Wulf Moon's SUPER SECRETS Workshop & Challenge!

Hmm, the deep emotional journey might be one of my problems. Certain people around here can tell you other problems, I always seem to forget one or three techniques I know. I work at the emotion as I see pros do, but how deep it goes is another matter.

Hmm, the deep emotional journey might be one of my problems. Certain people around here can tell you other problems, I always seem to forget one or three techniques I know. I work at the emotion as I see pros do, but how deep it goes is another matter.

Did you get Don Maas' book THE EMOTIONAL CRAFT OF FICTION? It's deep, but it sounds like you need to go deep. There's exercises as well. Could be just the study you need to take your writing to the next level. In all stories, we have to care for the protagonist, deeply. That means that, though flawed, we identify with them, not just on an intellectual level, but an emotional one as well. Dave Farland talked about this. We have to like the main character. We have to care.

The writer's job is to make us care.

I highly recommend Don's book.

Best,

Moon

Hmm, the deep emotional journey might be one of my problems. Certain people around here can tell you other problems, I always seem to forget one or three techniques I know. I work at the emotion as I see pros do, but how deep it goes is another matter.

Did you get Don Maas' book THE EMOTIONAL CRAFT OF FICTION? It's deep, but it sounds like you need to go deep. There's exercises as well. Could be just the study you need to take your writing to the next level. In all stories, we have to care for the protagonist, deeply. That means that, though flawed, we identify with them, not just on an intellectual level, but an emotional one as well. Dave Farland talked about this. We have to like the main character. We have to care.

The writer's job is to make us care.

I highly recommend Don's book.

Best,

Moon

Not sure if I have ever seen it, probably heard about it here though.

And now I can tell you why I've been lax in posting SUPER SECRETS lately. I've been <gasp> writing them for someone else! Yes, I've been invited by an editor to share the knowledge of HOW I GOT PUBLISHED, AND WHAT I LEARNED ALONG THE WAY. This just happens to be the title of an anthology from Camden Park Press coming out this October! I just signed the contract yesterday. My essay is titled, "Never Let Go." I discuss a different angle I took to submitting to the markets two years ago that changed EVERYTHING for me. And of course I talk about the benefits of Writers of the Future for aspiring writers, and about this forum, and even about you guys here in Moon's SUPER SECRET Bonus Challenge! You're famous! Or infamous. Either way, YOU'RE SOMEBODY. : )

I'll let you know when the trade paperback and ebook are released next month. The editor said in her acceptance letter the things I wrote are just the things new writers need. Of course, I'll be back here with new Super Secrets soon. I promised you some good ones if you held on. They are coming! We are at the end of all things! Well, at least the end of this particular challenge. What did writing four FRESH ORIGINAL STORIES do for your skills this contest year? Will there be another challenge next year? Stay tuned!

Finally, my high seas adventure, "Weep No More for the Willow," debuts in DEEP MAGIC magazine today. This story was one of my semfinalists from Writers of the Future, and I attribute Dave's critique that came with the notification as the chief reason I sold this story. Want to see what he liked about it? You can pick up an issue for three bucks at Amazon if you're interested. I hope this encourages you to keep sending those stories you wrote for WotF out into the marketplace!

https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Magic-Fall- ... 317&sr=8-1

Less than three weeks away from the end of the contest year! Don't miss the deadline. And stay tuned for our grand SUPER SECRETS finale!

Beastmaster Moon

Less than three weeks away from the end of the contest year! Don't miss the deadline.

Not gonna happen as long as my lungs keep pumping.

Nice work, Wulf. As I was catching up on the Super Secrets a few days ago, I thought "this is going to be an e-book, at the very least."

Deep Magic isn't on Kobo, but I'll definitely get around to reading it soon.

Nice work, Wulf. As I was catching up on the Super Secrets a few days ago, I thought "this is going to be an e-book, at the very least."

Deep Magic isn't on Kobo, but I'll definitely get around to reading it soon.

Thanks for your kind words about the SUPER SECRETS, Alex. It's not an impossibility on that e-book thought. : )

I just collected up all my comments on the Kill Your Darlings Exercise, which will be SUPER SECRETS #33.

