WRITERSoftheFUTURE.com

bobsandiego wrote:so Q2 vol 34 I posted that Dave had returned me to the dog house.
Last week I found out that this year, this Q2, I am a finalist.
It doesn't seem real.

Yeah! I hope you win!

Only a few days left! Submit! Submit! Submit! Don't wait to the last day! Don't give up! You can win this thing!

Only once have I re-submitted a previously submitted story. KD gave it an HM (my first!) I re-submitted it to DF. It got an R. Never did that again.

Wow, guys! That was a big wave. My condolences to all the R's. Been there many times. Don't let it discourage you. Let it inspire you to do better! I think with so many entries, good stories can get lost in the shuffle. Congrats to those who managed to earn an HM. An HM is the equivalent of making t...

KD Julicher wrote:My V34 Q4 SHM is out now from InterGalactic Medicine Show!

Congrats, KD! That's a great market to place a story in. And illustrated too! Very nice.

michaeljwyantjr wrote:It’s a little thing, but my R from last quarter was accepted for a dystopia-focused magazine.

Ah, it's always sweet to sell a WOTF reject. Congrats, Michael!

I have a story out The Garden of Esther in The Colored Lens https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BXG21D3 . It's free on KindleUnlimited and will be on sale for $0.99 on June 19th is anyone's interested. Congrats, Aaron. I sold a story to these guys a while back. I love how they always give feedback even if...

Mad Scientist Journal accepted two fictional advertisements from me. Normally I'd wait to circulate contracts to post about it, but I wanted to tell everyone here because their submission window is still open. http://madscientistjournal.org/submissions/ and this maybe gives you more time to get som...

I think it's pretty amazing to have got in Razor's Edge, YM. Those guys are hard to please! Here's my own first effort this year. Slow off the mark but running at last! http://www.gumshoereview.com/IMAGES/GR_Orig_Story_Logo.jpg The Eleventh Commandment is not actually my first crime story, but it's...

Thanks, guys! I'm really hoping to see all of you at the workshop in LA, or at least some of you! There are still nine slots open for Volume 35.
And best of all, tomorrow's Thursday!

For those who might be interested, I am featured on the WOTF blog! Whew! The excitement never ends!


https://www.writersofthefuture.com/never-give-up/

YM Pang wrote:

This is our last chance to write an epic, winning story and hang out with Preston in LA!

Hey, this is misleading! Not our last chance to do most of this. Just the bold part.

But let's face it: Winning the contest? Hanging out with Preston?

The Razor's Edge will be released earlier than expected: June 15th. My story "Final Flight of the PhoenixWing" will be the last story in the anthology. Pre-orders here: https://squareup.com/market/zombies-need-brains-llc (For those outside the US, the anthology will be available through A...

Preston, may I quote you on your Topanga Canyon story? It's inspirational, and I'd like to share it on my public forums. I think it would encourage many. I know for a fact a couple of people have cried happy tears reading it, including Joni herself. Cheers! Hey, Wulf. Yes, please feel free to quote...

Thanks, Martin! I finally did it!

Aw, shucks, Alicia. You are sooo sweet. ***hands over a kleenex, then gets another for myself***
I really appreciate that. The afterglow still hasn't faded. I expect it'll remain for a very long time.
Everyone here has been so kind. I'm really really gonna miss entering each quarter.

Wow, Wulf! Wow to all of it. I hope you win before pro-ing out. Either way, sounds like you know the secret. Never give up.

Okay, you want inspiration. Take a peek at this. I wrote it in 2011. Just found it on my computer. Here it is as I wrote it 7 years ago. It's called: Why I Love This Contest (WOTF) By Preston Dennett I’m one of the losers. I’ve entered 17 times and haven’t received even so much as an honorable menti...

Thanks, Dyl. I hope so. The only thing stopping people from winning is not entering. Many people have won on their first try. Not me. It took me 47 tries! I literally typed the paint off the letters on my keyboard.

Oh and yeah, I contacted Dean years ago to see if I really was Topanga Canyon. He confirmed it. Now, after I won, I contacted him again to let him know I won second place in the WOTF. I knocked his socks flat off!!! He had some very nice things to say. True story.

Congratulations, Preston! It is especially gratifying to see your win, because many of us know of your perseverance! I was really hoping for you, and I was not disappointed! I note the long gap in your start and final submitting phase in this contest, and as I recall, that was when you took a break...

David Farland (the judge) has said that violence is okay, but gross-out gore merely to shock the reader is a definite no-no.

welp, took some time to let everything sink in, buuut wotf059 first place! looks like you and I will be getting better acquainted, Preston! Congrats again! in related news, when Joni called I gave maybe the weirdest response ever? it went something like this: oh god thank you so much this is amazin...

I'm in! Hoping to break my long rejection streak with this one. Maybe I'll get to add another HM to my little collection. And maybe, just maybe...well, we'll see. Good luck, everyone. Don't wait too long! The system always gets a bit wonky on the last day. Re-posting this to let you all know...you ...

Many of the winners have come from this forum, so I fully expect to see some of you at the workshop! I sure hope so!

Wow, you guys! Thanks so much for the congrats. I could never have done it without all of you. I learned more here on this forum and got more encouragement than anywhere else. This forum rocks, and you guys are all great. I just saw the blog they put up, and there I am! It's a good day, a very good ...

wotf059 Second place! I still can't believe it. Got the call today at work. I screamed and cried. Joni is the sweetest person ever. I'm ridiculously excited. This was the 47th time I've submitted. I began submitting back in 1986-1992, then again in 2009-2018. It's been a very long journey. Here's my...

Second place.

So much inspiring successes. Congrats to Ishmael and Michelle and Amoskalik! Keep it up!

The judge, David Farland, has often said he first looks for three things when reading for this contest: an original trope, polished prose, and a strong story arc. He's mentioned many other things, such as vivid settings, a strong hook with speculative elements, believable characters, an emotional en...