Mess_Jess
from Sydney, Australia, living in Toronto, Canada is reading Perfect by Rachael JoyceNovember 16, 2012 - 3:51pm
Because you'll have to sit and watch people talk about your story, and not participate at all. Not in the praise, not in the criticism...not in the nada.
That's going to frustrate the hell out of me. I can't bear not being able to explain myself.
sean of the dead
from Madisonville, KY is reading Peckerwood, by Jed AyresNovember 16, 2012 - 3:52pm
I want to play cards with a lot of you...
wickedvoodoo
from Mansfield, England is reading stuff.November 16, 2012 - 3:53pm
I want some more story crack. I can deal with not discussing the first half of the stories if you put up the next half for devouring ;-)
wickedvoodoo
from Mansfield, England is reading stuff.November 16, 2012 - 3:54pm
Oh yeah, the stories going up has coincided with me being on night shifts again, which is great because reading the duels gives me something to do in the witching hours.
Sound
from Azusa, CA is reading Greener Pastures by Michael WehuntNovember 16, 2012 - 3:59pm
Ah, I see. By the way, I was actually asking, not being a douche.
Class Facilitator
ReneeAPickup
from Southern California is reading Wanderers by Chuck WendigNovember 16, 2012 - 4:20pm
I figured. I know I'm not always clear.
wickedvoodoo
from Mansfield, England is reading stuff.November 16, 2012 - 4:22pm
Yay the new stuff is going up!
Rock the fuck on, people. Another round of applause for Utah and Avery is called for methinks.
You guys kick ass keeping this thing running so well.
Gordon Highland
from Kansas City is reading Secondhand Souls by Christopher MooreNovember 16, 2012 - 4:27pm
avery of the dead
from Kentucky is reading Cipher SistersNovember 16, 2012 - 4:45pm
I like that you all wanted to talk about it, Utah said you could, and then I checked and no one is talking about it...
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryNovember 16, 2012 - 4:45pm
Thanks, guys. And cliche as this sounds, I'm actually always thrilled to make this happen. I stopped going to bars a long time ago, so I can't just get drunk and find somebody to tilt with. This thing is always fuckin amazing to me, because you guys are so talented and such good sports. And dedicated, Jesus. I love seeing this. Your excitement makes me excited.
SConley
from Texas is reading Coin Locker BabiesNovember 16, 2012 - 4:52pm
Okay well 40 Words Per Minute was my favorite because it was perfectly executed and quirky and unexpected. It was violent and unsettling without being too dark, which elevated it above the rest. I had no criticism for it.
Sound
from Azusa, CA is reading Greener Pastures by Michael WehuntNovember 16, 2012 - 4:55pm
@ConMan: Funny. My favorite was the one that story was pitted against, No Type Of Chameleon. Loved it. Had me laughing the whole time.
Liana
from Romania and Texas is reading Naked LunchNovember 16, 2012 - 4:59pm
Just wanted to say congrats to the first round winners!
Sound
from Azusa, CA is reading Greener Pastures by Michael WehuntNovember 16, 2012 - 5:00pm
@Utah: Seriously. This place is awesome. I can honestly say I wouldn't be as dedicated to my craft if I hadn't found this site. It's great to have an audience that will give you 100% honest feedback everytime.
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryNovember 16, 2012 - 5:01pm
And I just want to say, GO MAKE SOME MORE FIRST ROUND WINNERS!
And remember, here in WAR there are no losers. There are just those who wind up dead.
Try not to die and you'll be fine.
Flaminia Ferina
from Umbria is reading stuffNovember 16, 2012 - 5:10pm
Woohoo! New batch!
I´ll start the reading thing in the morning, now it´s bedtime for me.
Can´t wait! Maybe I should sleepwalk. Sleepread. Whatever. Night.
Matt
from New Zealand is reading This is how you lose her by Junot DiazNovember 16, 2012 - 5:48pm
New stories! Awesome.
leah_beth
from New Jersey - now in Charleston, SC is reading five different books at once.November 16, 2012 - 6:05pm
Yay new stuff!! Yay to the first half of Round One being done and done! Yay to all the winners, and to all those who came in second.
