"That First Line" Contest Offers $500 Prize for One Line!
August 21st 2008 11:15
Win $500 for Writing One Line!
Zirdland.com is offering a $500 prize to the entrant who writes the best opening line for its twice-yearly That First Line writing contest. Deadline for the Spring/Summer contest is September 1st, so get creative and submit your best opening line before that date. The winning line from the last contest has been posted on the contest's submission page to give you an idea of the kind of writing Zirdland judges appreciate most. In fact, a number of winning lines from past contests can be found on the ZirdNEWS page.
Novel Competition Also Features a Generous Prize
Zirdland is also hosting a Novel Competition, which features a $1,000 prize. There's no entry fee for uploading/submitting your unpublished or self-published novel (plain text only), and the deadline for submissions is October 10th. So, if you've got a completed (or nearly completed) novel languishing on your hard drive, now's the time to pull it up, do a bit of editing, and place yourself in the running for this generous prize. (Your novel will not be posted to the website; its contents will remain private.)
New Arc Angel Story Analysis Tool Will Judge Entries
Zirdland has recently unveiled its Arc Angel Story Analysis Tool, currently in Beta testing, which will be used to judge entries in the Novel Competition. This marvel of modern software technology, according to Zirdland, "analyzes the sub-text of a literary work," detecting both rhetorical and plot strengths and weaknesses. The program "combines average rhetorical intensity...with (a) drama rating, and other metrics, to provide an overall story satisfaction rating," which is used to rank stories for both the site's contests and its eQuery service. (While many question whether a software program can truly assess a story's literary quality as well as a human judge, it's a fascinating concept and one that will certainly be interesting to watch.)
Free eQuery Service and Job Listings Also Offered by Zirdland
Zirdland also offers a free eQuery service for submitting your work via its automated system to publishers, agents, producers, etc. Its software will apparently generate your proposals, as well. (Is there anything this software can't do?) You'll find further information on the website. The site also offers a list of writing gigs, though at this point at least, the number of opportunities appears to be extremely limited.
You'll definitely want to check out Zirdland.com--particularly if fiction is your forte. This is one fascinating website with many uniquely interesting offerings!
Enjoy your visit!
Jeanne
Did you enjoy this post? Have anything to add? What do you think of Zirdland's offerings? Do you believe a software program can really assess the literary merit of a written work? Why or why not?
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Comment by D. Armenta
The Florida Keys and Everglades
The Black Sheep Chronicles
What constitutes bad manners?
The male mystique
Debate Fan
L.A.M.P.
This site is a very good resource; thank you for posting the info.
No, I do not believe that software can determine the value or talent present in writing; it would be interesting to run a piece by Fitzgerald or Shakespeare through it and see what comes up, though.
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
According to the folks at Zirdland, they've already run quite a few classic works through the Arc Angel software with good results. Here's a quote from their response to a skeptical comment left on the Zirdhunting blog:
Their blog, in fact, makes the following claim:
I also read somewhere on their site (forgot where) that they've held a focus group, where real people tested the software and were apparently quite impressed with it.
I find the entire concept quite fascinating; but like you, I also find it hard to believe that the tool--as good as it appears to be--can actually replace the "human touch" in evaluating written works and spotting literary genius. However, I will admit that the jury's still out on just how valuable this program can be.
As I see it, at the very least, there's got to be some value in running a piece through the software and evaluating the metrics-based feedback we receive, since that feedback can potentially help us improve our work and increase its marketability.
Thanks so much for your input!
Jeanne
Comment by Wilson Pon
Techno Stuffs
mindyourhealth
However, I cannot even get myself involve into this competition, as it only valid for the U.S. citizen...
No matter what, good luck to all that have been participated in this contest and thanks for the news, Jeanne
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Thanks so much for commenting even though you aren't able to participate in the contest! So sorry it's only open to U.S. citizens. Didn't think to mention that.
$500 for a single line definitely is a "massive lure"! But, one thing's certain: To even come close to winning, a writer's first line would have to be an exceptionally clever one!
Thanks for your good sportsmanship and kind support of the writers who have entered the contest!
Always enjoy reading your comments! Thanks for being such an important part of the Writer's Notes community!
Kind regards,
Jeanne
Comment by Brenton
Dr Spin
Tales From The Other Side
Downwrite
Blip Blog
Gadget Museum
Comment by Robyn
Do you enter writing contests often?
Comment by D. Armenta
The Florida Keys and Everglades
The Black Sheep Chronicles
What constitutes bad manners?
The male mystique
Debate Fan
L.A.M.P.
If I had a dime for every "bestseller" that I thought was sheer crap on paper, I wouldn't be working for a living right now!
The most help from a program I've had is one that identifies keywords and popular search terms for commercial writers.
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Emotional response to a particular piece of writing is very subjective, and there's no way a software program can measure what that response will be for every individual who reads it.
Thanks for your input!
