Question re OWC entries/WM comps

heather

I know it's been discussed before, that even on a private thread OWC entries may be considered published for the purpose of competitions, depending on the comp. Does anyone know if WM would consider them (or edits of them) eligible for their comps? Webbo?

Carol

I'll flag your post for Webbo's attention- though it probably won't be until Monday when it's seen.

heather

Thanks Carol.

Bill

Comp I entered recently say work on private site acceptable as unpublished.
I entered something from OWC. They are publishing it in an Anthology [didn't win the comp]

Carol

Suspect it may depend on the people running the competition, and how much it has changed from the original- perhaps.

Webbo

I always find this one tricky. I think we have to fall on the side that online publication counts as publication - we've disallowed some recent entries for very very obscure print publication so it seems a bit uneven to then allow entries that can still be accessed and read by rather a large audience on our own website.
That said, it's still not cut and dried. Since I think it fairly unlikely that a prose OWC entry would meet our other criteria (i.e. length), I assume you're talking about poetry, Heather. And what troubles here is the point at which a rewrite/redraft becomes new writing, which is most apparent in poetry.
For example, amend the rhyme scheme, lineation or syllable count and you end up with a similar *but absolutely not the same* poem.
So to draw a perhaps bewildering vague line in the sand, I think any repurposed entry would have to feel substantially different from its original form to be eligible. And that comes down to a matter of judgement.
I think the safest option might be to use a fresh piece of writing for your entry.

heather

Thanks, Webbo.

It's a shame though. I think maybe the 'front' page of the OWC should be strengthened to say this, as if even WM, on a private page on its own forum, consider it published, then I think many others would too.

Carol

The piece from the OWC opening part says the following:

N.B. Even though this part elsewhere, as some organisers may regard it as having been ‘previously published’.

(When I took over posting and closing the competitions at Jay's request, I copied and pasted from the OWC thread. I think the 'this part elsewhere' refers to the OWC rules and discussions- which I can't find since the new board was put up.)

I can amend the template to reflect Webbo's advice if everyone is okay with this...

Also, whether other competitions consider a rewritten piece 'published' is often only something you can confirm by asking the competition organiser.

Onlinegenie

I would like a little more advice on this (sorry!). I have a story that I wrote for a flash-fiction competition (not OWC) maximum 400 words. It didn't win, but I expanded it in the hope of submitting it to a WM competition. The expansion included the addition of a third character (it was difficult to include all three characters in the flash version). Would this count as a rewrite for WM purposes?

Webbo

I think it would OLG - extra character, extra words, presumably additional subplots or twist?
In your case though, it's moot, as it's not published elsewhere or currently entered into another comp.
As Carol says, as there isn't a universal rule (and I think it basically comes down to simplicity of wording in other comps' rules), it's usually best to ask the organiser if you're in doubt.

Onlinegenie

It is actually published on the website of the comp organizers. The competition takes the same form as OWC - entries are posted on to the forum. But all the changes you refer to are in the revised version, so I shoule be able to submit it to WM.

Thanks for the reply.