YIKES! 11,831 WORDS!!! Just on my direct comments on the topic, not even the critiques. Well, a lot went on in that exercise. How can I boil 11,000 down to 1,000? I guess that was kind of the point of doing the exercise. Just so you all know, I knew there was a huge amount of commentary on this point, why it's taken me so long to collect it all to boil down. And this isn't the only project I have going on.

My apologies. I have promised and I shall deliver!

Cheers!

John Goodwin, president of Author Services, set up an interview for me to talk about Writers of the Future on the BlogTalk show "Chatting with Sherri" this past January. My interview had over 45,000 live listens and downloads. Sherri's listeners continue to climb--she just had two programs in the past few weeks that hit over one million!

Me, I'll just be happy with one more listener--you! Come join the chat with Sherri on Tuesday, September 24th, at 1 pm Pacific Daylight Time.

BUT BEWARE! John asked me to remind everyone to get their stories in because they'll have LESS THAN ONE WEEK by the time this interview happens. And of course, for our SUPER SECRET Challenge members, this is the home stretch. Congratulations to all those that took the challenge and created FOUR FRESH STORIES this contest year! Or THREE FRESH STORIES if you took the 3/4 challenge. Even if they don't win (but I hope they do!), you have new, original works to send out to the markets, and that's always a good thing. As we say in sales, you can't sell from an empty wagon. Congratulations on increasing your product line with your new inventions! : )

I still have more secrets for you. If you've held off submitting that Q4, they are still coming. Might still be something in here that can help!

Here's the link to the chat. I hope you'll have a chance to tune in or download. I always throw in tips in my interviews--what's been working for me--and we always have fun! I'll probably talk about you guys at some point! Cheers!

https://www.blogtalkradio.com/rithebard ... ulf-moon-1

That's cool stuff Wulf. I'll do my best to support your endeavors. My Q4 is close to completion and It will fulfill the challenge you set before me. Thanks for the help.

Soooo, close to getting my 4 fresh stories in in 4 quarters.
Thank you for upping the ante on the 4 in 4 Challenge, Wulf. It has helped move my writing process up a notch.

Congratulations to all those that took the challenge and created FOUR FRESH STORIES this contest year! Or THREE FRESH STORIES if you took the 3/4 challenge. Even if they don't win (but I hope they do!), you have new, original works to send out to the markets, and that's always a good thing. As we say in sales, you can't sell from an empty wagon. Congratulations on increasing your product line with your new inventions! : )

I still have more secrets for you. If you've held off submitting that Q4, they are still coming. Might still be something in here that can help!

I didn't find this board in time to officially be part of the challenge, but I was doing it anyway -- I've submitted a fresh story each quarter and am working on editing the new on for Q4. Thank you for this challenge... since I found this several weeks ago, I've been following your tips (all except the secret ones for challenge members) and they've been helpful! I'm totally a lurker (sorry!) but I appreciate all the help and advice you've been giving!

Congratulations to all those that took the challenge and created FOUR FRESH STORIES this contest year! Or THREE FRESH STORIES if you took the 3/4 challenge. Even if they don't win (but I hope they do!), you have new, original works to send out to the markets, and that's always a good thing. As we say in sales, you can't sell from an empty wagon. Congratulations on increasing your product line with your new inventions! : )

I still have more secrets for you. If you've held off submitting that Q4, they are still coming. Might still be something in here that can help!

I didn't find this board in time to officially be part of the challenge, but I was doing it anyway -- I've submitted a fresh story each quarter and am working on editing the new on for Q4. Thank you for this challenge... since I found this several weeks ago, I've been following your tips (all except the secret ones for challenge members) and they've been helpful! I'm totally a lurker (sorry!) but I appreciate all the help and advice you've been giving!

