contest as well, even if it recycles one of the older themes (I wasn't here yet when Scare Us was running). The contests are a great way to encourage new writers to try before they buy, and I'm not sure I would have even committed to being a writer if I hadn't had a chance to get my feet wet in that contest.
Klahol,
I agree with you that the challenges are fantastic. Scare Us served for me as Teleport Us did for you. Especially as it did for Nathan. I don't think I'd still be writing or editing if it hadn't been for that.
But those things are probably a production to put on. First there is the time to write the story. Usually a month. Then a month or two to read and vote. Both had over 150 stories, so that's alot of reading, if you commit to participation. Then the waiting for the feedback and prizes. So to get through one Challenge you've burned a third of the year. And if you are like me, the challenge inspires you to spend your free time, writing new material. Editing old material. Editing others material, etc...
So realistically, I think one challenge a year is plenty and it seems to be from my math, what LR is aiming for. I wouldn't be suprised to see one up at some point this year. And when it is, I can't wait to participate. In the meantime. Keep busy! Write stuff! Make challenges with yourself to get better.
That's my advice anyway.
We could, of course, make our own challenge on the boards.
See this page: http://alanhjordan.max-opp.com/2014/02/22/writers-challenge/
CRIME CHALLENGE
Another easy war like last time, with everyone writing on the same theme and voting. Those are always awesome.
Any word?
For what it's worth, I tried to get LR to let me take over the official challenges. Since I did the WARs and had expereince at it (and enjoyed it) I thought it seemed like an obvious choice to let me run the competitions (and, full disclosure, I wanted to be on the payroll for my time). I had an idea for a year long list of events which included about 3 or 4 Battles and a WAR at the end of the year. I worked up a little calendar.
Unfortunately, I sent them a pitch with that idea last year some time and they ignored it/never responded to me. Which I took to mean that, no, they were not interested in doing competitions, or at least not interested in my help with them. Or something. It's hard to tell when you don't get a response at all.
That's all the information I have on competitons. I know it's not much, but I thought I'd share.
They were probably just waiting for me to write up the proposal for those competitions, Mrs. of the Dead. They would have ignored the fine print at the bottom that said, "And after everybody's excited about it, I plan to disappear and leave AD holding the bag."
I think they're shooting themselves in the foot by not having regular competitions. The place is a little boring without all the smack talking and I'll show you mine if you show me yours. Hell, even if they charged a nominal fee to recoup expenses, I think most people would be willing to pay. This is just my opinion, but quit focusing on writing so many damn articles and start focusing on giving the writers who come to this website everyday what they want: friendly competition.
Boo that sucks (and lack of response is just rude)
Nothing gets the community buzzing like a good ole fight.
It's not like we even expect prizes, just glory and Photoshop crowns :)
Guess the battles stay underground then.
This is just my opinion, but quit focusing on writing so many damn articles and start focusing on giving the writers who come to this website everyday what they want: friendly competition.
So true. I often forget there are articles on this site. Not that they aren't well-written, some of them are just dandy. But I don't care about them. They aren't what I'm here for.
I was super excited about this site when I first found it. But only for the writing section. There were battles, WAR, Thunderdome one on one battles, competitions, etc... ALL created by the board members. Now, there's next to nothing for "us."
You'd think by us paying for a workshop to put our stories in and get a handful of people telling us how they would have written it would, they could afford to reward someone for their time. At least a little bit?
Without the craft essays and workshop here, my writing would be going nowhere. But it seems like all the focus these days is on driving traffic to the magazine section and Amazon clickbait - news on superhero movies and brief book reviews, I'm talking about you - and there's less high quality writing stuff like contests.
Teleport Us was what brought me to the site, after clicking a random link on Twitter publicising the contest. After lurking for a few months afterwards, it was a Battle that convinced me to sign up to full membership for six months. That runs out next month, and I have no real incentive to renew it. The workshop is good, though the replies are minimal the content of those replies is good. I'm not at the stage of having more stories to workshop, so that part is of very limited use to me. If there were regular contests, I would renew. As it stands, I won't waste my cash.
I've never been a fan of the challenges or WAR, but it seems like those take a lot of work so they are unlikely to be in heavy rotation. I am thinking we need something new, like every month you have X, where X is something that doesn't take a whole lot of effort to keep going, but keeps things fresh.
This place is just filled with ghosts. So dead. What happened to all the members who used to haunt this place, do they still come by but feel completely uninspired to type anything most of the time?
Or what? Where did everyone go?
I'm sure the magazine section is doing great for readers and clicks. But it's like two different audiences and not everyone who posts comments is interested in the community section (Actually a lot of comment posters you never see over here)
And the community is suposed to be the heart, right? Only right now it frequently fluctuates between comatose and flat-lining.
Someone suggested crime above, which could go with mystery, I think. Might be interesting. I wouldn't look forward to reading 150 romance shorts though.
Btw Klas, the site is looking really good!
Challanges are always fantastic. I actually sketched out a pretty cool idea for Teleport Me, but never got around to writing it. Still going to just have had other projects rolling around. As for the community, it's the nature of the beast. In order for things to grow and sustain, they need to be fed. WAR and Flash Me were always great ways of getting things recharged and refreshed.
