Wulf Moon's SUPER SECRETS Workshop & Challenge!

Retro, thanks so much for your words. You're right, that hadn't dawned on me yet, and it sort of feels like the concept is too big to fit my mind around...

Thanks for let me know on the record keeping! I haven't seen your message about the extra secrets yet. Would you mind PMing it to me again? If I don't see that one either, I'll PM you and see if that goes through so you can reply to it. Either way, I know you're trying to reach me and your name will be on the list I send to Moon on Friday.

Congratulations, Peony, on your scholarship to the Superstars Writing Seminar. Dress warm. Colorado in winter can be challenging.

I'm from Michigan, so it may be colder than I'm used to but I should be okay (I have plenty of warm clothes and I know to bring layers).

It's intriguing that Swift Potato and Peony made it to the top four. Both wrote different stories. I'd be curious as to the commonalities between the two, the common denominator, so to speak, which make them shine. And, of course, the word counts.

3.7k wordcount on my part. Beyond that, I couldn't say without trading stories to compare.

Congratulations, Peony, on your scholarship to the Superstars Writing Seminar. Dress warm. Colorado in winter can be challenging.

I'm from Michigan, so it may be colder than I'm used to but I should be okay (I have plenty of warm clothes and I know to bring layers).

It's intriguing that Swift Potato and Peony made it to the top four. Both wrote different stories. I'd be curious as to the commonalities between the two, the common denominator, so to speak, which make them shine. And, of course, the word counts.

3.7k wordcount on my part. Beyond that, I couldn't say without trading stories to compare.

3700 words on Liz's, 5900 words on Leah's. Neither were 17K or 16,995 like I used to write, before I got wise. (Almost won with a 17K, however!)

For extra credit, which Super Secret covers word count and why might it be wise to avoid the max, but be above a flash when entering WotF? And yes, we know there are exceptions to the rule. Still, if you know about a reality...

Grats Liz!

3.7k wordcount on my part. Beyond that, I couldn't say without trading stories to compare.

3700 words on Liz's, 5900 words on Leah's. Neither were 17K or 16,995 like I used to write, before I got wise. (Almost won with a 17K, however!)

For extra credit, which Super Secret covers word count and why might it be wise to avoid the max, but be above a flash when entering WotF? And yes, we know there are exceptions to the rule. Still, if you know about a reality...

Super Secret #31 is about length. I think too short and the judges forget the story. Too long and they get tired of the story. It all comes down to comparisons. Comparing your story to the big stack they have to get through.

Your secret points out that the anthology must be filled with story lengths that are just right. Just makes it easier for David to fill the book.

I just did the 999 word to 500 word to 250 word exercise. What an eye opener! I got rid of the aliens, magic, boyfriend, and all other characters. At 250 words, the focus was on the main character's relationship with her father. Wowsa! I like this exercise a lot and plan to make it a permanent tool in my writing toolbox. Thank you Wulf Moon!

Get those two stories done and submitted (but not too early) and get your December flash done! Don't forget to post here if you've submitted either or both of your two stories for Q1.

Please, where do I find the December homework assignments? I am sorry to be a bother, but I can't find them.

Please, where do I find the December homework assignments? I am sorry to be a bother, but I can't find them.

Hey! All assignments will be posted here by Wulf over the course of the month. SwiftPotato sets the weekly flash prompts on Monday.

Talking about flash prompts ... In catch-up mode, and have just laid down my SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES story. Was wondering if anyone here has had any success with the supernatural/horror genre for WoTF? Would we need to write in a significant fantasy element for a story like this to have a chance?

Now, off to KMD.

Was wondering if anyone here has had any success with the supernatural/horror genre for WoTF? Would we need to write in a significant fantasy element for a story like this to have a chance?

It would need to have a speculative element for WotF, whether science fiction or fantasy. However, supernatural/horror elements can very easily blur into sci-fi/fantasy. It all depends on how you write it.

