Moon's SUPER SECRET Bonus Challenge! Vol. 36

[vsutherland01]

But if you want to see him tug your heart strings while telling a beautiful children's tale, read THE WEE FREE MEN. In the same vein is THE SHEPHERD'S CROWN.

~Moon~

I will check these out. Thanks.

[Wulf Moon]

The lost secret. The into the ether secret. The @#%^$^&&*+ secret that blipped off my tablet. Now, you get the Cliff Notes.

Moon's SUPER SECRET #17: Know thy judge!

"Get ready to meet your maker!" What? An editor or judge isn't my Maker, thank you very much! Go back. Lower case, buddy. An editor or judge WILL BE your lower case maker in a contest or publication. Why? Because they choose who gets in their publication. They are the gatekeeper, and they hold the key to the pearly gates of publishing. I've said this before. If you can't please the judge (and the first reader), you can't pass GO, you can't collect $200. Or, in WotF's case, $500, $750, or $1000.

Knowing this, why wouldn't one study everything they could about that judge? If the judge's opinion is the only opinion that matters to get into the Finalist lot, then, for the sake of the contest, they are a small G god. If you do not appease the gods with your offering, they will smite you with fire! Okay, maybe our contest gods are a little more benevolent. They'll just smite your story with a reject button. Poof. Your story is dead.

Why leave your story offering to chance? Why bring a god a kumquat when what they really want on their altar--they stated it clearly in their god manual--is a pineapple! You keep serving them kumquats because you LOOOVE kumquats, never realizing this divinity HATES kumquats! Yet on and on you place it on their altar, and wonder over and over why the deity smote it to cinders from above.

Dave Farland is your judge. Not only has he written abundant novels and series you can read and study, he also conducts writing classes, and he puts out his Daily Tips about what he LOOOOVES to see in well written stories. I have his RUNELORDS series in hardcover, and I've read them. If you've read them, you'll know why Dave continually talks about world-building. It's obvious it's his superpower--he makes rich, sensory, believable worlds that aren't overdone, they're just right. So if you're continually offering up plot driven stories without taking time to develop your world, for Dave, they are ALWAYS going to taste like a soda that lost its fizz. You might like it. Your critique group might love it. But Dave will think it's flat and spit it out--no sparkly fizz that he enjoys. So go read some of Dave's stories. He holds your future as a winner of WotF in the tip of his forefinger. One push from that finger on the Finalist button, and you enter the pearly gates.

I say again: David Farland publishes Daily Tips. He will send them right to your email. He is telling you everything he looks for in good writing, even talking about why he accepts or rejects contest stories! That kind of knowledge is GOLD. Have you signed up for his daily tips? YOU HAVEN'T???? Go. Just go. I'm not talking to you anymore until you've signed up.... (Visit mystorydoctor.com and kick around that site, you'll find it.)

Back already? Are you SURE you signed up, that was fast. Okay, I'll believe you, you've got an honest face. Now we can be friends again. : )

Dave talks about how he put himself through college winning writing contests (I did too, by the way, full scholarship to a private college because of all the contests I had won). How did Dave do it? He researched the judge or judges of the contest. He read their work. He studied what they had written about writing. He figured out what the gods had a sweet tooth for. And then he gave it to them, fresh and perfectly ripe, upon their gilded altar. No wonder they smiled down upon him with approval and benevolence. He took the time to figure out what they wanted to be served, not what HE wanted to serve to them. And then he served those ingredients up with his own unique flair.

And he won. Including this contest.

Fortune favor the brave...And the studious!

~Beastmaster Moon~

[OldDarth]

The lost secret. The into the ether secret. The @#%^$^&&*+ secret that blipped off my tablet. Now, you get the Cliff Notes.

Moon's SUPER SECRET #17: Know thy judge!

Truth!

[thegirlintheglasses]

[quote="Wulf Moon"]
Moon's SUPER SECRET #17: Know thy judge!



