Changes in WEP
STOP PRESS!!
This is an update to tell you that WEP is pushing back on the changes made this month. Denise, and many of you, were unhappy with some changes, especially the People's Choice voting system. We'll fill you in on more news later, but for now just wanted to let you know we're going back to a professional judge and retaining the WINNER, RUNNER UP, ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD and BEST COMMENTER. And the Amazon Gift Card is coming out of retirement along with Denise.
~~~~~~~~~
STOP PRESS!!
This is an update to tell you that WEP is pushing back on the changes made this month. Denise, and many of you, were unhappy with some changes, especially the People's Choice voting system. We'll fill you in on more news later, but for now just wanted to let you know we're going back to a professional judge and retaining the WINNER, RUNNER UP, ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD and BEST COMMENTER. And the Amazon Gift Card is coming out of retirement along with Denise.
~~~~~~~~~
As any living entity, WEP is changing and growing. Today we
introduce several of those changes.
Our founder and long-time host, Denise Covey, is stepping
down. It might be a temporary arrangement, or it might be permanent, but for
now, she is going to concentrate on her own writing, and we three – L.G., Nila,
and Olga – are going to pick up where she left off. From now on, L.G. will be
the official host of WEP. We want to thank Denise for all she has done for WEP
and hope to see her name here, as a participating writer, for many challenges
to come. WEP would not be what it is today without her hard work and
dedication.
We would like to give our participating writers more power
and flexibility. One of the ways to accomplish that is to dispense with the DLs
in the links. From now on, please sign up on the list only when you already
posted your story, with the real link to it. We won’t touch the list entries
anymore. We’ll assume if you signed up, it means the story is ready for
reading. To reflect that, we’re changing the posting date on the badges as
well. You can post your story from the moment this post goes live to the day of
the deadline, which is always the third Wednesday of the month of the
challenge.
Another way to empower our participating writers is to give
them a voice to choose the best. We’re not going to select winners ourselves
anymore. Instead, we’re retiring the Amazon gift card and all our old winning badges. Those badges will be replaced by one (and only one) new winning badge – People’s Choice.
Read the stories. See which one you like best, and let Olga
know your choice, either in the comments, or, if you want more anonymity, in an
email. Voting will be open for one full week after the challenge comes to a
close. For the June Challenge, voting will close on Wednesday, June 26th.
After that time, Olga will compile your votes. The story with the most votes
will be the winner, but we are only giving the voting powers to the
participating writers. Nobody else can vote: no friends or relatives, folks.
Now, without further ado, here is the new challenge for June
2019: Caged Bird.
===========================
The topic of a caged bird has many possible interpretations,
both literal and metaphorical. Choose one and write the best flash story you
can in 1000 words or less. Or maybe create a photo essay about your favorite
canary. Or a non-fiction story about captivity and its psychological impact.
Whatever you choose, we want to read it.
1. CREATE your entry for the JUNE challenge – CAGED BIRD.
2. EDIT your entry, making sure 'WEP' is in the TITLE
3. PUBLISH your entry onto your BLOG or FACEBOOK page by the date shown - state feedback preferences
4. SUBMIT your name to the list below when your entry is live
5. READ other entries, giving feedback as requested
6. SHARE THE CHALLENGE on social media.
PLEASE NOTE: ENTRIES CLOSE JUNE 19
ALL GENRES WELCOME except erotica - 1,000 words maximum
FURTHER ENQUIRIES VISIT www.writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com and leave a comment or: email: laura.gene.walker@gmail.com or olgagodim@gmail.com
L.G. Keltner Dixie Susan B Team Netherworld
Christopher Scott
Nancy Williams Roland Clark Elephant's Child Denise Covey Lissa
Roland Yeomans Jemi Fraser Jamie Olga Godim Pat Garcia
Rebecca M Douglass Sally Hilary Toi Thomas Beth Camp
Kalpana Nilanjana Bose Pat Hatt Jemima Pett J Lenni Dorner
Operation Awesome Tyrean Martinson - Carrie Ann G Carrie-Anne
Bernadette Braganza
Nancy Williams Roland Clark Elephant's Child Denise Covey Lissa
Roland Yeomans Jemi Fraser Jamie Olga Godim Pat Garcia
Rebecca M Douglass Sally Hilary Toi Thomas Beth Camp
Kalpana Nilanjana Bose Pat Hatt Jemima Pett J Lenni Dorner
Operation Awesome Tyrean Martinson - Carrie Ann G Carrie-Anne
Bernadette Braganza
Please share on Twitter!
