Wing McCallister
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The Anything Goes Writing Contest & League
League information can be found in the 2nd post.
League information can be found in the 2nd post.
Welcome! Don't be intimidated! It's huge for a reason! Join the fun. I know this looks like a lot to read, but it's not too bad. We don't eat new people, honest! We're always looking for new people to become a part of our growing community.
Holy balls! 4 Million Gold in prizes exist for this year's GGW competition!
Reasons Why Lurkers Should Just Enter!
I know there are a lot of lurkers out there. For whatever reason, you all are scared pissless to enter this contest. Here are a few reasons why you should suck it up and enter:
1. The AGWL prize is a real trophy. Find another contest that does that...
2. Even if you don't win a round or the trophy, there are plenty of people around here willing to help you improve your writing.
3. If I don't like your piece, it doesn't mean that I don't like you. Attitude is everything, yes?
4. More importantly, if I don't like your piece, so what? I'm more than willing to say that I am just a guy and that my judgments are based on my own interpretations and opinions.
5. Just do it!
1. The AGWL prize is a real trophy. Find another contest that does that...
2. Even if you don't win a round or the trophy, there are plenty of people around here willing to help you improve your writing.
3. If I don't like your piece, it doesn't mean that I don't like you. Attitude is everything, yes?
4. More importantly, if I don't like your piece, so what? I'm more than willing to say that I am just a guy and that my judgments are based on my own interpretations and opinions.
5. Just do it!
Current Contest
Gaia's Greatest Writer ------ GGW VI
Rounds and associated gold prizes:
Six Anything Goes Qualifier Rounds - 125K awarded to each winner
Two Additional Qual Spots - 125K awarded to each winner
First TopCut Prompt Round - 250K awarded to four quarter-finalists
Second TopCut Prompt Round - 500K awarded to two semi-finalists
Championship Round - 1M awarded to champion
Total Distribution: 4M
Rounds and associated gold prizes:
Six Anything Goes Qualifier Rounds - 125K awarded to each winner
Two Additional Qual Spots - 125K awarded to each winner
First TopCut Prompt Round - 250K awarded to four quarter-finalists
Second TopCut Prompt Round - 500K awarded to two semi-finalists
Championship Round - 1M awarded to champion
Total Distribution: 4M
GGW VI Information
GGW VI begins June 1, 2012. The contest will consist of six qualifier rounds. Winners of each of the qualifiers will receive 125,000 gold along with a spot in the playoffs. The person with the top total score across the six rounds and a worthy individual of my choosing will also receive 125K and playoff spots.
Top Cut Rounds will then narrow the field to the final two competitors, who will then compete for the GGW Championship in September. The four who make the first top cut will receive a 250,000 gold prize; those two who make the second top cut will receive a 500,000 gold prize; and the champion will receive 1,000,000 gold in prizes. This means that up to 4,000,000 gold is up for grabs in this year's GGW competition.
Schedule for GGW VI
June 1 - June 14 - Qualifying Round 1 - 125K Gold
June 15 - June 28 - Qualifying Round 2 - 125K Gold
June 29 - July 14 - Qualifying Round 3 - 125K Gold
July 15 - July 28 - Qualifying Round 4 - 125K Gold
July 29 - Aug 11 - Qualifying Round 5 - 125K Gold
Aug 12 - Aug 25 - Qualifying Round 6 - 125K Gold
GGW VI Qual Top Cumulative Scorer - 125K Gold
GGW VI Wildcard Slot - 125K Gold
Aug 26 - Sep 8 - Top Cut Round 1
Top 4 scores of 8 qualifiers make it to semifinals
Sep 9 - Sep 17 - Semifinal Round
Top 2 scores of 4 semifinalists go to championship round
Sep 18 - Sep 25 - Championship Round - 1 Million Gold
GGW TIME!
Any piece I enjoy can earn a spot in The Start Archives at agwc.cfxt.com pending author approval.
Top Cut Rounds will then narrow the field to the final two competitors, who will then compete for the GGW Championship in September. The four who make the first top cut will receive a 250,000 gold prize; those two who make the second top cut will receive a 500,000 gold prize; and the champion will receive 1,000,000 gold in prizes. This means that up to 4,000,000 gold is up for grabs in this year's GGW competition.
Schedule for GGW VI
June 1 - June 14 - Qualifying Round 1 - 125K Gold
June 15 - June 28 - Qualifying Round 2 - 125K Gold
June 29 - July 14 - Qualifying Round 3 - 125K Gold
July 15 - July 28 - Qualifying Round 4 - 125K Gold
July 29 - Aug 11 - Qualifying Round 5 - 125K Gold
Aug 12 - Aug 25 - Qualifying Round 6 - 125K Gold
GGW VI Qual Top Cumulative Scorer - 125K Gold
GGW VI Wildcard Slot - 125K Gold
Aug 26 - Sep 8 - Top Cut Round 1
Top 4 scores of 8 qualifiers make it to semifinals
Sep 9 - Sep 17 - Semifinal Round
Top 2 scores of 4 semifinalists go to championship round
Sep 18 - Sep 25 - Championship Round - 1 Million Gold
Qualifier Board
Need to Know
All contest critiques are presented in an audio recording. The MP3 file can be found at the contest webpage: http://agwc.cfxt.com
0. Follow the ToS.
1. Refer to the top of the page or the poll for deadline information.
2. Please submit your piece through a PM or post it in the contest thread. I highly encourage thread posting! Note that this means actually posting the entry. I do NOT accept links as submissions.
