I felt like I was reading my own synopsis of running a season of the Lunar Awards! You did a fantastic job of encapsulating the challenges that arise with this sort of thing, and I'm so happy to have confirmation of some of my same suspicions. If you ever want to compare notes or bounce ideas, shoot me an email. You're doing a wonderful service for fellow writers. If it helps, the way I organized the judging criteria for the Lunar Awards is as follows:
Mastery of storytelling. (50%)
Originality. (25%)
Editorial control. (25%)
Originality is essentially Je Ne Sais Quoi. Editorial control includes grammar to some degree, but I put more weight on readability and cruft. One thing I tell writers when providing feedback is read it out loud. Or, have someone else read it out loud. Clunky sentences are easier to spot that way. I don't look for "proper" grammar because many fiction voices reject proper grammar and are better off for it. There's only so much value in it.
Regarding subscribership bumps, there is no easy answer. However, it's why I run both the award seasons and monthly The Pitch. In either case, it's up to the writers to help me promote it by posting to social media and through any other channels they can. Getting readers from outside Substack into the Substack ecosystem is insanely difficult and time consuming. But it's going to be the only way to tap into a readership that isn't becoming exhausted or siloed on the platform.
Also, I wrote an allegory that's going out tomorrow... and I'm scared for all the reasons you mentioned. 😂
Brian, thank you so much for this comment. It was validating to read in so many ways! Before I get Round Two of the GWC off the ground, I will definitely be in touch.
That's smart about the subscribers. There's really no shortcut, but at least elevating some of these writers should bring them to more peoples attention than they would have without it! That sounds an awful lot like "it's for the exposure" but exposure certainly counts for something on Substack.
can't wait to check out your allegory, I promise not to send you a feedback scoring sheet haha!
You bet! All of these types of initiatives are helpful to writers, especially newer writers to Substack, which introduces them to our broader community. It might not bring in oodles of new subscribers, but I've already had some readers say, "Oh, I found this new writer through the Lunar Awards." So, I'm sure you're going to provide them with the same exposure.
Scoot, well done here. I've run hundreds of events over the years (used to be central to running my business), and I understand how much unseen work is behind event planning.
If you do another contest, what sorts of things would you do differently (besides including nonfiction writers, obviously)?
You've got my gears turning. What would a non-fiction writing contest even look like? personal stories can be told using all the story telling techniques of fiction. That's an interesting point.
I think the biggest thing is that I'm going to break apart the score-roundup and new-challenge posts so everyone can take a breather. It means 3 rounds would take slightly longer, but i think it is worth it for the sanity of everyone involved.
Would you participate in a competition like this if it was open to non-fiction? How would you have handled the challenges from this past round?
Realistically, the nonfiction thing is just me being pester-y (and connect-y), but I actually would be glad to participate in something like this. I write every day, so making one bespoke post (that fits in with what I already want to write about) would be fun (although I am over the subscriber limit you're looking for, but I promise I still have a ton to learn).
For the first prompt:
"Your Challenge This Week: Write us a story emphasizing intensity and suspense. I am looking for both tension AND release. In any genre, take your readers on a journey that leverages these key ingredients of intensity and suspense."
I really like to include suspense in my posts. I try to do this regularly, so you want to know what's going on and read through the rest. "Intensity" is certainly a tool I can use from time to time, although as my writing has matured and I've found my own voice, the use is very, very selective.
I might write a piece on implantable medical technology from the point of view of a budding tumor that gets wiped out, for instance.
I think that nonfiction writers who don't learn form fiction writers are missing at least half of the puzzle; that's my view and why I constantly engage with you and other fiction folks. I appreciate the skills you bring to the table (not to mention I really enjoy amplifying enthusiasm and support).
This is excellent information for writers like me who are working to discover who we are as writers and our style. I really appreciate this thoughtful breakdown not only of storytelling, but also the process of running a competition. It’s something I’d like to try my hand at someday, but for now, I’ll focus on writing and honing basic storytelling skills.
Thank you, David, I am glad this was valuable to you! There's SO MUCH involved in all of these activities, i think there's a benefit to "just doing it" at some level. But building up our own skills is always good and important work so i'm glad you're taking a thoughtful approach to the whole endeavor! Happy writing, David!
Happy to guest judge grammar if you decide to keep it as a category + if the timing works 🙂
Thank you Sara! That would be amazing. I don't know when the GWC will happen again but it's a when not an if question. I'll be in touch!
