NEW USERS! INTRODUCE YOURSELVES!

Welcome Stan and Dylan (or Hey You). Much success to your writing, and in submitting to the contest. This is great place to get writing advice in general--many of us have sold stories to pro markets, and can offer good advice. On the question above about word count, it's not wise to enter 17K stories, as some judges have spoken openly against it, citing various reasons. Doesn't mean they can't win, just means it will be harder. There's a post on this on the WOTF website by a certain Canadian judge you may wish to read and take under advisement. And yes, Dave has called for humor, and if you can write it, have at it! Jon Ficke got his win with a funny office story in the current antho, check it out.

As to those saying fear holds them back from entering until the last Q, I'll give you a quote. "You have nothing to fear but fear itself." Stop that. : ) View the contest as a way to create four stories a year that you can market here and elsewhere, and that this is just the story's first stop on the submission train. REALLY important to develop that mentality, because you will also need it to become a professional writer. Which I assume is the reason everyone is here.

Fortune favor the brave!

~Moon~

(From the Desk of Hey You)

Thank you, Moon!

I have to admit, I was a bit intimidated to start posting on here instead of just lurking, but everyone that's responded has been very friendly. It's fantastic.

I'm glad to know about the judges not liking stuff that's too long. My current project is at about 5K words and is already starting to wind down. I was pulling my hair out trying to figure out how I could make it *longer*, but now that seems like way less of a worry. Phew.

I'll quote right back at you! "I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain"...and hopefully a voicemail from Joni Labaqui telling congratulating me *grin*

Hello all! I haven't been on one of these forums in quite a while; not since I used to do some freelance art and writing on RPG.net. Anyhoo, my new friend Wulf Moon advised me to come by and join up. I actually submitted my first story to WoTF back in 2016 (don't recall the quarter), and it came in as a semifinalist. Since then, I have been primarily absorbed in novel writing, but I'm hoping to get back on track with the contest this or next quarter. In the meantime, I look forward to meeting some great folks, learning a great deal, and having some fun.

Hi, Jason. Nice to have you here with us!

Hello all! I haven't been on one of these forums in quite a while; not since I used to do some freelance art and writing on RPG.net. Anyhoo, my new friend Wulf Moon advised me to come by and join up. I actually submitted my first story to WoTF back in 2016 (don't recall the quarter), and it came in as a semifinalist. Since then, I have been primarily absorbed in novel writing, but I'm hoping to get back on track with the contest this or next quarter. In the meantime, I look forward to meeting some great folks, learning a great deal, and having some fun.

Hey, Jason! Glad you made it! Your first entry was a semifinalist? DO YOU KNOW HOW COOL THAT IS??? Okay, it's cool. People here know how cool that is. Good on ya, and more to come! You've got two quarters left to turn something into a finalist! You can do this! WE MUST GET TO PRESTON IN L.A.!"

Read up in Q1, Vol 35, on Preston's experience. It's HISTORIC. Seriously, he was an urban myth that's come to life. You should read the Reject Rejctomancy topic as well, another great WOTF experience about never giving up, or, more accurately, about coming back after you've given up.

Welcome to the forum!

Fortune favor the brave,

~Moon~

Hi, Jason. Nice to have you here with us!

Thanks, DylCary. I look forward to the adventure.

Hello all! I haven't been on one of these forums in quite a while; not since I used to do some freelance art and writing on RPG.net. Anyhoo, my new friend Wulf Moon advised me to come by and join up. I actually submitted my first story to WoTF back in 2016 (don't recall the quarter), and it came in as a semifinalist. Since then, I have been primarily absorbed in novel writing, but I'm hoping to get back on track with the contest this or next quarter. In the meantime, I look forward to meeting some great folks, learning a great deal, and having some fun.

Hey, Jason! Glad you made it! Your first entry was a semifinalist? DO YOU KNOW HOW COOL THAT IS??? Okay, it's cool. People here know how cool that is. Good on ya, and more to come! You've got two quarters left to turn something into a finalist! You can do this! WE MUST GET TO PRESTON IN L.A.!"

Read up in Q1, Vol 35, on Preston's experience. It's HISTORIC. Seriously, he was an urban myth that's come to life. You should read the Reject Rejctomancy topic as well, another great WOTF experience about never giving up, or, more accurately, about coming back after you've given up.