And fucking yay to LitReactor and WAR. I second Sound. This place is awesome
Gordon Highland
from Kansas City is reading Secondhand Souls by Christopher MooreNovember 16, 2012 - 6:16pm
Okay well 40 Words Per Minute was my favorite because it was perfectly executed and quirky and unexpected. It was violent and unsettling without being too dark
I liked that one a lot, too. Had some cool meta-layering stuff happening. "Dollhouses" was my favorite of the round, followed very closely by its "Polly" competitor. Big ups to "Wither" and "Christmas" as well.
It's hard to write a story in one week that gives the illusion of a whole other unseen backstory universe, so I always appreciate that depth when I see it, especially evident in those two crime-fic stories I mentioned.
Dino Parenti
from Los Angeles is reading Everything He Gets His Hands OnNovember 16, 2012 - 6:30pm
Awesome--fresh blood! It's been a pleasure and honor reading the first batch. Such well-crafted work for only having had a week! I'm so glad I forked over the scratch to be a part of this.
jyh
from VA is reading whatever he feels likeNovember 16, 2012 - 6:31pm
I think I'll do 2--3 per day this week; I sort of binged last time.
Class Facilitator
ReneeAPickup
from Southern California is reading Wanderers by Chuck WendigNovember 16, 2012 - 6:34pm
Holy hell. Just started reading and one has already made me cry. Brava.
Renfield
from Hell is reading 20th Century GhostsNovember 16, 2012 - 6:48pm
Yeah Wither was a top contendor for me too. And that Polly v Dollhouse, must've been the toughest matchup. Endless Summer, I think it's the one, I really liked it and was surprised it didn't get much love. I was really struggling going back and forth over Mama and 40 c/Word, both I liked for pretty much opposite reasons.
Sound
from Azusa, CA is reading Greener Pastures by Michael WehuntNovember 16, 2012 - 6:56pm
Yeah I read all of first/first round I'm two days. I'm taking it easier with this week.
Jonathan Riley
from Memphis, Tennessee is reading Flashover by Gordon Highland November 16, 2012 - 7:21pm
I'm really hoping alot of these get thrown in the workshop after war because I'd like to read many of them again and help where I can. Since I read the first ones so quickly I'm having trouble remembering a few by just their title and I went back to skim a little and it appears the file attachments have been removed :(
So yeah people I want to see these again later.
Gordon Highland
from Kansas City is reading Secondhand Souls by Christopher MooreNovember 16, 2012 - 7:26pm
On my computer, I color-labeled the docs according to my matchup votes green versus red, then another color for the handful of exceptional ones. Because it is hard to remember, yes. And I'd maybe like to see how they compare to their eventual published versions.
Jonathan Riley
from Memphis, Tennessee is reading Flashover by Gordon Highland November 16, 2012 - 7:29pm
^Noted for the future. Thanks Gordon.
avery of the dead
from Kentucky is reading Cipher SistersNovember 16, 2012 - 7:29pm
Yeah I remove them just so they aren't out there "published" somewhere if the author wants to shop the story or...whatever.
Covewriter
from Nashville, Tennessee is reading & SonsNovember 16, 2012 - 7:40pm
I love WAR and agree that Litreactor inspires me to write. On the downside I end up reading posts and NOT writing, but still it's great. Where else do you find people willing to read your stuff? people who are trying to do the same thing and give good constructive feedback? Now on to the new stories.
Class Facilitator
Emma C
from Los Angeles is reading Black Spire by Delilah DawsonNovember 16, 2012 - 9:11pm
I'm coming in a little late here, but I just wanted to get in on the Gary Oldman love. I've been hot for him since I was 15 and saw Sid and Nancy the first time.
