NEW USERS! INTRODUCE YOURSELVES!

For my day job I work at the ISS National Laboratory as an engineer helping science experiments from across the US make their way to the International Space Station.

That has to be high on the list of intros to the forum. Welcome darynnmark.

For my day job I work at the ISS National Laboratory as an engineer helping science experiments from across the US make their way to the International Space Station.

That has to be high on the list of intros to the forum. Welcome darynnmark.

Thank you! Excited to be here!

Hi everyone,

My name is Steve. I've been lurking around the boards on and off for some time and I decided to take the plunge and introduce myself. I've entered a couple of times before and I'm hoping to have a finished story for this quarter.

Nice to meet everyone!

Welcome Steve!

Welcome Darnymark and Steve! (And everyone else that I didn't say hi too.) We're happy to have you here. Looking forward to meeting you and your stories!

Hi everyone,

My name is Steve. I've been lurking around the boards on and off for some time and I decided to take the plunge and introduce myself. I've entered a couple of times before and I'm hoping to have a finished story for this quarter.

Nice to meet everyone!

Welcome aboard, Steve! I'm guessing your name is a play on the "Man With No Name" Spaghetti Westerns featuring Clint Eastwood. I just finished watching them for the umpteenth time! And I'm glad we have your name; thanks for introducing yourself.

Do post on the Q3 topic. Most of the support happens on the current quarter's topic.

Cheers!

Wulf Moon
Forum Moderator

Hello everyone,

My name is Daniel and my username comes from the Frank Zappa song "Montana" (in case anyone was wondering). I'm a high school math teacher and running coach. I've been writing forever, but only seriously dedicated to it since 2016, but I never submitted anything anywhere until 2018. I've submitted to WOTF twice, and both times were honorable mentions. I have another submission under review at the moment, and I plan to submit again before June 30. While I have family and friends who are supportive, I do not know many other writers, so it can be difficult to get meaningful feedback from people I know in-person. Looking to make that jump to the next level and move from HM to professionally published. I'm happy to join the community!

-Daniel

This is the place! Welcome!

Hello everyone,

My name is Daniel and my username comes from the Frank Zappa song "Montana" (in case anyone was wondering). I'm a high school math teacher and running coach. I've been writing forever, but only seriously dedicated to it since 2016, but I never submitted anything anywhere until 2018. I've submitted to WOTF twice, and both times were honorable mentions. I have another submission under review at the moment, and I plan to submit again before June 30. While I have family and friends who are supportive, I do not know many other writers, so it can be difficult to get meaningful feedback from people I know in-person. Looking to make that jump to the next level and move from HM to professionally published. I'm happy to join the community!

-Daniel

Hey, Daniel! I know you! Great writer here, folks! Glad you took my recommendation to join us!

There are plenty here to help with critiques, both on your first pages, and in critique swaps. Do post in the quarter topic you plan on entering--most of the support happens there. Congrats on getting two HMs with your first tries, that's excellent, but I'd expect no less with the quality of your writing. To shoot for those higher honors, including Finalist and the win, don't miss my Super Secrets topic! I've been putting everything I know about winning this contest--and getting professionally published--into that topic. It's helped many others, and I wrote it for people like YOU! : )

Welcome aboard, Daniel!

Wulf Moon
Forum Moderator

Brad, et al:

I teach, a dual appointment in Computer Science and Art and I been known to teach writing; interactive storytelling is a specialty.

With the end of the before-times, during the great hunker down, I put together a tiny writer's workshop and we've met by zoom every week since.

Here's how I managed it: I approached basically everyone I knew on social media who had done any public or professional writing. I got one taker. That one got another, and here we three are, a lose unsyndicate, writing busily away.

It's been a remarkable help staying on target and I highly recommend the experience.

I'm currently preparing to enter my third WotF quarter in a row, and intend to make the year-round -unless I win first, of course!

Merrily,
BW

Welcome to the forum Daniel and Brad. Everything you need is just a click away, enjoy.

Hi Daniel, Brad, Steve, and everyone. Great to have y’all with us.

Welcome Brad, Daniel, Steve and any others I missed!!