Oy! I remember when I first found out about the tips. AND THEY'RE FREE! I'm finding as I look on other websites/ezines/etc they have links to similar tips. And, as always, most encourage reading previous winners/story publications from their venue. So I've started collecting the most recent WOTF anthologies. I plan to get V35 as soon as it comes out :) I think that's another way to know our judge. Read the stories he picks...

[Wulf Moon]

Moon's SUPER SECRET #17: Know thy judge!



Oy! I remember when I first found out about the tips. AND THEY'RE FREE! I'm finding as I look on other websites/ezines/etc they have links to similar tips. And, as always, most encourage reading previous winners/story publications from their venue. So I've started collecting the most recent WOTF anthologies. I plan to get V35 as soon as it comes out :) I think that's another way to know our judge. Read the stories he picks...

Absolutely! You got it, Brittany! Magazines tell you the same thing. Get a sample issue if you don't subscribe. Learn what they're buying. Same thing with WotF! If you aren't reading each anthology, you're aiming your arrows in the dark.

[Wulf Moon]

Two things happened to me yesterday.

1. My fantasy alt-history story, "War Dog," in the TERRA! TARA! TERROR! anthology published by Third Flatiron Publishing? It won FIRST PLACE in the Annual Critters' Readers' Poll for Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Story in 2018! I know some here wrote that they enjoyed my story at ThirdFlatiron.com and voted for it, so THANK YOU! If you missed it, there's still time to have me read it to you, or enjoy the free sample on Third Flatiron's homepage. Plus, I heard it's been put on SFWAs 2018 read list, and on the 2018 Hugo read list as well! Not sure what that means, I'm just sure people are reading my story, and that makes me happier than words can describe!

2. A couple hours after winning, I was interviewed on the Chatting With Sherri online radio talk show. This show has an average of 20,000 live listeners worldwide per episode, and if memory serves, about 40,000 downloads later after the broadcast is posted. You might want to check it out. I talk about the importance of writing contests, writing fresh, setting goals to enter WotF every quarter, and also how I wrote my winner, "Super-Duper Moon Girl and the Amazing Moon Dawdler." And I talk about what I'm trying to do, right here, in this topic, Moon's SUPER SECRET Bonus Challenge! It's a 45 minute listen, but it might inspire you. And it might just help you set your sights on your own goal more clearly--to win Writers of the Future and launch your professional writing career!

That's why you're here, aren't you?

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rithebard/ ... ith-sherri

[preston]

Two things happened to me yesterday.

1. My fantasy alt-history story, "War Dog," in the TERRA! TARA! TERROR! anthology published by Third Flatiron Publishing? It won FIRST PLACE in the Annual Critters' Readers' Poll for Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Story in 2018! I know some here wrote that they enjoyed my story at ThirdFlatiron.com and voted for it, so THANK YOU! If you missed it, there's still time to have me read it to you, or enjoy the free sample on Third Flatiron's homepage. Plus, I heard it's been put on SFWAs 2018 read list, and on the 2018 Hugo read list as well! Not sure what that means, I'm just sure people are reading my story, and that makes me happier than words can describe!

2. A couple hours after winning, I was interviewed on the Chatting With Sherri online radio talk show. This show has an average of 20,000 live listeners worldwide per episode, and if memory serves, about 40,000 downloads later after the broadcast is posted. You might want to check it out. I talk about the importance of writing contests, writing fresh, setting goals to enter WotF every quarter, and also how I wrote my winner, "Super-Duper Moon Girl and the Amazing Moon Dawdler." And I talk about what I'm trying to do, right here, in this topic, Moon's SUPER SECRET Bonus Challenge! It's a 45 minute listen, but it might inspire you. And it might just help you set your sights on your own goal more clearly--to win Writers of the Future and launch your professional writing career!

That's why you're here, aren't you?