Jeanne
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Time will tell whether I'll enter the First Line contest or not. If I come up with a line that I feel has any chance at all of winning, I'll enter. But writing a "best first line" is no easy task. Past winning first lines have all contained an element of irony that, I would say, is absolutely essential in an entry if one hopes to even be in the running. If I feel I can inject that ironic element into an entertaining and well-constructed opening line, I'll definitely enter. If not, the contest will once again pass me by (as it always has in the past).
My problem is that I never devote much time and effort to it--partly because I don't write much fiction and my mind needs to be in a certain place to do that and partly because, judging from past winning lines, I tend to feel that the First Line judges favor slightly off-color entries, which aren't the type I enjoy writing. (That isn't to say, of course, that we couldn't "convert" them by penning a fabulous first line that isn't off-color--which would be an excellent goal and a fantastic reason to work extra hard to come up with a viable contest entry.) To be fair, though, not all winning entries have been off-color. Some have simply been more offbeat lines which made heavy use of ironic understatement.
While I did win a short story contest a while back for my flash fiction piece, "Confession" (against 63 other entrants), I don't really enter writing contests very often. I probably should do so more often, but sometimes it's difficult to decide where to focus one's time and energy--particularly since it's only the winner(s) who are compensated in writing contests.
I also make it a practice never to enter writing contests that charge entry fees--again, because only the winner is compensated and also because I can't really afford to pay someone to consider my writing; what I need is to have someone pay me for my writing.
That said, many writing contests charge reasonable entry fees, which help them with the costs of administering the contest and paying out prize monies. Many such contests wouldn't be possible without entry fees, so I didn't intend this to be a diatribe against writing contest entry fees. At this point, however, I simply don't feel that paying contest entry fees is a viable practice for me personally.
Thanks for your comment!
Jeanne
Comment by Robyn McMaster
I can appreciate the time and creative ability it takes to write the first line of a novel. The whole book stands or falls on drawing in a reader initially. I have studied fiction at length and when I've had to read a "dry" novel from an earlier period of time, just pushing myself into the stories and seeing the plot and characters can eventually pull me in even if the first line did not.
Jeanne, I'm with you on getting our writing to work for us and pay us back!
Congrats on winning with "Confession." What was your first line?
Thanks for these insights.
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Thanks for your congratulations on my win in the short story contest. My first line was, "Hello, Darling"--not a line that would have any hope of winning the First Line contest, but one that was quite effective for the story in question.
Here's a link to my post, Confession (A Murderous Little Crime Story), which tells of my winning the contest and also contains the story itself. (This story appears on quite a number of different websites all over the internet, where I've posted it at various times.)
I think you're right that often it pays to keep reading even when the first line doesn't draw one in, because (as is the case with much classic writing) the payoff comes later. Today, though, people tend to be less patient than they were many years ago, and they want the immediate payoff rather than delayed gratification. The pace of modern life is so fast that people simply don't have the time they once had, and information overload makes people so much less patient today.
By the way, I added more info to my last comment (as usual, while you were posting your reply to it). So, you may want to skim it again, since you probably haven't read my latest additions.
Thanks for your in-depth feedback!
Jeanne
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Your point is well taken. Many of the books one finds on the best-seller list at various times illustrate perfectly the lack of a universal correlation between the quality and popularity of literary works. Personally, I’d like to know how many of the classics Zirdland has plugged into its software, which ones, and what specific results were obtained.
Have you looked at the sample read-out from the Arc Angel program, which illustrates and explains how it works and what it measures and shows a few sample passages that it’s evaluated? It’s very interesting, to say the least; though it’s difficult to say how accurate it would prove to be in a majority of cases. Of course, the explanation of the software isn’t that comprehensive, so it’s difficult to gain a full understanding of it from this relatively simple overview. For one thing, I would have liked to have an explanation of the color coding used for each word in the sample paragraphs.
I do agree, though, that a software program can never replace a human in evaluating a written work, and there’s simply no way such a program can truly measure the full impact of the written word on the heart, mind, and spirit of a reader.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Jeanne
Comment by Robyn McMaster
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
While the short attention-span of today's reader wasn't actually my motivation for writing a flash fiction piece, I can see how that could be one side benefit to focusing on the form. In fact, I'm sure the preference of a large segment of the reading public for short, quick reads is one of the main reasons for the popularity of this fictional form--along with even shorter forms (of 100 and even 50 words), which are becoming prevalent today.
Thanks for your positive assessment of "Confession." I've been told by quite a few readers that it kept them on the edge of their seats.
Forgot to mention in my first comment that I've also won several contests/awards for my poetry at Creative-Poems.Com (i.e., one contest and three featured poem awards). My free verse poem, Pennies, which focuses on a spiritual theme and the universal quest for meaning, was one of two winning entries in the last major CP poetry contest, held in early 2007. (In fact, it's still listed and linked to on the site's home page, since they haven't held another major contest since then.)
Three of my other poems have won the site's weekly Featured Poem Award, which is given to as many as 10 poems per week (five rhyming and five non-rhyming).
Here are links:
Childhood Voices
The Tempest
Ashes
Unlike "Pennies," the above three poems are rhymed and metered--and also considerably shorter.
Haven't written poetry in quite some time. Perhaps I'll try my hand at it again soon.