Happy Monday, beasties! Apologies for the late prompt today, this morning has been a little crazy. Without further ado, I present this week's Monday prompt: CORRUPTED VALUE.

I just did the 999 word to 500 word to 250 word exercise. What an eye opener! I got rid of the aliens, magic, boyfriend, and all other characters. At 250 words, the focus was on the main character's relationship with her father. Wowsa! I like this exercise a lot and plan to make it a permanent tool in my writing toolbox. Thank you Wulf Moon!

Well done, crlisle! You got the point of the exercise. The first half is about cutting, the second half (250) is about peering into your story to find the beating heart and then building a poignant vignette that will at some point unfold into the true story, with every scene thundering up from that central heartbeat.

The more you practice KYD, the more your writing will come naturally, and you will find your first drafts look more like final drafts. You will retain all the power that went into writing your story, instead of tearing all that power out through edits.

All the beast!

Beastmaster Moon

3. Share a couple of points from these with the group that you might wish to apply to your next story. If it's good for the goose.... I really believe the KYD exercise has the potential to grow our craft in a huge way. Focusing our writing, focusing the story on its essential elements (Pick one major emotion!) makes the reduction that much more powerful. Trying to do too much weakens the potency.

Beastmaster Moon

I've been quiet because I've been busy! Thanksgiving break had my big home for the week, so there was a lot more parenting to be done! December is crazy for me, but I'm around. I finished my novel and started editing it today, I have 2 stories for Q1 (although I've decided which I'm sending to WotF), and I'm halfway through a fresh story but it's coming together in spurts. I only have 1 story in my queue right now, so if anyone would like a critique, feel free to send your story my way.

Onwards!

3. Share a couple of points from these with the group that you might wish to apply to your next story. If it's good for the goose.... I really believe the KYD exercise has the potential to grow our craft in a huge way. Focusing our writing, focusing the story on its essential elements (Pick one major emotion!) makes the reduction that much more powerful. Trying to do too much weakens the potency.

Beastmaster Moon

I've been quiet because I've been busy! Thanksgiving break had my big home for the week, so there was a lot more parenting to be done! December is crazy for me, but I'm around. I finished my novel and started editing it today, I have 2 stories for Q1 (although I've decided which I'm sending to WotF), and I'm halfway through a fresh story but it's coming together in spurts. I only have 1 story in my queue right now, so if anyone would like a critique, feel free to send your story my way.

Onwards!

Congratulations on finishing your novel, Becky! And on keeping up with the Challenge! And on taking care of family! That's some serious juggling!

Was wondering if anyone here has had any success with the supernatural/horror genre for WoTF? Would we need to write in a significant fantasy element for a story like this to have a chance?

It would need to have a speculative element for WotF, whether science fiction or fantasy. However, supernatural/horror elements can very easily blur into sci-fi/fantasy. It all depends on how you write it.

Thanks, Good to know. Might also do some research on past volumes (which will have to acquire).

Was wondering if anyone here has had any success with the supernatural/horror genre for WoTF? Would we need to write in a significant fantasy element for a story like this to have a chance?

It would need to have a speculative element for WotF, whether science fiction or fantasy. However, supernatural/horror elements can very easily blur into sci-fi/fantasy. It all depends on how you write it.

Thanks, Good to know. Might also do some research on past volumes (which will have to acquire).

I'm a big fan of owning hard copies myself, but you should be able to get more recent volumes in digital format for a decent pricepoint.

REVIEW OF SUPER SECRETS ASSIGNMENT.

It was very helpful to read through the super secrets again, and has helped me focus my efforts for my two stories this quarter.

With a decent collection of HM’s, I feel I have at least an adequate understanding of openings. Based on never receiving anything higher than an HM, my issues are seemingly in the middles and ends.

So, I’m focusing on the 7 point plot structure, and most importantly, the emotional impact of the story. I’m trying to connect the emotional impact to the character’s internal arc, which is something that I don’t feel I’ve put a conscious effort towards in past stories.

