LJ Idol Presents:

 Before we get to the results, I want to take a moment to reflect on what it means to be a Gatekeeper. 

They are people that I trust, and that I believe the community does as well. People that I know have high standards. I try my best to have them reflect the various tastes of a given season. (If there is a lot of poetry, I want to have someone who is well versed, pun intended, in poetry. If it's fiction... you get the idea.

With a mini season like this, I wanted to bring out some heavy hitters. Some names that anyone who has been around Idol for any length of time would go "Yeah, OK. That makes sense." 

People always freak out when they hear that the Gatekeepers are coming, and there's a part of me that loves that. But I also want to acknowledge that these people are doing me, they are doing Idol a favor. 

I'm extremely grateful to them for taking the time to do this. To come in, read and weigh the entries and determine their favorites. It's a big responsibility that I put on their shoulders, and they, as always, handle it magnificently. They come out because they love Idol. Which is something that is always a little overwhelming to me to think about. 

I asked them to give me anything that they wanted to promote - so that I could steer you their way. Some had stuff, others did not. :) 

Without any further chatter - I present to you, Your Gatekeepers!  (Note: some parts are accidentally in bold. Other than the names, it's not that they are more important than other parts, it's just how it copy/pasted and it's getting late. So I'll figure it out later!) 

I'll start with the one who was briefly in this season (although ended up byeing out before she really got started) - chasing_silver  Some know her as milk_and_glass. Others by Elizabeth Hawksworth  https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Hawksworth/e/B00DQUPVD2/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1545360878&sr=8-2    (I'm suggesting that link. She didn't. :) ) Whatever you know about her, you know that she's a powerhouse writer and human being.  She's also a Canadian. But that's not her fault. 

From person who was briefly in this season, to someone who is greatly missed from it.  If you've been in Idol - you know her and love her.  Maybe fear her a little bit.  I think she has some other name on DW, but I'm too lazy to research it. Besides, the name everyone knows her by is kathrynrose.   

"I'm pretty boring, but I am the audio editor of the Brevity podcast, which some people may enjoy.  (our latest episode: https://brevity.wordpress.com/2018/09/04/brevity-podcast-episode-10-one-minute-memoir/).  other than that it's pretty much me and the cats."

Which is entirely too modest. Because we're talking someone who has been in the Top Ten in recent seasons more times than I can even remember. I also don't recall ever being bored by her. Far from it!

From legends, let's go to a winner. Our most recent one actually. The winner of Season 10 - marlawentmad -  "As for anything I want you to promote, not so much. I am in a quiet period, but if you're making introductions, you can say I am a belly dancer and writer in the midwest, with my eyes on western horizons" It's the most recent season, so people are probably the most familiar with how awesome she is, but she's definitely insanely talented.

Continuing on with the recent winners - the winner of our last mini season, Friends and Rivals, is also a Gatekeeper. I could go on about his credits and his history with Idol. But the fact that I'm saying "he" and "winner" means you already know who I'm talking about. His name is JoeyMichaels, and he is owned by cats.
Not what you might know him from, but it's also something true. So I'm going with that.

There's yet another winner on hand - the co-winner of the mini-season Exhibit B. The one and only lrig_rrorim! I'm going to cut and paste some of her own words. But before I do that, it's important to note that she's the person that *I* call when I need some editing done for my freelance work. She's that good. "My patreon, where I send out weird stories monthly via snail mail (and email, if that's your thing): https://www.patreon.com/cislyn

And the project I've been spending the most time on lately is a nonprofit I helped to get started this year. The Dream Foundry is a resource for beginners in the speculative arts (writers, artists, podcasters, editors, translators, game writers - you name it, if they contribute to making something strange and awesome in the world then we aim to support it!). We've got big plans for the coming year (and a solid 5-year plan), and the blog on our website is and will continue to be a source of great stuff - interviews with creators, industry news, peeks inside the organization itself, and more to come soon. (https://dreamfoundry.org/blog/)

We have one more winner in the mix, but I'm going to change it up with the "surprise guest". That person no one is expecting to see, but I was able to get. There's always at least one. Honestly, I'm personally thrilled to have him back in these waters!  It's been a long time since he's graced this place with his presence (and never at DW, obviously). but he's a member of the 100 Weeks Club and I'm quite sure that what passes for "old timers" around here these days will either remember him, or have heard stories!  He's our very own java_fiend!! 

