The deadline for nominating eligible works for the 2012 Darrell Awards is 1-1-2012. Please see our website at http://darrellawards.org for details & the Nomination Form. You do not have to submit copies of the work by that date — just the form. We will ask the authors/publishers to send us copies asap, but only the form is required.
What Does It Take to Win a Darrell Award
First, the short story, novella, novel or other media work has to be nominated. This sounds simple, and anyone (including the author of the work) can nominate – yet every year we miss eligible works for lack of a nomination. Sure, if a member of the Jury finds an eligible work, that member MAY nominate it. Sadly, many eligible works are not found by us or brought to our attention. So, if you know of a work that you think may be eligible, NOMINATE IT. Forms are on the website (http://darrellawards.org/).
Second, it has to be eligible. We expanded the counties covered for the 2010 Darrell Awards to include Hardin County and SHILOH, so please check back here and on our website for what we are considering our coverage area at the time you nominate the work. A story has to be either set in the Midsouth (at least one significant scene and more than that is better) OR have been written by an author living in the Midsouth at the time it was published. It has to be Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror prose – no poetry.
As we do not want to insult anyone’s sincerely-held religious beliefs, we are trying to draw a line between religious fiction (which is based on the author’s faith yet may have some fantastical or horrorific elements) and religious SF/F/H (which is mostly SF/F/H but may have some religious elements).
We have added a Young Adult category this year, and grandfathered in works that might otherwise have been considered last year, so look at the Nomination Form for what time frame is eligible before you nominate.
Children’s literature remains ineligible for the same reason that poetry is ineligible — there is just too much of it and none of the Jury reads it, so we are not qualified to judge it.
Third, the work should tell a good story. The Jury is composed of SF/F/H fans, folks who read and read a lot. So, if it is yet-another rehash of an old story, it needs to at least say something new or tell it in a different (and good) way.
Fourth, we all like stories that do not annoy us with typos – missing words, obviously-wrong words, and such. If your publisher does not have a good editor, find a good editor to proof your story BEFORE it is published.
Fifth, while it is not a requirement that the person who nominates send us a copy of the story, we greatly appreciate it when they (or someone) does, as we can not judge a work if we cannot find it and our budget is very limited, so we buy very few books.
Sixth, if you kill off one of the major characters in the course of your story, try not to make it one that the readers really like, unless the story requires it. Needlessly killing characters that we like tends to annoy us — it will cost you when we discuss your story.
Seventh, a strong opening to a story helps to get us hooked. A weak or vague or unsatisfying ending can undo a good bit of the enjoyment of the story. Between the opening and the ending, there needs to be a good flow. If you do not understand these things, consider taking some classes or reading some books about writing BEFORE you self-publish your Great Masterpiece.
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(This is a modified form of what originally appeared as a Discussion topic on the Darrell Awards page on Facebook. It has been edited to bring it up to date for the 2012 Darrell Awards. )
Editing Matters
One of the biggest issues with the stories submitted for consideration for the Darrell Awards is editing. Typoes, extra commas, missing commas, bad choices of words — these things matter, especially when they distract from enjoying the story.
A strong story can sometimes overcome bad editing, but good editing gives a better base to build the story upon.
If you are going to publish your own work or use a print-on-demand publisher or any other arrangement where there is no professional editing, PLEASE do yourself a favor and pay for a professional editor to proof-read and correct your work before it goes to print or ebook form.
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(This was originally posted on the Darrell Awards page on facebook as a Discussion topic. Facebook is ending the Discussions & this is too long for a Wall post. So, it is being shared here.)
2011 Best MidSouth Science Fiction & Fantasy Stories
The 2011 Darrell Award for Best Midsouth Short Story goes to “Bobbie Sue Almost Got Married” by vickie malone kennedy, published in A Bubba In Time Saves None, from Yard Dog Press. (The book is available here: http://yarddogpress.com/A%20Bubba%20In%20%20Time.htm) .
Our new Dal Coger Memorial Hall of Fame award winner is Katherine Allred for her 2 excellent novels, Close Encounters and Close Contact. (Please see her website at: http://katherineallred.com/).
The 2011 Best Midsouth Novella is Cadaver Client by Frank Tuttle, a Markhat the Finder story.
The 2011 Best Midsouth Novel is The Banshee’s Walk by Frank Tuttle, also a Markhat the Finder story.
(All of Frank’s Markhat stories can be ordered here:
http://store.samhainpublishing.com/frank-tuttle-pa-297.html?osCsid=bda747363060fed8df32e5e1c822e669)
The 2011 Best Other Media-Film is Daylight Fades by Allen Gardner & Old School Productions. (Please see the film’s website at : http://www.daylightfades.com/).
The 2011 Darrell Awards were presented during the Banquet at MidSouthCon 29 on Saturday, March 26, 2011, with Cullen Johnson doing the presenting, ably assisted by Ellen Gamber.
