NEW USERS! INTRODUCE YOURSELVES!

[Cepheid]

Hi everyone, my name is Brenna. My dad won the contest back in '95. The first time I entered was when I was a preteen. I've been entering every once in a while ever since (I'm 22 now). I have a couple of honorable mentions under my belt so far, but I'm still working towards that elusive win. Figured it was about time I joined the forums.

[bobsandiego]

Hi everyone, my name is Brenna. My dad won the contest back in '95. The first time I entered was when I was a preteen. I've been entering every once in a while ever since (I'm 22 now). I have a couple of honorable mentions under my belt so far, but I'm still working towards that elusive win. Figured it was about time I joined the forums.

Welcome to the party!

[Dustin Adams]

Father daughter combo, has it ever been done?
Would be very cool!
Welcome a-board.

[george nik.]

Welcome aboard, Brenna!

[ThomasKCarpenter]

Father daughter combo, has it ever been done?
Would be very cool!
Welcome a-board.

I don't think it's been done, but they have competition. Ron Collins won around ten years ago and his daughter is entering the contest regularly. Either way, it's great to see a family competing. Welcome!

[storysinger]

Welcome to the forum Cepheid.

[Cepheid]

Thanks for the warm welcome, guys!

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

Hi everyone, my name is Brenna. My dad won the contest back in '95. The first time I entered was when I was a preteen. I've been entering every once in a while ever since (I'm 22 now). I have a couple of honorable mentions under my belt so far, but I'm still working towards that elusive win. Figured it was about time I joined the forums.

Welcome aboard! I want to make a clever astronomy joke from your nickname, but I'm sure you've heard them all before, and there aren't many good ones. The quality is all over the map, kind of variable.

[Karyn]

Hey! I'm Karyn.

I've only entered this once, for Quarter 2 this year. I've just recently discovered this forum so I've been perusing it, and I figured maybe I should stop lurking in the shadows of the internet and introduce myself, haha.

So I'm 18, heading to college in the fall, and heard about WOTF through a scholarship website. I've been writing my whole life, from illustrated books about my dog becoming a superhero when I was six to a short novella last year. I've never been published, but I've won or placed in around 5 creative writing contests, most of them on Figment.com (which I am no longer an active member of). I've attempted NaNoWriMo for three years now, and I've never finished on time (someday I will!).

I set writing down for a while last year, but I'm eager to get myself back in there and improve. I hope for the best in this contest, but with so many talented authors out there entering, I expect a rejection soon enough. But I'm only 18, I have lots of time and room to grow! I'm glad to meet a group of dedicated writers like you guys on the internet, helping each other out!

[Dustin Adams]

Hi Karyn,

Based on the cogency of your post, you're already doing great!
And hey, someone your age won a few years back. You never know.

[Karyn]

Hi David!

Thanks, that means a lot to me. I'm former all-state debater, so clarity is always something to strive for (though debate cases and fiction writing are very different).

Well, you have officially gotten my hopes up! Not that it's hard to do, I'm still very much like a child. It's nice meeting you!

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

Hi David!

Thanks, that means a lot to me. I'm former all-state debater, so clarity is always something to strive for (though debate cases and fiction writing are very different).

Well, you have officially gotten my hopes up! Not that it's hard to do, I'm still very much like a child. It's nice meeting you!

Welcome aboard, fellow debater! For some kinds of fiction writing, I think it helps. Besides clarity, you learn to build logical structures (Affirmative) or probe for logical weaknesses (Negative), and those skills come in handy in plotting and world building. There is a school of thought that says that a story is an argument between some thesis and its antithesis, argued through the actions of protagonist and antagonist and the consequences of those actions. I'm not sure I buy into the Dramatica theory entirely, but I would say it certainly describes one style of storytelling. And as an all-stater, you know how to shape an argument!

[Karyn]

Hi David!

Thanks, that means a lot to me. I'm former all-state debater, so clarity is always something to strive for (though debate cases and fiction writing are very different).

Well, you have officially gotten my hopes up! Not that it's hard to do, I'm still very much like a child. It's nice meeting you!

Welcome aboard, fellow debater! For some kinds of fiction writing, I think it helps. Besides clarity, you learn to build logical structures (Affirmative) or probe for logical weaknesses (Negative), and those skills come in handy in plotting and world building. There is a school of thought that says that a story is an argument between some thesis and its antithesis, argued through the actions of protagonist and antagonist and the consequences of those actions. I'm not sure I buy into the Dramatica theory entirely, but I would say it certainly describes one style of storytelling. And as an all-stater, you know how to shape an argument!

Wow! I can say, I never quite thought of it like that. But from convincing a judge to convincing an audience, I can definitely see a tie. Not to mention, presentation is just as important as the information itself. A good story cannot be good if it is not presented correctly (the right POV, tone, setting, etc). I feel like I'm learning a lot already from you guys!