Thank you Storysinger, Julia Ashley, and CCrawford. It means a lot to me, and I thank you for your kind words. Writing all the SUPER SECRET posts, doing the exercises with the members, and critiquing stories behind the scenes each quarter for the challenge members has taken a tremendous amount of my time. My wife knows how much time and keeps telling me, "Why are you doing this? You have your own writing to work on." She's right. I do. And she's a good wife, trying to protect me. But you know what my answer to her always is? "I just don't feel it's right to walk away from the contest without helping the others. People always talk about once they're at the top, they'll pay it forward. Why can't we pay it now? We all have something that can help somebody else. I think I can help some of them with what I know now." And guess what? Many have written publicly and many more privately, what you, CCrawford and the others, just wrote, saying how much this challenge has helped them, even if they aren't a member. One even told me their story wouldn't have earned finalist were it not for this challenge and the tips shared. That warms my heart. Time is precious, so is hard won knowledge, and knowing my labors have not been in vain for some have made the sacrifice all worthwhile.

My wife keeps asking me, "Are you going to keep doing this? You have to finish the novel. You promised it to Don." (Don Maass, who repped me in the past and wants my current work-in-progress). Well, she's right about that, too. She's looking out for me. And my answer to her is, "I haven't decided yet."

Because I know the next level my SUPER SECRET challenge needs to take for the next contest year. And some aren't going to like it. Not at all. But I know it's where we all need to be, and then some. The thing is, this challenge has been voluntary. Following any advice I give is entirely up to you. I have never said this is the only path, and anyone that's actually been a part of this challenge knows this. You take the challenge, you liked the idea, and wanted a little accountability to help you reach a goal. Nobody forced you to join. And just maybe, like those above, you like the fact that you have three or four fresh stories from the contest year, and perhaps you wouldn't have written those without this challenge. That, too, makes me happy.

So here's a secret John Goodwin told me, president of Author Services. I respect his opinion--he's watched a lot of new writers go through his doors, and he knows the ones that have made it after the contest is over and all the applause and accolades die down. John told me to become a professional career writer, you have to write full-time. Period. You see bestselling authors putting out two or three books a year? Or those massive tomes that are still the equivalent of a couple books a year? How do they do that? They write full-time, and a chapter a week is nothing for them.

Well, it's not likely most aspiring writers are at that level yet. Most of us have no way to support ourselves and our families if we "gave up the day job" and said "I'm a writer and I'm going to write full-time now!" Myself included--real life has real bills. But if it's our desire to become a professional writer, writing full-time should be our destination. To get there, we need to keep leveling up. And that means upping our game, creating more time to write and then writing during that time. And yes, we need to be creating fresh stories, and I will continue to promote that in this challenge, because I know it works.

So here's the deal. If I do this for the Volume 37 year starting October 1st, I'm going to up the challenge. I'm assuming less will join, which might give me more opportunities to critique one story from each member over the course of the year. If you join the challenge, it means you like what I've been saying so far, and would like to hear more. If you don't like it, please don't join. Please don't post "I'm out" or such things. I'm only polling to see who wants in. And this will be harder, so I'm giving you some time to think about it.

I'd be looking for ten members that believe they would benefit from writing two fresh stories each quarter for the Volume 37 year. The challenge will require those stories to be 3,000 words or longer. I have nothing against flash--I've won some great contests with flash--but this is a challenge meant to push one's abilities toward that goal of one day writing full time, if we aren't already doing so. If you join, it's because you like what we're doing here, are volunteering for a little extra push, and you want to cheer the other members on in reaching their challenge goal.

You can let me know here, or in private message. And then I'll decide whether to go ahead with another challenge.

So....the challenge would be to write TWO fresh stories each quarter, 3000 words or more. You can pick one of the two to submit to the contest, or submit something else in your inventory you've been working on, I don't care. The point of this challenge is to write more fresh original stories--double what we did for Volume 36, but no commitment to submit a fresh story this time (but you'll have at least two new stories to choose from each quarter!)

Again, I'm only interested in who's in. And then I'll make my decision.

All the beast,

Beastmaster Moon

Count me in.

Permission to come aboard the USS. WULF MOON, Captain?