The new Young Adult category will be bestowed in 2012 & will include all the YA works nominated for the 2011 & 2012 Darrell Awards.
First-Runners Up, Finalists & Semi-Finalists are listed in a pdf file on the Darrell Awards website at http://darrellawards.org/Darrell-2011-RESULTS.pdf.
Details of each work honored will appear on this blog as soon as possible.
Young Adult Category Added to Darrell Awards
After inducting Bryan Davis (whose primary eligible work has been young adult SF/F) into the Coger Hall of Fame in 2010, the Darrell Awards Jury voted to add a Young Adult category “as soon as we have enough entries to make it practical.”
Well, that point was reached in the 2011 cycle of nominations, with four YA works nominated, including one by Mr. Davis himself. With at least 2 more expected to be published during the 2012 cycle, the Jury decided to hold over the Young Adult works nominated for the 2011 Darrell Awards and consider them with the 2012 YA works.
This decision was based on the success of holding over the Other Media nominees from 2010 to 2011, which gave us the largest group of films, pod video casts and pod audio casts we have ever considered.
The actual vote was to begin alternating between Other Media and Young Adult, with Other Media being chosen this year from works nominated for 2010 and 2011 and Young Adult being chosen next year from works nominated for 2011 and 2012.
The Darrell Awards are presented annually at MidSouthCon for works published or presented between November 1 and October 31.
For the 2011 Darrell Awards, we looked at Novels, Novellas & Short Stories that were published between November 1, 2009, and October 31, 2010; and Other Media that was presented between November 1, 2008, and October 31, 2010.
For the 2012 Darrell Awards, we will look at Novels, Novellas & Short Stories published from November 1, 2010, to October 31, 2011 — and Young Adult works published from November 1, 2009, to October 31, 2011.
As we have done since the Darrell Awards were begun, the Awards are given to promote Literacy in the Midsouth by recognizing the best published Science Fiction, Fantasy and/or Horror that is either by an author living in the greater Memphis area at the time the work is published OR that has at least one significant scene set within the area. For further details, please see the Qualifications page of our website at http://darrellawards.org/qualify.htm .
Darrell Awards – blogging at last
The Darrell Awards were begun in 1996, when blogging was still unheard of in this area. Our presence on the web has been via a mostly-static site with many pages that contain a bunch of text.
Over the years, we have considered ways to make the info we share with the world more interesting – or at least to make it more visually appealing. So, now we are blogging.
Over the next several weeks, various content currently on the Darrell Awards website will be moved here. Along the way, most of it will be rewritten & updated with links galore and other goodies.
This blog will also make it easier for our esteemed Jury Chairperson, Barbara Gatewood, to add her voice to what is posted about the Darrell Awards.
So, thank you for visiting, please add us to your RSS feeds, subscribe or whatever, & post your comments & feedback.
As always, spam will be removed & get you blocked from posting anything else.
Please do note that we expect those posting anything here to keep a civil tongue, meaning any personal insults or disgusting comments will be deleted.
Also, this blog is not political — it is about Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Supporting Literacy, Midsouth authors who write in these genres and the Midsouth locations that appear in them. Please keep any comments or posts on-topic.
– Tim Gatewood, Founder of the Darrell Awards
All the Paths of Shadow by Frank Tuttle
One of these days, I am going to do reviews of all the works that received any sort of recognition for the Darrell Awards – be it honorable mention, semifinalist, finalist, first runner-up or winner. When that day rolls around, I will have my thoughts on All the Paths of Shadow by Frank Tuttle to use as a yardstick when measuring the quality of the other books.
What am I saying?
Just this: you know you have found a truly well-written story when you start reading it and are hooked so quickly that your legs fall asleep before you stand up, then you simply can not put it down even to go to sleep, even when your eyes are closing of their own accord, even to work on paying assignments with deadlines.
You know you have found a superb work when you are about 2/3s of the way through it and are already sad that it will be ending soon, as you want to linger in the world it portrays much longer than that.
Those who complain about long fantasy novels just do NOT understand — a master wordsmith such as Frank Tuttle can weave a story so well that anything shorter than a door-stopper in length just causes withdrawal pain way too soon.
My only serious complaint about All The Paths of Shadow is that I will be finished reading it soon and I will be very sad to leave this world behind.
If the Darrell Awards accomplish nothing else, the fact that they brought me into contact with the works of Frank Tuttle have made all the years I have devoted to them worthwhile.
And, no, that does not mean this book will win the 2012 Best Novel Award. That is a matter for the Jury, I am only one member on it, and I must state that we have a crop of worthy contenders this year, with Nominations still open until 1-1-2012.
Please see our website at http://darrellawards.org for the Nomination Form.
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Posted by Darrell Awards on November 23, 2011 in General Comments