Valkyrie

I see you guys are blowing the reading challenge out of the water too. Wow, that's a lot of comments and reviews for the first day of anthology stories! Well done, readers! If you read @Headstall's poetry early today, you might want to check it out again because Chapter 2 posted a little while ago. Due to limitations of the system, we weren't able to post both chapters at the same time. We'll let you know if that changes, because there's a few submissions in the coming weeks with multiple chapters.

We did it! We asked, and boy did you guys deliver! I can't think of a better way to honor and celebrate GA's twentieth anniversary. YOU ALL ROCK!!!!! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all the incredible support for this anthology. YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING! 😁 So now let's remember my challenge to readers... read, read, read, comment, comment, comment, review, review, review 😁

Between writing my anthology story, proofreading, editing, writing the blogs, watching the Kids in the Hall reboot, the new LOTR, and the Continental, plus this pesky little thing called work, I have no idea which way is up right now What do you think inspired the blog post? I heard that song was like "That's it!" I meant to include it in the blog, but well, see above So thanks for posting it!

Of course you were missed Sorry to hear about your struggles. I know what it's like when depression hits hard, and it's not fun I tend to go radio silent when it happens to me too. Your travels sound amazing! One of these days I'll hop the pond myself and get to Europe. I've been learning German for over two years now. Welcome back!

I'd be pretty freaked out if someone approached me like that. I hope things start looking up for Adam and Mikey. It seems like they already are. Hopefully his dreams will come true. You're really on a roll with the prompts. Keep it up!

So you suddenly forgot?

@QuilahYes! This! Authors have to start somewhere, and the first step is putting yourself out there. I totally get how daunting it can be, but Mrsgnomie is so right in that's how you build relationships. My team wasn't built overnight. We read each other's stories and kind of went from there. Participating in the prompts and the anthology is a great way to start. Prompts are shorter works that get yourself out there on a less-intimidating basis. With the anthology, you'll get your story looked at by one of the proof team members. I learned a lot from the proof team when I first started writing. A lot of us cringe at our early work, but it's because we've grown as writers. So my advice would be to start! You can only go up from there

Having a good team is essential for anyone who wants to improve their craft. Otherwise, we have no idea what our strengths and weaknesses are. Sometimes we may think we're strong in one area, but it takes another set of eyes looking at it to tell us that maybe we're not as strong as we think we are. I rely on my team to tell me when something is lame or when what's in my head isn't coming across on the page. Talking it out with them is sometimes a much-needed step in my writing process. I currently don't have an editor, but I am a very strong technical writer, so my needs are more for beta readers. I work with two beta readers who have become close friends of mine. It's a reciprocal arrangement, since I edit for both of them. We are quite comfortable telling each other when things don't work. That doesn't mean I'm averse to working with an editor; I'm definitely not! I just don't have anyone to fill that role at the moment. Even the best writers miss things sometimes. For an author who wants to build a team, my suggestion is to find, at a minimum, a good editor and a good beta reader. A good editor will also make beta comments, so that's two sets of eyes looking at the story in-depth. When looking for a potential editor, check out stories they have edited for others. If the stories are consistently (and across multiple authors) riddled with errors, then keep looking. I totally understand not all of that is on the editor, since it's up to the author to accept or reject changes, so if the editor is an author themselves, check out their own work to see how well-edited it is. I have worked with a lot of different authors here as editor and in my role as proof team leader. I will offer a few things to keep in mind when working with your team. First, we are doing this on a volunteer basis. Editing is a time-consuming process. Your editor and beta readers are taking time out of their schedules to do you a favor and look at your work. THANK THEM! You would think I wouldn't need to tell people this, but I can't tell you how many times I have returned stories to people with no response back. Whether you agree with what your editor/beta reader has said or not, at the very least, thank them for their time. Also, don't be afraid to say no. Sometimes the dynamic between authors and an editor/beta reader just doesn't work. It happens, and it's okay to move on to someone else who may be a better fit. Lastly, be patient. We all have lives and some of us work full-time in addition to writing/editing/beta reading. Hounding a team member because they haven't returned your story/chapter in three days is annoying. Checking in is perfectly fine, but be considerate of their schedules. The Writer's Circle here on GA has a section where authors can request editors and beta readers. It might take a while to find someone to step up, but don't give up! It takes time to build a good team and develop a rapport and working relationship with them, but it is so worth putting in that time and effort. I wouldn't trade @Cole Matthews or @Aditus for the world.

