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Discussion: Q1 Volume 39

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czing
(@czing)
Posts: 287
Silver Member
 

SHM for me. silverhm  

v36 Q1, Q3 - HM; Q4 - R
v37 Q1 - R; Q2 - SHM; Q4 - HM
v38 Q1 - HM; Q2 - SHM; Q3 - HM; Q4 - HM
v39 Q1 - SHM; Q3 - HM; Q4 -RWC
v40 Q1, Q2 - HM; Q3 - Pending

 
Posted : May 14, 2022 8:15 pm
Anna X, Todd Jones, Cray Dimensional and 6 people reacted
Beth Powers
(@bethpowers)
Posts: 160
Silver Member
 
Posted by: @axeminister
Posted by: @bethpowers

silverhm
I tried something new with this one by significantly revising a SHM, and as it turns out, it is still a SHM! I'm not sure what to make of this yet, but I have my next few quarters planned out with other stories, so I'll be sending this one somewhere else in the meantime!

Hi Beth!

Is this the one I think it is? This quarter's subs were long ago... I believe I re-read the opening and found it still quite good, so I can see the Silver coming up again. And that two judges felt that way is saying something.

 

Hi Dustin! These subs do seem long ago--I remember you read the opening of this one, but I don't remember if it was this version or the first time around. It's probably the one you think it is! Even though it didn't improve in the rankings, I think the story improved greatly with the rewrite, so I'm happy to have a stronger story as a result!

 

Beth Powers
-----
Silver HM x 5
HM x 20
Entries x 65
-----
Collected Stories: Sorcery & Widgets

 
Posted : May 14, 2022 8:45 pm
DoctorJest
(@doctorjest)
Posts: 835
Platinum Member
 
Posted by: @kent

(The Before-Time: Beginning 6/29/2013) HM, R, HM, R, HM, HM, HM, R, R, HM, R, R, R,

V34 - HM, R, R, HM,

V35 - R, R, HM, R,

V36 - R, HM, SHM, HM,

V37 - R, R, HM, F,

V38 - SHM, R, SHM, HM,

V39 - SHM, Pending

I figured I'd follow up with mine. I track the counts in my signature, but haven't usually posted the trajectory.

Vols 31-33 (intermittent entries): HM, SHM, HM, HM

...then I didn't enter at all for either volume 34 or 35. After that, though, I've only missed entering the first quarter of Vol 37.

Vol 36: HM, SHM, HM, HM
Vol 37: [N/E], HM, SHM, HM
Vol 38: F, SHM, HM, HM
Vol 39: SHM, [P], [P], [WIP]...

The progression isn't glaring in these results, but my first block of 8 entries yielded 2 Silvers and 6 HMs, and the second 8 produced 1 Finalist, 3 Silvers, and 4 HMs, so it's an upward slope, if not a steep one. Outside of the Contest, too, although my rate of sales hasn't improved, the number of personal rejections and "please send more / like your style" responses went up as well. I'm curious to see if applying Ken Rand's 10% Solution will improve my result rates further--it feels like my writing is stronger for it, but it'll take time to see if anything concrete comes out of the change. 

Addendum: My writing stalled badly in mid-2017, and in 2019, despite a rough year, the Forum really gave my writing a kick in the pants again. There's no substitute for writing, but I've so far found no better encouragement to keep writing, and keep improving, than being here.

DQ:0 / R:0 / RWC:0 / HM:15 / SHM:7 / SF:1 / F:1
Published prior WotF entries: PodCastle, HFQ, Abyss & Apex

 
Posted : May 14, 2022 9:10 pm
James (Ease), CeciBlack, Doc Honour and 2 people reacted
Scott_M_Sands
(@scott_m_sands)
Posts: 452
Gold Member
 
Posted by: @kent

I type forty words per minute, so I can write one thousand words in twenty-five minutes and three thousand words in an hour and fifteen minutes

Dang. No way I type that fast.
I'm not even sure I think that fast. Lol

But I do submit to the principle of writing every day.

"If writing is easy, you're doing it wrong." -Bryan Hutchinson
V36-37: R x6
V38: R, HM, R, HM
V39: HM, HM, HM, HM
V40: HM

 
Posted : May 15, 2022 5:38 am
(@eviekb)
Posts: 24
Advanced Member
 

@jason Thanks for the info Jason! You have reassured me no end - especially regarding my Q2 entry, which I was obviously also concerned about!

The delays, what with the two new categories, are perfectly understandable.

