The Obsessive Refreshing Experience has been an interesting experiment in group dynamics, but not as much fun as I’d hoped. Everyone racing to comment has been kind of disruptive to the discussion threads here, and probably to your lives as well.
Maybe it’s time for a change.
So this is the last giveaway that goes to the first commenter. We’ll have to think of something more interesting. (And maybe not based on being fast, you know?)
In the last comment thread, Kim suggested that I ask a trivia question and see who answers first. That’s still time-based, but it could be more fun and less random.
So here’s a trivia question, and the first person to post the correct answer wins a sampler! (That’s right, I’m giving away two samplers today! Oh, the excitement!)
Question: In my book So Yesterday there are two characters who each have two last names (but both in different ways). Who are these characters? Please identify both characters by their one first name and two last names.
Is this question slightly confusing? Tough. It’s supposed to be. If you post a partial answer, don’t blame me if someone steals it from you and wins with the whole answer!
Let the games begin.
Also, let’s use this comment thread to come up with some other ideas. Is there any way to do this where you don’t win based on timing at all?
My next post will be in 48 hours, give or take 15 minutes.
July 15th, 2007 10:15
Did I make it?
July 15th, 2007 10:15
fdgf
July 15th, 2007 10:15
ff
July 15th, 2007 10:15
I’m here!!! Did I win??? I hope so…if not at least I’m close…I can’t wait for Extras I know it’s going to be AMAZINGLY bubbly!
July 15th, 2007 10:15
!
July 15th, 2007 10:15
Ding
July 15th, 2007 10:16
OMG
July 15th, 2007 10:16
ne
July 15th, 2007 10:16
NOOOOO #4 at least thats better than last time…
July 15th, 2007 10:16
NOOO!!!
July 15th, 2007 10:16
Second agian!!!
July 15th, 2007 10:16
this is my closest, hooray
July 15th, 2007 10:16
oh darn!
July 15th, 2007 10:16
NOOOO I was off by seconds!!! Dang you my slow internet connection! *throws comcast out the window*
July 15th, 2007 10:17
ahhh…checkin email for 1 secondd
July 15th, 2007 10:17
Hi! I’m a great fan of your series uglies. well i stayed up to 1 o clock in the morning, just to try and see if i could win. well unfortunately not, but i wanted to know if i could join in the game even if i live in france?
July 15th, 2007 10:17
I have an idea on how people can win without timing! You can ask a difficult or semi-difficult trivia question about Uglies, Pretties, or Specials, and the first person to post the right answer wins!
July 15th, 2007 10:18
WOW! I comment on the last blog, and this jumps up at me!!
July 15th, 2007 10:18
Awesome
July 15th, 2007 10:18
Futura and Garamond
July 15th, 2007 10:18
dang, i play a game for 2 minutes and look what happens!
July 15th, 2007 10:19
I have an idea on how people can win without timing! You can ask a difficult or semi-difficult trivia question about Uglies, Pretties, or Specials, and the first person to post the right answer wins!
And that way you truly know that a fan who is dedicated to the book and deserves to win wins the first chapter of Extras.
July 15th, 2007 10:20
nooooooooooooooooooooo
July 15th, 2007 10:20
I have an idea on how people can win without timing! You can ask a difficult or semi-difficult trivia question about Uglies, Pretties, or Specials, and the first person to post the right answer wins!
Sorry just one last time…I think it’s a good idea…lol. Ok this is the last time I’ll say it…
July 15th, 2007 10:21
=D You are a very cruel man. I like your style.
July 15th, 2007 10:21
Oops. I’m a little trigger happy. Heh heh. Probably because I’m not supposed to be on the compy. Futura Garamond and Hillary Winston.
July 15th, 2007 10:21
Virginie-
Of course you can win in France. You could win right now! The trivia question is still unanswered.
July 15th, 2007 10:23
Hillary and Futura!
July 15th, 2007 10:23
it is??!!!
July 15th, 2007 10:23
ooohhh my bad i guess i shouldve read the blog first…sooorrrryyy…great minds think alike though =)
July 15th, 2007 10:24
haha cool he’s talking…
July 15th, 2007 10:26
Well a way you could give a book away is having everyone write an essay about why they think they deserve the book. That is always fun to do. It would help depict your fans.
July 15th, 2007 10:26
Sarala says: Hillary and Futura!
Read the post carefully for the proper way to answer. For each character, you must give the first name and both last names.
July 15th, 2007 10:26
Everybody reads the Uglies series… hasn’t anybody read so yesterday? haha. i bet everyone’s kicking themselves now.
July 15th, 2007 10:27
Braque and crap
July 15th, 2007 10:27
damn myspace
July 15th, 2007 10:28
i give up lol..
July 15th, 2007 10:28
Congrats to whoever wins it. It’ll probably be Sarala…
July 15th, 2007 10:28
ahhhhhhhh, the ONE book I haven’t read by scott had to be the one the question is ON!
and Morgan: that would still be about timing! “The First One”
actually Morgan the questions should be about any book because the true fans have read all his books
July 15th, 2007 10:28
I’m seriously giddy right now.
And I don’t get giddy.
Trivia sounds like fun, but I don’t have any idea. Good luck to you trivia goers!
July 15th, 2007 10:28
opps i read it VERY wrong
July 15th, 2007 10:30
I don’t think obscure trivia facts is any better, because that just helps your ego more than this first type of contest did.
Next time you’ve got author’s copies of books, from the next BEA or whatever, you ought to just let go in one shot, that way it’s over and done with. It really steams me how this is continueing, it’s like everyone is too focused on winning a prize than what you’ve got to say, and I used to really like reading your writing advice, because I’m going to be the next J.K. Rowling and your tips were interesting, and now it’s just one great big pay homage and grovel to get a book sampler from Scott Westerfeld. Really unattrative.
This being vented, I understand that everyone makes mistakes, and I really think you goofed up here.
July 15th, 2007 10:30
Mandy Wilkins/Jenkins and Hilary Winston Smith, or, as Hunter puts it, Hilary Winston-Hyphen Smith.
July 15th, 2007 10:32
Mandy Wilkins/Jenkins and Hilary Winston Smith
July 15th, 2007 10:32
Oh GR! oh well maybe next time…
July 15th, 2007 10:32
hilary winston-smith and Mandy Jenkins wilkins
July 15th, 2007 10:33
maybe instead of writing an essay, the person who writes the best short story that takes place in the uglies time should win the sampler
July 15th, 2007 10:34
aw totally unfool, my sis wouldn’t let me grab the book. grr. my sis is sarahla and she won’t let me post on my compy.
