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youtube generation

Allow me to dispel a few common Follow the Leader myths.

Myth: Any given Leading entry has one, and only one, topic, and that topic is the only one that may be addressed in any Following entries.

Fact: As it clearly states in the "Guidelines" section of the contest forum, as a Follower, you are not compelled to write about exactly the same surface-level topic addressed in the day's Leading entry. In fact, you only have to demonstrate that you have, in fact, read the Leading entry, which can be done as easily as simply including a memorable phrase from the Leading entry in your Following entry. If you don't believe me, here's the guideline as it appears in "Follow the Leader" , Guideline 2b: "You don't have to write about the same topic, but I should see some evidence that you read the Leading entry, and allowed yourself to be somehow inspired by ANY part of it."

Related Myth: Complaining about the singular topic of a Leading entry is a lucrative substitute for producing a thoughtful Following entry.

Fact: As we just established, there is no "singular topic" to which you must respond in any given Leading entry. As such, complaining about such nonexistent topic, or including a disclaimer about how you have nothing to say because you don't own a ferret/have never been to Maui/don't like reading fiction in journals will not earn you a score equal to one you would have received for simply choosing to mimic some alternate characteristic of the Leading entry. In fact, judging styles differ depending on who's co-judging, but I, personally, always automatically deduct a point whenever I see a gripe about the relevant Leading entry. I then give the Following entry the score it would have received had the gripe been omitted. Therefore, a Following entry that is all gripe may quite conceivably earn a zero.

Myth: If you get scheduled to lead on a day you don't like, you are at a significant disadvantage to the players who got scheduled on more convenient dates.

Fact: I'm more diligent about posting the calendar in some rounds than in others, but I always post it at least twenty-four hours before the start of the round. Also, with the exception of one round that I can think of, early on, I have always scheduled a judge to go first. Around when the calendar goes up, I also normally post a message to the forum instructing players to check for their Leading dates, and to contact me if they want to switch before the start of the round. The fact that participants are always aware of the schedule has two implications: (1) that anyone who doesn't like his or her date can switch, and (2) that any non-judge player has at least seventy-two hours, and probably longer than that, to plan a Leading entry, if he or she deems planning necessary. The only people at a real disadvantage, scheduling-wise, are those in funky time zones and those who lose Internet access due to force majeure events. And I'm always really nice about both of those conditions.

Bonus Fact: If your Leading date falls on a special day, you're actually at a slight advantage, as it automatically gives you something to write about in the absence of a better idea. Friday the thirteenth, Halloween, Valentine's Day and New Year's entries have all appeared in past rounds, and have all received pretty good scores.

Single Most Prevalent/Most Annoying Myth, Not Directed At Anyone In Particular: Not finishing every entry disqualifies you from winning the contest. It is therefore worth it to squeeze in twelve entries in the twenty minutes before the deadline.

Fact: It doesn't, and it isn't. If you can't stand the thought of not finishing something you started, you have all the time in the world to write meaningful, deliberate responses after the deadline passes. See my journal as an example--I'm still working on entries from the last round.

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