TomorrowHill
from Newfoundland, Canada is reading your mind. You like Castlevania, don't you?November 16, 2012 - 9:12pm
So yeah, now that the embargo has been lifted, my favorite story of the round was "The 27 Club." I thought it had a unique take on the prompt, great flow, and some killer lines. Kudos to you, Random Mystery Writer X. If you're wondering who voted for you in the Best Overall Poll, that was me :)
As for this week, I've just finished a fantastic night of binge reading/voting, and there are some killer pieces in this group - though I have a feeling that one story in particular will sweep all of the awards.
Also, for anyone bummed out over the first round results, if you need any further proof of the fickle nature of WAR, just remember that even the story voted best overall dropped its own match. Talk about a bloodbath!
Congrats to all of the first round winners, and good luck to all of the new frontliners!
kward
from Alberta is reading Off To Be the WizardNovember 16, 2012 - 9:35pm
@Otis...
I love your pics. He's a big, beautiful beast - wow. My guy can jump too, though maybe not as high as yours. Oh, and I signed up for photobucket, thanks for the tip.
My oldie's name is Riggins...here he is lounging in his favourite chill spot. Like most oldies he has a long body, but you wouldn't know from this one...pretty funny.
And this is him as a puppy...
kward
from Alberta is reading Off To Be the WizardNovember 16, 2012 - 9:38pm
And last one, I promise...
Jonathan Riley
from Memphis, Tennessee is reading Flashover by Gordon Highland November 16, 2012 - 9:39pm
You two have convinced me that my next dog will be an O.E. Bulldog.
Dino Parenti
from Los Angeles is reading Everything He Gets His Hands OnNovember 16, 2012 - 9:43pm
He's a big Budha in that first pic. Awesome beast.
kward
from Alberta is reading Off To Be the WizardNovember 16, 2012 - 9:52pm
Also, just wanted to say congratulations to everyone on a great first half - I enjoyed reading everyone's work. I am intimidated by the talent-level here. For story of the week I had a hard time choosing between 40 Cents per Word and Heavyweight - both I found, had a lot of depth considering the limited time we all had to write. In both, the characters came off as believable - the dialogue played in surround sound; their actions (and the plot in both, for that matter) seemed natural, and unforced. None of the above is easy to do - certainly not for me - given as much time as you like. For those reasons I think those two were the stand-outs.
But again, there was a lot of strong, publish-worthy work done in the first half. I expected to find a few gems, I didn't expect to find diamonds among almost every pairing. Well done. I'm excited to read the new batch.
drea
from Rural Alberta, Canada is reading between the linesNovember 16, 2012 - 10:15pm
GUSH!!!!
SConley
from Texas is reading Coin Locker BabiesNovember 16, 2012 - 11:41pm
@Sound Yeah the bear story was good. It was funny but it could have been much funnier. Like 98% of the stories were great though.
SConley
from Texas is reading Coin Locker BabiesNovember 16, 2012 - 11:42pm
That sounds bad. The bear story was good. I don't know, don't listen to me.
kward
from Alberta is reading Off To Be the WizardNovember 17, 2012 - 12:39am
@ JR - They're the best! My guy isn't all that tough though. He sometimes is mistaken on walks as being a pit, and his concrete skull has nearly knocked me out (unintentional on his part) on a few occasions, but he doesn't have a malevolent bone in his body. My wife and I have met a few other oldies - at dog parks and the like - and it seems to be a prevailing trait. Just super-sweet, affectionate, excitable, but really mellow a lot of the time. Okay, I'm starting to sound like THAT parent that drives everyone nuts...like Kathie Lee used to be with Regis...so I'll shut up now.
kward
from Alberta is reading Off To Be the WizardNovember 17, 2012 - 12:52am
Shoot...my last post came across a little wrong. I don't mean to say that pit bulls are naturally malevolent, they are however often mistaken for such, was the point I was going for there. I would own a pit in a heartbeat...they're beautiful animals, inside and out. I believe a lot of the negativity you hear about pits is the product of irresponsible ownership.