July 15th, 2007 10:35
that wouldnt be fair to the peole that cant write.. like me lol
July 15th, 2007 10:35
Ok… I lost track of time….big time. lol.
July 15th, 2007 10:36
Allichie :
I think I like your idea a lot better. It would be fun to write a story based on the Uglies Trilogy.
July 15th, 2007 10:37
Ooooh. I have an idea, the person who makes the best idea wins a sampler, as well as the person who completes it. Hmm…. such as, the best blurb writing for one of Scott’s books.
July 15th, 2007 10:39
it would be far because anyone can write! and it would be really fun!
July 15th, 2007 10:40
Ally-Wa :
You have an excelent point.
So now all we have to do is think of a way that doesn’t include needing speed and needing a great ability at writing.
Another really cool thing we could do is to draw.
July 15th, 2007 10:40
gee the question is hard but truth be told i hardly understood the book oh well i guess i should reread it for my own good.
July 15th, 2007 10:40
wait, I spelled fair wrong
July 15th, 2007 10:41
Well! I’m French and i only just discovered your work a few months ago, so i don’t know all the books yet. I can’t compete on this one, but maybe next time i’ll have more chance;o)
Anyway, really i wanted to tell you taht i really like the series Uglies, but i just hope that Extras will end a better way;o)
Well good night everybody!
July 15th, 2007 10:41
P.s. A spider just landed on my computer.
July 15th, 2007 10:42
anyone can write, you just need a good idea
July 15th, 2007 10:43
That is true, but people can get really bad writers block.
July 15th, 2007 10:44
Hmm we could have a FanArt contest where anyhting that has to relate to his books win.. rather it be writing, drawing, or what I do photography
July 15th, 2007 10:44
and there could be a conetest for each set of books
July 15th, 2007 10:45
So much fun ideas.
Scott :
Just to let you know you’re a very popular author at my library, your books are always checked out and on request.
July 15th, 2007 10:45
Scott, since you spelled Sarah’s name wrong, she’s now calling you Westerfield. Haha. The joys of being an innocent onlooker.
July 15th, 2007 10:45
Hmm . . . fifteen minutes. And I thought that was a really hard one. The wisdom of the crowd. (And well done, IndigoEyes.)
Next time you’ve got author’s copies of books, from the next BEA or whatever, you ought to just let go in one shot, that way it’s over and done with
Well, th eproblem is that not everyone can be at BEA. In fact, almost nobody under 25 is there. And these were left over anyway. I’m trying to distribute these samplers in a way that’s fun. But so far it’s kind of messing with the usual interchange of blogging, I agree.
Look, I’ve got lots of samplers; they have to go somewhere. What’s a better idea?
July 15th, 2007 10:45
thats a pretty good Idea actually
July 15th, 2007 10:47
That way everybody can win.. and there could be a deadline
July 15th, 2007 10:48
The problem with a writing (or drawing) contest is that I’d have to judge it, which would mean reading and judging 100s of entries. Yikes.
July 15th, 2007 10:49
Well, we could all play poker for the books.
July 15th, 2007 10:49
true true
July 15th, 2007 10:49
Haha, that would be hazardous.
July 15th, 2007 10:50
acctually there has been 180 people post since the Extras page one. I counted and listed.
July 15th, 2007 10:51
Yeah, it is a good idea. First commenter is just luck, and this is something more. It’s your blog, your books, so why not do this? It’s fun and seems way less stressful than refresh-refresh-refresh all day.
And I’m happy I won.:)
July 15th, 2007 10:51
I would say to donate them to the orphans, but they would need to read the first 3 books.
July 15th, 2007 10:55
I got confused. But, ugggghhh, I’ve got all the Midnighters and Uglies but none of the others! But I got here too late anyway, though still…
Maybe next time =] (Being optimistic never seems to work).
July 15th, 2007 10:56
Hmmm . . . I kinda want to go play Final Fantasy, but I always remember that i’m supposed to start over from when i last died.
*sigh*
July 15th, 2007 10:59
>.> I feel left alone.
You all should check out the myspace layout I made. It’s the Uglies Trilogy.
http://www.myspace.com/ye_be_warned
July 15th, 2007 11:01
how is this going to work when we r in school cuz everyone has differnet timezones unless there is one time when we r all out. Or we would have to do it on weekends..
:/
July 15th, 2007 11:07
darn it i knew that answer too. i just read so yesterday a few weeks ago! oh well thats what i get for going to dinner…
July 15th, 2007 11:07
Pachow! Yes that was an action sound.
Idk, I’m trying with all my will power to think of something.
July 15th, 2007 11:09
i can’t think of anything that doesn’t involve timing or judging or randomness. i think the trivia questions are fantastic, though. that way at least it’s timing and relates back to the reason we’re all here in the first place–your books.
July 15th, 2007 11:11
all together, I say that there is no more than about 200 people that post here regularly, give or take…. man this is hard, i can’t think of anything thats not time based, but i like the whole trivia idea, but i guess that means i should start the midnighters trilogy haha i was gonna wait till school started… oh well
July 15th, 2007 11:14
. . . This food quiz just said I was a tomato.
July 15th, 2007 11:15
i’. a very bad writer when i am on the internet as you can tell, but guys i also have a problem… I have Uglies, Pretties, and Specials, but i only have Specials in hard cover. I was wanting the rest in hard cover too, but i can only find them at amazon, ebay, etc. Problem with that is i do not have a credit card im only 16, and Books-a-Million doesn’t have any. Do they do special orders there??
July 15th, 2007 11:16
Well Scott’s book Specials is in hard cover until September 28th I think. Well that’s what the book lady told me.
July 15th, 2007 11:16
They would be hilary winston smith and Mandy Jenkins Wilkins
July 15th, 2007 11:19
Specials comes out in paperback on September 11. (Yes, 9/11.)
Hmm . . . 200 people.
July 15th, 2007 11:21
What a sad day 9/11 is, But it will be happy because that’s the day I actually get to buy it instead of requesting it again.
July 15th, 2007 11:23
It’s just hard backs are so expensive these days. I always have to wait for them darn paperbacks.