After I write the CORRUPTED VALUE assignment, what comes next? Do I post it here? Do I PM it to someone? Or do I just tell you I did it? This is fun!

3. Share a couple of points from these with the group that you might wish to apply to your next story. If it's good for the goose.... I really believe the KYD exercise has the potential to grow our craft in a huge way. Focusing our writing, focusing the story on its essential elements (Pick one major emotion!) makes the reduction that much more powerful. Trying to do too much weakens the potency.

Beastmaster Moon

I've been quiet because I've been busy! Thanksgiving break had my big home for the week, so there was a lot more parenting to be done! December is crazy for me, but I'm around. I finished my novel and started editing it today, I have 2 stories for Q1 (although I've decided which I'm sending to WotF), and I'm halfway through a fresh story but it's coming together in spurts. I only have 1 story in my queue right now, so if anyone would like a critique, feel free to send your story my way.

Onwards!

Congrats on finishing the novel and best of luck with the editing. Impressive balancing of life and writing! I miss my novels, but haven't looked at them since June. Most of my short stories come from their settings, characters, and interests though... How do you balance short story writing and novel writing? Out of curiosity, did you run the novel through NaNoWriMo?

Thanks for offering critiques to the group. I might take you up on that soon. It depends on how my revisions go this week.

After I write the CORRUPTED VALUE assignment, what comes next? Do I post it here? Do I PM it to someone? Or do I just tell you I did it? This is fun!

Don't post it here. Just tell us you did it. Then you can revise it further toward professional level flash to submit to paying markets, or you could write a short story using it. People might want to share them via PM I suppose?

Was wondering if anyone here has had any success with the supernatural/horror genre for WoTF? Would we need to write in a significant fantasy element for a story like this to have a chance?

It would need to have a speculative element for WotF, whether science fiction or fantasy. However, supernatural/horror elements can very easily blur into sci-fi/fantasy. It all depends on how you write it.

Thanks, Good to know. Might also do some research on past volumes (which will have to acquire).

Some thoughts on that...

I might have to rethink my latest Q1 hopeful with this in mind, though to be honest I've had supernatural horror stories snag HM, such as my first story submission which got HM on its second try, so I wouldn't worry too much about it in comparison to other considerations.

That said, as far as I can tell from the volumes I read, this is not a place to submit darker and more violent stories, such as those you might see in Nightmare Magazine. Also, it's important to consider if your story is too gloomy and hopeless. Based on reading Farland's introduction to Volume 35, it sounds like Farland is seeking writers who can do more than "recognize problems". I personally enjoy horror and dark fantasy stories that leave us hanging and full of doubt, such as (random examples) Caitlin R. Kiernan's weird dark horror novella Agents of Dreamland or Daniel Polansky's dark fantasy novel, Low Town. But this is not what you should submit here. To quote from Farland's introduction, "I want authors who are bright enough to see solutions. I want authors who are not only capable of talking eloquently about problems, but who can ultimately, if they desire, have a positive effect upon the world."

Go grab Vol. 35 to read the rest (only 10 bucks on Amazon...), but that quote above is something I'm focusing on to pull my possible Q1 entry from its supernatural horror underpinnings (it was originally the second story I wrote in a Scrivener project labeled Scary Stories) into a more hopeful fantasy piece that shows MC and friends struggle out of loss to find healing.

Totally agree with everything you said about endings. I think the "darkest" ending Dave is okay with is bittersweet, but positive. That's how Super-Duper Moongirl ended and that's how my winner ended as well.

Totally agree with everything you said about endings. I think the "darkest" ending Dave is okay with is bittersweet, but positive. That's how Super-Duper Moongirl ended and that's how my winner ended as well.

Exactly. Dave has gone on the record that he wants to reward writers that can not only highlight problems in society, but can offer hope, even solutions. He doesn't want characters that are so overwhelmed by problems they kill themselves, he wants characters that fight to change their circumstances and the world they live in. This requires a message of hope at the end of a story, even if you put your protagonist through hell for the bulk of it. And you should put them through hell, that's your job. THINGS GET WORSE. The worse you make it for them, the more impossible the odds seem, the bigger the stakes, the bigger your story. New writers often fail at this, and the story just drags and drags because the stakes aren't high enough, and they never amp up to a do or die climax.