I think I can guess what the 'C' bit of the RWC is, to be honest. I'm guessing it was perceived as taking too long to get going/establish the speculative element. Obviously I'd disagree since it's a mystery right from the start imo, but still, I do think the addition of RWC category is a really brilliant idea. Especially as just getting 'R' is bound to make people upset. But 'R' with a justifiable reason - that goes some way to reducing that stress.

 

Cheers! smiley  

"It doesn't sell but it's mine!" George Peppard in The Subterraneans (1960)
V38 Q3 SHM
V38 Q4 SHM
V39 Q1 RWC (same story as V38Q3)
V39 Q2 HM (same story as V38Q4)
V39 Q3 RWC
V39 Q4 This one is going to win! Trust me! It's amazing! - Ok, so it only got an SHM. Poodoo! It was a brilliant YA story!!!
V40 Q1 SHM; will these torments never end?!! It was a great story!
V40 Q2 SHM Now this is getting silly. I write a definite YA winning story and it only gets SHM. Perhaps I should edit my online history...
V40 Q3 I'm guessing either SHM or RWC...
Have decided am going for the record number of RWCs! 2 out of 3 so far...
Follow me at:
Smashwords – About Evelyn K. Brunswick, author of 'Rejected Messages'
...and find out what we ETIs actually think of you humans...

 
Posted : May 15, 2022 6:28 am
(@eviekb)
Posts: 24
Advanced Member
 
Posted by: @cube

Meanwhile the themes in my stories are philosophical, often take a while to explain, and often carry unpopular messages that bare some flaw or another in humanity, present drastic solutions no-one would really want to hear, or are just plain politically incorrect. Often there is not a single main plot hook but many smaller themes. People don't want that, especially not when the smaller themes are critical of humans in general and fly in the face of socially accepted norms.

That sounds completely familiar, as it's what I tend to write about. I've always had the view that if a story doesn't have some philosophically important message or theme and speaks directly to the reader to actually make them think then it's ultimately trivial and unimportant. At best it's escapism, at worst it's deliberate distraction to actually prevent them from seeing the bigger picture.

 

So in that sense I find it really difficult, if not impossible, to write a dumbed down story with dumbed down protagonists. I just can't write stupid characters without them turning into caricatures.

 

Although... this gives me an idea, which is of course predictable - but that's the point - take a group of stupid characters, put them in an easily solvable situation, and then they all die in the end. ha ha.

 

I guess cliches and predictability are no barrier to literary success these days...

"It doesn't sell but it's mine!" George Peppard in The Subterraneans (1960)
V38 Q3 SHM
V38 Q4 SHM
V39 Q1 RWC (same story as V38Q3)
V39 Q2 HM (same story as V38Q4)
V39 Q3 RWC
V39 Q4 This one is going to win! Trust me! It's amazing! - Ok, so it only got an SHM. Poodoo! It was a brilliant YA story!!!
V40 Q1 SHM; will these torments never end?!! It was a great story!
V40 Q2 SHM Now this is getting silly. I write a definite YA winning story and it only gets SHM. Perhaps I should edit my online history...
V40 Q3 I'm guessing either SHM or RWC...
Have decided am going for the record number of RWCs! 2 out of 3 so far...
Follow me at:
Smashwords – About Evelyn K. Brunswick, author of 'Rejected Messages'
...and find out what we ETIs actually think of you humans...

 
Posted : May 15, 2022 6:39 am
Doc Honour
(@ehonour)
Posts: 119
Silver Member
 
Posted by: @eviekb

@ehonour when you talk about the 'human' element - are you talking about humans-as-they-are-now? have you factored in the psychosocial evolutionary influence into your +900 years humans?

Here's a suggestion - take an ice age human and transport them into your world. trust me, they would be horrified. i

@eviekb, thanks for the thoughts. I also scanned your Paschat page.

In my future world 900 years away, humankind is subject to the same fears, agonies, joys, and conflicts as exist today. When I look that same distance into history—or even the full 4000+years of history—I see little change in the way humans interact with each other. I believe it's built into our DNA. Although there has been significant change in technology that has enabled equally significant change in civilization and society, the basic motivations evolve much slower if at all.

So that's what I write. When my characters propose building a colony ship to create a new human world—a huge undertaking—some people love the excitement while others decry the cost. Some people protest against it, some people defend it with their lives. And a married couple, divided by the issue, has stress that can tear their bond apart. That's what people do.