July 15th, 2007 11:25
Thanks for the info, but I was actually meaning all of them in hard cover, but yea maybe 200 is a stretch because a lot of people double, triple, and quadruple post. But thanks for answering my question. I like you, you are the only celebrity that you can actually stay in contact with (that i now of).
Let’s just keep it that when even when your movie comes out.
July 15th, 2007 11:36
I think I hate myself.
I’ve been on the site all day.
And like hours later Scott
makes a post. -.-
July 15th, 2007 11:36
You could pick a random #
for this one, I suggest picking #91
July 15th, 2007 11:37
Tis alright. He will probably will post again soon.
July 15th, 2007 11:38
Ya know that comment i just made doesn’t make any sence.
July 15th, 2007 11:41
Maybe quotations from a character and people have to guess which character said it and in which book.
Ex: “Thank you Jess. See, Mom? Totally polite.”
Ex: “You stay. I can make it to Pulcher okay.”
Who can guess those?
July 15th, 2007 11:45
Well that would be time, and some people with the books would have a better advantage at that.
July 15th, 2007 11:47
beth said the first one and I think it was from the 2nd Midnighters book?
July 15th, 2007 11:48
Snort. Well i’m gonna go watch Die Hard.
July 15th, 2007 11:55
I meant 92, stephany got to the submit button before me!
July 15th, 2007 11:59
It was the third book, but yea it was Beth.
July 15th, 2007 11:59
xD or he could pick the 100th post. lol.
July 15th, 2007 12:02
The problem is that the random number system would encourage folks posting many, many contentless posts in hopes of being one of those numbers, like putting lots of chips down at the roulette wheel. (Not that YOU guys would do that.)
What we’d all like it to return to the mannerly days of yore, when eveyone was all about the content. (Plus, saying they were first!) Mind you, there’s plenty of that going on over at Inside a Dog right now.
Anyway, I’ll keep thinking over the weekend.
July 15th, 2007 12:07
Thanks for all your input!
July 15th, 2007 12:22
Scott, what about a contest to figure out your middle name? Or something about you that no one knows? If your worried about people making too many random guesses make Hope I helped a little!
July 15th, 2007 12:23
sorry my last post was messed up…I meant if your worried about random guesses set a limit. Such as no more than 3 guesses per person
July 15th, 2007 12:27
Yeah but people could use different names & have more than one email.
July 15th, 2007 12:37
omg!!! i didnt get first because i fell asleep. and i havent read so yesterday so i dont know the answer! scott, do a question for the uglies trilogy or peeps!
July 15th, 2007 12:52
Perhaps you could randomly draw a name from everyone who comments or ask a question, start a comment, and give one away to the person who’s answer you like best. *Shrugs* They were the only non-time based ideas that popped into my head.
July 15th, 2007 12:53
I meant to say start a discussion, not start a comment. *baffs self in head*
July 15th, 2007 13:00
I like the writing contest idea. But Scott is right. He would have to judge them and read ALL the entries, and who has time for that??? Hmmm…thinking of a contest that is both fun and efficient is pretty tough. Trivia is good so that should keep going on. Hmmmm…
July 15th, 2007 13:03
I agree with Katherine.
Ask a question.
Go through all your best answers.
Then pick the one you most like.
July 15th, 2007 13:22
you could set a character limit on the answer for your question, too.. or maybe you could ask a question and set rules for the answer.. like you can only use one word.. and it has to be a tridecalogism.
July 15th, 2007 13:22
Scott’s middle name is David.
I win! lol jk
July 15th, 2007 13:27
i think a writing contest would be too much work for poor Scott, but something along those lines would be better. perhaps he can post some sort of a theme based on one of his books, or maybe just something totally random, (like what is the strangest ice cream flavor? or if you lived in the world after specials, what kinds of surge would you want?) and the best answer of couple for answers in the first 75 posts gets the sampler. i have noticed it takes just a few hours to get to 100 posts, so that is still somewhat time based, but if you go pee or go out to dinner you won’t miss out. also, it does take some creativity and brains, but it is shorter so i could see Scott almost enjoying judging something like that.
what does everyone think?
July 15th, 2007 13:28
also, when are the Extras shirts being given out? and are there ugly pretty and special shirts?
July 15th, 2007 13:35
they r going to be givin out on Inside A Dog but idk when.
July 15th, 2007 13:57
I can’t believe it. At this rate, i’m never going to win…….unfortunately, i haven’t read So Yesterday so i don’t know the answer
July 15th, 2007 14:01
Well, I guess the way you give them out depends on how many you have…
July 15th, 2007 14:39
i like the question idea and the person with the best answer in 75 posts wins. but it cant be trivia (like the one up top). it would be like, would you rather live in the smoke, or get the operation to turn pretty? then explain why in under 100 words. (i just wrote a little over 50 to give u an idea how many words 100 would be.)
July 15th, 2007 14:42
im gonna answer my own question. i would get the operation, even if i knew about the lesions. I HATE CAMPING so that is why i would get the operation, even if it meant losing everything i was. hmm… when you put it that way, maybe i would live in the smoke. hmmm… live in the smoke or lose everythingi was. yea, i would get the operation. (at least i would be a pretty)
July 15th, 2007 14:55
I think the pick a favorite answer thing is kind of unfair. People might get mad at him for favoritism or say that people were sucking up and stuff.
Amy-La I agree that it would be a fun and creative way to win, but Scott said himself that he would have to read through and judge them all and he doesn’t really have time for that.
Hmm personally I like the trivia.
July 15th, 2007 15:10
i think trivia is the best solution
July 15th, 2007 15:15
This isn’t contributing, but I found a little bitty glitch in Midnighters.
Rex:When were you born, Jess?
Jessica:Huh? You mean this is because I’m a Leo?
And THEN, in book two, she says to Jonathan:
“Yeah, and I’m only two months till my drivers test.”
See, Leo is mid-July to mid-August. Jessica said it would be two months in September. If she really was a Leo,it would be more like ten.
Yeah, I’m enough of a nerd I’ve got nothing better to do than read my favourite books again and again until I find tiny little things like that. But still, did anybody else notice?
July 15th, 2007 15:41
Trivia seems the best way to go to me. I can’t think of anything else, anyway.
July 15th, 2007 16:29
Hello! I’ve been watching this game go on for a while. I haven’t bothered posting ’cause I’ve been at work earning $ for college practically every time Scott has posted. (note I said working for college. Yes, take pity on the poor girl who has to work so hard, she no longer has time for play anymore. (ya right))
But ’cause I too would really like to win, I thought I’d speak up with some ideas.
