Elimination Week 28

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

If someone were to say "Gary has a favorite to win", by pretty much any definition there would need to be two major factors involved in making that determination:

(1) Me saying "She's my favorite to win" would be a pretty solid one.

(2) Me actively getting excited when someone signs up because I'm a bit of a fan, that would probably be a pretty close second.

Last season I did a lot in the way of personal evaluations of where *I* felt people were at during the course of the season. I did a check at one point this season and people indicated that they didn't want them. So I checked again at 7 and they said they were fine with them. For one reason or another I just never got them the way I wanted. . . that said, back in Season 3 I made a prediction at the midway point at who the person was to beat. It wasn't the expected choice, or even *one* of the highest vote getters. Rather it was someone that I thought combined all the elements it takes to win with a writing style that not only engaged the reader but showed a great deal of promise for further growth. Unfortunately real life caught up to her and she had to drop out of the season before she could realize that win.

This season I was actually lamenting that she hadn't come back. . . and almost as soon as it left the tips of my fingers, there she was!

For me, the start of this season was a bit rocky writing wise. But that's because I was used to seeing her going full-tilt. That, and I'm sure there was a bit of rose colored glasses on my end of things.

But she developed on that promise she showed last season, and now despite being voted out this week does have a record of her own to hang on the wall - Best Performance by a Returning Player!
Rarely does someone coming back for a second (or third in some cases) season do better than they did the first time around. This season several of them did, showing that it can be done, and done well.

She did the best at it, coming in *5th out of 155*!!!

imafarmgirl, the last "veteran" of Idol is leaving us this week.

Topics Week 29

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

Season Four was going to start with a bang!

I planned it all out. It was just going to be intense.

But then I talked to a couple people, including kithan and tru2myart and they talked me down. People needed to have time to "get into it" before you threw them to the wolves. I agreed and we had the start we ended up having. Which was a good thing.

Then we came to various places in the competition where I was going to do it again, and was talked down. It wasn't time to do it yet I was told. They were right.

Now however, it *is* time. You are the FINAL FOUR. A hair's breath away from winning. You've proven that you can write the hell out of pretty much anything I throw at you. You've proven that you can navigate the social elements.

It's time to see what you can do with what I like to call "The Kitchen Sink". Why do I call it that? Because that's what I am throwing at you for Week 29. There's a reason that I sent an apology to the final five for what was going to happen in the final four. Why? I like you guys as writers and on a personal level and felt bad. Not bad enough not to do it, but bad.*g*

Last week I had you write *3* entries, and then pick your best when you were done.

This week you WILL NOT be picking your favorite entry of the ones you write. You don't have that luxury to fall back on.

All of you have is writing the grap out of the topics. Yes I did say topics.

This time you have *4* topics. Kind of.

This is where you need to make sure you are following me. If you have questions, email them to me at clauderainsrm@gmail.com and I will clarify.

This challenge has FOUR SECTIONS AND FOUR STAGES.

The sections are lists of four topics. You will each pick ONE FROM EACH olist. You can not choose a topic someone else has already chosen.

Each section has four topics, 1 group is from me, 1 group is from fellow contestants that were submitted as potential topics, 1 group are four topics selected from contestants who made the top five, and the final group is previous topics including a "second chance re-do" where you have a chance to go back to a topic from this season that you don't think you did a particularly good job on, or wish that you could have taken from a different angle and try it again.

The topics are:

Section A:
Home - kittenboo
My Greatest Accomplishment - chite
Fire - porcelain72
Memorial - tulip_in_yellow

Section B:
Never Have I Ever - kittenboo
Organization - tulip_in_yellow
The Thing of It is - porcelain72
My Perfect Day - chite

Section C:
One Lump Or Two - chite
Running Out - porcelain72
Favorite Book and Why - tulip_in_yellow
Comfort -kittenboo

Section D:
"Do over" (previous topic redux other than "open topic" which you can not do, if you need a list I can send it to you) - porcelain72
Current Events - tulip_in_yellow
The Biggest Crisis Facing the World Today - chite
What I Wish Someone Would Ask Me- kittenboo

You can post which topics you want to pick from each group here. Yes, I'm saying that the FINAL FOUR can post in the topic thread for this purpose.*g*

Now comes the "stages" part.

The first stage, these four topics need to be linked back here by Thursday May 29th at 1pm EDT. If someone misses the deadline, obviously that person will be eliminated. If more than one person misses it, then the person with the least amount of entries in is eliminated. If tied, there will be a run-off. I mention this because if *everyone* gets in their entries, we go immediately to STAGE TWO. Which is the four of you picking *different* topics off the above list and writing them... and so until either you have completed all the topics or someone is eliminated. If everyone gets to the end, we will vote on *all* the entries. So slacking off on them could, and probably will, hurt. Not that I think anyone at this stage is going to be giving anything but their all, but I want to say it just in case.

Good luck!!!

Green Room - Extended Weekend Edition

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

Good morning/early afternoon.

So how are *you* doing?

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11. . .

Edit to add: Don't make me stop the car and come back there...*g*