Captain's Star Date 092119 - WOTF winner Wulf Moon has requested ten recruits to join him – his one-year mission to ensure two fresh stories each successive quarter of the 37th Anthology Year. It is my belief Wulf is realizing the greatest emotional satisfaction known to humans – to feel appreciated.
It is one of the greatest attributes of self-sacrifice to do this when we all know in this day and age of endless bills, and life's trials and tribulations, time is a huge and limiting constraint.

All the best,

Retropianoplayer

My entries to Q1,2 & 3 were all new. R, R and I’m expecting another R. At the moment, there’s no chance I could write 2 a quarter – which isn’t that big an ask. I really liked my Q2, my critiquers really liked my Q2, September C.Fawkes didn’t offer much criticism for the sample of it she read but WotF rejected it. I was going to go back to crime writing, but quickly remembered most crime books bore me to read. I’ve been reading scifi and fantasy and enjoying them. I have a few ideas but none seem good enough. None compare to Mara’s Shadow or Poseidon’s Eyes. I want every entry to be better than the last entry, but not knowing why entries are rejected – I can’t get past rejecting my own ideas at the moment. I’ve reached a full stop in writing and it’s probably the case that the longer I go without writing, the less likely I am to return – but then I’m enjoying reading loads. Come to think of it - I started writing Crime because I thought so much of it was poor and I could do better. Can't say that about the Scifi and Fantasy I'm reading. mmm.. yeah. A good thing about not writing is a get more reading done.

My entries to Q1,2 & 3 were all new. R, R and I’m expecting another R. At the moment, there’s no chance I could write 2 a quarter – which isn’t that big an ask. I really liked my Q2, my critiquers really liked my Q2, September C.Fawkes didn’t offer much criticism for the sample of it she read but WotF rejected it. I was going to go back to crime writing, but quickly remembered most crime books bore me to read. I’ve been reading scifi and fantasy and enjoying them. I have a few ideas but none seem good enough. None compare to Mara’s Shadow or Poseidon’s Eyes. I want every entry to be better than the last entry, but not knowing why entries are rejected – I can’t get past rejecting my own ideas at the moment. I’ve reached a full stop in writing and it’s probably the case that the longer I go without writing, the less likely I am to return – but then I’m enjoying reading loads. Come to think of it - I started writing Crime because I thought so much of it was poor and I could do better. Can't say that about the Scifi and Fantasy I'm reading. mmm.. yeah. A good thing about not writing is a get more reading done.

There are uncountable reasons a story could receive an R. Maybe you’ve forgotten to take your name out. Maybe the sff element isn’t present enough. Maybe it starts too slow, a conflict not being introduced quickly enough. Etc. etc.

The good news is that it’s all about the beginnings. I know this challenge thread is all about new, fresh stories, but I might suggest giving your beginnings a spruce up and resubmitting, rather than quitting. Most of my R’s have been modified into HM’s, but that’s where I stop. I think there’s value in trying to fix an R, but less value in trying to make an HM anything more than that. Time better spent on a new story.

But, as I said, if you’re at a point where writing isn’t happening, just take a look at your opening. Read every opening in the latest wotf volume, take notes, then refresh the opening of your favorite story you’ve already written. Remember to start it with a hook, ideally something that triggers big emotion in the reader, and bring the speculative element right up to the beginning. If you’ve intrigued the first reader, and they want to know more, you’ll get an HM.

Thanks Z.T.
My first 4 or 5 entries had all been placed in comps on the Writer's site Scribophile - all got R's in here. One was placed when Anton's Rose story wasn't - Anton has won WotF with one of his Scrib winning stories. So hopefully, they have hooks etc.
But it's that uncountable reasons that's the problem. I've read and re-read the WotF annuals I have - and the stories vary enormously. It seems my variations are misses.
Emotion is something I should do more with. But at the moment my interest in writing is waning,

Thanks Z.T.
My first 4 or 5 entries had all been placed in comps on the Writer's site Scribophile - all got R's in here. One was placed when Anton's Rose story wasn't - Anton has won WotF with one of his Scrib winning stories. So hopefully, they have hooks etc.
But it's that uncountable reasons that's the problem. I've read and re-read the WotF annuals I have - and the stories vary enormously. It seems my variations are misses.
Emotion is something I should do more with. But at the moment my interest in writing is waning,

I'm curious--do you also submit stories to other markets, or just here/on Scrib? In my experience, the more places I send something, the more rejections I get, but the more likely I am to make a sale. (I do know that wouldn't be easy for everyone--it certainly isn't easy for me. I've also experienced emotional lulls from rejections that threatened to stop me writing in the past, so I definitely feel for you, and I hope you're able to make it through the slump.)

