WRITERSoftheFUTURE.com

Thanks, Amy.

I just heard from Joni. HM for me. wotf014 After coming so close in the past, this was a letdown, as I thought this one had a better chance than my others. As is well known, the author is the worst critic of their own work. Onward to the next story. Don't feel too bad, Laurie. There can be a gazill...

I just heard from Joni. HM for me.

After coming so close in the past, this was a letdown, as I thought this one had a better chance than my others. As is well known, the author is the worst critic of their own work.

Onward to the next story.

I have heard nothing

Time to email Joni.

Published Finalists are chosen if the winning stories would create a lopsided anthology. So, if the majority of winners are fantasy, a SF Finalist story will go into the anthology. If the winners would create a shorter anthology, a longer Finalist will be included. That kind of thing.

Like Preston said, the shortest was "Just Don't". One short page. I still can't figure out why it won, because the story itself made no sense.

Welcome back, Michael Kingswood.

It felt good to be done, but now that feeling has passed. I am just anxiously waiting for that big R in 2.5 months haha. I hope not; I put a ton of work into this one. I just want to make it into the HM club. The users on this forum gave me some amazing critiques. I basically rewrote most of my sto...

I'm in. Fri 30/06. Random Q: has anyone discovered anything interesting by using the date of submission data? The waves seem to come all at once for everyone,from what I've seen, regardless of when you submitted in the quarter. Except for paper subs, of course. I don't recall a full statistical ana...

OK, portal is open and I'm in. I LOVE this story!

This is my 29th submission. I think it's time I won this puppy.

hlreinhold wrote:Just submitted my entry. I'm not especially happy with it, but hey, a submission's better than a non-submission. We'll see.

Exactly. Some winners didn't think their story would make it, but it did.

michaeljwyantjr wrote:There's nothing better than writing a huge chunk of text thinking that it's absolute crap, leaving it alone in disgust for the night, then coming back and reading it and realizing it's actually quite good. Makes the stress worthwhile.

Yep.

disgruntledpeony wrote:wotf039 I HATE THIS STORY WITH THE FIERY PASSION OF A THOUSAND SUNS.

...

*sighs*

*keeps writing*

I hit that point with almost every story I write. Then comes the 'This is total crap' stage. Then I push through that and am ok.

And, Neil Gaiman goes through the same thing!

Submitted 29 Dec 16.

HM 27 April 17.

They'd become a terrorist.

I occasionally hear about something like that and am always astonished. Maybe there should be something like the Darwin awards, for writers who remove themselves from the 'gene pool' of writers through their own stupidity.

And I have news of my own as well. Achievement unlocked: after several attempts I finally managed to have a story accepted by Grievous Angel. Bonus: it was the first of my micro-stories (100 words) to sell. Extra bonus: this ended a dreary dry spell of over two months interspersed with a lot of exc...

Congrats, Emily!
Aaron, how do I get a copy of Mad Scientist Journal?

HM. Notified on September 16.

What the hell. Send your best story my way and let's see if I can give you some input. Just keep in mind that I have yet to make a pro sale, only semi pro's. And those 2 Finalists. But I have gotten good critiques on my Semi's, and one from a major editor, so at least I know what makes a critique he...

My 2 cents, LD. Take the "good points" your critiques pointed out, and strengthen them. Also, re-read a story you wrote a year ago. Do you see things you would do better now? If so, your writing IS getting better, and you're mostly suffering from lack of self confidence. Neil Gaiman confes...

Who are these people who say Stupefying Stories never gets round to publishing you? Let them stand up and come forth, I say! Yea! Come the four corners of the world in arms and we shall shock them! Very well. Enough said. By way of proof I offer All of the People, All of the Time a short story by y...

Thanks Dawn. I have stopped throwing things now. My second query to Straeon produced a reply saying that he thought he told me in April that he didn't want it. This is good, because I discovered upon re-reading that the story could be really pretty good with a little work. It's out again to a bette...

Submitted via email to Joni 3/31/2016.

Queried 9/2/16. Silver Honorable Mention.

Holy cow Martin and Tom and George! You're hanging with some of the biggest friggin' names in sf/fantasy!! Congrats!

I'm losing track of all the successes. So... congrats all of you!

Well done, J'nae!

Very cool, Aaron!

There was a small writers group several years ago, that one of the Finalists invited me and a few others from this Forum to. He invited people who'd showed commitment to their writer careers, usually with long histories with WOTF or other venues. We fizzled out after 5-6 years when most of us either...

OK, my next submission is going to F & SF!