Between editing, proofreading, and writing for the anthology, along with things being crazy at work, my brain is a bit on the crispy side at the moment. So let’s get right into this week’s prompts. PT Prompt #79 You are hiking through the woods when you encounter a wooden sign with the following words written in red, dripping paint: I’d turn back if I were you. Do you turn back or continue on the path? If you continue, what do you encounter? PT Prompt #80 Your character is a stay-at-home parent who sleepwalks. Use the following phrases to lead you into a story about that character: awfully big shoes to fill, and the quest continues.

I don't think I'm ever done

We never announce the date the anthology will go live because there are too many variables in play and people get upset if it has to be delayed. With the number of stories received this year, plus the cache issues, we'll have to ask for everyone's patience while we get everything sorted, organized, and ready to launch.

Today is the last day to submit stories to the proof team for inclusion in the anthology. I feel like we need a New Year’s Eve type countdown as we approach midnight, EST, complete with champagne and confetti. Of course, there’s still work for the proof team to do, but we’ll be able to take a break soon. Maybe. So the big question with this year’s anthology is “did we reach the goal of twenty stories?”. Well, I’m going to let the question go unanswered until the antho goes live. But I will say give yourselves a round of applause and a giant pat on the back because whether we met the goal or not, we’ve got quite an impressive and unique variety of stories and poetry for your reading pleasure. I will also say we’re very close to twenty, but I won’t say which side of the number we’re on. You’ll have to tune in over the next few weeks to find out. I’d like to extend a huge thank you to everyone involved in the anthology. The proof team, @cia, @myr, authors, poets, readers, editors, beta readers, and everyone who commented on my anthology blogs. You guys are all rock stars! Now I’d like to issue another challenge. Now that the stories are written and ready to go live, it’s time for readers to step up. Instead of reading only the stories written by your favorite authors or poets, read all of them and give the anthology your full support. React to the story, chapter, and leave a comment. Authors love hearing from readers. The stories will be spaced out over the course of a month, so that will make it easier to read all of them. Finally, another reminder for authors/poets to post the links to their works once they’re returned from the proof team. PM either me or Cia and we’re happy to help with any issues.

The Sound of Silence is one of my favorite Simon and Garfunkel songs. Combining the two prompts worked really well for this story. I was glad to see you continued it and that the two men were finally able to connect.

Great interview! I didn't have time to read the story, but it sounds really interesting.

That's what happens when you piss off Thor

Yes, still time to get those stories in! Let's give the proof team a very busy week! A huge thank you to @Myr, @Cia, and everyone working to squash the cache bug. I can only imagine how crazy it's driving everyone

The anthologies are an important part of GA, and have always been eagerly anticipated by both authors and readers. We’re in the final stretch for this year’s anthology, with the deadline for submission to the proof team a week away. That’s still plenty of time to complete the final edits and get stories to me by or on September first. I’m going to let the final number of stories be a surprise, so you’ll have to wait until it goes live to find out if we met our goal of at least twenty stories. The anthology wouldn’t exist without the support of site members, and that can happen in a variety of ways: Authors and Poets – write, write, write! We want to read your stories and poetry, and, as we discussed last week, it doesn’t need to be a 25k novella (unless that’s what you want to contribute), but can be a 1k flash fiction piece or anything in between. Writing for the anthology is a great way to get new readers and also to give back to a site that has given so much. The link to the theme can be tangential, so if the theme isn’t speaking to you, it doesn’t have to smack the reader in the face as long as it’s there somewhere. But that’s a topic for another blog post. The anthology is open to all site authors and poets, so even if you’re new to writing, give it a go! We’ve had authors/poets contribute their first stories to the anthology before. So as long as it fits into GA’s story guidelines and has gone through an editor, send it on! Readers – read, read, read! Authors love reader feedback. At the very least, leave a reaction or recommendation. Remember to leave a reaction for both the story and story chapters. Story reactions help get authors recognized on the recommended stories list. Even better, leave a comment and/or review. Editors – edit, edit, edit! In the months leading up to the anthology, there are usually quite a few requests in the Writer’s Circle from authors looking for editors. Stories must be edited before being submitted to the proof team, and it can be difficult at times for authors to find someone to edit their story, so stepping up to help make these stories the best they can be is a fantastic way to support the anthology. Another way for editors to contribute is to join the proof team. Having more proof team members will help ease the backlog we sometimes experience when a lot of stories are submitted at once. Anyone interested in joining the proof team can feel free to message me, and we’ll go from there. Finally, I wanted to give anthology authors/poets a reminder to post the links to your story in the anthology links thread in the Writer’s Circle once they’re returned from the proof team. If you have any questions about the process, message either myself or Cia and we’ll be happy to help.