[storysinger]

I have lots of time and room to grow!

With an attitude like that and a lot of patience you should do well. Welcome to the forum Karyn.

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

I have lots of time and room to grow!

With an attitude like that and a lot of patience you should do well. Welcome to the forum Karyn.

Yes, I wish I had persisted at her age. I was too young, and I gave up too easily in the face of rejection. DON'T BE LIKE ME!

[Ishmael]

Yes, I wish I had persisted at her age. I was too young, and I gave up too easily in the face of rejection. DON'T BE LIKE ME!

Or me. Always remember what Bach (Richard not J S) said. A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit.

[Dustin Adams]

I've been called a lot of things over the years, David is not one of them.

The story as argument theory is a good one. I read that recently as well, I think in Million Dollar Outlines.
Tie that to a moral, or a theme, and you're in good shape!

[Karyn]

I've been called a lot of things over the years, David is not one of them.

The story as argument theory is a good one. I read that recently as well, I think in Million Dollar Outlines.
Tie that to a moral, or a theme, and you're in good shape!

Oh gosh! I feel awful--I don't know why I called you David! /facepalm
I apologize for my mistake.

And my hopes are, that even if I'm not the best or most experienced author, I will be the one with the most enthusiasm/determination. I think enthusiasm is far too underrated in society. Kind of like the underdog, haha.

[amoskalik]

And my hopes are, that even if I'm not the best or most experienced author, I will be the one with the most enthusiasm/determination. I think enthusiasm is far too underrated in society. Kind of like the underdog, haha.

Bah. Enthusiasm is wasted on the young (kidding of course). It sounds like you will put your enthusiasm to good use. May it never flag

[Ishmael]

Bah. Enthusiasm is wasted on the young

Enthusiasm being part of youth, which is what is really wasted on the young?

"Si jeunesse savoit; si vieillesse pouvoit" Henri Estienne (1531? – 1598)

[Dustin Adams]

Karyn,
No worries. I'm only teasing.
Wait, I meant ribbing. I wasn't kidding about never being called David.

But seriously, the care you take in your postings sets you ahead.
Now, how's your tale-spinning?

Maybe we'll see you in V.32. Or V.33. Keep writing, and you'll get there.

[bobsandiego]

Karyn,
No worries. I'm only teasing.
Wait, I meant ribbing. I wasn't kidding...

Of course you weren't kidding. you'd never give birth to baby goats...

[Karyn]

Karyn,

Now, how's your tale-spinning?

Maybe we'll see you in V.32. Or V.33. Keep writing, and you'll get there.

Well, I think I'm okay, but there's lots of places I know I can improve. I have the basics down (my success on figment.com proved this to me at the very least) but from there I can make everything more compelling. I've been reading a lot of David Farland's tips since I discovered Writers of the Future, and I have a lot of revision ideas bouncing around now to add more substance to my stories. It's just trail and error, haha. I must have entered around 30 contests on figment, but I only placed in 3 or 4 of them. However, those three or four are in a row after I figured out my writing style and how to make my stories fit the prompts and stand out better. I just need to get in the rhythm again.

[Athena]

Hello everyone! Just wanted to introduce myself. This is my very first time submitting to the contest, and, in fact, my very first time submitting anything to anyone. I'm brand new, starting from scratch.

[george nik.]

Welcome, Athena!

[Athena]

Welcome, Athena!

Thanks for the welcome! Just noticed your location and my heart sang a bit.

[george nik.]

Welcome, Athena!

Thanks for the welcome! Just noticed your location and my heart sang a bit.

Yes, I'm right there!

How about you, then? Are you by any chance Greek or of Greek origin, or you're just a fan of the goddess?

[Athena]

Welcome, Athena!

Thanks for the welcome! Just noticed your location and my heart sang a bit.

Yes, I'm right there!

How about you, then? Are you by any chance Greek or of Greek origin, or you're just a fan of the goddess?

I'm not remotely Greek, and I've never been to Greece. I'm just a big fan of hers.

[Tielore]

Hi, My name is Tyler. I Just submitted my very first entry to Q3.
I am 42 and living in Utah. I have been wanting to submit to WOTF for almost 30 years now. I first discovered it as a young teenager on the grocery store book shelves when Volumen III was fresh out. Dave Wolverton (or Farland) won that year with his On My Way To Paradise story. I dreamed of entering for almost a decade after that, but never finished a story I felt could win.
I recently attended a Comicon where Wolverton spoke about the WOTF contest, and it got me excited again.
So it only took me 30 years of dreaming about this contest off and on, to finally get a story together that was worthy to enter. Now the waiting begins.

[ThomasKCarpenter]

Welcome and good luck, Tyler!