Last spring, I applied to a certain weeklong sf/f workshop in Martha’s Vineyard and got back a “no more room, we strongly urge you to apply again next year”. I’ve also seen lots of “apply early”. The submission period opens January 1st. So. What did I do?
I’d imagine mailing something today in a 9×11 envelope first class would get it to the Boston area by 12/31 or 1/2, would you say? Is that early enough? Will I get in this time?
I’ll find out in July.
I also sent better samples of my writing. Last year’s submission was a 6k story that was five years old and was a bit of an experiment in viewpoint. This time, I sent two stories, each 4k, that show different aspects of my writing. See, I’m versatile! And the writing is fresh, and newer than five years old.
All I know is, you don’t get things by rolling over and showing the world your belly. My teeth are clenched, my claws dug in.
I’d cross my fingers but that won’t work with the visuals above. Besides, I Iike feeling wolfish at the moment. Growl!
DAWN BONANNO 
You can’t type with crossed fingers anyway. Or hold a pencil very well. Best of luck! Seven months is a long time to wait, but I think you probably applied early enough.
That, too! I’m not worried about the 7 months. I have lots of writing to do, so my mind will be on other things.
It’d be almost awkward if you didn’t get in at this point, but if the letter arrives 12/31, I’d put my money on “Application Denied: Applied Too Early.” That would be amusingly cruel. (Bonus points to them if they send such a letter on 4/1…)
By the by, what happened to the font on this blog? It looks weird, and all the e’s seem bold: eeeeeeee
Hi David, good to see you.
Well here’s the thing: you send it by email and postal with a check for the application fee. The email isn’t going out until 1/01/11. And the envelope is going to a PO box halfway across the country. Would they really throw away my check? $25 is hard to come by these days. 😉 Ah well, there’s always Clarion….
Oh about the font. I applied a font, WordPress is weird about how to apply fonts. What browser are you using? I’ve only seen it through IE. If it’s too weird, I’ll take it off. No point in having a blog if people can’t read it properly.
I’m using Google Chrome. I just looked at it this page in IE and Firefox. It looks fine in IE, but in Chrome and Firefox the font is weird. That line of e’s in my comment looks like bold text, and the letters throughout the page are chunky.
Okay, gave up on the pretty fonts. Thanks for your help, David.
Good luck!
What time did you apply last year? I was planning on applying this spring but won’t have anything ready for months.
– elizabeths from FM
I applied in March last year. I thnk it was probably more my submission than the timing, but I improved both this year so we’ll see what happens. It’d be really cool if we both got to go. 🙂 I’ve heard of people applying at the last minute and still getting in, but I’m imagining their stories were truly awesome.
Good luck. 🙂
Yikes. Well, I’ll give it a shot this spring, and plan to apply earlier next year.
I just recently mailed off my application. Here’s hoping we both make it in!
Thanks, I appreicate that. Best of luck to you as well. 🙂