3. The content of the piece is up to the author. It is called 'Anything Goes' for a reason. (prose, poetry, length, style, subject, etc).
4. One piece is allowed per round.
5. Authors are responsible for telling me anything special about the piece.
6. Be entertaining!
7. Do not complain! It is a free contest people! See end of post.
8. The same piece may never be reused in the AGWC. Likewise, I cannot accept pieces into the contest which I have edited / reviewed for you.
9. A plagiarism checker will be used on all entries. That means do not test my contest! I will report you!
Creativity/Originality: 0 to 5 points
Grammar/Style: 0 to 5 points
Entertainment Value: 0 to 5 points
0. Follow the ToS.
1. Refer to the top of the page or the poll for deadline information.
2. Please submit your piece through a PM or post it in the contest thread. I highly encourage thread posting! Note that this means actually posting the entry. I do NOT accept links as submissions.
3. The content of the piece is up to the author. It is called 'Anything Goes' for a reason. (prose, poetry, length, style, subject, etc).
4. One piece is allowed per round.
5. Authors are responsible for telling me anything special about the piece.
6. Be entertaining!
7. Do not complain! It is a free contest people! See end of post.
8. The same piece may never be reused in the AGWC. Likewise, I cannot accept pieces into the contest which I have edited / reviewed for you.
9. A plagiarism checker will be used on all entries. That means do not test my contest! I will report you!
Creativity/Originality: 0 to 5 points
Grammar/Style: 0 to 5 points
Entertainment Value: 0 to 5 points
AGWL Intro
I am still looking for contest hosts to join the AGWL. See second post for details.
Presenting the Faulkner Prism
The Doctorow Prism is the prize awarded to the AGWL 2011-2012 Season Champion.
PK named the Season 2 prism in honor of Cory Doctorow, a science fiction writer and journalist. It will be manufactured in the near future.
Presenting the Faulkner Prism
The Doctorow Prism is the prize awarded to the AGWL 2011-2012 Season Champion.
PK named the Season 2 prism in honor of Cory Doctorow, a science fiction writer and journalist. It will be manufactured in the near future.
Welcome
Welcome to the largest and longest continuously running writing contest in Gaia history. If you're here, then you're probably wondering what's the deal with this huge thread. Everything you need to know should be spelled out in the sections of this post. Please read it throughly and enjoy your stay at the AGWC.
There is no entry fee, and newbies are always welcome!
I understand that individuals that see this massive thread may become intimidated. Join anyway!
A little AGWC history...
The AGWC was founded in December 2006 as the CFXT.com Showcase Contest to serve as a place for writers to get their works out into the world. I thought it would be interesting to give authors the opportunity to have their pieces showcased on my website: www.cfxt.com. These pieces are proudly housed in 'The Start Archive' section of the agwc webpage @ http://agwc.cfxt.com. After GGW I, it was clear that the anything goes rule was not going to go away anytime soon. At that point, the contest was renamed to the AGWC.
To this day, any piece that receives a favorable review has the opportunity to join the site archive. Essentially, this is how it works. If your piece receives a good review, it is up to you to approach me about it being stored in the archives. I do not just grap pieces and post them up. Once you talk to me, I will give you some time to make any edits you wish and then I will store the work on my server. You are responsible for maintaining/establishing any sort of copyright or creative commons agreements. CFXT.com is solely owned by me and is not commercially backed or funded by any source other than me.
To this day, any piece that receives a favorable review has the opportunity to join the site archive. Essentially, this is how it works. If your piece receives a good review, it is up to you to approach me about it being stored in the archives. I do not just grap pieces and post them up. Once you talk to me, I will give you some time to make any edits you wish and then I will store the work on my server. You are responsible for maintaining/establishing any sort of copyright or creative commons agreements. CFXT.com is solely owned by me and is not commercially backed or funded by any source other than me.
Judges
Wing McCallister
GGW TIME!
Any piece I enjoy can earn a spot in The Start Archives at agwc.cfxt.com pending author approval.
Hall of Fame, Perfection and Champions
These lists of inductees can be found at http://agwc.cfxt.com
AGWC Throw Down Record Book
Are you tired of taking s**t from someone in the AGWC? Well, now you can do something about it. Challenge the sucker to an AGWC Throw Down! Once setup, I'll pick a special topic and the two of you can duke it out on the anything goes literary stage to determine who gets the bragging rights.