Personally, I like the drawing idea. It takes up less time than reading a bunch of entries. And really good art often pops out. It’s easier to judge in my opinion. Also you could have second and third place winners. Of course I wouldn’t do an art contest for all of them though.
You could also give a copy to who ever comes up with a super good contest idea that’s original and works well.
Hmmm that’s all I can think of right now. Hope I helped in some way!
July 15th, 2007 16:30
Trivia works for me.
But none on The Last Days, because I still can’t find it.
Here, how about if I win, you just send me The Last Days? Haha.
July 15th, 2007 17:24
Bak from Camp!!! I have no idea what to do a comp about. I like the first 75 post thing, but what about ppl who only have less that an hour a day spare time its still a timing thing,
July 15th, 2007 17:31
i know alot of people are trying to figure out different ways to make this competetion/contest (whatever you would like to call it) better but writing and art work takes judging and time to upload plus its not totally based off scott’s books which the trivia works well, testing our knowledge of all his books (seeing who is a full front fan or just trying to get more sales..lol..) everyone is able to remember or look up the questions and doesn’t have to worry about talent or being judged, you would either be wrong or right not it was good but not good enough (kinda like how ally-wa keeps getting second) well thats all i have to say, i guess but even though scott is listing the times of when he will post i still end up staying up all night reading his books (they are way to addicting) (its 130am here… he he)
July 15th, 2007 17:38
Sarah, I am in the same shape, but i can’t draw so thats out for me haha. I think that is limiting for some people who cant draw…
July 15th, 2007 18:08
Everyone can draw, it just takes practise,
people!
July 15th, 2007 18:18
i like what you said kheidi-la lol its 2:17 am and im reading maureens book.
July 15th, 2007 19:17
ha! i cannot draw either. and i’ve had practice, believe me. i could probably get better at it with time (lots and LOTS of time), but some people are just naturally good at it. i still think the trivia is the best idea, as long as there are questions from all the different books (or trilogies, whatev) so that people who haven’t read every single one of the books still get a shot.
July 15th, 2007 19:52
Hi! It’s me again! Well for the contest i suggest riddles about yous books. We would have to guess which character or event you’re talking about…
July 16th, 2007 00:42
well… the trivia idea is good… but what if you tried to do a 50th post wins competition, but you can only post once (to win it).
or the (really ) short stories idea is good, but then you have to read all of them.
I’m just upset that you always post at like 1 a.m. (for me) because i live in the U.K.
July 16th, 2007 00:43
riddles is good
July 16th, 2007 01:22
ok well i think instead of the first person t opost everytime you post you shoudl pick a secret number and whoever answers on that number should get one, then it’s not a race and you dont have to first aslo totalt random and peopl aren’t freaking caus ethey lost they wont know and you can annonce the winner in your next post
July 16th, 2007 01:33
This is another judging idea, but I was thinking that everyone could have a time limit to put one entry in. Say, 10 hours? Only one entry per person. And the entry would be something short, so Scott would be able to judge it really quickly. Like, the BEST FIRST SENTENCE. (That is not from any book, it has to be original) “Where’s Papa goin’ with that axe?’ or something like that is an example of an interesting first sentence from a book.
July 16th, 2007 02:00
Quinton- Ya, I thought about that. It’s true though, some people just can’t draw no matter how much they practice. Which is unfair. But so is trivia ’cause some people have jobs and other things. It has nothing to do with who’s the greater fan (aren’t we all because we are here?) and more to do with, who has the $ to own the books, and who has the time?
But I do like Lydia’s idea with the secret number. That’s the kind of innovated thinking we need. I also like the riddles ’cause that way we don’t necessarily need to have the books on hand to find the answer. We’d just have to use our own heads.
July 16th, 2007 02:29
You could also do something like a scrambled word. Something from the books.
For Example: sdondemae
Which is Desdemona (From Midnighters)
or: starpaie vpetisio
Which is Parasite Positive (From Peeps)
It takes a little thinking and then people can’t be sad when they don’t have a book to look riddles up. It can range from easy to hard depending on the word(s) and stuff.
July 16th, 2007 03:29
July 16th, 2007 05:12
I can’t think of anything…..
July 16th, 2007 05:17
So with teh contest thing. If you wanted to see how many of us are stalkers..you ask a question about yourself and sees who answers right. Thta would be creepy yet hilarious at teh same time XD
July 16th, 2007 05:18
Virginie, the French girl, if you see this, I just wanted to say I’m from Montreal and my first language is French. On se comprend toutes les deux! Lol sorry didn’t know what else to say in French.
Anyway, the trivia is better than just the first comment, but I think it’s still crazy. Fifteen minutes before the question was answered. Sheesh! I can never compete with that, even if it’s only because I can’t remember when you say you’ll next post.
July 16th, 2007 05:26
Man this sucks for people without high speed internet
July 16th, 2007 06:12
My initial idea was for the last commenter to get the prize, but that might get too tricky. So I’ve got no ideas. I’ll have to think a little more. Maybe you should pick a random numbered post to win and make it different each time. (Well, then people might post ten times in a row…) I give up. My brain is dead. I’d just stick with the trivia and hope people stop freaking out and getting the right answer after 15 minutes.
July 16th, 2007 06:32
I can’t think of anything that doesn’t involve speed, randomness, or judging…so at the moment I think it would be best to pick a random number (like 146) and give the sampler to that post. Obviously, that would have problems too, but it would be better than obsessive refreshing.
July 16th, 2007 07:53
Okay so i was reading the comments (yes that is how boring my life is i try to read EVERY SINGLE comment before i post one) and i noticed scott asked for some new ideas for the contest so here are mine:
1. First person on Scotts doorstep tomorrow wins all the samplers to distribute at will.
2. Scott takes the books over to a local park sits on a bench and tosses the books onto the ground. I’m sure that all his desperate frantic readers will come flocking in seconds (like pigeons to breadcrumbs).
Just kidding. those are not my real ideas. i’m just trying to make a point that this whole contest thing is getting out of hand. and i hope that no one makes a surprise visit to scotts home anytime soon. my serious idea is this:
3. stick to the trivia! I personally think it is a pretty good idea (and i’m not just sucking up to you. but if you want to give me i sampler/t-shirt for being nice feel free). but maybe instead of asking just one question , make a whole quiz. then it may take a little longer than 15 minutes to answer.
i’m really glad you got rid of the first-to-comment-wins thing. that was insane.