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rithebard/ ... ith-sherri

Wow, Wulf! Double congratulations-congratulations. Amazing.
Nice interview. What a journey you've had...uh...are having! See you in a few months!

[Wulf Moon]

Preston wrote: Wow, Wulf! Double congratulations-congratulations. Amazing.
Nice interview. What a journey you've had...uh...are having! See you in a few months!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks, thanks, Preston! I think you're on a similar one! Topanga Canyon! See you in Hollywood. Looking forward to meeting you! We're writing new endings to old stories people thought were finished!

[TimE]

Well done Mr Wulf. An overnight star 25 years in the making, eh? From what you've said, you've put a lot of effort in and have earned the rewards - hope your star continues to rise. And why shouldn't it! Look forward to hearing of a novel coming out soon.

[AnikeKirsten]

Wow! Congrats, Wulf, and may there be many more congrats coming!

Been stalking Dave's blog, and read through so many posts before. All signed up for new ones. And yeah, markets continually advise reading what they have so this makes a lot of sense, and even better that it's broken down and 'splained for free.

[SCAFontaine]

Congratulations Wulf! Congrats on winning the Critter's Reader's poll and the talk show.

[Dragonchef]

Just finished the first draft of my Q2v36 submission. In edit now.
15.6K - Whew! Still shaking from all that typing.
And already thinking of Q3. Can't seem to shut my brain off - Thanks Wulfy.

[Wulf Moon]

Just finished the first draft of my Q2v36 submission. In edit now.
15.6K - Whew! Still shaking from all that typing.
And already thinking of Q3. Can't seem to shut my brain off - Thanks Wulfy.

Thanks for the conga rats, guys! May the conga line keep growing for all of us!

Heh, overnight success, 25 years in the making. Love that, TimE! Thanks! And I did put in the work, and I'm sharing how I did it right here...and not just how to win this contest, but also how to become a professional writer. Hoping I can cut down the learning curve for some of you that chose to challenge yourselves like I did. I predict someone in this challenge will win WotF Volume 36. These SUPER SECRETS I'm sharing hold the key to winning if you can figure out how to apply them. That part's up to you...and how hard you're willing to work this contest year. Just sayin'. : )

I might add there really is motivational material I shared in the Chatting With Sherri broadcast to help writers like you keep persevering. It takes 45 minutes to listen to, and you might find power in it to help you complete your quest. I even mention this group in the broadcast, and what I'm trying to accomplish here. I'm trying to help. Just sayin'. : )

And now we come to Dragonchef. Big story! Glad it's on the page. Once again, I recommend you don't overedit. And I suggest that if you're writing that fast, why are you thinking your next idea is for Q3? Write two for Q2, and pick your best to submit. To Q2. Every time we write a new story, our skills improve in increments. Your next may very well prove to be your best story ever, because you learned something from writing the last one. Your winner is likely in the NEXT story you write. So write it now!

I highly encourage all of you to push yourselves to your limits if you want to win this. You see, somebody else is. Somebody else wants the win that badly. Make that somebody YOU. : )

I've already talked one of you behind the scenes into writing TWO for Q2, and picking the best one. If you're writing that fast, and you really should be, stop thinking one per quarter, and moving to the next quarter. Why? Get those stories down on paper now! That's a good habit. Develop that habit, and you will have many stories each quarter. Then, choose the pick of the litter to send in. You want to win this, right? Stop throwing mud against the wall. Aim for the bullseye with your *best* arrow, and make that one world changing shot count!

Fortune favor the brave...and the industrious!

~Beastmaster Moon~

[OldDarth]

Sound words Wulf and congrats on your recent writing accomplishments.

[Dragonchef]

And now we come to Dragonchef. Big story! Glad it's on the page. Once again, I recommend you don't overedit. And I suggest that if you're writing that fast, why are you thinking your next idea is for Q3? Write two for Q2, and pick your best to submit. To Q2. Every time we write a new story, our skills improve in increments. Your next may very well prove to be your best story ever, because you learned something from writing the last one. Your winner is likely in the NEXT story you write. So write it now!