Records:
zero the last decepticon vs. calviness: double veto.
Luis vs. His Name Is No More: W - Luis.
Joachim vs. Solar: W(by PKO) - Solar
Records:
zero the last decepticon vs. calviness: double veto.
Luis vs. His Name Is No More: W - Luis.
Joachim vs. Solar: W(by PKO) - Solar
Hall of Epic Fail
Kjenk - For plagiarism!
Aliz Arcaisle - For plagiarism!
His Name Is No More - For taking it like a man.
Aliz Arcaisle - For plagiarism!
His Name Is No More - For taking it like a man.
Receiving Feedback in the Words of TLM
THE FEEDBACK MODEL
Receiving Feedback
Step One
Listen to the feedback. Don't interrupt and don't try to explain when the other person is speaking. Actively listen.
Step Two
Respond to the feedback. Again, do not try to explain yourself or give excuses. THIS IS A KEY STEP, and probably the hardest to accomplish. I'm the biggest excuse-giver there is, but I've come to realize that 99% of the time, it's really not necessary. Honest. It just makes me come off as unappreciative, not listening, or defensive.
To fully receive the feedback, you need to acknowledge that the feedback was heard. There are 3 different ways to appropriately receive feedback:
If you understand where the feedback is coming from, and that it is growth oriented, say "Thank you."
If you need more clarification on the feedback, ask for it. (And in this contest, it would be appropriate to PM Wing. This is up to him, but as a contest host, I'd probably appreciate it if clarification questions were PMed as opposed to posted, and if the concern applies to multiple people, then I might ask the contest applicant if I may post the question and answer in the thread. This is for privacy reasons, and also so that it doesn't come off as complaining or undermining the host in the public forum).
If you feel as though you cannot handle the amount of feedback you are receiving, say "I'm full" or "I have had enough feedback for the day." Basically let them know that even if well-intentioned, you would not be able to use the feedback constructively at this time. ***This step should be super simple, being on the internet at all. You don't need to physically face Wing. If you're frustrated, you can simply turn off the internet. You can pause the recording and return to it when you're in better space. Easy peasy, right? ***
Step Three
The third step is to assess and create goals based on feedback given. This may be done on your own or with the person giving feedback. It is up to you (the person receiving feedback) to utilize it or not. Remember, the goal of giving feedback is solution focused and growth oriented. This is also the goal of -receiving- feedback.
Many of us enter Wing's competition not just to try and win, but to improve our writing skills. We know he's a good judge, and we know he'll do what he can to improve our writing. We all enter this competition knowing we will receive both positive and negative feedback. So why complain, when we ask for it? We're masochists in a sense, all of us, because we want to be told what's wrong. The positive of that is that we want to know precisely so that we can change, adapt, and improve.
Receiving Feedback
Step One
Listen to the feedback. Don't interrupt and don't try to explain when the other person is speaking. Actively listen.
Step Two
Respond to the feedback. Again, do not try to explain yourself or give excuses. THIS IS A KEY STEP, and probably the hardest to accomplish. I'm the biggest excuse-giver there is, but I've come to realize that 99% of the time, it's really not necessary. Honest. It just makes me come off as unappreciative, not listening, or defensive.
To fully receive the feedback, you need to acknowledge that the feedback was heard. There are 3 different ways to appropriately receive feedback:
If you understand where the feedback is coming from, and that it is growth oriented, say "Thank you."
If you need more clarification on the feedback, ask for it. (And in this contest, it would be appropriate to PM Wing. This is up to him, but as a contest host, I'd probably appreciate it if clarification questions were PMed as opposed to posted, and if the concern applies to multiple people, then I might ask the contest applicant if I may post the question and answer in the thread. This is for privacy reasons, and also so that it doesn't come off as complaining or undermining the host in the public forum).
If you feel as though you cannot handle the amount of feedback you are receiving, say "I'm full" or "I have had enough feedback for the day." Basically let them know that even if well-intentioned, you would not be able to use the feedback constructively at this time. ***This step should be super simple, being on the internet at all. You don't need to physically face Wing. If you're frustrated, you can simply turn off the internet. You can pause the recording and return to it when you're in better space. Easy peasy, right? ***
Step Three
The third step is to assess and create goals based on feedback given. This may be done on your own or with the person giving feedback. It is up to you (the person receiving feedback) to utilize it or not. Remember, the goal of giving feedback is solution focused and growth oriented. This is also the goal of -receiving- feedback.
Many of us enter Wing's competition not just to try and win, but to improve our writing skills. We know he's a good judge, and we know he'll do what he can to improve our writing. We all enter this competition knowing we will receive both positive and negative feedback. So why complain, when we ask for it? We're masochists in a sense, all of us, because we want to be told what's wrong. The positive of that is that we want to know precisely so that we can change, adapt, and improve.
