Chris, there is definitely a difference between winning and not winning, I'll grant you that. I've won once. Which, I have to say, is one more than I ever expected I'd win. Being nominated for the first time was a huge thrill, but winning, even for a "minor" category like Super Short, was amazing. I'd actually had a speech prepared in my head, just in case it did happen, but was so taken aback that it was literally days before I remembered what I'd planned to say.
I can understand your disapointment, too. I had expected to pick up an Alt-Kerth (are we ever going to have those again, BTW?), and even though I had a lot of fun participating, I have to admit I was, well, disappointed that, despite several nominations, I didn't win a single category.
I also remember being disappointed when the first Kerths came along and all my stories were eligible and I didn't pick up a single nomination.
The next year was even more frustrating because of a single story, arguably my best story to date. It was a Spider-man crossover, and it had taken me months to write. It was my first real B-plot, it had something like a real A-plot, and to this day, it remains the only story I've written myself to ever break 100k. At the time I wrote it, the archive was offering a BR referral service. I took them up on it, but my BR got involved with RL issues and took a year to get back to me. By then, another story had been submitted with the title I'd been intending to use. So I came up with a new title and sent the story in, only to discover that the system of GEs had been established. The story was reviewed again (this time by my first GE, some woman from the UK by the name of Wendy...) and then uploaded (in that batch that took the archive's total over 1000). I was, by then, pretty proud of it, and I'd put a lot of effort into it. For the second Kerths, though, the category of "Best Fanboy" story (where I'd thought it would have the best chance) was abolished. My story wasn't nominated at all, but, to my surprise, another Spider-man crossover did get the nod... the one that had taken my title!
So, anyway.. what was my point? Oh, right. I've been through frustration and disappointment and I can sympathize. I've won once, and I realize what that can mean. I still hold, however, that just being nominated is a big deal, all the more so when it happens regularly.
So, let's take a look at your situation. You have 21 stories on the archive. 5 of those are eligible this year. Of the remaining 16, 11 have been nominated. With your nomination for Best New Author, that makes 12. That is absolutely amazing. Do you realize how many authors can claim anything like that (by total or percentage)? No more than a handful, I assure you. Do you have any idea how many have never even been nominated?
Okay, yeah. Winning would be very cool. It's always something to hope for. Hoping a dozen times only to see it not happen can be frustrating and disappointing, sure. You've still got one of the best track records around, one that I'm sure plenty of good writers would envy. It's all in how you look at it, Chris.
Anyway, that's enough rambling out of me for now. What I'm trying to say is that I think you're a darned good writer, and obviously there are plenty of FoLCs who would agree. So, keep writing, and don't let that very fierce and very slim margin between nomination and winning get you down.
Paul