Jonathan Riley
from Memphis, Tennessee is reading Flashover by Gordon Highland November 17, 2012 - 1:03am
Don't worry. I didn't take it that way at all. Though other members may call you a K-9ist later.
Pits are sweet unless taught to be otherwise. But those bulldogs are down right adorable.
I had an Australian Shephard. They are loyal and smart, but not in the obedient category.
They know what they want and usually get it, but at the same time protective as fuck and scary at times.Not scary to me but strangers I meant. Let me dig up a pic.
Class Facilitator
Emma C
from Los Angeles is reading Black Spire by Delilah DawsonNovember 17, 2012 - 1:11am
Aussies are cool. Like any herder they're smart as hell and therefore can think for themselves and will do so.
Now I have to pitch my coon dogs because they're the best. My oldest is smarter than me and knows it, so any orders I give are "taken under advisement" even though she has been fully trained up to CGC. If we didn't do tracking work together she'd be completely unmanageable.
Now get to reading, y'all! I've read 8 matches AND watched Crazy Stupid Love tonight.
JEFFREY GRANT BARR
from Central OR is reading Nothing but fucking Shakespeare, for the rest of my lifeNovember 17, 2012 - 1:23am
Is it just me, or does anyone else here think of animals just as food or useful tools? All this being cutesy over dog pictures and talking about being a parent to an animal just skeeves me out.
Jonathan Riley
from Memphis, Tennessee is reading Flashover by Gordon Highland November 17, 2012 - 1:31am
It's just you.
Jonathan Riley
from Memphis, Tennessee is reading Flashover by Gordon Highland November 17, 2012 - 1:28am
You do have a cute nickname now.
wickedvoodoo
from Mansfield, England is reading stuff.November 17, 2012 - 2:34am
Got through four duels tonight. Already there have been two that were hard to choose. Many pats on many backs are due. Particularly the folk that had to come in from the alternate list at short notice. Well done, guys and gals.
Matt
from New Zealand is reading This is how you lose her by Junot DiazNovember 17, 2012 - 2:47am
I've only managed one duel tonight. I keep getting distracted by these damn cute dog photos.
Sound
from Azusa, CA is reading Greener Pastures by Michael WehuntNovember 17, 2012 - 6:31am
Two done for me. Still much to go.
Oh, and my pit is the sweetest dog I have (I have four). My two mini schnauzers kick his butt if he crosses them, and he's the best behaved on walks. My neighbor's pit mixes, on the other hand, are dogs straight from the pit of hell that would tear my face off if I get within ten feet of my own fucking fence. Definitely has to do with owners, not the breed.
Here he is:
Wonder Woman
from RI is reading 20th Century GhostsNovember 17, 2012 - 6:42am
Cute dog photos are cute!
Not that our raggamuffin is anywhere as majestic as your beautiful beasts, but here's our Bilbo Baggins...
He's a Yorkie, which is easier on my allergies than short haired breeds. I would have loved an English Bulldog (or even a Frenchie) but the fur tears me up.
That's going to frustrate the hell out of me. I can't bear not being able to explain myself.
I want to play cards with a lot of you...
I want some more story crack. I can deal with not discussing the first half of the stories if you put up the next half for devouring ;-)
Oh yeah, the stories going up has coincided with me being on night shifts again, which is great because reading the duels gives me something to do in the witching hours.
Ah, I see. By the way, I was actually asking, not being a douche.
I figured. I know I'm not always clear.
Yay the new stuff is going up!
Rock the fuck on, people. Another round of applause for Utah and Avery is called for methinks.
You guys kick ass keeping this thing running so well.
I like that you all wanted to talk about it, Utah said you could, and then I checked and no one is talking about it...
Thanks, guys. And cliche as this sounds, I'm actually always thrilled to make this happen. I stopped going to bars a long time ago, so I can't just get drunk and find somebody to tilt with. This thing is always fuckin amazing to me, because you guys are so talented and such good sports. And dedicated, Jesus. I love seeing this. Your excitement makes me excited.