~Beastmaster Moon~

Actually, I decided to work on this novel that's been plaguing my thoughts. Q3v36 will have to wait. Q2? Well . . . "Burn the witch!"
Sorry, had something in my eye.

[Wulf Moon]

The first reader for Writers of the Future is Kary English, just in case some missed that.

I told Kary today, "I am training an army to beat you. In the Forum."

She said, "Bring it!"

I do love a challenge.

"ASSEMBLE DA MINIONS! The next SUPER SECRET is about to be installed! Kevin! Put that jackhammer down! It's too hard on their skulls!"

[OldDarth]

heheh.

[Wulf Moon]

Assemble da minions! Kevin! Put that saw down! That horn is *supposed* to be there! It’s a UNICORN!

BEHOLD! Moon’s SUPER SECRET #18: Start your #%$@#%!& hero’s quest! We’re on the clock!

You’re smart. You’ve read a few books. Maybe even a couple of my preceding posts. You know a story begins with 1. A Character 2. In a Setting 3. With a Problem. Well done! If you’ve got an engaging hero in a unique world with a great need--AND you’ve employed your magic or SF element in the first two pages—you’re probably going to get past first reader Kary.

Yet, as every good infomercial will tell you…BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE! Besides the Seven Point Plot—yes, I’m going to reveal more on that, patience, I’ve been trying to get you past Kary and into the Dave stack—there is also something called The Hero’s Journey. Joseph Campbell wrote the book. It was based on The Hero of a Thousand Faces. I’m not saying you need to read these, but you should be aware of the principles. A good way to do that is to get Christopher Vogler’s Twelve Stage Hero’s Journey. He boils it down into writer terms nicely. Now, I’ve always felt the Hero’s Journey methodology is much more suited to novels than to short stories, but Hero’s Journey is all about the monomyth, the broad themes in mankind’s mythos that reappear over and over again. In other words, you want to write a big story that stands the test of time? Or at least wins this contest by wooing the minds many judges? Then you need to knowingly or unknowingly apply some of these monomyth archetypes. They are hardwired into humanity, and by pushing those monomyth buttons, you can push your story to the top of the heap.

What is the Hero’s Journey? In writing, it’s the common template of story structure that involves a hero who goes on an adventure, and in a decisive crisis wins a victory, and then comes home changed or transformed. Boom! Drop the mic. If that’s all you remember from these Super Secrets, you’re probably going to figure out how to write a winning story, which is also a professionally publishable story. A story so good, it will sell to judges who are NYT bestselling authors.

Knowing this, after giving us your hero, in a unique world, with a powerful need, what’s next? Laboring page after page on how many sets of undies and pairs of socks your hero must pack? Taking us through a chapter’s worth of internal monologue on why or why not our hero should go on the quest? Perhaps we need a thorough rundown on the history of airships so we all know your hero is really really really smart? Really? Puh-lease! You’re killing me! START YOUR #%$@#%!& QUEST! : )

In the Hero’s Journey, this is called Crossing the Threshold. In Star Trek, it’s called Engage. In Next Gen, Picard is having a nice cup of Earl Grey, hot, when the comm goes off and he’s got to run to the bridge. Some Klingon Bird of Prey just swept down out of cloak and stole their payload of Twinkies that’s the only food the Latchkid race can eat, and those Latchkids are going to starve if Picard can’t get those Twinkies back. He really doesn’t want to go chase Klingon’s across the galaxy, his tea is getting cold, but Latchkids WILL DIE! (In TOS, insert dramatic music here, then cut to commercial, where a nice mom will tell you how wholesome Hostess Cupcakes are for your kids.) Aaaaaand, we're back! Latchkids WILL DIE! So, Picard consults with his crew on how to get the Enterprise up to a comfortable chase speed of warp factor nine, figures out how they might beam in under warp to steal back the Twinkie payload, and then? Does Picard go into a rant about the nutritional value of Twinkies? Does he give us the entire history of the Latchkids and how they arose from the primordial stew to become the most powerful psionic race in the galaxy? No. He sits in that captain’s chair and utters one word: Engage! And we’re off, just like at the races. Open the gates, fire the gun, make your horsies run!