Welcome to the forum!

Fortune favor the brave,

~Moon~

Thanks, Wulf. I'm on it!

Welcome, new Forumites,

I'm always impressed by the broad range of experience represented.

Good luck to all.

Kent

Hello to all the amazing writers out there! I’m a new writer who just had his first short story published in another anthology. I’ve finished up my second story, so here I am deciding whether or not I think I’m good enough to enter WotF. It’s scary as all get out!

That said, I really enjoy the feedback in this forum, and I’m happy to contribute.

I also have a question about profanity. My story is by no means laced with bad language, but it does contain a few. Most notably two instances of the dreaded F-bomb. I’ve thought about changing it, but frankly, the word choice is what I need for the scene to work. Will that get my work disqualified?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Welcome aboard, Smitty! Congrats on your first sale! If you view this as just another market to send your stories to, it will be a lot easier. Don't self reject...you are not the judge, Dave is. He won't even know if it's you if he does reject it--this is a blind contest, so put your blinders on and go for it!

As for profanity, I had a story about mermaids, used no profanity, and Dave commented about the "breast imagery" as part of the reason he did not make it a finalist, even though he felt the level of world building alone was better than all the other stories he made finalist. You have to remember they are marketing to high schools as well, and anyone would hope to see their book in every school library, and that means getting past the librarians' code of morality and the pitch fork carrying parents! If I were you, and I'm not, I would come up with some other word. And that's a word to the wise. When you're rich and famous, then you can say whatever the hell you want. : )

Cheers,

~Moon~

Hello Everyone,

I've been reading the posts on the forum for a few weeks now and decided it was time to join. I submitted my first short story to the contest second quarter. I'm going to try and get something into the third if I can focus hard enough =)

Good luck to everyone!

Ben

Welcome to Twitch-central, Ben!

Hello!

My name is Kimberly and I am posting from Tennessee. I prematurely submitted a short story for this quarter out of sheer excitement of the existence of this contest. I am devastated at my ignorance and hope to write a worthy story for the next quarter. I have been writing for years and recently decided to try to get my work beyond the walls of my home. This is a huge step for me since no one has ever read my writings aside from school essays.
This whole process makes me nervous even in knowing that my writing doesn't stand up to what others have submitted in quarters and years past. Regardless, I am excited to have found this revenue as an excuse to continue writing in hopes that I succeed in bettering my skills. I am working on a personal novel but have many short stories I want to finish and this is my new reason for plans to do so.

So yay! Here I am.

Well, welcome to the group! You’re in good company.

If there’s one thing I can attest to, it’s we’ve all have felt, or currently feel, that way. This is, by far, the least judgmental, yet helpful group of commiserating hopeful (and current) authors you’ll find.

Welcome to the forums and congrats on submitting your first story! By far the hardest send button to hit. Let the twitching begin!

Go Karmstrong!

Welcome to the Forum.

It's wonderfully scary feeling when you submit. Lightning might strike on your first try.

PM if you ever need a critique.

Good Luck,
Kent

Welcome to the forum karmstrong. Good luck with your entry.

Thank you all!

I am still new to all of this. I have a few children's books that are available but they aren't actually published yet. I really want to branch out and discover the best way to publish my other genre's.

Does anyone have advice on the best way to get your work out there to readers?

Thank you all!

I am still new to all of this. I have a few children's books that are available but they aren't actually published yet. I really want to branch out and discover the best way to publish my other genre's.

Does anyone have advice on the best way to get your work out there to readers?

Are you familiar with the Submission Grinder?

https://thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com/

It's a database of markets that uses user-submitted data to track submissions/rejections/acceptances. You can create a profile for free and log your own submissions/rejections as well.

First, write. Second, finish what you write. Third, submit what you write (see the Submission Grinder for where to). Fourth, keep what you submit out until it sells. Repeat.

There's a brave world of markets out there from twitter fiction to novels, and I see no reason not to submit to as many as possible. Remember, even NYT bestselling authors get rejected. A rejection is just a rejection, you'll end up with more than you can count, so submit, submit, submit.

Hello there!

So, my name is Lorenzo and I'm an ambitious little high school Senior with big passions and even bigger dreams. I've been lurking around the forums for a while as I tried to write my first story for the competition. However, I've hit a wall in the editing of my story and was hoping that this forum might be able to help me out.