Okay well 40 Words Per Minute was my favorite because it was perfectly executed and quirky and unexpected. It was violent and unsettling without being too dark, which elevated it above the rest. I had no criticism for it.
@ConMan: Funny. My favorite was the one that story was pitted against, No Type Of Chameleon. Loved it. Had me laughing the whole time.
Just wanted to say congrats to the first round winners!
@Utah: Seriously. This place is awesome. I can honestly say I wouldn't be as dedicated to my craft if I hadn't found this site. It's great to have an audience that will give you 100% honest feedback everytime.
And I just want to say, GO MAKE SOME MORE FIRST ROUND WINNERS!
And remember, here in WAR there are no losers. There are just those who wind up dead.
Try not to die and you'll be fine.
Woohoo! New batch!
I´ll start the reading thing in the morning, now it´s bedtime for me.
Can´t wait! Maybe I should sleepwalk. Sleepread. Whatever. Night.
New stories! Awesome.
Yay new stuff!! Yay to the first half of Round One being done and done! Yay to all the winners, and to all those who came in second.
And fucking yay to LitReactor and WAR. I second Sound. This place is awesome
I liked that one a lot, too. Had some cool meta-layering stuff happening. "Dollhouses" was my favorite of the round, followed very closely by its "Polly" competitor. Big ups to "Wither" and "Christmas" as well.
It's hard to write a story in one week that gives the illusion of a whole other unseen backstory universe, so I always appreciate that depth when I see it, especially evident in those two crime-fic stories I mentioned.
Awesome--fresh blood! It's been a pleasure and honor reading the first batch. Such well-crafted work for only having had a week! I'm so glad I forked over the scratch to be a part of this.
I think I'll do 2--3 per day this week; I sort of binged last time.
Holy hell. Just started reading and one has already made me cry. Brava.
Yeah Wither was a top contendor for me too. And that Polly v Dollhouse, must've been the toughest matchup. Endless Summer, I think it's the one, I really liked it and was surprised it didn't get much love. I was really struggling going back and forth over Mama and 40 c/Word, both I liked for pretty much opposite reasons.
Yeah I read all of first/first round I'm two days. I'm taking it easier with this week.
I'm really hoping alot of these get thrown in the workshop after war because I'd like to read many of them again and help where I can. Since I read the first ones so quickly I'm having trouble remembering a few by just their title and I went back to skim a little and it appears the file attachments have been removed :(
So yeah people I want to see these again later.
On my computer, I color-labeled the docs according to my matchup votes green versus red, then another color for the handful of exceptional ones. Because it is hard to remember, yes. And I'd maybe like to see how they compare to their eventual published versions.
^Noted for the future. Thanks Gordon.
Yeah I remove them just so they aren't out there "published" somewhere if the author wants to shop the story or...whatever.
I love WAR and agree that Litreactor inspires me to write. On the downside I end up reading posts and NOT writing, but still it's great. Where else do you find people willing to read your stuff? people who are trying to do the same thing and give good constructive feedback? Now on to the new stories.
I'm coming in a little late here, but I just wanted to get in on the Gary Oldman love. I've been hot for him since I was 15 and saw Sid and Nancy the first time.
So yeah, now that the embargo has been lifted, my favorite story of the round was "The 27 Club." I thought it had a unique take on the prompt, great flow, and some killer lines. Kudos to you, Random Mystery Writer X. If you're wondering who voted for you in the Best Overall Poll, that was me :)
As for this week, I've just finished a fantastic night of binge reading/voting, and there are some killer pieces in this group - though I have a feeling that one story in particular will sweep all of the awards.
Also, for anyone bummed out over the first round results, if you need any further proof of the fickle nature of WAR, just remember that even the story voted best overall dropped its own match. Talk about a bloodbath!
Congrats to all of the first round winners, and good luck to all of the new frontliners!
@Otis...
I love your pics. He's a big, beautiful beast - wow. My guy can jump too, though maybe not as high as yours. Oh, and I signed up for photobucket, thanks for the tip.