Our final winner, but not the final Gatekeeper - is another one of those players who earned the title of "legend". Seasons come to be known for various things. But Season 8 was the hardcore writing showdown that came down to single digit votes, and she was the winner. As someone who knows her personally, yeah, you should be more than a little intimidated knowing that she was reading your stuff. ;)  She's  Allison K Williams AKA Whipchick!! 
(who gave me something to post - so here it is!) " 

I recently put out a webinar called Seven Drafts: Self-Edit Like a Pro from Blank Page to Book, with a start-to-finish process of writing a novel.

http://unkindeditor.com/webinars

Her email signature includes a couple links, so I'll add those as well!  

www.idowords.net

www.unkindeditor.com

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There are figures with long and storied histories with Idol. But the members of the Final 4 of Season 4 (the one that causes all other seasons to step back and go "Damn!") tend to be regarded as their own kind of superheroes.  Kittenboo was there. She fought her way to the point in one of the most bloody seasons to date, and came extremely close to winning. She went through the very first Hell Week (16 entries in one go) and later went through a different kind of Hell, being my assistant!  


Last, but never least, is someone that I've been thinking about a lot lately. Not just because she's amazing and I was hoping to see her jump into the fray here, but because I was thinking about her status within Idol.  If I'm not mistaken, she's been in more Finales than anyone in the history of Idol.  Probably more Top 5s, Top 10s... (if not, it's close).  Survivor's host Jeff Probst, back in the Amazon season, declared that Rob Cesternino was "the smartest player to never win".  Some say that title was eventually taken by Cirie Fields. gratefuladdict is our Rob Cesternino and Cirie Fields combined. I believe that she is the greatest player to never win the game. Season after season, I don't think there is anyone I would put money on to get further than her each and every time. 

Thank you to all of you for coming out, and helping us make this mini season better.  

Sure, there is going to be some heartache at the results. There always is. 

But I hope there is also appreciation for who you are, and the task you performed so well.   Thank you. I sincerely appreciate you, and I hope you know that. 

 Most of the people seeing this post are going to already be familiar with Idol and what is going on here. 

Just in case someone sent you this link and said "You should sign up!", here's a rundown of what's going on: 

This is LJ Idol: Literary Prize Fight.  It's a "pop up" of the online writing competition that usually takes place over on Livejournal. 

I will post a "topic" (it's basically a prompt to use as a launching pad to take it wherever you feel like taking it). You write something over at your own DW/LJ/Open Source blog.  Then you post it back to that topic post before announced deadline. 

Then there is usually a poll (unless it's a special week, but let's get to that some other time) and people vote for their favorite entries. The ones with the fewest votes leaves and the rest fight it out another week.  Eventually there are only a couple contestants left and they fight it out to decide a winner!  In this specific mini season, there is a twist where there is actually prize money that is going to be split between the Final Four! 

Which brings us to Second Chance.  Maybe you were one of those people who were previously eliminated.  Or had to drop out in a previous round.  

Perhaps you are someone who, as I said, just received a link from a friend or acquaintance who suggested that you sign up! This is your Second Chance to correct that mistake of having missed your shot to sign up at the beginning!

This specific post is for one purpose only - for you to sign up to play!  


Go to your space - your DW account/LJ/Open Source blog and post something about how you want to sign up for Second Chance Idol.  That's it. You can literally just post those words. 
Then come back to this post and put a link to that post in the comments!  

That's all you need to do.  The first topic won't be until Wednesday, December 26th.  There will be a thread marked "Topic 1 - Second Chance Idol".  It will also be tagged, if you are the sort who subscribe to tags. (If not, just show up on that day and look for the post) 

If you have any questions - please go to the nearest Green Room - or email me directly at [email protected] 

Sign-ups are open until the deadline of the first entry.  So if you want to jump back into the pool (or jump into it for the first time) - Welcome!