Wulf Moon's SUPER SECRETS Workshop & Challenge!

@physa I will be happy to critique your story if you like 

@crlisle thanks... It's super short. I'll send my revised version to you via email. Any insights are welcome. It IS December and you AGREED to be my mentor, :). -Amy

The Keeper blew a single clear note upon his horn, quieting the excited crowd gathered before the Wulf’s cave.

“The following members of the Super Secret Year 4 Challenge have reported in. In addition to completing their November requirements, several challenge members were also recognized by Writers of the Future for their submissions in V38 Q3. Three cheers for all!”

@scribblesatdusk – Finalist

@linardos – Honorable Mention

@jennyperrycarr – Honorable Mention

@lost_bard – Honorable Mention

@danuta

@empressed

@wes

@scott_m_sands

@jarrodkwilliams

@physa

@anial

@physa Done! I hope you find my comments helpful. Good story! 

Posted by: @crlisle

@physa Done! I hope you find my comments helpful. Good story! 

Many thanks Candice! Your comments were quite eye opening and should be helpful when crafting my Q1 story.  

@physa study Wulf Moon's Super Secrets here on the Forum, but especially study the first 3 and last 3 pages of Moon Girl.

Which by the way, is a MASTERFUL piece of writing.

@wulfmoon 

The Dean Wesley Smith interview was informative (no surprise there).

I was surprised at his approach to your first 20 books-to write them and get them proof read for typos, but not even send them to editors. I wondered how bad some of my stories might be! I certainly follow the already mentioned image of the bakery. Needing more than one product makes sense.

I'm also keen to hear more about his idea of getting a reader to go 'deeper' into the story. That if they're reading your story at a surface level they can easily put it down. If they're drawn deeper into it, it becomes much harder to put down/walk away from. Striving for such engaging stories seems imperative and a great way to get known as a writer. He mentioned classes he offers.

The interview was a very interesting take on the indie/traditional publishing options for me. 

Posted by: @crlisle

@physa study Wulf Moon's Super Secrets here on the Forum, but especially study the first 3 and last 3 pages of Moon Girl.

Which by the way, is a MASTERFUL piece of writing.

Very kind of you to say, Candice. Thank you. I suppose this is a good segue into what Scott above just shared that he learned from the Dean Wesley Smith podcast. Dean was my mentor and editor, and when he lived on the Oregon Coast, I sat with Dean and Kris over many dinners among their writer friends talking about publishing and writing. Some of the Super Secrets are things I learned from Dean. Guess where I got WRITE FRESH STORIES from? : )

So "Super-Duper Moongirl and the Amazing Moon Dawdler" was my WotF winner in Volume 35. It was reprinted in Future Science Fiction Digest just three months later, and don't think that's because I'm podcast director there. Alex is tougher on me than anyone else, BECAUSE I work there. It also won the Critters Readers' Choice Award for Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Story published in 2019. I had over 100 readers write, post public comments, or leave reviews on how that story touched their hearts. Most said the story made them cry. Even the reviewer in Locus magazine called the story a tearjerker. It is worth studying how I did that. Tim Powers told me at the workshop he was rereading the story just to figure out how I did it. Tim Powers.

And there's my Secret for you for this quarter. MAKE. DAVE. CRY. Do you know I wrote that story with that sole purpose in mind? I pack emotional conflict into all my stories, and many came close to hitting that bullseye. But the one that won was the story I wrote with the sole intent to create that emotional response by the end. Does this mean every winning story must be a tearjerker? No, but it's a good recipe. I remember David Farland once saying the writer that had won Writers Digest Contests' grand prize more than once was asked what his secret was. He said, "He who makes the judges cry, wins."

If you can make a jaded editor that's seen it all get choked up and even shed a tear at the end of your story, you've done real magic. They know it's just code, words on a screen, and they've seen every idea you can imagine. If you can reach their heart in spite of that and evoke an emotional response, you've won. I just heard Scot Noel today echo these words about the story "Pioneer" he bought for DreamForge magazine. The writer's story made him cry. That's why he bought it.

This is what deep dive into characters is all about. This is why I teach Reader/Hero bond in my workshops. If you can go deep into the protagonist of the story and bind the reader's emotions with the hero's, they will empathize with your character as if they were a real person they have feelings for. This is also why I encourage the Wulf Pack not to write in omniscient, but to do third person close, or 3P intimate as Dean taught me. If you are that deep into the protagonist, writing only what they see, only what they feel, the reader can get immersed so deep, they actually possess the body of the hero and travel inside of them on the journey and trials they experience. They feel joy when the hero succeeds, they feel pain when the heroine suffers. Because they are there, inside of them.

That is the deep magic of writing. 

I encourage all here to study THE EMOTIONAL CRAFT OF FICTION by my friend and agent that's represented me, Donald Maass. Stories that rise to the top must explore deep emotions. Those are the stories we talk about. Those are the stories we remember. Those are the stories that win.

Fortune favor the brave ... and the studious!

