WRITERSoftheFUTURE.com

The secret I'm trying to work on from those Leah mentioned helped most is "#4: Pick a major emotion and make your reader FEEL it down to their core!" My brain's frazzled and I can't think of much useful to say. I think emotion is one of the main factors in readers remembering a story long ...

Super Congratulations! Your second entry - you are a swift potato indeed. :D

I read a post about Dave getting a review where the reader made the comment that Wolverton could be found on the last shelf at the end of the last row. That was unacceptable. I believe that Farland is his mother's maiden name. Seriously, for a guy writing fantasy, Far Land is kinda perfect. I figur...

disgruntledpeony wrote:

czing wrote:I'd add one important thing is to trust yourself and your vision for your story.

Oh, absolutely. That's incredibly important (and it can be very difficult to do until you get the hang of it).

"Go with your gut" is my go-to phrase for myself and others.

I write and edit on my commute and often get more done in 20 minutes than I would in double that time at home. Queues or other waiting around can work too. I make notes on my phone or with pen and paper. They might be a single sentence, dialogue or an idea for a scene or something else for a story. ...

Congratulations to everyone with HM and above, especially those who've levelled up. It's great to read.

I got an R. I'm not sure I'm cut out for longer stories (my HM was 1,400 words), but I'm not going to stop trying yet.

Aside from my medical condition, I'm not twitching at all and feel like I'm missing out. Not sure 'missing out' is the right phrase. Twitching is stressful. wotf019 Sometimes I'm excited by the anticipation. I have experienced twitching in previous quarters. Though the worst was when I got a notifi...

Aside from my medical condition, I'm not twitching at all and feel like I'm missing out.

A lot of that revising (and some of the new stuff) has come in 15-minute spurts on train commutes. Sometimes I get more done in those commutes than I do in quadruple the time at home. Could something like that help pull you out of the slump? Just spend 15 minutes, no pressure, and see what happens? ...

Since I forgot to attend a gig I had a ticket for around 10 years ago, I've kept a list of things I'm supposed to be doing plus important things. The paper list moved to Evernote, so that's where I list my gigs, meetings with friends, appointments, important deadlines etc. The ending of the first fr...

I'm struggling with the new stuff. I've revised these stories: 7,300 words (was previously 400 words shorter and is a new story in the sense I've never considered it finished) 2,700 words 1,200 words 1,000 words 1,000 words New-wise, I've done: 1,000 words (cut to 500 for Wulf's challenge) 800 words...

It decided on a bit of fan fiction for me, completely unrelated to my opening prompt: "Buffy, Willow and Xander find Spike and are about to try and find their way home, when a massive creature emerges from the Earth and the four are swallowed up by it. Buffy is at the hospital and finds Willow ...

Thank you for the link. I am learning a lot from his books and podcasts. I have a question. How did J. K. Rowling write Harry Potter in such a way that I could not stop reading? How did she do it? David Farland talks about that in an article in his Daily Meditations ebook, which was free for signin...

Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint by Nancy Kress seems a great alternative to the Orson Scott Card book on the same topic. I haven't read the latter, but Kress' is apparently more in depth. She's a WotF judge too.

Alex H, I believe the WOTF brass use the piano to put on performances during the workshop. Several decades ago, I discovered I am addicted to the piano. My family has to literally drag me away from entertaining random people while we're on vacation or at airports. Once I start, I lose track of time...

I didn't know there was a WotF piano. I play keys myself (not very well, especially since not picking it up again since a hand injury) and love seeing pianos. There are public pianos all over the place in Europe - in trains stations, airports and markets, for example. I touched an £80,000 (over $100...

I'm having a go at sort-of freewriting for my second flash challenge this quarter. Most of it's coming out crap, so it'll be a lot easier to cut than my more considered attempts, which probably means it won't be as beneficial? I suppose I'm still writing words, which helps.

3. Is “Dear Editor” an acceptable greeting? Yes. Or "Dear Editors" if there are more than one. I've also seen pro markets suggest "Dear Market Name" as acceptable. I forgot to say I prefer the latter. Although many cover letters don't get read until a story is accepted, I feel I...

I'm guessing there are a few more of these around given Wulf's challenges. Would anyone like to swap?

That's if you have flash you intend to submit to markets, rather than expand to longer stories in future.

That's an amazing story Wulf! I've been thinking a lot lately about Kary English and her part on the contest. To date, I've only received HMs.... So, I'm not sure how much (if any) of my story is ready by Dave. So, what can you tell us about Kary? Personally, I'd like to write such a story that Kar...

1. How can a cover letter actually hurt your chances to sell? Bad formatting and writing anything other than straight-to-the-point. 2. What are some of the most common mistakes in cover letters? Telling your life story. Listing non-paid or nominal pay publications when submitting to pro markets. 3. ...

I'm hoping you got it from that online library, and I'm now a place further up the queue! wotf007 I have been reading a similar book by K. M. Weiland. I downloaded it free from here for anyone who can't get hold of the Budrys book: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/secrets-story-structure...

Mr H wrote:Thankyou.

Just letting you know I've e-mailed this, in case my critique didn't reach you like happened with another member.

I have had something technical done to my e-mail account so that shouldn't happen again...

I don't have anything to add that hasn't already been said, apart from on point 8, I reckon it's possible to level up quicker depending on how and what you learn from external sources. Wulf is helping us level up quicker than the million words. For those who haven't read Budrys's book, this is SUPER...

czing, Michael, AlexH, how are your current projects coming along, old or new? Thanks for asking. It was going well until I took a last-minute trip overseas! I should get back into the swing of things next week. I think character arcs and theme are two of my weaknesses too. I find K.M. Weiland arti...

Mr H wrote:New to the forum, but not to the contest.

Looking to swap, or just send for feedback. The more critical the better, be harsh. PM me.

I also have one that's near the limit and needs to be dragged over the coals, if anyone's keen.

I'm always up for 450 swaps.

1. In view of Officer's comment above, if story determines length, why would you ever write a story to a certain length? Some markets ask for it. The Kill Your Darlings exercise is also great to find out what's important in a story. 2. With regular practice, what might the Kill Your Darlings exercis...

MY PERSONAL INTRODUCTION I'm back from a last-minute road trip around Latvia and Lithuania. Travel is one love. I enjoy multiple creative hobbies, but they've taken a backseat to what now feels like the hardest: writing short stories. I've had some success with photography, but now the other hobbies...

I was going to say before I watched the Simon Sinek interview that I'm my biggest competition! I think I've seen his Ted Talk before, but I was more thinking about the mental barriers and self-care issues (like writing until the early hours of the morning when I have to be up for work). There have a...

Duotrope has some great interviews with editors. Especially check out responses to "Describe the ideal submission." Here's Charlie's interview: https://duotrope.com/interview/editor/28/magazine-fantasy-science-fiction-fsf I'm disappearing soon until November (I only knew last night), so do...