I will illustrate another way. Think back to The Hobbit. Interesting world, new diminutive hairy-footed people, a hero quite comfortable in his earth berm home, thank you very much! Then comes a wizard, dwarf infestation, and a dangerous quest with desperate need for a burglar! ‘No way, have fun boys,’ saith the Hobbit, and the quest leaves without him. How long does he bemoan his decision? How long before we see Bilbo racing after the quest? Let’s ask Tolkien:

“That leaves you just ten minutes. You will have to run,” said Gandalf.
“But—” said Bilbo.
“No time for it,” said the wizard.
“But—” said Bilbo again.
“No time for that either! Off you go!”
To the end of his days Bilbo could never remember how he found himself outside, without a hat, a walking-stick or any money, or anything he usually took when he went out; leaving his second breakfast half-finished and quite unwashed up, pushing his keys into Gandalf’s hands, and running as fast as his furry feet could carry him down the lane, past the great Mill, across the Water, and then on for a mile or more.
Very puffed he was, when he got to Bywater just on the stroke of eleven…
“Bravo!” said Balin who was standing at the inn door looking out for him...(with a pony!)
“Up you two get, and off we go!” said Thorin.

End of quote. See the point? Once you have established the quest, LET’S GET GOING! Even Tolkien said it. “No time for it….Off you go!” In short stories, you have to Cross the Threshold very quickly. Today’s reader has no patience for dallying, I don’t care how beautiful your verbose dallying is.

Get your hero out the door, over the threshold, onto the journey, saving the world, ASAP, PDQ! If you don’t, your submission will be DOA. And #%$@#%!&, you can prevent that!

By starting your hero’s quest!

Engage!

~Beastmaster Moon~

[TimE]

#18: Start your #%$@#%!& hero’s quest!

At its first occurrence, I wondered what #%$@#%!& meant. By its second, I worked it out. (It means flipping, doesn't it?)

Message received. No loitering on the doorstep. No sitting at the breakfast table reading the paper. No gazing at the clouds. No time spent in hover car / on back of heffalump...

[TimE]

And according to the BBC we are to get a Super Blood Wulf Moon! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46908305

[AnikeKirsten]

I laughed so hard at the ST example. Well done, sir. Well done.

As tempting as it is to delve into the murky waters of info-dumping, sometimes we just need to realise that our audience (first reader and judges in this case) know quite a bit about SFF and worlds and are more than capable of making deductions based on quite a little information provided. Basically, trust your reader and avoid the exposition overload. Info-dumps being one of the biggest quest delays I've noticed in SFF because of the big worlds involved.

(says she whose first drafts are always packed with info-dumps because they get her geek on)

But this raises another interesting thought, one I've seen a lot in literary fiction: the idea of too much characterization. It can be just as damning as info-dumps and you lose your readers who lose the plot. Reminds me of Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" where the exposition and characterization are so well balanced that you're never lost as to what's going on. Kafka also made the reader part of the story by trusting them to figure things out themselves and later throwing life-lines in case they don't before a certain scene. I don't remember the precise layout of the room the story takes place in but it doesn't matter at all because it's just a room with stuff in it that serve as very brief props when needed to further the plot.

[vsutherland01]

Great advice moon, doing my best to avoid info-dumps. I am also working to shorten the average length of my stories.

I finished a 3K draft of a fresh story for Q2, so that's 2 out of 4 for me in this challenge. I will let the story stew for a while before doing final revisions, but I like it so far.

