Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Fanfic Related Kerth 2016 Eligibility By Category

Click HERE to view the file I created.

Please review it...I'm not perfect, and there may be mistakes! If you see any errors, please reply in the thread or send me a PM so that I can fix it. I'm going to create the Kerth quizzes based on this file, so please help me ensure its accuracy. Thanks.

If you are an author that wants to make his/her story eligible, please respond in this thread or send a message to the Kerth committee requesting eligibility. Please include the size of the story as a text file (not a Word file...it's different, and it makes a difference in the by size categories). Thanks.

If you're a reader, and you love a story that's potentially eligible, why not send a PM to your favorite authors telling them how much you love their stories and encourage them to request eligibility? It can't hurt!

And, hey, you still have three more days to sneak in another story!

I just submitted Karaoke at the Red K Corral to LabRat for the Archives. When I saved it as a regular text document it came up at 75KB, which would put it in the Mid-Length category.

Thanks for all your hard work on this, Susan.

Hi can I request eligibility for:

Greedy for More - 38KB (also a revelation story and a first kiss)
Mistletoe in the Window - 9KB

What to Get (KKBG) - 3KB

Also I'd like to make a request that the Kerth team give guidelines for HOW to judge certain categories, as I'm never quite sure if everyone judges in the same way. I'm pretty certain what is actually meant by the categories, but I'd like some clarity, please.

For example:

Best first kiss. Is this literally just the kiss - the describing of it, or is it the whole scene involving the 'set up' and 'lead in', or is it that the kiss scenario is original and exciting, or is it that the 'whole' fic - with a first kiss in it - is being judged?

Same for Best Revelation. Is a really long fic - which happens to have a revelation in it - because most of them do, but is truly about some other long term plot - actually eligible? Does the fic have to MOSTLY be about the revelation? Are we judging ONLY the scene with the revelation - and how original it is?

Finally (and I hope not controversially) - I would like to suggest a rethink to the best overall category. It is almost a complete copy of the longest category (with a few obviously great fics from the next category down). I think this is because the longer a fic is, the more substance there is to it, the more people become invested in the story, the more they remember it, so it is bound to be nominated in both categories. I love the idea of this category, but wonder if it should be approached differently. I have an idea, but I also understand that everyone else - including the Kerth committee - may not feel the same as me. If so, then just tell me to shut up and I'll go and sulk in the corner

My idea: I wonder if this should be a 'which winning fic got the most votes', behind the scenes award. We don't vote for it, but the winning fics from all the other categories, could have their votes checked and the one which got the most (ie was much more 'clear' winner in its category) should be the winner.

So, there's my two-cents worth. (Notice how I managed to use cent rather than penneth )

Susan, thanks again for taking the time to assemble the spreadsheet.

Victoria, I like your idea, but I would suggest a slight modification. Since a story might be voted on in multiple categories, the story with the most votes might actually not be a winner in any one category. How could that happen? Here's an example with numbers:

Category A:
Story A:31
Story B:30
Story C:29


Category B:
Story D:26
Story B: 25
Story E:24

Total votes:
Story A:31
Story B:55
Story C:29
Story D: 26
Story E: 24

In a situation like this, I would propose that story B, rather than story A, be given the award.

Joy,
Lynn

Thanks for liking my idea and also for adding to it.

I can see this in two ways.

1. Negative: A story that has a lot happening in it will naturally end up in more categories, and so is obviously going to get more votes and therefore win. Is this fair to a story that was in a size category, but was neither a comedy, a revelation nor had a first kiss in it?

2. Positive: A story in lots of categories actually signifies that it caters to all audiences and genres. If it gets more votes then that is a clear indication that it is an 'all-round' story. Possibly that would mean that this category could be Best All-Round Story rather than Best Overall Story. In this case it could possibly be a voted category again (but still may lend itself to being a copy of the long category)

Being a mathematician I'm very much into statistics and comparing like against like correctly. Please accept my apologies for fussing over this.

Plus I still miss some of the older categories

I'd like to request eligibility for Origins, or, How Jar-Jar Binks Saved Superman (13 KB) and The Other Picture (1 KB). Origins has been submitted to the archive. The Other Picture has not, due to the fact that the images are essential to the story making sense.

Hello Victoria,

I agree with both your positive and negative. I had actually considered both before I had even posted, but my interpretation of "Overall" is, I think, pretty much what you mean by "All-Round." To provide an analogy which anthropomorphizes the stories, it would be like choosing the best general contractor; they might not be the absolute best plumber, electrician, or carpenter, but they are the one person who is best able to handle all of the relevant construction tasks; if you could only hire one person to do an entire job that required these diverse skills, they are the one you would want to hire.

Joy,
Lynn

I've made all of the above story additions...thanks! Keep 'em coming!

My first story The Nun's Tale is listed in category of Best New Author, but not the second The First Lady's Tale. I'm not sure if only one should be listed or both, and since KKBG has 2 listed thought I'd mention it.

Thanks Susan for all your hard work.

I updated that for you, cuidadora - thanks for catching it!

I'd love to make Newsworthy eligible for this year -- thanks, groobie! So many great stories still coming in. I look forward to catching up in the next couple months!

Updated...thanks, Anti-K!

Hello Susan,

I would like to have "A Dirty Story" be included in this past year's Super Short, Comedy, and Best Original or Supporting Character categories. At least, I would like it to be included if it may be. Although it was still 2015 in my neck of the woods when I posted the story, it was already 2016 in other parts of the world. If that therefore disqualifies the story for this past year, that's fine, too. (Has this type of situation ever come up before? I'm content with whatever the K-Comm decides on this matter, but I am curious about the verdict.)

Joy,
Lynn

I added your story to the eligibility list, Lynn. I'm in the Pacific time zone, and your story was definitely posted on Dec. 31 for me. According to the FAQ on the Kerth Awards site:


That says nothing about any particular time zone. Of course, if there's an official rule I'm not aware of that is more specific, I'm sure K-Comm will let us know.

Hi Susan,

Thanks. That works for me. I hadn't been sure whose "end of a calendar year" was relevant: Mine? Yours? What if Corrina (in Australia) had posted a story at precisely the same moment I had? For her it would have been 2016; for me it would have still been 2015. It seems to me to be fairest either to go by your time zone (since you are doing the accounting, so to speak) or else by the moment that it first becomes 2016 at the International Date Line. As I said before, I'd be happy either way. I was just curious about how the situation would be handled.

Thanks,
Lynn

I would think it should go by the author's time zone. The author is the one posting it - s/he know what year s/he is posting it in. That would demonstrate the author's intent, particularly if s/he is choosing to make the story eligible.

Finally got the info on my fics:

I'd like to submit
Just Another Day - 5.22 kb
Of Elves and Men - 6.25 kb
In Case You Were Wondering - 6.11 kb
What Is That and Why Do You Have It - 4.49 kb
Oh, Baby! - 4.34 kb

Since I have to rely on my cell phone for internet, it may be a while before any of my fics get archived.

Please add A Scene Remembered by FarmerBabe to the First Kiss and New Author category.

Done! It's also eligible for the Super-Short category.