WRITERSoftheFUTURE.com

Not being American comes with a certain disadvantage when it comes to word choice. Just found out a word I used in my story has racist connotations in the USA, yet in Australia it's seen as innocent. =( I've confused people with my British English usage of wallet and purse. In British English, a wa...

Charlie talks about his rejection templates here, though it's from a few years ago when electronic submissions first opened, so may not be exactly the same: http://www.ccfinlay.com/blog/nectar-for-rejectomancers.html “didn’t grab me” = only read the opening “didn’t work for me” = good, read all the ...

I have a story I wrote as a contender for Q2 I'm going to work on, so it should be easier than writing a new story from scratch. Okay, this quarter my goal is to be done with my story early, so I won't be racing against time on the last day! (I think I said that in Q3 also :[} ) Happy writing everyo...

I'm in with a revised story. Submitting at 3am (UK time) was better than the 25 hours without sleep and only one hour sleep before work I managed last quarter. Listening to music by Aural Method, Slow Meadow and Hammock saw me through this time and probably last time too. Well done and good luck eve...

HermioneLee wrote:I have submitted my story, but I didn’t get the confirmation email from Joni. Does anyone have the same problem?

I usually receive a Wizehive confirmation, then Joni's confirmation a day or two later.

Bad writing in what sense? A bad story to someone is often a good story to someone else. Many top-selling authors are apparently bad writers, but are millions of people really wrong? This is a good little article: https://contently.com/2018/01/19/separates-good-writing/ Bad writing to me would maybe...

Oops - my post was worded poorly. I will submit the story, I'm just waiting until closer to the deadline in the hope inspiration strikes in the meantime.

I agree: never self reject!

I have a revised HM ready to go. It's a better story, but I'm holding back on submission as I still don't think I've made the premise believable enough for it to level up.

Congrats everyone! I'd love to read about how you worked this out together Liz and Becky. Is there a blog post coming? Maybe co-written! I read an article about co-writing stories recently. Maybe it was a link shared here.

Oh God, it is coming up, isn't it? wotf019 Subbing early for Q3 has left me with a lot of time to figure out my Q4. I've been poking at editing the story I wrote for the WotF workshop, but amusingly enough I'm not sure it's appropriate for WotF. (The subject matter is... well... not exactly what I'...

It's a good idea. Wulf asked us Super Secret participants for a similar reason in the Super Secrets thread. I've worked in office-based telephone customer service, as a web developer and designer, and for the last few years as a Technical SEO Manager (helping make websites more user and search engin...

I had stories professionally edited the year I started taking my writing seriously and submitting to WotF. I'm definitely a better writer because of that. I sent my recent HM story to Mica Scotti Kole (an editor and recent WotF winner) and have just read her excellent feedback on the story. It makes...

I had a similar question, so thanks to all for clarifying. My follow-up question: I'm starting to submit seriously to pro markets (wish me luck!) and I was wondering when Rule #5 kicks in (should I be so lucky...). What if: I submit a story to WOTF contest while, at the same time, submitting OTHER ...

My personal favorite so far is Adramelech by Sean Hazlett, V. 33. What about the anthologies in general though? I'd love some suggestions about which one to buy next. (So far mine is V. 35. I've loved every story there.) My favourite volume is 31. I've read 30-35 (minus 32, which I'm part way throu...

I submit because I set myself the target of making two professional sales (or one plus WotF), and I don't want to fail. I've put too much effort into it to give up now. Sometimes I think I've chosen the wrong thing and wonder what I would've achieved if I'd spent all that time on something easier. B...

Welcome in, new members up there and down there and on the next page!

Have you read Wulf's post but still aren't sure? Come on in! We even have dancing bananas.



That's not me, I promise. I'm not that thick-skinned when it comes to dancing.

Latecomer checking in with a Q1 HM and checking out of this challenge for a while (I can still do critiques, and I WILL be submitting to WotF this quarter). Congrats to the fellow HM-people and especially to CCrawford. That's another lesson to us all to keep trying. Preston Dennett's WotF contest ex...

It's great to see so many mentions in the past few pages. I've been itching to catch up on how everyone did. Congrats especially to everyone who levelled up, and to the rest of us - let's keep ploughing on. I was slightly disappointed with my HM (as I thought it was the best most suitable story I'd ...

I didn't think to share this before, as I only just realised it might be helpful to others. When I struggle to write from the Monday prompts, I find it helpful to throw another prompt or two into the mix, perhaps an image, memory or sound. Bear in mind your story would need to fit the original promp...

I found Seven Brides for Seven Brothers really creepy. Stockholm Syndrome made fun! wotf015 It's great to hear you're working to enter again, Dustin. I didn't realise you hadn't entered for so long. I have a story I wrote for WotF in my first year of entering that I like but didn't enter as I never ...

ell, darn it, I should be sitting at my pc failing to put words together to make a story - but I have Volume 36 to read. If you're like me you dive right in and call it work, even though it's not. Learning what Kary and Dave like these days is of paramount importance. Write on! I'd say it is work, ...

Aargh. For some reason, my pre-order isn't available until tomorrow on Kobo. I wouldn't be surprised if that was some kind of Scamazon thing.

I was about to settle down for a read. Oh well, one more day.

SwiftPotato , my Q2 was zero KYD flash completed and two fresh stories. I submitted to WotF 15 minutes before the deadline after 24 hours without sleep, working overnight on my story after finishing work (as in my job), then an hour sleep before starting work (as in my job) again. The deadline was ...

Some great successes recently. Nice work everyone.

So I've just submitted my 13th story this quarter under my 13th pseudonym. What a rush! It's April Fool's Day - of course I'm joking! wotf007 It is approaching 8am here in the UK though - I've now been awake for 24 hours straight and start work in 2 hours! If it wasn't for this working-from-home mal...

Reading an interview with Hayao Miyazaki, I thought one of his answers brilliantly summed up something David Farland looks for in winning stories and is something Wulf has covered too. Here's the sentence (bolded by me) in context: MORIARTY: You spent well over a decade preparing to make MONONOKE. Y...

Definitely not the third bullet point (assuming that's the way you want to do it)! If many readers don't perceive the inner journey, I'd think you need to find ways to make that stronger. Inner conflict is something I struggle with for my main characters. I'll have an idea for inner conflict, but it...

I'm sorry to hear about this for everyone who was attending.

At least there will be no doubts in anyone's mind about whether they should go or not now. :/

Hey Elessar - you're welcome to send it to me (PM a Google Docs link or for my e-mail address). I have a 350-word flash I could send you but don't feel under any pressure to comment on it.

I find all opinions useful, and critiquing others work is a good way to becoming a better writer yourself. :-)

Prompts I thought were prompt but are not so prompt considering there were prompter prompts:

1. Megalithic rock star

2. Shallow cup

3. It's the wrong hand

4. Eternal but dying

5. But where's the other shoe?