I was going to ask who else has "All Star" playing in their head now

I wanted to clarify what Cole meant by use of passive voice in PT Prompt 75. He's going for more of a passive style or pace vs using actual passive voice. From a grammatical point of view, the example he gave is actually using past perfect. An example of passive voice would be "The book was read by him." vs active voice "He read the book." Using the active voice is generally preferred, but passive voice has its place. Same with past perfect. While it can get clunky if used too often, sometimes it's necessary in order make the story clear. I could get a lot more in depth with both topics, but that's the basic gist of it.

We'll be updating the submission guidelines due to a few things that have come up this time around. I'll add this to my list of items to discuss and add.

You write better in your second language than a lot of people do in their first Me, stressed?

A couple of questions that come up for discussion frequently here are “How long should I make my chapters?” and “How long should my story be?”. The truth is, there is no right answer. My response would be, “Long enough to tell what you want to tell.” It’s a bit of a glib response, but I’m going to go more in-depth in this blog post. In terms of the anthology, there is a right answer. It needs to be between 1,000 and 25,000 words. So how do you decide if your story is going to be a 1k short or a 25k novella? I would say a lot of that decision comes down to personal preference and writing style. Some writers have difficulty constraining themselves to only 25k words, while others are quite comfortable in the 4-6k range. A 1k word story needs to pack a punch and have every word count, since the story is being told is so short. Short doesn’t mean bad or unfinished—I’ve read some phenomenal flash fiction pieces in the 1k range—so don’t skip reading those stories because of the low word count. Those 1k stories are a great way to work on descriptive writing and character sketches. Conversely, if you’re going to write 25k words, make sure what’s going on the page is relevant and interesting. Is every scene necessary to the story, or are there infodumps and scenes that don’t move the story forward? Not every reader likes reading stories that long in one go, so something to consider is breaking up a story that length into chapters. While it helps keep the reader engaged, it’s certainly not a requirement. Good writing itself keeps the reader engaged, regardless of story or chapter length. So, readers, don’t be intimidated by the lengthy word count. You might find yourself sucked right into the story and reach the end before you remember you just read 25k words. Now back to the first question “How long should I make my chapters?”. Again, there is no right answer or magic number when it comes to chapter length. It needs to be long enough to accomplish what you want for that particular point in the story, whether it’s 2k, 4k, 6k, etc. It’s a good idea to try and be consistent with chapter length, but that doesn’t mean it’s not ok to have some variation. Personally, I like chapters in the 2-4k word range, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate a longer, well-written chapter, especially if it’s at crucial point in the story. So, how does all this relate to the anthology? Write to your strengths and personal style. Don’t worry about the word count as much as telling a good story. The word count only matters if it’s below 1k or above 25k. There is still plenty of time to write a short story and get it sent to the proof team. We are very close to making our twenty story goal, but that doesn’t mean we have to stop there! Over twenty would be icing on the cake!

There's still time to send submissions to the proof team! Stories can be as short as 1k words, so if you're on the fence about participating, then start writing! I'm still aiming for 20 stories for our 20th anniversary, so let's do our best to thank Myr and the other site staff for so many wonderful years.

I'll be adding this to the Anthology 101 FAQs, so hopefully it won't be an issue in the future.