July 16th, 2007 07:58
lol. I really like this trivia thing, but I don’t actually own any copies myself… I’ll have to like, go hoard them all from the library.
No matter what kind of contest you do, it will always be somewhat random, because there’s no way to completely eliminate it without being unfair to other people. So you have to choose between randomness and fairness. The trivia is also good because it shows who the nerdiest fans are, and therefore who is most deserving of a prize, although it is slightly unfair to those who have just recently heard of Scott or haven’t spent mondo amounts of time rereading Scott’s books. But nonetheless, nerds are cool, and nerds deserve books.
July 16th, 2007 08:04
ok surely whoever gets the samplers will like post it on the net for everyone to read ? so who cares who gets it , just so long as whoever gets it cba to type it out for everyone.
but im guessing whoever gets it cba to type it out so yeah the trivia thing is a good idea, or you could like play a wheres wally style thing by posting something on your site people have to find ?
July 16th, 2007 08:17
uh i think typing out the whole sampler and posting it on the internet would be like illegal. unless like scott or his publishers did it. i dont really know tho. where’s wally is fun!
Marflanda: you are right. nerds do deserve books. but seriously scott why dont you just like sell the samplers on ebay $$$? or give them to goodwill?? or go out on the street corner and give them to random people who pass by??? i dont think i really even want a sampler anymore. i know i’m just going to go right out and but it anyway.
July 16th, 2007 08:17
sorry i meant *buy* it anyway
July 16th, 2007 08:52
ideas are hard things to come up with.
a good way that is fair for people to win samplers is…
a search game.
have people find a picture of what they think a character from your book looks like.
example.
tally when she is an ugly.
-the person will find a picture of what they think tally looks like at this stage, the person that closest matches your idea of tally as an ugly wins.
and instead of spreading it out in a bunch of blogs, you can just do a bunch of characters at one time and have a deadline.
then you will only have to go through the pictures once.
and then you can get more than one winner to give out all the copies.
i know it is a lame idea but whatever.
it was worth a try.
p.s. then there is no deal with time as long as you get the picture in by deadline.
p.p.s. if there are doubles of pictures, then they all win samplers.
:]
July 16th, 2007 08:52
kim in post 112, how can we post with out getting mixed up. i guess that i could change my name? or maybe we could put our last initial or do a number? post and tell me what you think.
scott, you posted like 4 times. i was out of town.
like the trvia idea.
July 16th, 2007 08:55
or we could guess what his next post is going to be about?
i am the kim that posted in #153
July 16th, 2007 09:27
I liked the Trivia and thought it worked well,
ahhh i was anoyed it was the one time when I wasn’t near the books!
July 16th, 2007 09:29
argh…figures he posts when i’m at dinner w/ family. i’m mad–not just because the dinner came up at the last second, when i was already waiting for scott to post, but because I KNEW THE ANSWER TO THE TRIVIA QUESTION! darn it well i have nothing to do tomorrow at 7 aso i willbe ready and waiting when the time comes…although i still probably won’t win it!
but yeah i agree w/ most other people here: the trivia is a great idea!
and congratulations to Kailyx and IndigoEyes!
July 16th, 2007 09:57
How about a fan-fiction contest? We could write in a first page of a fan-fic, and Scott would choose the most compelling one. That would be the preliminary. After which those who had won that, they would enter their fan fiction. Ranging in size from short story to novelett (Sp?). And the winner would get one of the remaining books.
Does this sound feasible?
July 16th, 2007 09:58
This way it would give the more sluggish typists a chance to win.
((And the more sluggish thinkers. Sorry about the double post.))
July 16th, 2007 10:00
Ah, and it could have a deadline…
I just think that with this it wouldn’t have to be first come first serve…
Sorry about the triple post. My thoughts come in spurts and flashes.
July 16th, 2007 10:25
I have an idea. What about a quote contest? People can post a quote from the Uglies series (it really should be them, I think, because it is Extras, after all) in a comment, and Scott can pick the one he likes best as the winner.
Here’s the catch: When you post your quote, you must also vote for someone else’s quote. If you don’t vote, your quote is disqualified.
The votes will help narrow down the list for Scott to pick from, so that his brain doesn’t explode from trying to choose between about 30,000 quotes.
Oh, and if more than one person posts the same quote, the first person who posted it gets credit for it, and all other postings of that same quote count as votes for that quote.
Also, the winning quote will be chosen *no less* than 24 hours after the blog post goes up, so that everyone has plenty of time to check in and put in a quote without racing madly around in circles. *grin*
Just an idea.
~Mary
July 16th, 2007 10:29
Addendum: why quotes instead of trivia questions or fan-fic stories?
The quotes would have nothing to do with timing, unlike the trivia answers, and they are much shorter and easier to judge than stories.
~Mary
July 16th, 2007 10:31
Or there could be more than one contest
July 16th, 2007 10:48
Or…..we could make up a quote, that way it would be more original than just finding quotes from a book
July 16th, 2007 11:09
do we have to hold a quote contest?
i love (i mean i seriously LOVE) the uglies series, but i don’t own any of the books! i have so yesterday, but all of his other books i’ve just gotten from the library! i’m sorry, i’m probably the only person here who doesn’t own all the books, but it doesn’t mean i don’t want to get a sampler!
so scott, when you’re going through all the contest ideas, try to keep your devoted library readers in mind! i can take trivia questions, but contests where the books are directly involved (like picking quotes, et cetera) leave me a little bit handicapped when it comes to being the first person to answer correctly…muchas gracias!
July 16th, 2007 11:31
you are not the only one with out the books belive me! i dont have the uglies books i lent them to a friend and they havnt returned them. I agree with you there!
July 16th, 2007 11:32
Taylor I dont own all his books either but that would be pretty much the coolest thing ever!! Well Scott congrations. you now have an offical section in the bookstore by my house! It is my personal favorite area
Well i am totally stoked for Extra’s to come out and i will be waiting in line for my copy.!!
July 16th, 2007 11:45
yay i feel wanted…lol jk. but it’s good to know i’m not the only one who doesn’t own all the books. and patricia jane, i agree that it would be completely awesome–eventually i want to own all the books.
and i hope scott does some signings/appearances in New York for extras…i’d force my parents to bring me there, even though it’s 4 hours away from me (although i do live in NY)!!!