Not sure about the novel, though.
I do have several other short stories that I've never had published. Perhaps I'll have to resurrect those and submit them at some point. Unlike "Confession," they aren't flash fiction pieces, though. They're conventional-length short stories.
Thanks for your valuable input!
Jeanne
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
I can certainly understand your concern. I've done some preliminary research and, so far, have found no indication that the site has defrauded anyone in any of its contests. I plan to look into it further, though, and report whatever I may discover. Of course, you are wise to be cautious and should always thoroughly investigate any online opportunity before becoming involved.
It's true that $1,000 is not small change--particularly for a contest with no entry fee. Yet, Zirdland has held its ThatFirstLine contest (which offers a $500 prize) twice a year for the past three years. So far, I haven't found any indication that they haven't paid out these prizes to the winners. One would expect a complaint to be posted somewhere if they hadn't. Of course, one might suggest that they'd manufactured the winners' identities; but I did find the latest winner elsewhere online; she had, in fact, won a writing contest on another website.
If you're worried about having your novel stolen but would really like to enter the contest, my suggestion would be to register your copyright before uploading your novel.
Rather than stealing your novel, it appears that this site might actually be able to help you get it published through its network of publishers, agents, and producers, which it plans to target on behalf of writers, via its upcoming eQuery service.
Thanks so much for your comment!
Jeanne
Comment by Zirdlander
Thanks for writing so many wonderful things about our web site. It's been a long development process. But we want to make sure we get this right. For too long, writers have been left in the dark wondering how to get published. Publishers are similarly in the dark about where the "truly" great works can be found. They rely on third-parties to evaluate and recommend. Seems to us (as writers) a tragic failed business model.
So, maybe we're crazy for trying to change things, but somebody needs to do something - the same old stuff keeps getting published - and I can tell you from what we've seen in both the first-line contest and the new novel competition, that there are some incredibly talented people with very meaningful works out there. Even more tragic are some of the tales of their querying experiences.
The Arc Angel is something we've worked on for 4 years now, and when deployed, we hope it can bridge the gap - helping writers structure their plots and characters for maximum reader satisfaction, and helping the publishers wade through their slush-piles in a more organized way. While it can't "read" like a human - or interpret the social significance of a work, it can accurately detect emotional development, dramatic ebb and flow and chart-out the arc structure for each character and for combinations of characters.
The actual user-interface you will eventually see on the site will be very intuitive, graphical, and integrated with a text editor so a writer can work in the desktop environment and have the Arc Angel analyze the edits on the fly.
Our writers focus groups have given us valuable feedback and even some of the die-hard skeptics remained well afterwards to get more hands-on with the Arc Angel - addicted, as we are.
The novel competition is our beta test - giving the Arc Angel and the processing engines a work-out with real submissions. While we've taken reasonable precautions to protect the entries, writers should always copyright their works. No rights are lost by entering - we only expect to test the system. Eventually, each entrant will receive the analysis output of their entry. And of course, one exceptional writer will also get $1,000.
No entry fee this time around. The first-line contest was an effort to raise money for our literacy partners (Firstbook and National Center for Family Literacy) while providing a fun opportunity for writers. We love competitions and feel it sparks creativity. I think Zirdland will always have some sort of contest running...at least we'll try.
Hope that helps. I'm excited to see so much discussion about our project and we'd welcome any suggestions or insights your readers may have.
Thanks again for great coverage of the adventure!
Joel Ratner, Director
Zirdland.com, LLC
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Thanks so much for stopping by Writer's Notes and leaving such a lengthy response to my post! I appreciate your taking the time to explain your website, philosophy, and Arc Angel analysis tool here.
I'm more than happy to provide my readers with information about your fascinating website. The Arc Angel software is definitely one feature that makes your site stand out from the crowd--and your contests, with their generous prizes, are another!
I wonder whether you would mind if I designed a blog post around your comment, reproducing the comment in the post, so my readers can hear your side of the story. (Most will never read your comment otherwise.) Let me know. Also wondering whether you've noticed my second Zirdland post, linked to beneath this post (under "Related Posts").
Thanks again for your friendly feedback!
Jeanne
Comment by Zirdlander
No problem at all in distributing my comments. Yes, I did see your later post. Again, thanks for sharing your thoughts and comments about Zirdland. I'm glad to get some opposing viewpoints from all the responses to your post - it helps us understand what areas we need to focus on as we develop this site.
It's been a lot of fun and we've received so many well-wishes.
Let me know if you or your readers have any additional questions, comments or concerns. I'll do my best to answer them.
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Thanks again for your willingness to share your comments with my readers--particularly via a separate blog post. I believe that doing that will help my readers understand a lot more about your website, as well as the person behind it.
It's so true that the feedback we receive in comments can prove invaluable in assessing just how successfully we are promoting a site, helping us to understand how better to respond to the user's needs.
I'll put together a post as soon as I can and will be sure to let my readers know that you welcome their questions, comments, and concerns.
Thanks for stopping back by! Feel free to do so any time!
Regards!
Jeanne