If I have time this quarter I will get into my next idea but I suspect I won't have it ready until Q3. I am going to try and focus on world-building with this next one.

[Wulf Moon]

And according to the BBC we are to get a Super Blood Wulf Moon! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46908305

Rumors of Super Wulf Moon's brilliance were greatly exaggerated.

I'm able to light up a room at best.

[thegirlintheglasses]

And according to the BBC we are to get a Super Blood Wulf Moon! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46908305

Rumors of Super Wulf Moon's brilliance were greatly exaggerated.

I'm able to light up a room at best.

Awwwwwwww I went out to look last night but our sky was full of clouds (snowstorm!) Guess I wasn't the only one who missed it.

And for the record, you'll be lighting up a STAGE very soon!!!

[storysinger]

I'm able to light up a room at best.

You've definitely illuminated this forum. And as tgitg pointed out you'll be lighting up the stage in a couple of months.

My turn for reading Algis Budry's Writing to the point came up on the Open Library. I'm sure I'll read it more than once.

[Wulf Moon]

I'm able to light up a room at best.

You've definitely illuminated this forum. And as tgitg pointed out you'll be lighting up the stage in a couple of months.

My turn for reading Algis Budry's Writing to the point came up on the Open Library. I'm sure I'll read it more than once.

Thanks, guys! And Storysinger? Awesome! AJ is the master--he mentored Dave when Dave Farland won the contest. Enjoy the book. It's basically his Mary Jane course he taught and perfected for the WotF workshop. You get those points down, you will sell stories. And climb to the top of the submission heap in WotF!

Cheers!

~Beastmaster Moon~

[Wulf Moon]

It's time for another SUPER SECRET! Stay tuned! Because this one is tuned...directly to the words of first reader Kary English!

You may not know this. Once winners are finalized for a given year, a private FB group is made for your years' volume by Author Services. This allows your group of winners from Writers and Illustrators, including judges from both sides of the contest, to communicate with you. You are able to get to know your judges a little bit better, you get intros to your fellow winners before you attend the workshop, and you form bonds that can create a network meant to help one another's careers well beyond the awards week. You get to know people. You get to ask questions. You also get answers and comments directly from those on the inside.

And I'm going to share something from that contact with you! Because you took my challenge, you were brave. You deserve it!

Stay tuned.

~Beastmaster Moon~

[SCAFontaine]

Sounds juicy, Moon. Looking forward to it.

[TimE]

Tease!
C'mon, let's have it. I'm about ready to start writing an alternative for Q2 - good time for a new tip.

[Wulf Moon]

Tease!
C'mon, let's have it. I'm about ready to start writing an alternative for Q2 - good time for a new tip.

Heh, sorry, TimE, had to review Author Services revision on my bio, and reread the entire story's galleys because of some Chicago Manual of Style discussions and changes we decided on last minute. Once a change is made, I highly recommend authors go back in and review everything, start to finish. Don't delegate this to someone else, don't think proofreaders are the professionals and you'll just leave it up to them. It's YOUR story, the buck stops with you, YOU will be the one to live with it if it's wrong.

That said, I'll tell you how good Dave is. I had written a plea to ASI to include in my already submitted bio my recent win of Critters Readers' Choice Award for "War Dog": Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Story of 2018. It's an important people's choice award--Critters has 15,000 members, first workshop on the internet, established 1995, international polling by members and non-members alike. I figured it was worth listing--it certainly was an important (and shocking) win to me. Guess what? It was important to Dave, too. Crossing my send to ASI on my request was an email from Dave, CC'd to me, asking ASI if they would hold off and update my bio with my recent award. So impressed with Dave, and I've never met him--yet. Number one, he noticed the awards list and had cared about my win. Number two, he cared enough to tell ASI to stop the presses, I want this news in the book.

Who does that? David Farland, that's who. Everyone says David Farland is one of the nicest people you will ever meet.

I believe them.

All the beast,

Moon