Your ice age homo sapiens might have been somewhat different, because now we're talking about 20,000 years or so. But lacking time travel for research, we don't really know.

Of course, one of the reasons why my future world still has the same human types is because it makes for good stories that speak to readers today.

Write so long as words keep flowing...
http://www.DocHonourBooks.com
FWA RPLA: 2021:Fx2; 2022:1st place Gold, 2023: 1st place Gold novel
V38 Q3:HM; Q4:HM
V39 Q1:HM; Q2:RWC; Q3:HM; Q4:DQ (oops)
V40 Q1:HM; Q2:RWC; Q3:SF(!); Q4:RWC
V41 Q1:RWC

 
Posted : May 15, 2022 7:02 am
Anna X, CeciBlack and Yelena reacted
storysinger
(@storysinger)
Posts: 1503
Platinum Plus
 

Jean Auel's Clan of the Cave Bears is the closest stories I've read to what Ice Age life might have been like. 

The level of research she used allowed her to create possible societies of that time that are believable. 

Today's science fiction is tomorrow's reality-D.R.Sweeney
HM x5
Published Poetry
2012 Stars in Our Hearts
Silver Ships

 
Posted : May 15, 2022 9:30 am
Joni Labaqui
(@jonilabaqui)
Posts: 15
Bronze Member Moderator
 
In case you haven't heard, there is a special that ends today (Sunday the 15th through the end of the day) on the e-book format on Amazon!
 
 
You can be one of the first to read it! Here is the link. 
 

I didn't want anyone getting upset that nobody told them!!!! 

Best,

Joni 

 
Posted : May 15, 2022 10:25 am
Wulf Moon, James (Ease), CeciBlack and 3 people reacted
Yelena
(@scribblesatdusk)
Posts: 225
Silver Member
 

@cube George Saunders, who is touted as a general fiction writer but is absolutely a speculative fiction writer (look at his book Lincoln on the Bardo on death or his Semplica Diaries short story in the New Yorker) has this really interesting thought about how there are really two levels to a good story. There is the surface level message and then the deeper layer beneath that. I know my own writing suffers from this too, but often I focus too much on the deeper layers or what I think are deeper layers (hello reddit I am 14 and this is very deep) and then give no attention to what would catch the average reader. Both are important. 

V36:Q3 HM V37: Q3 R, Q4 SHM V38: R,HM, F, HM V39: HM, SHM, SHM, SHM V40: SF, RWC, ?

 
Posted : May 15, 2022 10:43 am
James (Ease), CeciBlack, storysinger and 1 people reacted
Elaine Midcoh
(@elainemidcoh)
Posts: 29
Bronze Star Member
 
Posted by: @chezecaek

This...was not good.

David Farland gave me an HM for a story that's really close to my heart. ...Somehow, after all this, my story slid backward from an HM to an R.

Problem for me is, WotF isn't really my kind of market. I'm self-publishing a collection soon titled "Vile Visions." It's just as it sounds. The stories I write are dark. They're violent. They're vulgar. They're drowning in pessimism and despair. Everything WotF isn't. ... I'm not good at writing stuff that can even be considered in the same universe as words like "uplifting" or "inspiring." I did everything I could to make this one count. I can still improve it even more, of course, but if it's not even an HM as it is now, I don't know how it could ever be a winner. I'm just not sure, right now, what kind of future there is for me in this contest.

 

Elaine Midcoh
Winner - WotF v. 39. ("A Trickle in History")
Published Finalist - WotF v. 37 ("The Battle of Donasi")
2 SHM's / a few HM's / some R's
2022 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award ("Man on the Moon" - reprinted in "Escape Pod" magazine, June 2023 - read/listen for free at Escape Pod 895: Man on the Moon )
More sci-fi stories published in magazines MetaStellar, Galaxy's Edge, Daily Science Fiction and in anthology, "Compelling Science Fiction Short Stories" (Flame Tree Press-Oct. 2022)
ELAINE MIDCOH – Sci-Fi Author & Short Story Writer (wordpress.com)

 
Posted : May 15, 2022 10:51 am
Elaine Midcoh
(@elainemidcoh)
Posts: 29
Bronze Star Member
 

Hey, don't feel so bad about this R - especially if you like the story. I recently just sold one of my Wotf R's from about two years ago - without revising it - to a SFWA professional market. You know what? I liked the story. WotF is still working for you - you're sending in stories - it gives you the incentive to write. And if you truly love your story, then keep searching for a home for it. This time around I got another R. That's fine - I even expected it - I violated something that Kary talked about (sick of pandemic stories, mine was about a pandemic). But guess what? It's probably one of my favorite stories and I wouldn't have written it but for trying to get an entry into the WotF quarter. That's how I view WotF: a great encouragement. If I win, hooray!!! If I lose, I wrote a story, hooray!! Keep going, especially if you like your stories.