The WEP 2019 June Challenge Caged Bird - @TheIWSG @LGKeltner https://writeeditpublishnow.
Will your caged bird fly free? June's Challenge @TheIWSG @LGKeltner https://writeeditpublishnow.
Join @TheIWSG @LGKeltner for the Latest FF Challenge Caged Bird https://writeeditpublishnow.
What does Caged Bird bring to mind? Join @TheIWSG @LGKeltner for the latest challenge https://writeeditpublishnow.
I thought I had commented. Yet another epic fail.
ReplyDeleteDenise will be missed. I hope her writing time is productive and successful.
I have reservations about the 'WEP winner' becoming a popularity contest, but am happy to wait and see.
I understand your concerns. That's why we're limiting the votes to those who enter. That way people can't solicit votes from friends. Hopefully that will be enough to curtail things.
DeleteI, too, will miss Denise. I have written two posts, one yesterday and today, to promote this WEP challenge and how to write better flash fiction. I have an idea on what to write, but the idea is being contrary! Best of luck to all who participate. What with the world-wide blood shortage, my job is demanding even more time. Whew!! Have fun, everyone!!
ReplyDeleteMy ideas often like to be contrary! I know how that goes!
DeleteSorry, I am a bozo who can't read properly. I'm used to the old system and posted the link to my blog rather than to the story. Please go ahead and delete that one. It's the fourth one in the linkup, the one that says Team Netherworld's Caged Bird.
ReplyDeleteThe correct link says Team Netherworld's Caged Bird (The Real One)
DeleteIt's okay! It'll take time for a lot of people to get used to it! Glad you could join us for this challenge!
DeleteI can't say I like the changes, especially the voting by the participants and no judges. I realize that it takes a lot of behind the scenes work, but I prefer the old way. Most contests don't allow voting by the participants. The writer writes the material, and we need an objective person to judge. Popularity will come into play as it usually does. This seems to be following the changes in the A to Z, which I also didn't agree with. I'll be sitting this one out as this is a busy month for me, and no ideas have come to mind. Good luck with the changes. The input by Denise will be missed, but I also wish her the best in her writing.
ReplyDeleteWe considered the possibility of this turning into a popularity contest, which is why we decided to limit the votes to participants only. I can't say how well this new system will work for sure, and we welcome all input. I hope you can take part again in the near future!
DeleteDenise, you will be missed, but I hope that your writing blossoms as a result. And no doubt, you will continue to make invaluable comments. As for the rule changes, I'll reserve judgement as there are so many factors at work, and I discovered the complexities of judging when I ran a sporting event.
ReplyDeleteThanks Roland for your words of encouragement. I'll never be far away you can be sure. I'm taking on board the protests over some of the changes and agree judging is always difficult no matter the way it's done.
DeleteIs it just me? I cannot find the WEP post on a number of those who have signed up.
ReplyDeleteI guess we're still finding our stride with all the new changes. We'll get it right soon. :)
DeleteAll my best to Denise as she concentrates on her writing!
ReplyDeleteLooks from the list above as though we need to work on how we create our entries in the sign-ups? It would be nice if they have the writer/blog name, rather than the story title (especially as most of the stories have the same titles). Not sure if that's due to how the linky list is set up or how people choose to sign up.
We'll all need a little time to figure things out, I guess.
DeleteThat's how people chose to sign up. Since we're using direct links to start with, that's the route some people are taking. Hopefully that little wrinkle gets ironed out as time goes on.
Deletenow that I looked at my entry, I should say that 'blackbird woman' is the title of my piece and not the name of my blog. I guess I should have used my name there instead of my blog name.
ReplyDeletethis is my first visit here so I don't know much about any of the wep hosts but thank you for continuing wep.
have a lovely day.
Welcome to WEP, Lissa. Look forward to reading your entry.
DeleteWelcome! Looking forward to reading your entry!
DeleteA question. In the absence of judges are we free to vote for the administrator's stories?
ReplyDeleteThe admins are not in the running for votes. Only the other entries. Thank you so much for the question - an important point to clear up.
DeleteConsider me registering a protest. That doesn't seem fair to me.
DeletePS: Would one of you talented admins please remove my first failed attempt at a link?