July 16th, 2007 11:49
nO!! i live all the way across the country!! he would just have to go everywhere:) Even if it was 4 hours give or take, i would still show up! ROAD TRIP!! Taylor you should feel wanted because you are!! ha ha. i am writing when Extra’s comes out on my personal calendar right now!
July 16th, 2007 12:18
Fan-fics?
please, no.
i like that trivia idea. the quotes, etc. idea seems rather complex. or at least involving a lot of work…
July 16th, 2007 12:25
i feel so special. i just looked at the apperance page on this site and scott is comming to atlanta,ga!!! thats awesome. i live in ga, a couple hours away from atlanta. *insert claping here*
July 16th, 2007 12:25
i like the idea of scott picking a random # and the person to post that # wins!!! (say 171)
July 16th, 2007 12:33
That sounds cool. Scott you should come to Canada!!!!
July 16th, 2007 12:37
Yea the quotes are a bit too complex.
Mary Elizabeth S. Not to put down your idea, but there is one minor error in it. If you HAVE to vote for a quote when you post your quote, then who would the first quote poster vote for? And the second quote poster would HAVE to vote for the first quote poster, etc. I like the rest of it though.
July 16th, 2007 12:44
the random number wouldnt work cause ppl would just post heaps and make multiple accounts even. I also dont own Scotts books- i just borrow from the lirary.
July 16th, 2007 12:51
how about the quote idea? but u dont have 2 vote 4 another person and it has to be in the first 75. and u can only post once. (if u create miltiple names scott knows your email adress *insert evil laugh here*)
July 16th, 2007 12:59
WILL SOMEONE COMMENT ALREADY!?!?!?!?
July 16th, 2007 13:00
(sorry about the little evil thing. i guess i just really want this book sampler, or something to do)
July 16th, 2007 13:01
I will!
July 16th, 2007 13:01
But I mean really..HOW can Scott judge a quotes contest? They are all Scott’s books, and so he probably likes all of his quotes.
And Amy-La, people can create multiple emails as well. I myself personally have at least 4 emails, but I wouldn’t cheat like that. But I know others who would.
July 16th, 2007 13:10
i have 3 emails AshAngelAk…yeah what happened was that the first address my dad created for me when i was like 9 (without telling me) and i hated the name. then the second one i liked but eventually (since it was on outlook express) it got SUPER SLOW and i would get some of my emails up to a day late! then i got a gmail one (which is my current one) and i love it. but yeah i wouldn’t cheat–cross my heart!
July 16th, 2007 13:12
does anyone remember my comment where we MAKE UP quotes about what the characters would say?
July 16th, 2007 13:28
*sigh*
ok, now I’m bored
July 16th, 2007 13:33
WILL SOMEONE COMMENT ALREADY!?!?!?!?
(I copied this from Amy-la)
hahahaha
July 16th, 2007 13:44
i feel so alone
July 16th, 2007 13:51
Same here.
July 16th, 2007 13:54
what? bored or alone?
July 16th, 2007 13:55
Both well not alone cause we are both here.
July 16th, 2007 13:57
I’m bored…
July 16th, 2007 13:58
Join the club. Hmmmm how not to be bored….
July 16th, 2007 13:59
do you remember my comment where we MAKE UP quotes about what the characters WOULD say instead of what they DID say?
Is that a good Idea?
July 16th, 2007 14:00
Its creative and would be fun but how would scott judge that many quotes?
July 16th, 2007 14:03
Ideas on how not to be bored:
1. comment on the westerblog untill everyone gets annoyed and hunts you down
2. read and reread scott’s books
3. If you are really desparate you can dress up like a peep and bite everyone
(just kiding on the last one)
July 16th, 2007 14:05
Hmmm that last ones tempting, but I’d say post randomly.
July 16th, 2007 14:10
or
4. make up ways of how not to be bored
July 16th, 2007 14:12
5.debate the ways not to be bored
July 16th, 2007 14:13
6. debate the ways to debate how not to be bored
July 16th, 2007 14:15
7.take time to think of things to put on a list of how not to be bored
July 16th, 2007 14:16
or
(this ones always fun)
8. Complain to everyone about how bored you are
July 16th, 2007 14:19
yes thats definatly fun
9.make the list go into double didgits
July 16th, 2007 14:22
10. play stupid computer games untill your head explodes(which I do in my free time)
July 16th, 2007 14:24
11. talk to your friends about things you are posting
July 16th, 2007 14:25
hola everyone. [:
July 16th, 2007 14:27
everyone runs away when I start to post. ]:
July 16th, 2007 14:27
(people do this one all the time)
12. talk about how wierd people are
hola, we’re making a list on how not to be bored
July 16th, 2007 14:28
the list starts on comment 192
July 16th, 2007 14:29
yeah, I noticed. =P
July 16th, 2007 14:29
13.deniy the fact that you are bored.
(I do this but i deniy the fact that im awake in the morning)
July 16th, 2007 14:33
14. run away screaming when Chelsea-wa starts to post
July 16th, 2007 14:33
hmm… trying to figure out how to make a freewebs layout. interesting…
July 16th, 2007 14:34
allichie
July 16th, 2007 14:33 208
14. run away screaming when Chelsea-wa starts to post
oh THANKSS. lol.
July 16th, 2007 14:36
everyone must be running away screaming..
July 16th, 2007 14:37
15. try to figure out how to make a freewebs layout
16. pick on Chelsea-wa
July 16th, 2007 14:38
lmao.
July 16th, 2007 14:38
who? Sorry I just started to post
July 16th, 2007 14:38
sorry
July 16th, 2007 14:40
since when did I become the victim here?
July 16th, 2007 14:44
since I became bored
17. discuss your next victim
July 16th, 2007 14:46
18.not be bored cause of the list
July 16th, 2007 14:47
lol. this has been fun, being the victim and all, but I might not be here for awhile. i’m downloading brushes. ;o
July 16th, 2007 14:49
fun
July 16th, 2007 14:51
19. scream at your mom when she tells you to go to bed
20. continue to make the list when the only thing you are making a list of is stuff people already do so you don’t actually need to make a list but you are so bored you feel like you have to make a stinken list and you can’t stop because it’s something to do and you are no long bored because you are making a list
21. go on and on about lists
July 16th, 2007 14:53
22.continue the list because if you dont the only thing to do is sleep
July 16th, 2007 14:54
lol. can i pick on chelsea-wa?
iv got one!!!
