These are some of the absolute best stories I've ever read--anywhere. Every story hits its mark. The concept of Armistice is alive and thriving on planet Earth.
The Judging Process
The stories were downloaded without titles, images, or author attribution and printed using 11pt Arial font on plain white paper. I did this to blind myself as much as possible from any tendencies I might have toward any of the authors. In the end, I was surprised at who wrote what.
Choosing a winner from a field this rich was no walk in the park, unless the park was Freedom Park and the day had come late in its season. Seriously. Some of these stories rip you to shreds. I had to walk voluntarily back into that park multiple times. It was worth it.
Because that's what the process took. Deep forays into the heart-wrenching creations of master storytellers. Every story seemed like it was made just to rip my heart to shreds, one way or the other. It was clear right away that I'd need a method. This was the process I used:
Stage 1
- Just read the story. See how I feel.
- Read through the stories again looking for any obvious flaws in the writing mechanics.
- Read again looking for flaws in the storyline. Within the confines of the story, are there plot holes or inconsistencies?Does it fit the contest parameters?
- Read again, studying how the characters are developed as the story progresses. Do I know anyone by the time I'm finished? Are they believable?
- Read again, this time looking to see how the words flow when read aloud.
Each time I went through the stories I assigned a subjective grade to each of these areas. After five readings the scores were compared and I was able to see the general order of placement in the contest. But this was not a question of bad fiction versus good fiction. This was greatness pitted against more greatness. And so I needed a
Stage 2
- Re-read the top result for anything that would make it drop in the standings.
- In groups of three re-read each story as if the contest was only between those three entries. Repeat in groups of two adjacently placed stories.
- Allow the titles and images to be shown to me, and examine how these affect the story.
- Read the stories yet again, just to make sure I feel comfortable with my decisions.
At this point I was certain I had the final order. From start-to-finish nearly every story jostled for position as the process wore on. After my first reading I'd had a feeling which would be the winner, but even that was not assured at the beginning. In case I haven't mentioned it--these stories were all wonderful. This has been a very difficult contest to judge, especially as it is my first.
But I am happy now to announce the winners!
1st Place - 15 SBD
Comfortably Numb by @negativer.
I cannot--will not--try to pidgeonhole this story with words that, no matter how hard I try, fail to convey the impact it had on me. I will say this story demolished my checklist, tore down my emotional and mental defenses, and made me cry.
Do I know that guy? I do, and I hope if ever I am in his predicament - well, I hope I am that guy. I wrote a story about heroes recently. I used that word facetiously then. Here I do not: This is the story of a true hero.
2nd Place - 10 SBD
Too Much of a Good Thing by @creatr.
I loved this alternative history of the beginnings of the Great Flood. Shem isn't so sure it's the right thing to do, leaving his important job in the city to join his father on some fool thing. But then it starts raining.
I loved the references to Ares and Oceania, bringing Greek mythology and Orwell right into the story with a word. Allusion is a strong tool and it's brandished expertly here.
3rd Place (TIE)- 5 SBD Each
Airborne by @authorofthings.
This story didn't grab me on the first reading. Long sentences and thick paragraphs just usually aren't my thing. Bad eyes, you see. Hard to read 11 point black on white. Good story, sure. But hard for me to read.
Then I read it aloud. Suddenly commas made more sense. Complex sentence structures that had been giving me pause now paused and flowed in a rhythm that had purpose and made the story sing. Where before it had elicited no emotional response from me at all, when read aloud I had trouble mouthing some of the words without fighting a tear. Great story. I love it. BTW, mine will be cognac, please.
Armistice Day 1940, Winona, Minnesota by @jayna.
I wasn't alive in 1940 but by the sixties things apparently hadn't changed much. I saw my own childhood mirrored in this story. The extended family. The strict rules for children. The smells of food and the scraping of wooden chairs across an oak floor.
And the family. This was like looking right into a window to my past, and there were the people I know already. We look back at simpler times, we think. But there have always been wars, or threats of wars to complicate our lives. Things truly get simple when someone we love needs us. We come together, united against any storm.
4th Place - 3 SBD
Aren’t You Tired Yet? by @lymmerik.
I see much of myself in this story, or much of how I used to be. It's easy to get pulled so far into the current 'news' that we lose sight of real life happening all around us. Even when we know we've fallen too far down the rabbit hole it's still hard for us to change.
The protagonist here keeps literally and figuratively 'kicking the can' until it's almost too late. There's a metaphor in there for the rest of us, I think.
Honored Mention - 2 SBD
Remember-Past, Present and Future by @jasonbu.
No, that's not one of my infamous typoos. I am honored that @jasonbu chose to include a mention to our Armistice Contest. This story would have placed higher in this contest but for the word count.
Jason's story is intense. It's one of those 'everyone should read it' stories. I hope everyone reading this will click that link and do exactly that. It was very much under the word-count for this contest, but is worthy of so much more than this meager award. It is a winning work, without a doubt.
I have never enjoyed transferring SBD as much as I enjoyed it today.
Due to the tie, I added 5 SBD to the pool, bringing the total awarded to 40 SBD.
Contest Commentary
Congratulations to everyone who entered the Armistice Contest. You folks produced some of the best short stories I've ever read. Thank you for throwing everything you had into this and making it such a great success.
I knew it would be hard to sponsor a contest. And it was difficult. But this has been one of the most rewarding things I've done on steemit to date. Not financially of course, but this contest has seen some of the best writing steemit has produced. I am proud and humbled (how the hell that works is anybody's guess) to have been a part of it.
I must mention again the awesome contribution to this contest from @mikepm74. He supplied 20 SBD--half the final prize pool--for this contest. Mike sponsored the first contest I entered after joining steemit. You could say he gave me my very first start here. Follow him. He's cool.
Thank you to everyone who wrote, read, commented, critiqued, and otherwise got involved in the contest. You all made it happen. Thank you. And thank you especially to @trishlarimer who handled some things around the house so I could be blind while judging. (Sometimes it doesn't take a village--it just takes a strong woman, willing to do what weak men cannot.)
I'm looking forward to seeing you all in The Writers' Block. If you've not joined us yet, what are you waiting for? Click that image below and check us out--new friends are waiting just around the corner!