People will always drop in and out, but so long as you have new people to refresh the fish pond, it's OK. I just think a good old fashioned competition would help bring the ghosts back from the dead.
I'm thinking to make practical suggestions/requests we need to focus on how much work it'll take on the back end.
@Voodoo - People always come and go. I've wondered off a few times because of real life stuff and wondered back. It happens. Also, I think the forums, the articles, and the workshop/classes split was unintended.
I'd love a fantasy challenge. or another horror challenge. I missed out on the first one because I didn't like any of the ideas floating in my head.
The Ghost of Otis the Bulldog might consider an official challenge if one was laid at his doorstep.
Thanks for trying to get the war thing going Avery. It would have been great if you could have gotten on the payroll for at least a little. It is more fun with competitions.
Hey all,
So, just wanted to weigh in on a couple of things here.
First, Jessica, I'm sorry you didn't get a response on your pitches. Sometimes stuff falls off the radar and it's not that we're blowing anyone off. LitReactor is a full-time job that we're all trying to fit around our full-time jobs. It's not a very good excuse, but it's the reason. You're always welcome to follow up if you don't hear back.
I was copied on that e-mail and, from me, at least, I'm sorry. Not getting back to you was unprofessional. But in fairness, so is trotting that out on the boards.
As for the challenges, this is something that we discussed at AWP this past weekend. It's something that we want to do, but again, it relates to timing. We got a little ambitious with the first two challenges, and while a whole ton of fun, they were hell to run. There are still people who haven't gotten prizes, which is immensly frustrating. For them, but also for us. Seriously. I lose sleep over stuff like this.
Paying someone to curate them is a great idea. And we've talked about it. But the site isn't there yet, that we can fairly compensate someone for that kind of work.
I want to do a crime challenge. Granted, it's sort of my wheelhouse, but it could be a lot of fun, and there are some good opportunities there. We want to restructure it a bit, so we can keep it fun and fair but take off some of the pressure. Those discussions are ongoing, but they're happening.
Finally, I know that, sometimes, there's a feeling that the people who run this site are out of touch with the community. I can't speak for Dennis and Kirk, but I can say that they're incredibly passionate people who love the site and are breaking their asses in half to keep things running.
I can speak for myself: I spent the entire weekend telling strangers how amazing the community here is, and how I wouldn't be where I am without it. I may not spend a lot of time on the boards anymore, but that doesn't mean I don't care about this place and the people who are here.
If anyone ever wants to talk about stuff we could do better, or anything in general, you can always address us directly. If you don't hear back, pester us. I got 10 e-mails in the time it took me to write this. I miss shit sometimes. Follow up. Rob@litreactor.com.
EDIT: This is not an "official" LitReactor response. It's just mine. I'm sure I'll get yelled at for something in here...
I'm with Klahol. Had completely forgotten about the t-shirt, but I preferred getting the book anyway.
I was copied on that e-mail and, from me, at least, I'm sorry. Not getting back to you was unprofessional. But in fairness, so is trotting that out on the boards.
Rob, regardless of your feelings about the matter, the Defender position is not a professional one. It was created by Denis and Kirk to, at least in name, serve as a liaison between the community on the site and the people running it. Basically, a community member who is designated to bring issues from the community to Kirk and Denis (and, later, to you).
Calling Jessica's professionalism into question is a convenient method to soften the blow of what she said, but it is also entirely erroneous. Her "official" relationship with this site is as a representative of the community. If the people running the site are treating her like just another spam emailer, then they are not honoring the relationship they, themselves, created. Because she represents the community, and since her obligation, by the description of her position, is to the community, there is nothing unprofessional about letting that community know that the administration is chronically unresponsive.
If anyone ever wants to talk about stuff we could do better, or anything in general, you can always address us directly. If you don't hear back, pester us.
And this may be okay. Because sure, you all get lots of emails. But it is not the position you should put Jessica in, because it is not the agreement made with the community when she was appointed. She should not have to "pester you" in order to get simple responses. And she should certainly not be called unprofessional for doing her job for this community.
My opinion is, as always, a humble one, but I feel you owe Jessica an apology for your un-called-for remarks, which have betrayed a distinct lack of understanding for her responisibilities here, and a lack of regard for the community as a whole.
I'm more than willing to have a discussion with Jessica about this if she feels slighted by what I said. I also don't believe I said anything that warrants an apology, nor will I get into a philosophical debate about the nature of the position without at least having her present for it.
To say that we treated her as a spam e-mailer is a gross mischaracterization of what happened. She wasn't pursposely ignored. We fucked up and didn't get back, which was a mistake, and which I do owe an apology for. So I made it.
"Gross mischaracterization" is actually not correct. It could be correct if it were something done once. "Mischaracterization" or "unfortunate" could be correct if it were a couple of times. However, I am aware that we are discussing one of a series of instances of ignoring the LitReator Defender. I know this because on several occasions Jessica has asked me to address a problem with the folks running the site because she thought maybe I would not be ignored as well.
It seems the proper descriptor to apply, then, is "typical".