Back to horror. Horror is so broad a term today it no longer simply means demonic possession or splatter and gore chainsaw massacres. You have the Weird, you have Surrealism, you have Dark Fantasy and a host of other subgenres. Look up the definition of Grimdark, and then look up the definition of Noblebright. I wouldn't say WotF is a Noblebright publication (not all stories in WotF are morally weighted), but the guiding principle is clear: stories that uplift and offer hope. David Farland has been clear on this, and it's so important, I did TWO Super Secrets on know thy judge. You will not get past this ultimate gatekeeper without recognizing what he is selecting for the anthology.

Recognizing this fact, and writing accordingly, is a key to winning this contest. It doesn't matter if you like to write splatterpunk. It doesn't matter if you like to write explicit torture. Dave's not buying. It's because of his own personal beliefs (which I agree with, btw), Hubbards beliefs about this contest finding new visionaries to make the world a better place, and the market Author Services and Galaxy Press have targeted as their customers.

You are making a product. Put your heart into that product, but make no mistake, when you offer it for sale, as you are to WotF, it's a product. Figure out what your buyer wants and tailor your product to their needs. That's smart marketing.

Leah--SwiftPotato--just did that very thing. Besides her own latent talents, and two good wise readers, I believe that's why she won.

I'll try to finish the Protect Your Voice Super Secret today. You guys need this.

All the beast!

Beastmaster Moon

...It doesn't matter if you like to write splatterpunk. It doesn't matter if you like to write explicit torture. Dave's not buying...

... Author Services and Galaxy Press have targeted as their customers...

Solid.
Thanks for contextualizing, Wulf.

I just wanted to share with all my challenge friends that I received a totally unexpected scholarship to Superstars! Writers of the Future contributed to allow two additional people to attend the seminar and my application was selected! I still can't quite believe it's real! Work hard, never give up, and believe!

That's fantastic news Becky! Grats!!

Hey all, Just found this: "Writing The Million Dollar Outline And Resonance In Writing With David Farland" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA1aMhN27KM&t=12s

That said, as far as I can tell from the volumes I read, this is not a place to submit darker and more violent stories, such as those you might see in Nightmare Magazine. Also, it's important to consider if your story is too gloomy and hopeless. Based on reading Farland's introduction to Volume 35

the guiding principle is clear: stories that uplift and offer hope.

Okay, Got it. Need to keep in mind that I'm writing for WoTF. TY!!

oishisushi911, I went off and re-read the intro for 35, thanks for that also

After I write the CORRUPTED VALUE assignment, what comes next? Do I post it here? Do I PM it to someone? Or do I just tell you I did it? This is fun!

Don't post it here. Just tell us you did it. Then you can revise it further toward professional level flash to submit to paying markets, or you could write a short story using it. People might want to share them via PM I suppose?

Ok, I wrote it. I might turn it into a short story for Q2, so I have PM'd DisgruntledPeony for a critique. I am learning so much here! I am so grateful.

After I write the CORRUPTED VALUE assignment, what comes next? Do I post it here? Do I PM it to someone? Or do I just tell you I did it? This is fun!

Don't post it here. Just tell us you did it. Then you can revise it further toward professional level flash to submit to paying markets, or you could write a short story using it. People might want to share them via PM I suppose?

Ok, I wrote it. I might turn it into a short story for Q2, so I have PM'd DisgruntledPeony for a critique. I am learning so much here! I am so grateful.