My oldie's name is Riggins...here he is lounging in his favourite chill spot. Like most oldies he has a long body, but you wouldn't know from this one...pretty funny.
And this is him as a puppy...
And last one, I promise...
You two have convinced me that my next dog will be an O.E. Bulldog.
He's a big Budha in that first pic. Awesome beast.
Also, just wanted to say congratulations to everyone on a great first half - I enjoyed reading everyone's work. I am intimidated by the talent-level here. For story of the week I had a hard time choosing between 40 Cents per Word and Heavyweight - both I found, had a lot of depth considering the limited time we all had to write. In both, the characters came off as believable - the dialogue played in surround sound; their actions (and the plot in both, for that matter) seemed natural, and unforced. None of the above is easy to do - certainly not for me - given as much time as you like. For those reasons I think those two were the stand-outs.
But again, there was a lot of strong, publish-worthy work done in the first half. I expected to find a few gems, I didn't expect to find diamonds among almost every pairing. Well done. I'm excited to read the new batch.
GUSH!!!!
@Sound Yeah the bear story was good. It was funny but it could have been much funnier. Like 98% of the stories were great though.
That sounds bad. The bear story was good. I don't know, don't listen to me.
@ JR - They're the best! My guy isn't all that tough though. He sometimes is mistaken on walks as being a pit, and his concrete skull has nearly knocked me out (unintentional on his part) on a few occasions, but he doesn't have a malevolent bone in his body. My wife and I have met a few other oldies - at dog parks and the like - and it seems to be a prevailing trait. Just super-sweet, affectionate, excitable, but really mellow a lot of the time. Okay, I'm starting to sound like THAT parent that drives everyone nuts...like Kathie Lee used to be with Regis...so I'll shut up now.
Shoot...my last post came across a little wrong. I don't mean to say that pit bulls are naturally malevolent, they are however often mistaken for such, was the point I was going for there. I would own a pit in a heartbeat...they're beautiful animals, inside and out. I believe a lot of the negativity you hear about pits is the product of irresponsible ownership.
Don't worry. I didn't take it that way at all. Though other members may call you a K-9ist later.
Pits are sweet unless taught to be otherwise. But those bulldogs are down right adorable.
I had an Australian Shephard. They are loyal and smart, but not in the obedient category.
They know what they want and usually get it, but at the same time protective as fuck and scary at times.Not scary to me but strangers I meant. Let me dig up a pic.
Aussies are cool. Like any herder they're smart as hell and therefore can think for themselves and will do so.
Now I have to pitch my coon dogs because they're the best. My oldest is smarter than me and knows it, so any orders I give are "taken under advisement" even though she has been fully trained up to CGC. If we didn't do tracking work together she'd be completely unmanageable.
Now get to reading, y'all! I've read 8 matches AND watched Crazy Stupid Love tonight.
Is it just me, or does anyone else here think of animals just as food or useful tools? All this being cutesy over dog pictures and talking about being a parent to an animal just skeeves me out.
It's just you.
You do have a cute nickname now.
Got through four duels tonight. Already there have been two that were hard to choose. Many pats on many backs are due. Particularly the folk that had to come in from the alternate list at short notice. Well done, guys and gals.
I've only managed one duel tonight. I keep getting distracted by these damn cute dog photos.
Two done for me. Still much to go.
Oh, and my pit is the sweetest dog I have (I have four). My two mini schnauzers kick his butt if he crosses them, and he's the best behaved on walks. My neighbor's pit mixes, on the other hand, are dogs straight from the pit of hell that would tear my face off if I get within ten feet of my own fucking fence. Definitely has to do with owners, not the breed.
Here he is:
Cute dog photos are cute!
Not that our raggamuffin is anywhere as majestic as your beautiful beasts, but here's our Bilbo Baggins...
He's a Yorkie, which is easier on my allergies than short haired breeds. I would have loved an English Bulldog (or even a Frenchie) but the fur tears me up.