Wow -- what a great turnout for our first NAME THAT GENRE!
Guessing/comments are now closed. (In other words, if you post a guess at this point, it will not be included in the tally.)
ENTRANTS: Please post your genres ASAP! To do so, leave a comment beneath your entry. (Note: if you are reading this in your email box, you will have to go to the actual blog site to leave your comment. Please do not hit "reply" to the email.)
Thank you, everyone. Some of you did A WHOLE LOT OF GUESSING AND FEEDBACK-LEAVING. I want to personally acknowledge the following, each of whom took the time to respond to 25 or more entries:
Abbe Hoggen
Adam Heine
Amy
Barbara
Beth
Chris Bailey
Emily Moore
HL Brixey
IcySapphire
Jennifer Kay
Krystal Jane
MargotG
Peggy Rothschild
Rachel Tell
Sarah Mawry Swan
Timothy Gwyn
The gift of your time for your fellow writers is noted and appreciated!
The top 10 entries will post this coming Wednesday, and you'll have the opportunity to leave critique.
Up next? Our September Secret Agent Contest (last one of 2014!). Details will post on Monday. After that, it's all about the Baker's Dozen Agent Auction!
I've enjoyed the energy seeping through my screen from your involvement in this week's contest. My father-in-law passed away on Tuesday morning, so things have felt pretty off. (He was ill for a long time, so this was not a shock.) Mr. A is navigating the emotional waters of having lost a parent, and I am trying to support him without really knowing how (this is our first parent loss). Your ever-present enthusiasm and support for each other is a reminder of the vibrancy of life as it continues around us.
Thanks for that. And have a wonderful (long!) weekend!
This was a really fun contest! I enjoyed reading the entries and trying to guess what they were. It was a nice change of pace (and a fun break from work.) Thank you for hosting!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about your father-in-law. All the best to you and your family.
Darn it, I really wanted to enter, and was looking forward to guessing, but got distracted and completely missed it all. I hope you'll do it again sometime in the near future.
ReplyDeleteAlso, my condolences to you and your family.
This was such a fun contest. I hope there are more like this next year. You could even have a "guess the category" as some of these entries showed.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm so sorry for your loss. My FIL passed away in June and I know how hard the grieving period is.
I'm sorry for your loss. Thank you for providing this opportunity for writers.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear about Mr. A's father. I know how hard it is even when a loved one has been ill for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI was also looking forward to making guesses on this contest, but I was busy with work this week and didn't get a chance to jump in until this morning. I did post a few guesses and I'm hoping you can still count them (I didn't see any of the author posts showing the genre), even though I believe I did them all a little after 12:00 -- which is only 9:00 AM out here in the wild west! :)
It only seemed fair to make a guess on all the other entries, since I expected other entrants to comment on mine. Thanks for noting those of us who posted lots of answers. And super thanks for running all your contests. They're always challenging and exciting.
ReplyDeletePlease accept my condolences to you and your family on your recent loss. My sister died a couple of months ago and my brother-in-law says having lived one way for 47 years, it's hard to now rethink his life. I'm sure your mother-in-law will feel the same.
Sarah Maury Swan
Thank you for hosting this contest, especially during such a difficult time in your life. Hoping you have the time to play games, eat comfort food, and cuddle with Mr. A.
ReplyDeleteI was very happy to be able to participate this week. Looking forward to checking the other entries to see whose I guessed correctly as well, and to participate in future events. Thank you again.
I find it really easy to comment on this type of contest. Answer one question and give a couple of examples. About a minute and a half per entry. I made sure not to look at the other guesses before I made mine, but it was fun to read them afterwards and see if I agreed or not. I was surprised by some guesses, but in some entries the guesses were nearly unanimous (which would be frustrating but also informative if the guess is wrong).
ReplyDeleteGive my condolences to Mr. A. My father-in-law was also our first (and still only) parental loss. It was very sudden. He was fairly young (62) and in good health. In fact, he died a quarter of a mile from the finish of the 10K he was running. That was nearly twenty years ago, and my husband still misses him and mourns his loss. So hugs are definitely in order.
My condolences to Mr. A. on the loss of his father, and to you for the loss of your father-in-law.
ReplyDeleteIt was fun an most enlightening.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the loss of your father-in-law. Death changes everything.
Even though I didn't have time to guess on the entries, I tried to read as many as I could. This is a fun contest/exercise!
ReplyDeletePlease accept my condolences for your loss. Unfortunately, my husband and I are old enough to have experience in losing parents, although my first loss was as a teenager (my father passed very suddenly when I was 16. Not something you deal with well at that age.)
Do you ever get over it? Yes and no. I was very lucky to marry a man with an amazing father who helped to fill the hole in my heart left by my father, and we had many great years with him and his wife, my husband's step-mother, whom I loved like a mother. When they were both gone, the most cathartic and healing thing for us to do was, believe it or not, clean out their house. I got to the point where my two SIL's and I actually enjoyed doing it- it brought us closer together and we healed as a unit. It took us a year to do it and my husband came as often as he could (his job is very demanding). We learned so much about them and their great love for each other (and us) as we sifted through their life, paper by paper, piece by piece. We even did a sleepover one night to hang out and go through the boxes of pictures (and the cabinet of booze!)
And now my beloved mother-in-law is back in the hospital. My husband deals with it in the way many men do- by working. It's a tough time. You don't want to lose your loved one, but you don't want them to suffer, either. You feel guilty no matter what you think. Ah, the perplexing and mystifying circle of life. Thank goodness we are writers so we can get our feelings out!
Dear Authoress,
ReplyDeleteFirst let me say, my condolences to your family. Thank you for managing such a fun contest during such an emotional time. I hope you are finding each day a bit easier.
I wanted to say thank you to all who participated and who took the time to read my entry, #10.
I did read and guess on all of the other entries as well, except I was one of the Anonymous commenters. This was my first contest to participate in, so I wanted to fly a little under the radar and just watch and learn. I tried to keep my comments short and neutral as well, mostly because I feel I'm still in the learning stages of writing.
Moving forward, I will be glad to give feedback on the ten winning entries and leave my name if anyone has any questions. Thanks for your support and understanding! Thank you Authoress! I can't wait to see who won! Best of luck to all!
I'm so sorry for your loss. I absolutely dread finding myself in the situation you're going through, grieving and comforting and seeing to the details. I agree with DJ that cleaning is healing. Hugs and prayers for both of you!
ReplyDeleteAlso, a big thank you for this [super fun] contest, and for all you give to this community of writers.