How can the vote talliers be eligible for the vote? :) but thank you.
DeleteJust wanted to add that none of these changes are cast in stone. We'll see how they pan out for everybody and modify them if they don't work.
I understand the need for change - the WEP challenge requires an enormous amount of work from the admins. Thanks to you all for doing it! Thanks to Denise for her time & well wishes with her new focus.
ReplyDeleteEnjoying the stories so far!
Big changes there. I posted early so I could use a DL. Hope all the changes make things easier for the hosts!
ReplyDeleteWoo Hoo. And happy dancing.
ReplyDeleteWoo hoo back at you Sue!
DeleteI'm glad to hear the STOP Press announcement. I felt sad that what was working for me - the flexibility, and the input from others would be diluted by some of those changes. Now I appreciate that the team has listened to some of the opinions. Like EC said, Woo Hoo! I'll be back next time the challenge comes around.
ReplyDeleteIt will be great to have you D.G. Woo hoo.
DeleteGlad to hear you'll be back!
DeleteWelcome back, Denise, - you are our foundation that didn't need to be rocked so hard. Well done to all the team for their efforts.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words Sally. There's a lot of work to WEP and the team sans me was trying to ease the load. Some good ideas have come from it.
DeleteDenise is definitely the foundation of WEP.
DeleteI'm pleased that Denise came out of retirement. I don't expect my bit to win anything, but that's not why I play. I think I tried to cram too much into my thousand words on this particular occasion. Hm...sounds like what I tend to do with pretty much everything! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read your entry!
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I was shocked because I'd already decided with the new changes in the WEP that I was no longer going to participate. There is something about people's choice that stinks for me personally as a Miss America contest with whomever having the best legs or wearing the best swimsuit becomes the winner. For me, it had become a popularity contest.
When I first heard about the changes I didn't say anything. I needed time to think.
I could take Denise's stepping down. She has a right to take the time for her own writing. That didn't bother me, but the new set up did, because I've always seen the WEP as a serious writer challenge with some of the best writers anywhere in the world participating.
That this has now been changed makes me happy and I don't mind saying that is one of the reasons why I have now decided to enter my entry. Before the change back, I couldn't put my heart into submitting my story on a MacDonald platform. (Sorry, but that's the way I see it.) That Denise is coming back is another plus. Because of her integrity as a writer, many of us who take writing seriously participate and hang in there, even if we have to find the time to submit. She's given the WEP along the WEP team its character. The WEP stands for something and that something for me has been it's excellent. So, yes, I am happy that Denise is back and like a couple of the others that participate in the WEP, I am doing a hallelujah dance. I'm grinning and shuffling my feet out of joy.
So now I'll post my story and read others.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G
I'm glad you're joining in!
DeleteThank you for your kind words Pat. It is a beautiful thing that you're back. I would have missed your always excellent, emotive stories so much I cannot express in words. ((Hand on heart))
DeleteSo glad that you're back Pat - looking forward to reading all the entries.
DeleteHow interesting that so many participants wrote about abused women for this challenge, but I was the only one who took the prompt literally and wrote about a caged bird. Maybe someone new will sign on in the next few days and keep me company? :)
ReplyDeleteI'm another--I think we all remembered the old song about "She's only a bird in a gilded cage." As I started forming the story in my head I thought that WAS the prompt, so of course I just have to find a way to twist that story a bit.
DeleteAlthough my protagonist was female - a goddess - my cages were various, including the main one: the one humanity has created for nature. (And the continuation of my April entry had an ex-jailbird as a suspect.)
DeleteYou did well, Olga, but I think most of our minds were transported to the metaphoric caged bird. There's only so many stories about real birds in cages you can write.
DeleteNevertheless, I love the way Maya Angelou juxtaposes the real/metaphoric bird in one of my favorite protest poems about historic mistreatment of her race -- 'I know why the caged bird sings.'
A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wing
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.
But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.
If anyone doesn't know this poem, read more here:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48989/caged-bird
Superb.
That's one of my super favourite poems, Denise and Olga! :) just love it.
DeleteThere is a Tagore poem on a meeting between the caged bird and the free bird which is amazing too - how the free bird refuses to get into the cage to be with the caged one, and how the caged one can't find the courage to give up the comforts of the cage. Independence versus security.
I'd like to read that too Nila.