19. put on crash bracelets, a bell sensor, and get a hovor board (might want to get a special hover board)
July 16th, 2007 14:55
sorry, that was # 23
July 16th, 2007 14:56
so bored…
July 16th, 2007 14:56
i was reading the first midnighters book, but then i decided to come online. maybe i should go back to the book
July 16th, 2007 14:59
lol reading is always good
July 16th, 2007 15:10
my sampler hasnt come yet
i think people might still obsessively refresh to be the first one to see the trivia
you should make a contest on making the best cover for RUSTIES then have us vote
July 16th, 2007 15:11
again some ppl cant draw
July 16th, 2007 15:26
It doesn’t necessarily have to be drawn. It can be a photograph, digital art, drawn, etc. But still too hard to draw.
Mine hasn’t come yet, but I bet he is waiting until a certain number of people win so that he can go send all at once instead of having to keep going back to the post office every time someone wins
July 16th, 2007 15:29
Oops I meant too hard to judge x.x
July 16th, 2007 16:26
i *just* finished the first midnighters!
July 16th, 2007 16:27
it was so0o0o0o0o0o0o awesome!!! it is 1:26 am where i live.
July 16th, 2007 16:28
Same time here x.x I really don’t feel like going to bed.
July 16th, 2007 17:02
I got an idea… it does some-what involve speed, but no so muc, and it also involves trust.
okay here it goes, its simple really. Scott picks a number any number, tells people that who-ever posts on the correct number with the correct answer to some EASY question gets it, but u cannot post more than 10 times, the trust issues are for Scott not to change the number, and relying on people to ONLY post 10 TIMES, c’mon every one here is honest right??
July 16th, 2007 17:09
What happens if the person who posts on the post number doesn’t have the right answer?
July 16th, 2007 18:16
Do some Midnighters trivia! Or Polymorph. I bet I could get that one.
July 16th, 2007 19:44
he could do another number
July 16th, 2007 20:40
wat u mean by another number?
July 16th, 2007 22:06
liek i said before i think he shoudl just pick a number and whoever posts on it should win, makes things less complicated
July 17th, 2007 01:56
The early summer sky was the color of cat vomit…
July 17th, 2007 02:07
scott could pick a number and not tell us that way we will not know and not post millions of poss trying to get the number. then as soon as the number is reached he could put a blog up and tell us who the winner is.
kim in 154.
July 17th, 2007 02:10
is anyone going to post?
July 17th, 2007 02:38
I HATE MY LIFE!!!!!!!! I AM NOT ALLOWED ON THE INTERNET EXCEPT AT WORK! I HAVE NO CHANCE WHATSOEVER!!!!!!!!!!
July 17th, 2007 02:58
i feel sorry for you toomanypeoplenamedhillary!
why are you not allowed on the internet at home?
July 17th, 2007 04:02
Kim, wouldn’t people post millions of times trying to get the number, because a higher amount of posts means a better probability of reaching it? It would be an ok idea, but it is opening an opportunity for a lot more random posts (trust me, I know. I was one of the weirdos doing it before). Maybe you’ve got an ok concept going, but there needs to be something added to it to make it less of a free-for-all.
July 17th, 2007 05:08
Hillary Winston-hyphen-Smith
haha i wrote it out exactly as the book because it amused me and last but surely not least
Mwadi Wickersham aka Futura Garamond
sadly with my luck i know i lost.
ive never won anything in my life…i think.
good question can you win something without counting on timing hmmm
July 17th, 2007 06:18
wow… uh… hmmm… how about the 100th commenter wins! or the 2nd (thinking of ally-wa) or the 100th… im all out of ideas (not that i had any, i just said that an idea someone else made was a good one.)
July 17th, 2007 06:19
Kim- Sadly, not everyone is honest. All you have to do to win is, once you get on, to post single words at a time or something. Unless Scoot had it where, if you posted more then a certain amount of posts, you wouldn’t get the prize if you posted on the number he picked. He’d just need to have a back-up number or two.
July 17th, 2007 06:32
This might sound a bit strange…
Scott could write “What would I do if…” and name a situation
And the nearest person to that answer wins
July 17th, 2007 06:37
Christa, “what would scott do if he was attacked by darklings?” i dont think that would work because he would need some stainless steel, and name it a thirteen letter word. thats about it.
July 17th, 2007 06:38
Well, the situation could be a lot more obscure!
July 17th, 2007 06:40
how about scott asks what was the last book of his youve read and what did you do after you read it.
here is what i did after each book:
uglies: pick up pretties
pretties: look for specials
specials: said omg
peeps: checked my cats eyes to see if they were red (no joke, i really did that)
midnighters 1: picked up midnighters 2
July 17th, 2007 06:43
How would it be judged?
July 17th, 2007 06:43
scott would pick the funniest (like me checking my cats eyes)
July 17th, 2007 06:45
That would be OK but it would only last one post…
July 17th, 2007 06:47
true… then scott could do one of the previos options
July 17th, 2007 06:48
and christa, i have to go. bye!
July 17th, 2007 06:48
Bye!!
July 17th, 2007 06:59
this is the closest i’ve signed on…sad right?
July 17th, 2007 07:15
I am not allowed on the computer at home because for some inexplicable reason every time I use it it either crashes or freezes. That never happens at work. Winston is just stoopid.
July 17th, 2007 07:22
Kathy,
Futura Garamond and Mwadi Wickersham are two different people involved in the same coupe d’etat. MW is the missing-black woman-formation chick and FG is the anarchy-in-the-publishing-business dude. Unless I misunderstood you.
July 17th, 2007 07:27
i haven’t got my sampler either yet
lol im getting antsy
July 17th, 2007 07:50
At least you got one:(
July 17th, 2007 07:59
I wish there was a funnier way to this but the only answer i can find is for you take get our e-mail address and put them all in a hat and whoever pulls the first one gets a sampler. Even though i would love to have some control over if i get one or not i think this is the fairest none time related way to do this.
July 17th, 2007 08:01
I’m not so hot about the new look….
Kadie-Wa
78 Days until Extras or…
2 months 16 days or…
6,739,200 seconds or…
112,320 minutes or…
1872 hours or finally…
11 weeks
July 17th, 2007 08:05
wow…i admire you!
July 17th, 2007 08:36
kadie-wa, why would anyone want to know how many seconds till extras come out? (besides dess)
July 17th, 2007 08:40
kadie-wa, does extras really come out in 11 weeks?!?!?!?! that is awesome!