Elaine Midcoh
Winner - WotF v. 39. ("A Trickle in History")
Published Finalist - WotF v. 37 ("The Battle of Donasi")
2 SHM's / a few HM's / some R's
2022 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award ("Man on the Moon" - reprinted in "Escape Pod" magazine, June 2023 - read/listen for free at Escape Pod 895: Man on the Moon )
More sci-fi stories published in magazines MetaStellar, Galaxy's Edge, Daily Science Fiction and in anthology, "Compelling Science Fiction Short Stories" (Flame Tree Press-Oct. 2022)
ELAINE MIDCOH – Sci-Fi Author & Short Story Writer (wordpress.com)

 
Posted : May 15, 2022 11:01 am
thekingsguard, Wulf Moon, Todd Jones and 4 people reacted
storysinger
(@storysinger)
Posts: 1503
Platinum Plus
 

The lesson I learned this time around is don't submit a story that was similar to the star of the last anthology. When I got my results, I went back and did a reread. Yep, they couldn't do two stories in that particular setting two years in a row.

Today's science fiction is tomorrow's reality-D.R.Sweeney
HM x5
Published Poetry
2012 Stars in Our Hearts
Silver Ships

 
Posted : May 15, 2022 3:42 pm
CeciBlack reacted
CeciBlack
(@ceciblack)
Posts: 40
Bronze Star Member
 

@elainemidcoh awesome perspective, thanks for sharing. It’s inspiring to hear you sold one of your R’s. 

I keep reminding myself WotF is a market as well as a contest. Some stories work for this market, some don’t. It’s not necessarily a value statement about the work. If you like what you wrote, believe in it. 

That’s my takeaway. 🔥

Ceci Black
Writer, Musician
Free Album: Captains of Industry (vocals, lyrics, keys & occasional bass)
Composer: Will & Whit The Musical based on Laura Lee Gulledge’s young adult graphic novel, Will & Whit.
v38: HM,--,R,HM
v39: HM,SHM,SHM,F

 
Posted : May 15, 2022 5:50 pm
N.V. Haskell, Todd Jones, empressed and 5 people reacted
empressed
(@empressed)
Posts: 223
Silver Member
 

Has anyone received a rejection letter yet? Pretty sure I know a few places where mine slid off the rails, but it sure would be nice to have a confirmation that it wasn't a Do not return, ya know?

Victoria Dixon
Author of Mourn Their Courage
a 2010 Sandy Writing Contest Finalist
A Tribble Ate My Lunch: a Star Trek Cookbook (unpublished)
R=24
HM= 8
SHM=4
Finalist=1

 
Posted : May 18, 2022 9:27 am
storysinger reacted
Jason Toth
(@jason)
Posts: 528
Gold Star Member Admin
 

@empressed sorry not yet. Still sorting out a little bug in the programing... Hope to have this fixed today or tomorrow. Sorry again, Jason

 
Posted : May 18, 2022 10:08 am
Physa/ Guthington/ Amy
(@physa)
Posts: 412
Gold Star Member
 

@empressed so far no email from WOTF Q1 results, but looks like emails have been sent (or are being sent) for the IOTF Q1 contest from:

no-reply@webportalapp.com. 

WOTF results:
Vol 41: Q1 HM, Q2 P
running totals to date:
WOTF: 6 Rs, 3 RWCs. 6 HMs
IOTF: 3 Rs, 3 HMs
Check out my new website: https://www.amyrwethingtonwriterofspeculativeworlds.com/
According to Winston Churchill, "success is going from failure to failure with enthusiasm"
Somehow I lost my Guthington profile, but it's me. Amy Wethington = Guthington = Physa

 
Posted : May 18, 2022 3:21 pm
Todd Jones
(@toddjones)
Posts: 515
Gold Star Member
 

@czing Congrats.