DeleteI'm over-joyed to see Denise back and pleased we are reverting to the old format. I presume the dates will be amended/confirmed as I've already started reading - well, those posts I could find. Apologies if I don't managed to visit everyone in my confusion.
ReplyDeleteRoland, I haven't yet seen you at my piece - my first link was a failure which might account for your difficulties.
DeleteYours is the next on the list for me. I stopped after I had some errors finding posts. I will read yours soon.
DeleteWorking through the list again and just read your powerful and poignant piece.
DeleteRoland Clarke: Many, many thanks.
DeletePS: The gift card (welcome as it is) is something I would be happy to let go. The work and the recognition provided by the administrators is more than enough.
ReplyDeleteAnd it is lovely to see some old friends and talented writers back again.
DeleteIt is indeed Sue. I've had emails suggesting that the Gift Card doesn't matter. That is not why they post their stories. We shall look at this. Thank you.
DeleteI wish Denise the best! Hosting a hop takes a lot of time and energy.
ReplyDeleteI didn't read the part about the change to direct links when I joined. I swear the words of the blog post changed. Though, honestly, I've been scatterbrained, so it could be me.
Anyway. I posted mine. It's a scene from the novel I'm working on.
I like that the hop gives me a reason to write. The contest part means it aligns with one of my goals (entering contests). I'm happy with just a badge icon. Sure, it's great to win giftcards. But those aren't my reason for taking part. It's the goals, friendships/ community, and writing push that drive me. That's my two-cents.
Thank you for letting us know your take on the cards. As Denise has said above, we are putting all the feedback together and will come up with a way to incorporate them into the format so it reflects the majority view.
DeleteAnything to keep this going. It's a great reason to write posts!
DeleteI know we're not doing the People's Choice, but Pat Hatt would have gotten my vote.
I've posted - sorry forgot to put my name - No. 20.
ReplyDeleteExcellent Sally. This linky tool has confused many, not just you just because it's different to what you're used to.
DeleteI finally posted my story. It seems I followed the pack but since I haven't read the stories yet, I'm excited to see all the similarities and differences.
ReplyDeleteI'm excited to read your story!
DeleteI suppose WEP has made its own "cage" of rules. I hope everything gets sorted out. Good luck with your writing adventures Denise.
ReplyDeleteAnd we've broken the cage too haha...watch this space!
DeleteI LOVE Kalpaana's story but am totally unable to comment. Sigh. If the administrators would let her know how much her story moved me, and that I smelt the scent of the house, the frangipani and the sea air I would be grateful.
ReplyDeleteOh dear.I had the same problem during the A-Z. Very frustrating. I've passed on your comment to her.
DeleteI re-visited today, EC and I am still unable to comment. Kalpana, I tried to say, "Memories and morals mix with phrases that feel like folklore - such as 'when the monsoon mists spray the air', And the values we see in the elderly are undervalued."
DeleteThank you Roland! I would have loved to see that comment at the bottom of my post.
DeleteWe're still fiddling around with various options. It takes comments sometimes, specially if they're from India, so it's difficult to figure out if the problem has been sorted out.
Dear EC - I'm so sorry for all the trouble my comment section has caused. Glad your olfactory senses were stimulated by my story :)
Deletei have tried to leave a comment on Kalpaana's blog using google. i see it is not taking. I'm sorry she's having problems. I will try again later if I have the time
ReplyDeleteShalom aleichem,
Pat G
Yes Pat. Toi is aware of the problem but obviously has been unable to fix it. Maybe we’ll have to leave our comments here. It was such a great entry!
DeleteThanks LG for adding DLs to posts even though it meant people losing positions. Makes it much clearer. Reading has been a bit messy. I’m looking forward to going back to InLinkz. Yay.
ReplyDeleteHELLO ALL!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteToi's comments are now showing. It might have been one of those 'hidden until author approves' things. Anyway, there are 9 comments. Scroll right down and you will see them.
HELLO ALL AGAIN!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteElephant's child has reminded me it's Kalpanaa's post we can't comment upon. The comments there won't be counted toward Best Commenter as we have no way of knowing who tried. A pity for Kalpanaa, but it's a reminder to make sure you have a comment system in place that works!
:(
DeleteI've been struggling with this since April. I'm going to a web developer today since its clearly beyond my skills. Will keep you posted and thank you for your patience.
Thanks Kalpanaa. So annoying for you.
DeleteI do hope the developer can sort out the problem...but till that's done, I'll just email, with your permission, Kalpana.