July 17th, 2007 08:42
it sounds shorter in weeks.
July 17th, 2007 08:57
it sounds like forever if you say it in days, or even months, but if you say 11 weeks, it sounds not that far off.
July 17th, 2007 08:58
even though 11 weeks is the same as 77 days. (so it would be 11 weeks and 1 day.)
July 17th, 2007 09:01
EVEN (oops) 2 months sounds scary! my mammi is making me leave an hour early! oh the HORROR!
July 17th, 2007 09:08
i dont get your name, toomanypeoplenamedhillary! i dont know a single person named hillary. (people i know in person) maybe there are a lot of people named hillary where you live, but not here.
July 17th, 2007 09:09
wow. that’s a lot of posts…
July 17th, 2007 09:10
i know one girl named hillary. she’s really mean. but toomanypeoplenamedhillary might not be mean. or is she…
July 17th, 2007 09:42
hey!!! there is a little note sbouve the comment box saying the comments are stamped with Australian Eastern Standard Time. i guess thats one mistery solved.
July 17th, 2007 09:50
was that always there (and were we all that blind to the obvious? i hopw not…) i just spent the last 4 hours hunting down all of scotts books that i didnt hav that were young adult, scott better be happy i just spent over 50 dollars on his books….
July 17th, 2007 09:59
im gonna go get my books of scotts.
July 17th, 2007 10:01
i got my seven boks written by scott.
July 17th, 2007 10:03
POST ALREADY SCOTT
July 17th, 2007 10:13
I wanna get the Last Days so bad. Only like 20-ish more days to go >.
July 17th, 2007 10:16
i have 7 books in three piles. (according to series)
the first pile is peeps.
the second pile is the midnighters trilogy
the third pile is the uglies trilogy
July 17th, 2007 10:18
scott, post before kyle xy comes on!
July 17th, 2007 10:20
your lucky. i wish i had all those books.
July 18th, 2007 03:07
I agree with what Drake-la said in post 95.
—
Maybe quotations from a character and people have to guess which character said it and in which book.
Ex: “Thank you Jess. See, Mom? Totally polite.â€
Ex: “You stay. I can make it to Pulcher okay.â€
Who can guess those?
—
But it should be a quote that was probably skimmed over by most readers, and a quote that is nearkly impossible to tell even what BOOK it was from.
but that quote was said by beth in midnighters 3.
Well I am just wasting time now, seeing as the first chapter of EXTRAS is posted already
But I just have one comment to make on Scott Westerfeld’s means of writing::
I read the Uglies series, the Midnighters series, Peeps/The Last Days, and So Yesterday. But when I began reading The Risen Empire, I was highly disappointed. Scott’s style of writing in that book was confusing and
‘un-enjoyable’. I stopped reading that book after the first, say, 50 pages because I just plain didnt like that book. I’m a westerfan, but that book was a disappointment to my high standards of Scott’s writing ability.
July 18th, 2007 14:31
lol @ the people who only read the Uglies trilogy. So Yesterday is one of my favorites ♥
July 19th, 2007 07:01
i feel bad for you scott.
you have to read over 200 comments!
omg!
but i think, and this is what i have thought the whole time, that there shold be no timing at all. i think that who ever has the best comment should win. like when you read a comment, and you say while your reading, “wow”. and that comment really makes your head turn. because now that i read the comments, they are all like “o crap! i lost again!” and there not even reading the blog before they answer. i think that is sad commpared to what the comments used to be befor the whole “comment first” thing. i think that this is the only fair way because then nobody has to stay up all night, and the people with bad computer internet dont have to complain. but the comments have to all be in by a certain time. that way there is no one who is left out.
but that is my opinion.
July 20th, 2007 19:10
I agree with AshAngelAk. I think we should do the scrambled word.
For Example: sdondemae
Which is Desdemona (From Midnighters)
or: starpaie vpetisio
Which is Parasite Positive (From Peeps)
(They are AshAngelAk’s examples.)
You can make them hard, so it takes a while to figure out, and have a limit of one post/guess per person or something. But that is still timebased. Otherwise, i agree with the random number idea. Except the post has to have substance to it.. About the blog or something of his works. Not just random chit-chat or complaining that you didn’t win. That way you could still post more than once (maybe a limit of 5 or something) as you would be discussing Scott’s blog or his books, so the comments wouldn’t just be chitchat.
Neither of those were my ideas. They have already been said a few times, I think. I just like those ideas the best.
July 22nd, 2007 07:45
OMG PEOPLES YOU DIDN’T EVEN READ THE POST!!! TO WIN THE SAMPLER YOU HAVE TO ANSWER THE TRIVIA QUESTION NOT POST FIRST!!!
July 23rd, 2007 14:09
I hate you. I was actually getting closer and was planning for this week to use this as an excuse to get up early and actually get something done in the morning for a change. Did you even contemplate that this contest has actually helped some people? Other than the ones who won?
On an annoyed rampage through Cosima’s mind,
Cat-kha
July 23rd, 2007 14:10
Okay, I don’t hate you, but Torok, I’m mad.
July 24th, 2007 03:52
Heather R. : how rude. Don’t you realize some of us are at the mercy of random people coming down to where we live on airplanes with extra room in their suitcases and on the only two times a year we get chances to get books? So many books, so little luggage allotment…
August 8th, 2007 06:22
DON’T KNOW HOW ALL OF YOU HAVENT READ ALL HIS BOOKS!!!!!!!!!!i’ve been special ordering them for ages, just got “The Last Days” and The “Killing Of Worlds”… Still dont have the first to that series!!!!!!!!!! “The Risen Empire” Hopefully it will be in soon…
SCOTT: You’ve made it difficult for me! Can you print one more copy of ” The Risen Empire”
LOL JK but if you could that would be great! because i have to get it second hand and i’m sort of weird in a way i hate reading books that have even been semi-read in a book store! how weird am I.. i have to have them brand new or it bugs me the whole time im reading it…i will still read it though, maybe if you have one just sittin around the house you could send to me or even( depending on where you are…to my grandparents, who live in Cairns…if you havent guessed i’m Australian)but other wise i live just 3 hrs away from the City (NY) in Montauk…That little town at the end of long island… oh sry i didnt go for the contest as i just discovered your site!
ok ADIOS ALL
August 10th, 2007 15:57
bla