I'm glad you are finding Moon's SUPER SECRET Bonus Challenge helpful, crlisle. I am also happy we are now friends on Facebook. I designed the Super Secrets Challenge not just to mentor those that signed on to the challenge, but it's also meant to be a resource for all that join or visit the Forum. I get letters from Forumites that didn't sign up for the challenge telling me how much it's helping them...some even telling me that they had quit writing until they started reading these, and it gave them the desire to start up again. I am pleased that sharing with all of you things I've learned over the years submitting to this contest and elsewhere has been so helpful. May they continue to guide you to successful creation of professional stories that ultimately sell to WotF or other respectable markets.

I should mention this is an actual challenge, meaning I had an enrollment period to actually be in the challenge, and I called for members to sign up for over a month before I finally had to start the class for the members that had signed on. Make no mistake, this year it's an advanced class, with members committing to more than double the workload of last year's challenge. I called for 10 Forumites to take the challenge for me to continue it for another year, and in the end, 17 signed up. Doing exercises and critiques over the course of the year for 17 people is a little more work for me than anticipated, but I sincerely did the challenge to help anyone that wanted to commit to this online workshop to help them level up. Obviously, I had to close the doors at some point to begin the class and take care of the challenge beasties that signed on. I'm sorry you missed that call, but feel free to do the exercises on the side and cheer on the challenge beasties in this race! We are happy to hear of your good results, and if I do choose to do this another WotF volume's year, you can sign on for the challenge in that open enrollment period. Our SwiftPotato did just that, reading everything we did in the Volume 36 challenge, and she was the very first to enroll when I did open call for this Volume 37 challenge. We see how her patience and diligent work applying my Super Secrets on the sidelines was rewarded!

The same can be true for all that make application of logical teachings designed purely to help others avoid the pitfalls and trials this writer made on his journey to become a WotF winner and professional writer. We have watched members of our challenge level up in impressive ways in just one year's application of these exercises and teachings. May they do the same for you!

Keep writing!

All the beast,

Beastmaster Moon

I just wanted to share with all my challenge friends that I received a totally unexpected scholarship to Superstars! Writers of the Future contributed to allow two additional people to attend the seminar and my application was selected! I still can't quite believe it's real! Work hard, never give up, and believe!

A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR ANOTHER SUPER SECRETS CHALLENGE BEASTIES' SUCCESS! CONGRATULATIONS, BECKY! ANOTHER GREAT WIN FOR YOU AND FOR OUR WULF PACK!

I did Letters of Recommendation for both of the Forumites that won these new scholarships, and I couldn't be happier! What a wonderful way to end 2019!!! Keep chasing those dreams, Wulf Pack! They are all within reach, as our challenge beasties are proving over and over again!

WELL DONE! ONE MEMBER'S SUCCESS IS THE ENTIRE GROUP'S SUCCESS! THIS IS A TEAM. KEEP RUNNING IN THE PACK!

CHEERS TO BECKY, AND CHEERS TO ALL AS WE KEEP OUR EYE ON THE PRIZE!

ALL THE BEAST!!!

Wulf Moon

I'm not quite sure I understand the Fail/Succeed 3 times teaching. In Super-Duper Moongirl I think the first failure was having a panic attack when the new plants were in the way, the second was losing at the trial, then she succeeded by downloading Dwadler's program into her earring but, this was a failure too because the program would be erased.

Did I get this right Forumites?

Obviously, I had to close the doors at some point to begin the class and take care of the challenge beasties that signed on. I'm sorry you missed that call, but feel free to do the exercises on the side and cheer on the challenge beasties in this race! We are happy to hear of your good results, and if I do choose to do this another WotF volume's year, you can sign on for the challenge in that open enrollment period. Our SwiftPotato did just that, reading everything we did in the Volume 36 challenge, and she was the very first to enroll when I did open call for this Volume 37 challenge. We see how her patience and diligent work applying my Super Secrets on the sidelines was rewarded!

Keep writing!

All the beast,

Beastmaster Moon

I understand. I am enjoying this very much, but am relieved that I don't have to write 2 short stories for Q2 vol 37. Wulf Moon, I too am glad we are friends on Facebook. You are one of the most generous and thoughtful people I have ever met!