DeleteYes - thank you for emailing Nila.
DeleteSorry Kalpana. I see that some people at least can comment, but I am not one of them. Will keep trying.
DeleteOk, I saw the comments scrolling down yesterday on my second round, so I tried again to post a test comment. It didn't take it, sorry. Thought I'll just let you know...
DeleteI just wanted to chime in here today and request all members to read/reread this post -
ReplyDeletehttps://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/p/the-critique.html
And I also wanted to add the critiquing guidelines over at the workshops/courses at Uni Iowa, which I find uber useful when reading/commenting.
1) Frame the critique from the POV of the writer, not your own.
2) Be helpful, not judgmental.
3) Be specific, make the critique actionable.
4) Be courteous and address the writing, not the writer.
On the part of the writers, please use the comment preference codes so as to avoid miscommunication.
Let's keep WEP a safe and supportive writing space for everyone.
Excellent Nila. We all need a refresher here. Some critiques overstepped this month. Not supportive at all. Best advice - think about how you’d feel. You can still critique and play nice.
DeleteHi Kalpanaa,
ReplyDeleteI love how you build up to the ending in this story. Especially the part about the bird cage being empty and the two birds that were building a nest spoke of a life that continues and builds up.
A very engaging story that I enjoyed reading.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G
P.S. I have tried several times this week to post on your blog. If it doesn't work this time I will post on the WEP Blog Post for June.
Wishing you all the best and I do hope you get the problem settle. I know how frustrating it can be. As you can see posting on your blog didn't work. I'm glad I copied the comment to post here. All the best.
Shalom aleichem
That's good of you to post here, Pat. I've hung back hoping she would get it sorted. I know she's trying. I will leave a comment here soon if she doesn't get it working. So frustrating for her...
DeleteThank you @ Pat Garcia. Much appreciated. The baby birds just popped into the story themselves.
DeleteTo Kalpanaa!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI've tried again. I think my comment was too long. It was still trying to load it when I gave up.
Hi Kalpanaa
It's lovely to see comments here, but mine didn't show up. I've left a couple, but never mind. I love your entry. It's so evocative with the excellent use of the senses along with the rituals. 'the monsoon mists spray the air...' You've given us further understanding of a world we don't know about.. You've raised questions regarding how the elderly might think, giving us a small taste of the rituals of ancient people with the way historical knowledge is shared from generation to generation. The ending is gorgeous. Well done.
I loved her work too. Profoundly thought provoking and evocative. Such a shame this commenting issue. So frustrating for her.
DeleteKalpanaa, a beautiful comment from Lee Mckenzie:
DeleteI loved the setting and the atmosphere you created with this piece. It was a perfect place and feeling for your story. I was delighted to read it and I loved so many of your descriptive phrases, but your opening paragraph was perfect: It was a house, just like any other on that street, with wooden eaves, a red tiled roof, within the surprise of the polarity of the dark furniture against the gleaming brass. The air filled with the bouquet of herb-enhanced-sesame oil, not unpleasant, with a scent of healing about it.
Thank you Lee Mckenzie! I appreciate your detailed feedback.
Delete@Denise - that is high praise indeed coming from a writer as skilled as you.
Delete@ Nilanjana Bose - you're very kind. Thank you.
DeleteI took ill suddenly and was offline for more than a week. I am now playing catch up and reading through the entries in this hop.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to hear you were ill. Hope you are recovered completely now. Stay well.
DeleteHope you're feeling better now @Toi Thomas
DeleteI couldn't get a comment to go up on J. Lenny Dorner's blog, either. I never know if those issues are on my end or the blogger's end! In case she looks... I loved the way the story showed us not only why we don't want to be telepathic, but maybe why the government was so afraid of them they outlawed something that people can't control (come to think of it, not the first time we've done that...).
ReplyDeleteAnd... now I see that the comment went through!
DeleteI can't believe I made it to all the stories :)
Thank you Rebecca for doing the rounds. Awesome. I've given you a mention in the next post, but you finished after the counting was done.
DeleteIs there anyway to access the list of participants. I'm still in recovery and have not read all the entries. I'll understand if I'm simply too late, but I do hope there's a way. I've been so moved by what I was able to read so far. What a great group of submissions this time around.
ReplyDeleteToi I wish we’d thought of it earlier and made a copy. I didn’t think they’d take it down so fast. I’ll see if we can access it.
Delete