NEW USERS! INTRODUCE YOURSELVES!

Welcome to the forum Alan. You've made a great decision to join us. Be sure to take the free WotF workshop.

Immerse yourself in the teaching's of Wulf Moon with the Super Secrets. Imitate David Hankins and Dustin Adams and write a winning story.

Welcome to the forum, Mary! Great to have you here!

Welcome, @bravestplace and @marywilliams! You'll find a lot of good support here, and a lot of encouragement from folks on the same path. There's a lot to learn from the forum content that's here, but perhaps most of all, I'd recommend looking at critique exchanges. Trade your stories with another writer, and help each other out. You can learn a lot both from what other people see in your story, and from trying to help another writer get the very best out of what they're working on.

@marywilliams Welcome! Best to you in your writing journey.

@marywilliams Welcome, Mary. Do you have your sights focused on the Illustrator contest, then? Or the Writer contest?

@marywilliams Hello there! Welcome!

Hi, I'm Mary Williams, from USA, senior graphic designer with skills in illustration, video editing etc. 

welcome to the forum@bravestplace and @marywilliams!

Hello all. I have been a long time reader of Writers of the Future, beginning with Volume I when it was first published. The first book I checked out of our public library at about age 10 was Heinlein's Red Planet and I've been a fan of Spec Fic/Sci Fi/whatever since then.

In the dim past, when the InterWebs started to become a thing and we all used dial-up modems (remember that sound?), I discovered a group called Otherworld Cafe where I could chat with like minded people. The future had arrived!

Now I find this wonderful group. I've been inspired by many of the posts I've read in the short time I've been here. One week ago today I sent in my first story. I think I'm going to like it here.

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on submitting a story Eugene. 

@emlouviere Hello there! Welcome aboard, it's great to see you've already sent in a story. Keep writing, and have fun.

Posted by: @emlouviere

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Now I find this wonderful group. I've been inspired by many of the posts I've read in the short time I've been here. One week ago today I sent in my first story. I think I'm going to like it here.

Welcome Eugene! This is a wonderful group. The writers (and illustrators!) in these forums have helped my writing grow so much over the last year. Congratulations on your first submission! I wish it the best of luck. I hope, if it becomes necessary (and fingers crossed it doesn't) that you'll continue to submit every quarter until you join the ranks of the winners!

Posted by: @bravestplace

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I'm Alan and live in Belfast, UK.  I have just started a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing at the ripe old age of 50!  Writing is always something that I have enjoyed but never really pushed myself to do anything about it.  Now that I am semi-retired and recently divorced I thought this would be a good time to start working on something that I have a passion for!

Congrats on giving it a go.  I'm turning 52 next month and last year I started taking writing seriously.  Good to know there are others out there exploring writing.  This forum, and those I've met here, have helped me grow so much over the last year. I trust you will find the same results while on your development path.

Welcome @marywilliams

Welcome @emlouviere

@emlouviere welcome to the forum! I enjoyed reading your background and congratulations on submitting your first story

Posted by: @toddjones

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Posted by: @bravestplace

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I'm Alan and live in Belfast, UK.  I have just started a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing at the ripe old age of 50!

Congrats on giving it a go.  I'm turning 52 next month and last year I started taking writing seriously.  Good to know there are others out there exploring writing.  This forum, and those I've met here, have helped me grow so much over the last year. I trust you will find the same results while on your development path.

A wise, 50 year young man told me recently that the median age of the winners of V39 is close to 50 as well. So you two are well positioned.

@toddjones and @bravestplace so nice to see youngsters here!

I am 64 years old and am enjoying learning to write publishable stories! 

I had no idea that writing could take over my life, but I love it!

So many new friends!

Welcome!

@emlouviere  Welcome, Eugene. Congratulations on making that first big step by submitting a story. There are many here that will help you continue on your journey, but every journey begins with that first step. Well done!

Do take advantage of the Writers of the Future Online Workshop--it's free and taught by the best!

Welcome aboard!

Thank you for the encouragement, one and all. I've started my second story to submit for the next quarter, on the assumption I just might not win with my very first submission (has that ever happened?)

Wulf, before I joined, I browsed through the forums and was greatly encouraged by how supportive everyone here was to new members. I enjoyed your comments and insights and humor. My family name derives from old French which loosely translates as "the place of the wolf" and I have an affinity for all things lupine.