I felt like I was reading my own synopsis of running a season of the Lunar Awards! You did a fantastic job of encapsulating the challenges that arise with this sort of thing, and I'm so happy to have confirmation of some of my same suspicions. If you ever want to compare notes or bounce ideas, shoot me an email. You're doing a wonderful service for fellow writers. If it helps, the way I organized the judging criteria for the Lunar Awards is as follows:
Mastery of storytelling. (50%)
Originality. (25%)
Editorial control. (25%)
Originality is essentially Je Ne Sais Quoi. Editorial control includes grammar to some degree, but I put more weight on readability and cruft. One thing I tell writers when providing feedback is read it out loud. Or, have someone else read it out loud. Clunky sentences are easier to spot that way. I don't look for "proper" grammar because many fiction voices reject proper grammar and are better off for it. There's only so much value in it.
Regarding subscribership bumps, there is no easy answer. However, it's why I run both the award seasons and monthly The Pitch. In either case, it's up to the writers to help me promote it by posting to social media and through any other channels they can. Getting readers from outside Substack into the Substack ecosystem is insanely difficult and time consuming. But it's going to be the only way to tap into a readership that isn't becoming exhausted or siloed on the platform.
Also, I wrote an allegory that's going out tomorrow... and I'm scared for all the reasons you mentioned. 😂
Brian, thank you so much for this comment. It was validating to read in so many ways! Before I get Round Two of the GWC off the ground, I will definitely be in touch.
That's smart about the subscribers. There's really no shortcut, but at least elevating some of these writers should bring them to more peoples attention than they would have without it! That sounds an awful lot like "it's for the exposure" but exposure certainly counts for something on Substack.
can't wait to check out your allegory, I promise not to send you a feedback scoring sheet haha!
Thanks again, Brian!
You bet! All of these types of initiatives are helpful to writers, especially newer writers to Substack, which introduces them to our broader community. It might not bring in oodles of new subscribers, but I've already had some readers say, "Oh, I found this new writer through the Lunar Awards." So, I'm sure you're going to provide them with the same exposure.
Scoot, well done here. I've run hundreds of events over the years (used to be central to running my business), and I understand how much unseen work is behind event planning.
If you do another contest, what sorts of things would you do differently (besides including nonfiction writers, obviously)?
You've got my gears turning. What would a non-fiction writing contest even look like? personal stories can be told using all the story telling techniques of fiction. That's an interesting point.
I think the biggest thing is that I'm going to break apart the score-roundup and new-challenge posts so everyone can take a breather. It means 3 rounds would take slightly longer, but i think it is worth it for the sanity of everyone involved.
Would you participate in a competition like this if it was open to non-fiction? How would you have handled the challenges from this past round?
Realistically, the nonfiction thing is just me being pester-y (and connect-y), but I actually would be glad to participate in something like this. I write every day, so making one bespoke post (that fits in with what I already want to write about) would be fun (although I am over the subscriber limit you're looking for, but I promise I still have a ton to learn).
For the first prompt:
"Your Challenge This Week: Write us a story emphasizing intensity and suspense. I am looking for both tension AND release. In any genre, take your readers on a journey that leverages these key ingredients of intensity and suspense."
I really like to include suspense in my posts. I try to do this regularly, so you want to know what's going on and read through the rest. "Intensity" is certainly a tool I can use from time to time, although as my writing has matured and I've found my own voice, the use is very, very selective.
I might write a piece on implantable medical technology from the point of view of a budding tumor that gets wiped out, for instance.
I think that nonfiction writers who don't learn form fiction writers are missing at least half of the puzzle; that's my view and why I constantly engage with you and other fiction folks. I appreciate the skills you bring to the table (not to mention I really enjoy amplifying enthusiasm and support).
This is excellent information for writers like me who are working to discover who we are as writers and our style. I really appreciate this thoughtful breakdown not only of storytelling, but also the process of running a competition. It’s something I’d like to try my hand at someday, but for now, I’ll focus on writing and honing basic storytelling skills.
Thank you, David, I am glad this was valuable to you! There's SO MUCH involved in all of these activities, i think there's a benefit to "just doing it" at some level. But building up our own skills is always good and important work so i'm glad you're taking a thoughtful approach to the whole endeavor! Happy writing, David!