Boy this place seems to be growing... you take a few weeks off to try to polish your entry and return to a dozen new future friends. So glad to meet you all. Can't wait to share pieces with y'all.

Seriously recommend the story critique thread (helped me a ton this quarter).

Shockhawk

Welcome aboard, BigWig Brad!

We seem to be getting an unusual amount of teachers lately. Must have some relation to the times.

Smart way to make a writer's circle! You don't need many; you do need dedicated. Glad you found some.

Plenty of dedicated writers in here. Enjoy the Forum!

Wulf Moon
Forum Moderator

I'm not new, just been out of action for a while, but I'm back now. In the last couple of months I've written more than in the last few years. I'm also submitting again.

Some of you might remember me from Hatrack as the troll man. Well the trolls are still here in my head but I'm trying to write more serious stuff for now.

Welcome back, pdblake!

Greetings, everyone!

A couple of months ago I stumbled across the Beastmaster Moon's Super Secrets thread and started to read it out of curiosity. All I wanted was to learn a couple of writing techniques, but all of you won me over with how supportive and lovely and encouraging this community is, so... yeah, now I'm invested in writing more stories, haha!

I've always enjoyed writing (science fiction, mostly - I read a lot of Arthur C. Clarke when I was young and have never looked back), and for the first couple years of high school I was frequently seen scribbling away with a pen and paper, hence the username. Unfortunately, after taking a few advanced literature classes I got so caught up in making every sentence perfect that I let all of the fun get sucked out of creative writing and stopped doing it. At first it was a relief to step away, but I started to really miss being able to write freely and after a few years of college I got tired of so many story ideas piling up in my head. Surprisingly (to me, at least), writing has become less stressful again the more that I learn about specifically writing fiction. It's been so helpful to understand why my vision isn't materializing on the page and how to get it there - the first Super Secret I read was about writing smart dialogue, and it. Blew. My. Mind.

Excited to put these new techniques into practice, I actually wrote a story in the second half of June and had more fun doing it than I have in a long time! It was still a lot of hard work, of course, but I ended up submitting it to the contest just a few minutes under the wire and I still feel really happy about it.

Also, shoutout to Martin Shoemaker for fixing the problem with my account activation so quickly. Thanks, Martin!

Oops, I seem to have written quite a lot - time to call it good, methinks. I'm excited to be here and writing stories with all of you, the Writers of the Future. See you around!

- Marcus

Welcome aboard, Marcus! (PenMark)

Glad my Super Secrets lured you in! And I'm glad the one on writing smart dialogue helped you.

And yes, many a good aspiring writer has been destroyed by college writing programs, alas. They focus on "what is literature" like you just said, instead of "how to write sellable fiction." Big difference! I found my professors had no published writing credits, and I began to wonder why I was paying them to teach me how to write. Writers that go through such courses have to unlearn what they were taught, and by the time they figure that out, those teachings have been deeply imprinted on their writing style. Glad you are aware, and are taking action.

You will find a wonderful group of dedicated aspiring writers in here. Don't forget to take the Writers of the Future Online Course. In that course, the instructors are actually writers. NYT bestselling writers, the best in their fields. You will learn the right stuff.

All the beast!

Wulf Moon
Forum Moderator

Welcome to the forum Marcus. Visit all the threads and participate in the interaction between aspiring writers, enjoy.

Thank you both for the welcome (and the tips)! I'll definitely be checking out the other topics in this forum, and I am very intrigued by the WotF online course. I have been working through a lecture series by Brandon Sanderson, but something specifically designed for this contest probably takes precedence, huh?

Thank you both for the welcome (and the tips)! I'll definitely be checking out the other topics in this forum, and I am very intrigued by the WotF online course. I have been working through a lecture series by Brandon Sanderson, but something specifically designed for this contest probably takes precedence, huh?

Um, yes. The course is written by the judges that will determine whether or not you win. It's a no-brainer to make that a top priority.

Moon

Hello!

My name is Kelley Stead and I received an honorable mention for my first entry. =] Just entered my third story and dying for results from Vol 37 quarter 2!