After reading about your submission of "Moongirl", I was puzzled. I have been reading Writers of the Future since the first volume was printed and pride myself in having a complete collection. However, I could not recall reading your story in Volume 35. When I checked my library, I realized there was no such volume to be found. This terrible deficit was due to the onset of the Covid plague and I immediately corrected the problem. When I received my copy of the book, the first story I read was "Moongirl." At the conclusion maybe there was a tear, maybe not. I'm not telling.

So thank you, everyone, for the welcome. Now back to writing.

I'm an 18 year old philosophy major from Canada. I totally whiffed it on my first submission to the writer contest in the last quarter of 2022, but I feel better about my entry this quarter. My first submission was too melodramatic and obscure, whereas my most recent one has a more interesting world and story, plus actually likeable characters with more evident motivations. 

I mostly read classic literature, but I enjoy the aesthetic of science fiction more than the stuffy settings of most classic novels. My greatest inspirations recently have been Kafka, Philip K. Dick, and H.G. Wells, and the books that got me into writing include The Catcher in the Rye and 1984. 

Even if I never win this contest, I think it'll help me to become a better writer. I'm glad to be here, it seems like a great community.

@cameron Welcome. Never give up!

Welcome Cameron. It would do you well to take the free online course offered by WotF.

You will have another story by the end of the exercise.

@cameron welcome! Best of luck with your next entry, and I second @storysinger suggestion to work through the online workshop. Great tips in there on how to improve your writing.

Posted by: @cameron

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I think it'll help me to become a better writer. I'm glad to be here, it seems like a great community.

Welcome. The WotF forum and the people I've met here have fast tracked my writing skills. The forum is full of great advice, dig through it and go through some of the free lessons. The people are friendly and willing to help with reviews, which are a huge help.

Keep writing and have fun.

@cameron Hello, fellow Canadian! I'm happy to see that you're getting deeper into writing - and with a good attitude as well. Welcome aboard!

@cameron Welcome! Don't be afraid to exchange some critiques with forumites: even if we haven't won yet, many of us have extensively studied the contest and can give some pretty strong guidance on how to start getting Honorable Mentions and Silver Honorable Mentions.

Posted by: @emlouviere

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Thank you for the encouragement, one and all. I've started my second story to submit for the next quarter, on the assumption I just might not win with my very first submission (has that ever happened?)

Wulf, before I joined, I browsed through the forums and was greatly encouraged by how supportive everyone here was to new members. I enjoyed your comments and insights and humor. My family name derives from old French which loosely translates as "the place of the wolf" and I have an affinity for all things lupine.

After reading about your submission of "Moongirl", I was puzzled. I have been reading Writers of the Future since the first volume was printed and pride myself in having a complete collection. However, I could not recall reading your story in Volume 35. When I checked my library, I realized there was no such volume to be found. This terrible deficit was due to the onset of the Covid plague and I immediately corrected the problem. When I received my copy of the book, the first story I read was "Moongirl." At the conclusion maybe there was a tear, maybe not. I'm not telling.

So thank you, everyone, for the welcome. Now back to writing.

Thank you, Eugene, lover of all things lupine! You made me smile. 😊

Best of success to you and all the new wolf cubs here in the Forum!

Welcome, @cameron! All the best on your entry, & I second @ease about the crits & @toddjones on the forum as a whole.

I'll say hello here I suppose.

It's so cool to be reading the posts from all you professionals, because I am the definition of an amateur. I've been writing for maybe two years, and I've written about four books, plus a few novellas. I'm younger than most of you and I rarely have any idea what the heck I'm doing, while at the same time I'm fairly arrogant, and prone to assume my writing is a lot better than the writing of other people, my age especially. 

For me "writers of the future" is more of a stepping stone then it is a destination. I want to become a professional novelist, and this contest seemed like a great way to get my name out there, even if my writing isn't actually good enough to give me a spot in the anthology or anything. The people here who've dedicated years upon years to this contest, entering every quarter, deserve to win a lot more than I do. Still, the thought that someone will look at and judge my writing naturally makes me push myself to be better, and so that, combined with the fact that this whole community is so friendly to aspiring writers, made me want to hop on these forums. Looking forward to getting to know all of you!