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Great list, Reuben! How did you find all the forum winners? Did you read every post on the forum?

I'll check out that Anton Rose story and draft. Not WotF, but I think it was Brandon Sanderson who released an anthology that included the first and final drafts of stories. I haven't read it yet but planned to. Damon Knight may have done so in his Creating Short Fiction anthology, though I may be m...

I aim for clarity with my writing but they read fine without the 'that' to me: Oscar Wilde felt Walt Whitman was the quintessential American poet. Oscar believed Bosie's father was the sorriest douchenozzle that ever lived. Inserting the breaks in those examples artificially made me stop. I don't st...

There are not that many that's in my stories. I don't always cut that's, but that's are a word that I look to cut. There are not many that's in my stories. I don't always cut that's, but that's are a word I look to cut. I have a list of possible cut words I check from an online article, but I can't ...

Thanks, storysinger. I thought I had Volume 5 but on looking, it was 3. However, I found the story online: http://stobblehouse.com/arthome/stob/justdont.html

I agree with Dustin - I can't see a winning story that short now. 350 words though? Maybe WriterGirl0426 has a chance!

I submitted at 3am on 1st January. Don't worry, that was UK time! I submitted later than planned given I thought my story was pretty much finished going into the last couple of days. But I ended up making a few small changes on my final readthroughs. I'd lost all creativity by December and probably...

I haven't read them for many years but remember Steven Pressfield has three good articles on this topic, Steal Without Shame. Here's the first: https://stevenpressfield.com/2014/11/steal-without-shame/ On two occasions I've read a story that's sparked an idea that's led to a story of my own. I hate ...

I submitted at 3am on 1st January. Don't worry, that was UK time! I submitted later than planned given I thought my story was pretty much finished going into the last couple of days. But I ended up making a few small changes on my final readthroughs. I'd lost all creativity by December and probably ...

I finally feel I'm making headway on my entry. I was working on two other stories but hardly getting anywhere (or nowhere in the case of one of them). So I've returned to one of the first stories I wrote, over 10 years ago! I always liked the idea, and it's been bubbling over in my head on and off f...

Fyrecon was great value for money for me at $79 including a masterclass with Wulf and all those extra workshops (which were really difficult to choose between). Given I barely took a break from 5pm to 3am UK time on the first and third days, I'm amazed I was able to keep my concentration for so long...

Commiserations but mostly congratulations to our Q4 finalists here (mentioned in the Super Secrets thread, Dustin). It must be hard to get so close, but it proves you've got what it takes to win. wotf008 I just realised from my signature that I received four Rs before my first HM and four HMs before...

Smashing results here - it's great to see. Keep trying everyone! I levelled up to SHM after thinking I was going to be stuck on HMs forever. wotf007 I thought character arc and internal conflict was one of my biggest weaknesses, so worked hard on that for my Q4. I think that's helped me level up, al...

Yikes - I signed up for your masterclass a couple of days ago, seemingly just in time! See you there.

After two weeks away in windy Cornwall, I'm checking in with a third HM in a row. I'm a bit disappointed I didn't level up with this one, though I would've been pleased with my results this time last year. :-)

Nice work everyone, and if you didn't win, keep submitting!

I'll very likely be wild-camping without a phone signal when the results come out. Last year, I happened to be walking a wilderness (I didn't see another person for 5 days) when a story got to consideration at a pro-mag. That resulted in some major-twitching, though in the end I didn't hear back for...

I submitted on 1st October at around 4 am. That's UK time, so around 4 hours before the deadline. I wasted the previous day preparing for and turning up for a job interview that didn't happen, which I found out after waiting for 15 minutes, so thanks to the company who did that to me! I think my Q4 ...

That's awesome - Fireside is one of my favourite publications. :-D

Submit co-authored stories to WotF? That sounds interesting, especially with a different author each time. Are you aware of co-author winners? I don't remember any. I haven't missed a WotF quarter since I first submitted, so my goal is to continue submitting each quarter until I win or pro-out and t...

I was getting a bit frustrated by my number of 'almost made it' rejections, but Charlie's highest tier rejection from F&SF with a bit of extra feedback was quite exciting! "Thank you for giving me a chance to read "[redacted]." Unfortunately, this story didn't win me over -- in pa...

The Reckoning might suit your story: https://reckoning.press/submit/

Beneath Ceaseless Skies usually give personal rejections, and I love them for taking that time. It's great they pick out positives as well as offering suggestions. Here's mine from a week or so ago (redacted bits as this is my backup story for WotF, should I not finish my favoured story in time): &q...

It is interesting, and I guess it doesn't matter we've gone so off topic so much when it's an old bumped post. The likes of Google and Apple are spending millions trying to figure out what exactly us humans are writing and saying, supposedly so they can improve their algorithms and understanding to ...

Definitely a bot and/or spam in my opinion, though the signature link in itself isn't harmful. Are you sure the link isn't harmful? It literally ends with "keylogger.html" and I know that certain kinds of malware are specifically meant to log your keystrokes. I'd treat it very carefully. ...

Definitely a bot and/or spam in my opinion, though the signature link in itself isn't harmful. We have a couple of bots floating around, though I don't want to keep bothering the moderators with reports, especially if someone else has already reported the posts. I wonder if it's possible to ban link...

Dustin Adams wrote:Looking for 1 or 2 Alpha readers. Grammar should be good, commas, are all over the place, but does the story work? 4400 words. I can return an under 10k swap after Aug 5th.

I can read it on Friday if that helps (I've e-mailed you). I owe you a 450 too!

I consider major revisions a new draft, though I realise major will mean different things to different people. I'm making fewer major revisions now compared to 6 months ago. I save a new document each time too. I've just made some small line edits to the HM I mentioned, so as they're small edits I w...

I just realised my Q2 HM was only a third draft. How many drafts do people do generally? My previous rejections and HMs would have been at least 4 or 5 drafts, sometimes as many as 7 or 8. It's taking me longer to write stories*, but less drafts feels like a good thing! *On that note, I should add t...

Wow. That must make a whole lot of new people eligible again. Keep that quiet.

Congrats on your first pro sale. For the second time!

This sounds a good idea to me - I'd love to swap if you're looking for another reader (I'll PM you). I have a 7,500-word story that just received HM. I broke one of my main writing rules and it has something else I consider to be a considerable flaw in my efforts to winning WotF. I wonder if the sto...

A third HM for me, and a second in a row, so I guess I can almost call myself a consistent HM receiver! An HM seemed an unattainable task to me 2 or 3 years ago, so this must be good news. Well done to everyone who received HM first time or levelled-up, especially Becky! Dave's critique will be gold...