Also, it's important to note that just because you're struggling doesn't mean you're not improving. Different readers/editors have different opinions. I had a story I don't think would ever get more than an R here (Dave apparently hates stories with healing magic) sell at a different market.

So....the challenge would be to write TWO fresh stories each quarter, 3000 words or more. You can pick one of the two to submit to the contest, or submit something else in your inventory you've been working on, I don't care.

I do like the freedom to use inventory.
I would be happy to join your next challenge.
Once I submit my Q4 I will be less than 10,000 words from reaching 300,000 words saved. I actually have passed that milestone already but some stories were lost to a hijacked computer that I refused to ransom. It was nine years old.

Hi DP.
A Scrib friend has pushed me into submitting my Q2 entry to other places. One rejection, waiting on another. Other than that - not really considered it before. Apart from WotF in the last year or so, I'm much more of a novel reader rather than s/s, so I haven't read anything of the other places.

Hi DP.
A Scrib friend has pushed me into submitting my Q2 entry to other places. One rejection, waiting on another. Other than that - not really considered it before. Apart from WotF in the last year or so, I'm much more of a novel reader rather than s/s, so I haven't read anything of the other places.

That's fair. It's not easy to put oneself out there like that, but it can provide a broader perspective. Some places give personal rejections (although the advice those give can sometimes be contradictory; I usually try to take their comments into account for future stories rather than endlessly editing the ones I've already written, these days).

I was thinking about things yesterday, and realized that the advent of the internet has really helped to make short stories a global market--but that also means the competition is global, which is wonderful but also a bit sobering.

As far as sci-fi/fantasy versus crime writing, you said prefer reading sci-fi/fantasy over crime. Do you enjoy writing one over the other? (Also, if you enjoy writing both you could try combining the two genres. Nothing wrong with that.)

I'm in for 2 a quarter. I thought you were going to say 3, so 2... EASY! 😉

I'm in for 2 a quarter. I thought you were going to say 3, so 2... EASY! 😉

Heh, I *was* going to say three fresh in each quarter, Alex, but I worried some might set their hair on fire and run into the hills screaming.

Two is a more reasonable goal, which is what we should always set for ourselves. It's double what we just did over the past year in this challenge, so it is indeed a push. And I know everyone's circumstances are different, so if anyone already feels too much pressure in their life PLEASE DON'T TAKE THIS CHALLENGE. This is a voluntary challenge that I want people to think seriously about before signing up. Count the cost.

And yes, I think seven have signed up so far in the past 24 hours since I made the polling query. I will say again for emphasis, this is a voluntary challenge. You join,it means you have the circumstances to push yourself, you have come to have fun, and you are here to cheer your challenge beasties on in meeting this writing goal. You do agree to write two fresh, original stories in each quarter of the Volume 37 calendar year, each 3000 words or longer (unless you're having a baby, then you get a quarter off--I've already had one ask about that. Not everyone can do a Brittany and write their story in the delivery room! Heh!) And you agree to enter a story into the contest every quarter, that goes without saying. But it doesn't have to be one of these two. If you believe you've got a trunk story or a former submission that you think with a little tweaking might upgrade to higher honors or the win, the challenge doesn't restrict you from giving it a try.

But I personally believe you're going to find your winner in those fresh stories, not the least reason being because that's where I found my winner. You take the challenge, I will assume you have a similar mindset, or why come here? Invest your precious time in what you believe will work for you. If you like my coaching methods and you have the circumstances, wonderful, join the team.

