Measure the Future Shock stack

[Tiplodocus]

Wake/Matt,
just looking at one of the online poll and it looks that over 30% of the people who post have either written or have vague intentions of writing a future shock. (though my sums could be wrong).

Maybe it would be a nice idea to have an indicator of just how big/small the submissions pile for Future Shocks is on the Submission Guidelines page.  

I think this would be nice for the submitters and, bear with me, may even save you some time.

This would let all those who have submitted exactly how overworked you are and may discourage people from sending stuff in if the pile is very high and encourage it if it is really low.  A fortnightly update would probabaly be OK.

If you wanted to go the whole hog; you could even keep statistics of how many of the submissions were complete toss (i.e. failed to follow basic presentation guidelines, full of smelling pistakes, unhygenic), how many were rejected after reading the synopsis (and reasons; no hook, been done before, predictable, no structure, complete toss etc.) and how many were rejected because of the final script quality (too much dialogue, too many panels, not engaging enough, unbelievable charaters).  

These metrics again might encourage people to focus on fixing things before they get to you and save your valuable time.

Anyone agree/disagree?

[Art]

Yes. That way they can spend  a lot of time updating the site and not have to read the damn things.

[paulvonscott]

I was pretty alarmed by the scale of the problem too :)  If you take that as a representative sample (and I don't, I'd also take some of the answers a bit tongue in cheek) then 'arg'.

I don't know, you'd think there would be other outlets for people's creativity than 2000AD wouldn't you?  I doubt even Zarjazz could take the overflow (just read the first issue - Great stuff, it's all mesy and raw and exciting, makes AD look competant but dull)

I don't think any writer has really made it into 2000AD (and thus their imaginary ticket to Stateside Superstardom) through futures shocks in the last ten years have they?

I think Tharg should just make it a lottery.  Give them all a number and pick one out.  

[Art]

A friend of mine put it brilliantly: If I ever get published it'll probably be under circumstances similar to the last panel of Watchmen, where a burger-munching editorial assistant is asked to pull something out of the crank file and their hand hovers tantalisingly over Rorschach's diary, which just happens to be near the top of the pile.

[paulvonscott]

If you are supposed to put a big mac in with the script it should say so on the submissions guidelines I reckon.

Tharg should charge a fiver an entry, give them all a number and pick one out at random, then burn the rest, live on the internet.

I wonder how many issues of 2000AD you could put out in a year just using all the unwanted future shocks?  50, 100?

[sigu]

Arthur, time to plug Futurequake!

[Art]

FutureQuake is temporarily on hold, due to me not having a flat or much money at the moment.

[Tiplodocus]

Can I stress that I don't think it should be a lottery or via bribery. Future Shocks should be chosen on merit as they currently are.  

I am sure a lot of the Future Shocks are "unwanted" for very good reasons.  All I am suggesting is that there is a measure of how high the stack is - if possible with a counter for the most popular reasons for the rejections to help budding writers focus on the bits that are usually done badly.

[sigu]

No-one should be intimidated by the backlog of submissions when sending in their Future Shocks. If your story is as good as you can make it then send it in. Don't worry about how many others you're up against.
The 'most popular reasons for rejection' might be interesting to see, but I think Tharg's writing guidelines are pretty comprehensive. Aspiring scriptdroids would be better off adhering to _all_ the guidelines, rather than paying particular attention to whatever is currently the commonest mistake.

The scriptdroids yahoogroup is a good resource for advice and shared information.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scriptdroids/

cheers,
SiG
--
http://www.simongurr.com Comics Illustration Web Animation
http://www.2000ad.nu/mcmahon/ The Art of Mike McMahon

Link: SUBMISSION GUIDELINES FOR WRITERS

[paulvonscott]

"Can I stress that I don't think it should be a lottery or via bribery. Future Shocks should be chosen on merit as they currently are."

Bah!  Dogooder liberals, you're time will come.

No, seriously, it was a good point to have a list of things that appal Tharg in future shocks, if only perhaps to save him from being subjected to them.  A few minutes work could save an awfie lot of pain.

[Tiplodocus]

All good points, SiG, - another reason for the stack is, of course, to give aspiring writers a clue as to how long it will be before they get a rejection slip/catapulted to stardom.  The waiting is the worst bit...

[john britton]

can any one tell me who wrote the future shock's story ( child's play ) from john britton.

[Art]

NECROPOST!

[GordonR]

So what you're looking for is some kind of Slushpileometer?

Something like a virtual version of the old Blue Peter Charity Appealometer, which measured how many thousands of milk bottle caps they had received to date?

[Quirkafleeg]

One of the big New York publishing houses has a slush-room, rather than a 'pile'