Beastmaster Moon

The Year Three Super Secrets’ commander called the TOPGUN class to order. The air conditioner in the window rattled and gasped as it battled the blazing Miramar sun; the pilots at their desks dripped sweat from foreheads and armpits like basted Thanksgiving turkeys. In spite of the heat, the Commander’s voice settled cool and calming over the room.

“That was skilled flying in third quarter. I’m proud of every one of you, no matter how you placed on the leader board. All of you made TOPGUN this year, which means you’re the best of the best. You pushed your naval aircraft to the limits of their power and potential. You took them beyond that by your training and wits alone. Well done, naval aviators.”

The Commander glanced at the clock at the back of the room. “Before we send you out on today’s mission, commendations are in order. RSchibler, you reached Finalist. Again. I’m giving you permission to do a flyby on the tower.” His brow furrowed. “DO NOT tell them I authorized it.”

He turned cold blue eyes on the pilot from New Zealand. “Henckel, Silver HM. You were top tier, and I personally analyzed your maneuvers on the dogfight that earned you that. That was some fancy flying. Helluva job.”

The Commander looked at a blonde pilot, hunched at her desk. “CCrawford?”

She sat straight. “Present, Sir!”

“I know you’re present; I’m looking right at you. CCrawford, that DreamForge maneuver was a thing of beauty. That maneuver’s going down in the books. Your first! I expect there will be many more we’ll be studying. In fact, I know so, but let’s save that for next quarter results.”

“AjZach? You made us proud with that maneuver you called THINGS WITH FEATHERS. I was happy to be your wingman on that one. Congratulations on your first. You’ve been bumped to pro pay. Don’t spend it all at the clubhouse on piano lessons.”

“RJKLee? There he is, our Man from Japan. You think one hundred near misses this year will reward you?” For the first time, the Commander smiled. “You got a crazy way of thinking, pilot ... and it worked. Congratulations on your Cryptid maneuver.”

The Commander nodded to the rest of the pilots, one by one. “You’ve all done great things this year, miraculous maneuvers. I’ve mentioned them in other quarters, no need to mention them today, but well done.”

He cleared his throat. “Today’s lesson is brief, so listen up. Success or failure in a dogfight is determined by split second decisions. You have to rely on gut instincts in those moments, but those instincts have been trained. Remember your training.” He winked. “Save you it can.”

“It has been my honor to work with all of you to help you hone your skills, but this school is not over yet. Final tabulations from your Q4 sorties are still being scored, and just like in WotF--and Highlander--the honor of Top Gun in this TOPGUN year can only fall to one. But I have always said there is a good reward for diligent work, focused study, and smart training, and each of you have proven that statement true.

“You have your mission. Light up the sky.”

Commander “Beastmaster” Moon

Super Secrets’ Year Three TOPGUN Results for Volume 38, Q3:

1. RSchibler - Finalist
2. Henckel - Silver Honorable Mention
3. CCrawford - Honorable Mention
4. crlisle - Honorable Mention
5. AjZach – Honorable Mention
6. ZeeTeeBeeZ
7. rjklee
8. empressed

Posted by: @wulfmoon

Assignment.

To those on the roster of Year Four: I said this year would be self-directed; I did not say you’d have no assignments. Go to the Writers of the Future Podcast and listen to the Dean Wesley Smith interview. Dean was my mentor, and is a big reason I’m writing today. Few know more about the current state of the publishing industry than Dean. After listening, share a point or two you learned. You have one week to do this.

Good to see everyone checking in! Nice job keeping up, challenge beasties! And congratulations to a certain beastie from Year One that I mentored and edited that went from unpublished writer to pro! His third pro sale just happened! Not the first here that’s done that, but it’s so good to see. Keep applying the Secrets and doing the exercises. There’s a good reward for your hard work!

Beastmaster Moon

 

Just watched the interview. I like Dean's advice of have a lot ready before you start hitting the promotion. I did publish a book with a small publisher and I did 3 book festivals (including Alabama book festival where I was invited to serve on a panel). Doing book signings seems like a smart move, but it wastes a good deal of time and it can be hard to get folks to notice you among other authors. I had hoped that book 1 would be followed by books 2-5 or so a year apart, but my publisher didn't want to publish book 2 until book 1 could sell 50 copies in a month. Had I followed my dad's advice and self published book 1, I would have been free to get the other books in the series out. So Dean's advice is right on and aligns with my new plan. My new plan (now that I have my rights back) is to work on polishing the rest of that series before I put much effort into promotion. It would be super sweet if that coincided with a wotf win and then readers could see I have more... Anyway, it's smart to have books out there ready to be noticed for that moment when you have something that calls notice to one of your works. I liked the advice regarding kickstarter and bookbub.

Your Monday prompt is: 

Broken Seal

Happy writing! Don’t forget your monthly and quarterly requirements! You have to meet them to stay in the challenge.

Cheers!