"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right."~ Henry Ford
2024 - V41 - Q1-RWC, Q2-Final draft, Q3-WIP (trying not to blow it up and start over)
2023 - V40 - Q1-HM, Q2-HM, Q3-R, Q4-HM
2022 - V39 - Q1-SHM, Q2-HM, Q3-SF, Q4-HM
2021 - V38 - Q4-HM
2020 - V37 - Q2-R

 
Posted : May 18, 2022 5:16 pm
czing reacted
MarathonCoder
(@chwalter)
Posts: 108
Silver Member
 

Just got my email.

V38: HM, R, R, HM
V39: RWC, HM, RWC, HM
V40: RWC, HM, SHM, R
V41: R, P, WIP

 
Posted : May 19, 2022 5:35 pm
jjcollins
(@jjcollins)
Posts: 4
New Member
 

Was it a RWC? 

 
Posted : May 19, 2022 5:38 pm
MarathonCoder
(@chwalter)
Posts: 108
Silver Member
 

@jjcollins It was in a sense.  It had the text that Kary referenced in announcing the category, but the term itself is nowhere in the email.  In fact, neither the word reject nor comments are included.  It was more optimistic than the standard rejection emails I've received.

V38: HM, R, R, HM
V39: RWC, HM, RWC, HM
V40: RWC, HM, SHM, R
V41: R, P, WIP

 
Posted : May 19, 2022 5:44 pm
Jason Toth
(@jason)
Posts: 528
Gold Star Member Admin
 

@jjcollins 

Here is a very good link that gives more information about the new RWC (Reject with Comments) category, I think you will find this helpful.

https://www.writersofthefuture.com/forum/the-contest-quarterly-topics-and-other-items/new-results-categories-introducing-dq-and-rejected-with-coments/#post-45339

 
Posted : May 19, 2022 5:46 pm
(@woodkat)
Posts: 3
New Member
 

I got my email but it doesn’t say DQ or RWC or R??? Just that I didn’t place…do we get another email or am I missing something? 

 
Posted : May 19, 2022 5:46 pm
Jason Toth
(@jason)
Posts: 528
Gold Star Member Admin
 

@chwalter Thank you for letting us know. Finally got it all sorted out and sent!

 
Posted : May 19, 2022 5:48 pm
Jason Toth
(@jason)
Posts: 528
Gold Star Member Admin
 

@woodkat Give me a second to look at this...

 
Posted : May 19, 2022 5:49 pm
(@woodkat)
Posts: 3
New Member
 

@jason thank you! 

 
Posted : May 19, 2022 5:50 pm
Jason Toth
(@jason)
Posts: 528
Gold Star Member Admin
 
Posted by: @woodkat

I got my email but it doesn’t say DQ or RWC or R??? Just that I didn’t place…do we get another email or am I missing something? 

Thank you for the post. You should have gotten an email along the line of this:

Thank you very much for entering the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest for the 1st quarter 2022 (stories entered between 1 October and 31 December 2021). Your story did not place in the contest. You should continue to enter, once every quarter if you can, or as often as you can until you win. 

This is our standard rejection letter. Please don't loose hope, there are lost of people here to help you and give advice, but yes, what you got is a standard reject letter...

 

 
Posted : May 19, 2022 5:52 pm
MarathonCoder
(@chwalter)
Posts: 108
Silver Member
 

My email contains the following quote, which I take as an indicator of an RWC (besides the fact that @jason already helpfully told me).

We appreciate your talent and hard work to produce this story. However, this one is not quite ready for us yet. Keep writing though, don’t give up. In order to help you, we’ve provided the list below of common reasons that a story needs some work.  Definitely consider revising it accordingly and entering it again.

V38: HM, R, R, HM
V39: RWC, HM, RWC, HM
V40: RWC, HM, SHM, R
V41: R, P, WIP

 
Posted : May 19, 2022 5:53 pm
(@woodkat)
Posts: 3
New Member
 

@jason okay I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing something. Thank you for checking! 

 
Posted : May 19, 2022 5:54 pm
Wulf Moon reacted
Cray Dimensional
(@craydimensional)
Posts: 641
Gold Star Member
 

@jason Thank you for fixing the emails. Looks like I am in the group that got an RWC.

Small steps add up to miles.
V38: R, R, HM, HM
V39: RWC, HM, HM, SHM
V40 : HM, RWC, R, HM
V41 : RWC, WIP
"Amore For Life" in After the Gold Rush Third Flatiron Anthology
"Freedom’s Song” in Troubadour and Space Princesses LTUE Anthology

 
Posted : May 19, 2022 6:10 pm
Wulf Moon reacted
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