@TheSilverFairy
Hi! I invite you to read my story THE CODE THAT LINKS US! If you like science fiction and dystopian worlds, I am pretty sure you’re going to like it!
I would give your story a try as well!
https://my.w.tt/D1A50MZ1z6
Hi guys! It's been.... a while. Let me update you.
I really have no excuse for not finishing judging, and I feel TERRIBLE. I have been putting off writing this message because I feel so guilty. I got overwhelmed, so I just ignored it, but I realized that I would never forgive myself for just leaving you guys hanging. With quarentine, I've found myself having a lot more free time, so here's my question to you: would you guys still like me to judge? I can try doing this again, OR (alternative option), I can just start a whole new book (with fewer books in each section for my sake) for the people who are still active. I know a lot of people have since taken their books down or edited a lot of it, so let me know what you guys think!
Anyways, I hope you're all doing well! Like I said, I feel so bad for not plowing through, but it gave me the time I needed to score REALLY well on my ACT and keep my grades up, and I got an awesome scholarship from the university I'm attending next year. I hope you guys can forgive me, and please reply back to this with your thoughts on how I should continue this competition! Thank you all for your support while I was struggling, and I can't wait to get back into this!
@TAngel96 Thank you! It was a whole day long scholarship competition and I'm really lucky! Putting school first definitely paid off! At the moment, I'm trying to prioritize another story on a different platform. They have a thing where you can't edit a story after it's been up for seven days, and I'm hoping they'll let me pull it down and re-upload my new and improved version. I'll need to spend a couple of weeks setting up the new contest, but I think it's the way to go!
@TheSilverFairy Honestly, your education is wayyyyy more valuable than judging the competition. It is completely okay to have taken time for yourself. I'm glad you did really well and congrats on the scholarship! I am okay with either option, as long as you are happy with it.
@AwesomeAgenderAuthor that's what I feel the worst about... I know a LOT of people were super excited. I've been gone for so long on all of my writing platforms that I'm just now logging back into them and organize the mess I left! I was personally in favor of just starting over and lessening the load on myself, but I didn't want people to think that was unfair or anything. Thank you so much for the input! <3
Hello! Is the contest still going on?
@TheSilverFairy No worries, thank you for replying! I'm looking forward to the new contest :D
@Hunter_Yonk Hello! Sorry for the late response! As a lot of people have since taken down or heavily edited their story, I'm starting another contest with fewer books in each category, and depending on the number of people from the original competition who are still active, there may not be categories at all! You're more than welcome to enter your story once I get everything set up in a few weeks!
UPDATE:
Fanfiction judging is back underway! I only have two more books to plow through, so hopefully I can announce the winners soon! I'm up to my neck in ACT practice and school work right now, but I'm really trying to make time for this again!
So, I figured I would just be honest with you guys. I've been telling you that I've been busy, which is true, but that isn't the whole story.
Every year, I get hit really hard with SAD (seasonal affective disorder). For those who don't know what that is, it's a kind of depression affected by seasons. Basically, I feel like my normal, energetic self in dumber and spring, but once the days get shorter and colder, I get more tired, less motivated, and reaaaaally moody.
I really hate breaking promises, and I know you guys have been waiting. This just gets shoved on the back burner though. Once I find the motivation to get homework and activity work done, it's hard to do this too. I haven't made up my mind on whether I'll try to get keep trudging through this contest or if I'll put it on hold for a little while. I think I'd like to have the other judges keep going, once I give them the list of books.
You guys have been soooooo patient with me, so I hope you understand, but trust me, I could definitely understand if you guys are frustrated. I would be!
I'm trying to focus on myself right now, though, so it might take me awhile to ease myself back into this. Last time I tried judging again a month ago, i tried going straight back into it and i was totally overwhelmed. I think I just need to take things slow for a little. Thank you all for being supportive and understanding <3 - Sydney
@TheSilverFairy I get it. I have SAD too, as well as year-round depression on top of it. Never apologize for taking time for your health! <3
This is pretty frustrating, but as someone who is depressed all year round and can barely find the motivation to write—something I love to do—I understand why you’ve been putting it off. I hope everything is okay, just remember this isn’t as important as your mental health, take your time.
@TheSilverFairy It's all good! This is beyond stressful, and I understand the stress that comes with having too much on your plate in addition to having some form of depression. Sometimes I need to hear it's okay...so it's okay! You do what you have to do.
UPDATE: As of right now, I need judges for the following categories- Romance, Action, Teen Fiction, and Horror/Paranormal. If anyone is up to the challenge, DM me what you'd like to judge and I'll send you the list of entries! Also, I will be picking up fanfiction judging again tonight! Fingers crossed that I'll finish soon!
I've messaged all of my old judges and I will be announcing what categories are open for new judges later today! Stay tuned!
Ah that’s not ideal but it’s great that you’re still staying positive! Fingers crossed for you. :)
@TheSilverFairy this has been a rough week since I literally lost my phone and haven't found it, so hopefully that's the last holdup we'll have!
I'm getting a lot of questions about whether the contest is still happening right now, and the answer is YES!!! My classes this year are a lot harder than I thought they'd be and I'm currently in a large theater production as the lead, so progress is slow and I can't get on Wattpad often. By the end of the week, I will be messaging new judges, answering any questions you've all had, etc. I will absolutely have time to get back into this during Christmas break, and my 2nd semester classes are much easier. Thank you all for understanding the situation!
I may need some new judges to help me out since I haven't heard from some of longer in awhile, so even if you could only do 5-10 books, send me a message!
@poisoned_pen @NandZstories @GalacticCake awesome! I'll message you guys later this week after I check up with my other judges to see if anyone's made progress
Hey guys! It's been awhile since I've been on due to school and extracurriculars, but I'm hoping to finish up fanfic by the end of this week, so stay tuned!