Beastmaster Moon

@wulfmoon

Finally got a chance to listen to the Dean Wesley Smith podcast, and it was inciteful!

In a time when I keep hearing about 'writing to market,' DWS says the opposite. Write what you love. It was validating to hear this, as this has always been my approach. He talked about writing sci fi as well as mystery, and this resonated as well, being someone who loves to write in various genres. May be challenging to market down the road, but I have to go where a story take me.

The aspect about writing being all about licensing was also interesting. I hadn't given it that much thought but will consider attending the Licensing Expo in the future to learn more!

Thanks for this assignment. Was a great listen!

Rejection on Q3.

Sigh. That one stung, since I'd worked specifically on strengthening Heart's Desire and it had already received SHM. I'd really hoped for Semi because I have a market I want to sub it to at the end of December and having Dave's suggestions to guide me would have been awesome. Sadly, the Heart's Desire stuff I added slowed the pace and added exposition into the story's first act. I've revised and will let you know how the new sub goes.

I'm listening to the Dean Wesley Smith interview now and sweating at the IDEA of 70 books a year. Geesh. 

There are talks with him on Youtube that are free including stuff on D2D. I also like the idea of indie publishing to stock the shelves.

Hmmm. Also looking up Bookbub. Sounds like a must read.

Posted by: @empressed

Rejection on Q3.

 

Sigh. That one stung, since I'd worked specifically on strengthening Heart's Desire and it had already received SHM. I'd really hoped for Semi because I have a market I want to sub it to at the end of December and having Dave's suggestions to guide me would have been awesome. Sadly, the Heart's Desire stuff I added slowed the pace and added exposition into the story's first act. I've revised and will let you know how the new sub goes.

 

Empressed, I resubmitted one Silver HM after a cooldown period, no real changes, and it got the same result. I sent that Silver HM story to Galaxy's Edge, zero changes, and it sold. 

I know another winner that revised and revised, submitting the same story every quarter for two years, and it finally got the win.

All you can do is try. You tried. Now try not to do rejectomancy. Therein lies madness. Send it out, see what happens. Dave has his preferences, another editor will have theirs. 

And go write your next. You just listened to Dean's podcast interview. If you go write your next, you'll have more fresh muffins for your bakery. 

All the beast,

Beastmaster Moon

@wulfmoon 

Sorry to not have completed the assignment as yet. I have been away on family holiday for the first time since 2019. 

I look forward to listening to the podcast tomorrow. Also, I am really stretching myself this month with trying to get 3 shorts to market and an entry for writers of the future. I find short story writing such a challenge and there is a more than a wee bit of doubt that I will make it to the end of this challenge. However, last month I wrote more than I have ever written in a month before ... or at least it ranked as one of my top writing months ever. But I didn't have to finish anything. And finishing and polishing is the thing that strangles my progress.

Thanks for all you guys are doing in keeping me accountable.

@danuta  That's why people do the Challenge, Danuta. Accountability can help you to keep meeting your goals. Carry on!

This happened, and was so cool, I posted it to my Facebook. I'm posting it here because I want you to see another benefit of this Contest. Here's the post:

Landing a story in the pages of Writers of the Future? Yeah. We'd all agree, hallowed ground indeed. Keep persevering to win Writers of the Future, don't give up. Rewards like this one make all the effort worth it.

 

Don't miss your Q1 deadline!

 

 

@wulfmoon et al

Just saw this, so sorry. Thank you! Congratulations to everyone. To anyone who didn’t get a result they’re happy with: It’s really rough to see everyone celebrating if you didn’t place. Persistence, grit, is the single most important skill we can have. Don’t give up! I believe in you!  

Q4 was a SHM and I'm honestly happy with that, given it was an S.F. story. Not my forte. Onto Q1.

Q4 My first SHM. Woo hoo!

Year 4

@empressed congratulations! Whoohoo!  

Top Gun year 3 for Q4 volume 38

Got my first HM for Q4. Editing the Q1 story now. Year 4.

Congrats all around

Posted by: @wulfmoon

If you go write your next, you'll have more fresh muffins for your bakery. 

I know we've been listening to the Dean Wesley Smith interview, and I wanted to point out something I heard Jenna Moreci mention (the next WotF podcast). She's had success with her YouTube channel. One of the points she made was that she didn't have many subscribers at the beginning, but as she (and I'm paraphrasing) built-up a collection of more videos, she started to have more success.

I found it a nice parallel to Dean's bakery analogy. 

Posted by: @jarrodkwilliams

Got my first HM for Q4. Editing the Q1 story now.

Well done, Jarrod! You wrote a well-fletched story that hit the target! Keep firing fresh arrows cited on that bullseye! Cheers!

To all in the Year 3, or Year 4 challenge, please weigh in with your Q4 results, and include the year you’re in at the top please to help our Keeper of Records. I’ll be doing results posts soon, but there’s still more to come. 

Thanks for helping us out, and congratulations again for your valiant writing achievements!

Beastmaster Moon

Year 4.

HM