It's always been my desire to write a story that speaks to the heart. A story that is haunting... yet also beautiful. Bittersweet stories that resound within both the reader and myself as the writer. That has always been one of my primary motivations for writing.

So here I am, putting my last touches on my story for Q2 of the competition. Excited to begin my career as a writer!

Welcome to the Forum, LorenzoAL,

You're in the right place for critiques and story exchanges. There are many people aboard who will exchange with you. The usual place to ask is on the Story Critique Exchange (http://forum.writersofthefuture.com/viewforum.php?f=15).

PM me for an exchange.

Best of luck,
Kent

I've hit a wall in the editing of my story and was hoping that this forum might be able to help me out.

Hi Lorenzo My little bro asked me the same question (re editing) the other day. This is the advice I gave him: (1) Draft. (2) Revise. (3) Edit.

Draft is where just hammer it out from beginning to end. You don’t need to care too much about the readability or flow and such. The point here is to just write the whole thing. Splat![/list:u:2t9qh6jy]
For revision, you start address the “large stuff”. These will normally he structural repairs. The big stuff.[/list:u:2t9qh6jy]
By the time you’re ready to do the editing, your story is structurally in the right place. And in theory, all you have to do is pay attention to your spelling, grammar, readability, word-choice… stuff like that.[/list:u:2t9qh6jy]

With this process, you’ll make multiple passes for all three stages (draft, revision, editing). The stages for writing short stories is mostly the same... only in more manageable bites.

Having said that, take for granted that my summary is a generalised bastardisation of what is actually a rather intense process. But also rewarding and fun. Now go be rewarded… and have fun doing it.

WOTF Stats
(2014) V31 – R
(2018) V35 – HM
(2019) V36 – HM, SHM
(2020) V37 – R, HM, SHM, Finalist
(2021) V38 – SF, SHM, SHM, HM
(2022) V39 – HM, SHM, SHM, SHM
(2023) V40 - HM, SF, tba, tba

 

Welcome to the forums, Lorenzo!

I, too, started submitting to the contest when I was in high school. Ten years have passed since then.

My advice: Write a lot of stories. Research your markets, but don't self-reject. Submit widely.

I'm always willing to help (time permitting, of course) if you need comments/feedback.

Hey guys, I'm Shannon and I'm new to the forum. I'm going to be submitting to WotF for the first time in Q3, and I'm both nervous and excited. I'm from California, I'm queer and chronically ill, so ... that's fun. Anyhow, I decided to come out of the shadows and finally introduce myself.

Welcome to the Forum, Shannon,

Best of luck with your first entry, that's the biggest hurdle many writers have to get over. Many of us could sit for hours painstakingly editing every word in our stories until everything feels perfect. And in that way, I've edited the life right out of two stories.

Do what you're capable of, today. Submit the story. Winners have reported missing words, typos and other problems with their winning stories, so Dave and the judges understand that we're human. Submit the story.

Good luck,
Kent

p.s. Submit the story. Do it. Do it now!

Welcome to the forums, Shannon!

Good luck, and don't stress about that first entry too much.

Hi guys! I'm Alex, and I submitted for the first time for Q2 this year (And nervously check my email every day to see if there's any news 😛 ). I just wanted to say hi and introduce myself!

Hello and welcome to all the new! Whether you're a high school Senior or a Methuselah, until you have more than three pro sales (as deemed by SFWA's standards), this is the place you should be submitting your speculative fiction. Do take a hike over to SFWA's online site if you haven't already. You'll find some great advice on how to properly format your manuscripts, markets you can send your work to, and much, much more. Jon Ficke already mentioned The Submission Grinder. You need this, just in case your story doesn't sell to WOTF on the first try. It will tell you where to send your story next, and it's a free submission search engine. Sign up!

And of course, you have this resource. Lots of great support here, especially if you're here to win WOTF. I assume that's the case, right? Right?

So keep writing. Keep sending. And keep those stories rotating out to other markets--WOTF isn't the end of the path, it's only the beginning.

All the beast!

~Moon~

I joined a while back and just found this hidden in "Contest". Here I am, but I don't think I belong here.

Welcome to the forum BLAlley. You are here so it is as it should be.

Welcome Alex, Shannon, Lorenzo, and anyone I've missed.

Enjoy .