I run a blog called The Millennial Blogger. I recently featured Leah Ning on the blog because her story was amazing.

Nice to be amongst the best!
Kelley

Welcome aboard, Kelley.

I read your blog. It was wonderful, and I enjoyed it. Here's wishing you success on your entry.

Best,

Retro

Welcome aboard, Kelley!

I also enjoyed your interview with Leah Ning. You have a nice blogger site! And congratulations on getting an HM on your first submission. Kevin J. Anderson once told me: "Getting an honorable mention in Writers of the Future really means something. They don't give those out lightly." In fact, Kevin entered WotF 17 or 18 times and never got an HM. So keep at it, you're showing good color!

Do take advantage of all the good knowledge sharing on the boards here. Do post in the quarter you are entering--most of the support happens there. There's a first pages and critique swapping area as well. And my Super Secrets tips to help you make your entry shine...but you already know about those after talking to Leah.

Best of success! We look forward to making you part of the family!

Wulf Moon
Forum Moderator

Hi, Kelley! That's awesome that you got an HM for your first submission. Now that I've submitted my first story, waiting three to four months for the result feels like a long time, haha. Good luck with your Q2 results!

Also, I looked up your interview with Leah Ning and it was very interesting - I don't read interviews that often, but the way that you wove your own commentary into the interview kept me engaged and reading all the way to the end. You really nailed the pacing, in my opinion. Nice job!

Hi, Kelley! That's awesome that you got an HM for your first submission. Now that I've submitted my first story, waiting three to four months for the result feels like a long time, haha. Good luck with your Q2 results!

Also, I looked up your interview with Leah Ning and it was very interesting - I don't read interviews that often, but the way that you wove your own commentary into the interview kept me engaged and reading all the way to the end. You really nailed the pacing, in my opinion. Nice job!

Thank you so much!
Your comment made me blush

Welcome to the forum Kelley. Congrats on the HM.

Hello,

I'm CJ from Kingston, Ontario, Canada. I am a current history student at Queen's University. I love to write and read fantasy. This is my second time submitting to the contest, but the first time not being 19 and thinking myself a literary genius lol. I am hoping for an honourable mention this time around, but a little feedback would suit me just fine. I am currently reading a Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan, an honourable mention of this fine contest. I am entered into V37 Q2.

Been lurking here for a while, glad to join you guys!

Welcome aboard, Fitz!

Since you’ve been lurking here for a long time, you know the drill. Take advantage of the quarter folder you enter in, and don’t forget there are places to get critiques on your work and critique others’ work.

Welcome aboard and have a great time!

Wulf Moon
Forum moderator

Hi everybody!
My name is James Hargreaves and I sent my first submission to the contest this past quarter (Q3 - Vol 37) and can't wait to get more involved in this community of writers and illustrators!

I'm currently a Middle School Band Director in San Antonio, Texas, teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students how to make music and turn a complicated piece of metal and/or wood into an extension of their souls . . . (is that too dramatic for middle school kids ... )

I've been a SciFi/Fantasy reader all my life and even dabbled in writing a few stories as a kid (won 2nd place in a 5th-grade writing contest!!!)

Ever since I got the idea for my current story/WIP over 5-years ago though, I have fully taken on this new life as a writer and (hopefully one day) a published author!
Now, I try to sneak in any moments I can to work on this project: studying the craft of writing, outlining and re-checking my story beats, developing the world, meeting my characters, and writing the prose.
My submission to the contest this past quarter was a 17k excerpt from 2 of the primary POVs in book 1 of my planned 4-book series (from the beginning to the jumping-off point towards the end of Act 1).
The entire first draft is nearly 202,000 words though at last count with a projected final word count of 240K (just for book 1!) when it's done. We'll see if I can find a good way to trim and clean / or maybe even cut book 1 in half ... We'll see . Then I'll have an 8-book series to deal with! What have I got myself into here???

I'm digging into some of the Sanderson Lectures on Youtube and preparing to dive into the WotF online course as well.
Looking forward to meeting many of you and maybe one day, getting some feedback on my stories!

Cheers,

James S. Hargreaves
Twitter: @Jimforxst