You have a week to think on it. Again, I'm only interested in the aye's, not the nay's. I have to figure out if I'm doing this. Please post here or in PM. Thank you and don't miss your Q4! Eight days left! I'm going to post my final secrets for the year now. Cheers!

Moon's SUPER SECRET #33: KILL YOUR DARLINGS: The Economy of Words Flash Exercise

(This SUPER SECRET was a series of writing exercises that took place inside this topic starting on p. 22, posted June 1, 2019. They end on p. 28. This post was the summary of this Super Secret, but has now been removed to make way for the updated version of my exercise in the Super Secrets of Writing books being published in 2022 by Stark Publishing Solutions. I also conduct a five-hour master workshop on KYD. But if you'd like to see the application of this Secret, please go back and enjoy the great writing by the members that engaged in this exercise. It will be worth your time. There is also an analysis of how to craft a solid flash fiction story.)

Hi DP.
.

I was thinking about things yesterday, and realized that the advent of the internet has really helped to make short stories a global market--but that also means the competition is global, which is wonderful but also a bit sobering.

As far as sci-fi/fantasy versus crime writing, you said prefer reading sci-fi/fantasy over crime. Do you enjoy writing one over the other? (Also, if you enjoy writing both you could try combining the two genres. Nothing wrong with that.)

Yes, I enjoy writing scifi/fan over crime. My 2nd HM was a Scifi Crime story. I've said before, that it's odd my 2 HM's have come from stories which I've known had problems. My first was a story I submitted on the last day just to get something in. It dumped info way too much. My 2nd was the crime story which I thought hung together so badly, I wouldn't allow my normal critiquers to see. It was way too much squeezed into a few words and one which I've since been working on as a novel. I should get back to it, but novels take so long and my enthusiasm has dropped.

I have had lengthy feedback from an agent for a novel before now.
I guess I should look at other short story markets more, but while I've bought a number of WotF books, I don't want to subscribe to Asimov.

I agree with not endlessly editing and resubmitting a story. Something can be technically polished but still not appeal.

I really waffled about whether or not to take this on. I love a challenge, and writing fresh stories this year not only improved my craft, but it's gotten easier to write fresh stories. I have a novel I need to finish, though, and so I had to really take a step back and look at my life to decide if I can do it. I know I CAN do it, I just didn't know if I SHOULD. The thing that decided me was this: if I achieve my dream of a writing career, working on several short stories to a deadline while finishing a novel will be the rule not the exception. So yes, I'm in. Let's do this!

I'm already in for Q4 now, which will give me a few days to play with this exercise. I'll plan to pick it up tomorrow morning and see what shakes loose.

It was these challenges that helped me pare down my latest entry into this quarter....I think it helps move the story along and make it flow smoothly.
Thank you Wulf..:)

Thanks for answering my polling question for interest in the new challenge idea. There's been a lot of interest, here, and in PMs.

And thanks for the kind words you've posted about the current challenge and how it's helped you. I discovered in PMs it has helped many that weren't even listed as challenge members. Thanks to all that sent those messages. It's good to know the Super Secrets are encouraging people in their writing, even if they aren't in the challenge.

I've got an interview this Tuesday, September 24th at 1 pm PDT Pacific Daylight Time on Chatting With Sherri. It's an internet BlogTalk program you can listen to live, or download later. When John Goodwin set this up in January, I had 45,000 listen to the show! This time, we're going to be talking about the workshop week, the gala, and everything that's happened since I returned home. That's the plan! I always try to throw in tips for aspiring writers, so you might find a tasty treat!

Here's the link: https://www.blogtalkradio.com/rithebard ... ulf-moon-1

Thanks for listening! If you miss it, it's stored for download, normally available by the following day.

All the beast!

Wulf Moon

Officially entered my fourth fresh story for the year.

Moon, I am in for two per quarter! I just submitted my first entry to WotF today. It benefited immensely from your advice and everyone's comments on here. I've certainly grown as a writer. Thanks so much for inspiring us and promoting community!

My submission was longer, so my goal is to narrow focus to create shorter stories that still feel complete. Your proposed challenge should help me do that.

Cheers, and good luck to all,
Ari