Also, we certainly don't need to have a philosophical debate about the role of the Defender. That conversation is entirely definitional, and Kirk was kind enough to supply everybody with the responsibilities of the job when he originally posted for the position. You can find everything you need to know here.
You do owe her an apology. Not for ignoring her attempts to do her job, but for the smug character aspersions.
If it were one time in which my emails were, for whatever reason, not answered, then yes, that is a fuck up and easy to overlook. As it stands, I was repeatedly ignored and just generally not communicated with. I've emailed on three separate occasions regarding the contests here on the site and was never met with any responses. It's something none of you wanted to deal with (or so it appeared) and I was willing to take on, it seemed simple enough and very much in my wheelhouse. If everyone hated my ideas, it's easy to say so. The courtesy of including me on a brainstorming email, a meeting, or a conference call doesn't seem like a lot to ask. But maybe you think that if I wanted this I should have requested it, repeatedly. Maybe that's true. I'm sure that it's your regular practice to only communicate with reporters and columnists when they repeatedly email you. It is probably your practice to have no meetings with them at all. I am probably being treated fairly and in line with all other employees of the site.
If anyone views my posting to the group as unprofessional, well, maybe that says something about the level of disclosure and transparency at work here. I saw it as keeping the community up to date in what I was doing to help them with the things they wanted. And I think I've showed a lot of restraint in that this is the first time I've posted to the group regarding the general apathy of the higher ups. That I had to say something publicly in order to get a response is insulting.
That I had to say something publicly in order to get a response is insulting.
You're right. It shouldn't work like that.
Clearly we set a bad precedent, which I didn't fully consider when I was writing my first response. So I'm sorry for what I said. It wasn't fair.
Thank you for weighing in, because I was starting to get a little antsy about having this conversation without you present.
Let's all take a breath here. I don't think anyone involved in this discussion intended ill toward anyone else.
Community: Apologies have been made, and it is now apparent that the higher ups have heard your complaints. They seem willing to listen, so let's take yes for an answer. While their efforts may not yet be focused where you would prefer, you can't deny that their efforts have been above the call of duty in respect to most aspects of this site, so let's at least not pretend that they have their heads up their ass here. You're more likely to get what you want if you don't try to lynch them here.
LitReactor: Clearly the community is looking for some service, and feels frustrated as to the late or nonexistent response time. If they haven't said it, they should recognize and appreciate Rob's apology for this. It's your site and you make the rules, but many here who love the site, such as Jessica, have offered their time to help fulfill the community requests. If there are details that need to be hashed out, fine, but some of your best resources can be found in this userbase, so try to keep your staff as busy as they can handle, and everyone ends up happy.
Anyone want to hug this out with me? I hate to see this kind of public fighting, especially since I don't think anyone is trying to be dickish here.
Blessed are the peacemakers.
Jessica, I'm sorry you're upset, and you think your emails were blatantly ignored, but let's be fair here: You say you sent three e-mails about this contest idea, I have only one. If you have them handy and I missed them, please forward them over.
Like Rob said, we can do a little better on our communication. I also think it's unfair to say we treat everyone on staff poorly. I have a lot to say on that matter, but rather than air it all here, I'm going to send you an email now with some facts and dates that bear discussion.
Check your inbox in a few.
Jessica, I'm sorry you're upset, and you think your emails were blatantly ignored, but let's be fair here: You say you sent three e-mails about this contest idea, I have only one. If you have them handy and I missed them, please forward them over.
If you think she was being rude and/or unprofessional, why say this publicly?
You guys are fucking hilarious...
To balance the scales here, I've worked with Dennis since 2009 and have never felt like I was being brushed off or treated poorly. I'm sure what we have here is a misunderstanding and everything will get sorted out.
Sean,
Where did I say that?
I assume the LitReactor folks are at least communicating with EACH OTHER, right?
Rob said that. Dennis, you jumped in on something that was being handled and called Jessica a liar in front of everyone by saying "You say you sent three e-mails about this contest idea, I have only one. If you have them handy and I missed them, please forward them over."
So, "you," as in LitReactor as an entity that is not responding to people until they hvae had enough and said something publicly.
For what it's worth, me and Jessica shook hands on this and I'm going to tap out before I hang myself with the length of rope LitReactor has been generous enough to allow me.
Though at this point I think we should all take a deep breath, look at what Nathan said, and be happy that we have this big community of readers and writers where the potential to do good things is off the charts.
Anyway. Have fun, you guys!
Rob, I agree...but you should tell your boss that, as he has decided to make a rare appearance on the ole message board and condescend a bit.
Sean, I didn't interpret Dennis's words as an accusation. Emails get buried. I get at least five or six emails a day from LitReactor, as well as a few automated ones, and I'm not even a Real Staff Member. I imagine the upper staff deals with a lot more.
Sure, it's an issue, but it's an issue that results in mistakes, nothing malicious. I don't think any more drama is helpful.
And for once I agree with Rob. I thought we all got to a pretty good stopping point with what was, really, a minimum of internet snarkiness and troll-speak. I'd give him a smooch, but our beards would doubtless become entangled and there would be no chance of extricating ourselves before someone saw.
I want to tongue kiss every single one of your buttholes