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Will Eisner

The Illustrators of the Future by Will Eisner

August 29, 2017

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While my own career has been spent in the practice of sequential art, a form that arranges images and text in an intelligent sequence to tell a story, I have nonetheless always been professionally involved in the fundamentals of illustration. I, therefore, feel I have accumulated enough experience with which to endow my advice with some credibility.

Jake Marley being interviewed at LA Festival of Book

Persevere

August 28, 2017

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It's been nearly a year since I found out I was a finalist for L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future contest, and very nearly five months since I was announced as the 2017 Golden Pen Award winner. To say my life has changed feels like an understatement.

Ken Liu, photo by Lisa Tang Liu

Ken Liu on Writing a Star Wars Book

August 24, 2017

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So, the news is out: I’m writing a Star Wars book as part of the Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi project. Working with the team at Lucasfilm Publishing has been such a pleasure — they’re the best.

Jake Marley on stage with the Golden Pen Award

Pictures That Tell Stories

August 23, 2017

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This article was originally published in L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume XI. Mankind has used pictures to tell stories from the beginning of time. Recently, ancient cave paintings were discovered in France, and while cave paintings aren’t new discoveries, these are unlike anything seen before.

Anker Grossvater painting

The Problem of the “Told” Story

August 22, 2017

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I have talked about some of the most frequent problems that I see when judging for the Writers of the Future Contest, and today I’m going to tackle one of the biggest: the problem with “told” stories.

Lazarus with artist Mike Michera

How to create an award-winning illustration

August 17, 2017

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How does one actually create an award-winning illustration? Illustrators of the Future judges include some of the most famous illustrators of the 20 and 21st centuries—and are not easy to impress.

Agent man

Your First Five Pages

August 16, 2017

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A writer pointed out today that when you send a novel to an agent or publisher, they normally ask for the first five or ten pages, just so that they can gauge your writing skill. If those pages don’t grab the reader, it won’t sell. So, he wondered, what do I look for in those first five pages?

Jeremy TeG

Meet the Winners – Jeremy TeGrotenhuis – 1st Q 2017

August 16, 2017

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A couple of years ago I decided to stop blogging in order to focus on improving my fiction, and, well, I just won Writers of the Future, so that seems to have worked.

Frank Kelly Freas and Ray Bradbury at the inauguration of Illustrators of the Future

SF Illustration as Art by Frank Kelly Freas

August 10, 2017

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Frank Kelly Freas was the first coordinating judge of the Illustrators of the Future Contest. Already a well established commercial artist and having known L. Ron Hubbard and having observed first hand Ron lending a helping hand to aspiring writers

Larry Elmore & Rob Prior onstage painting a dragon at the Writers of the Future Vol 33 awards ceremony

Can You Draw a Dragon? How Illustrators of the Future Inspires Students

August 9, 2017

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I am teaching in a home school environment and have students who are artists at heart. Each week I teach an art class that focuses on specific skills as well as ideas that inspire.

Magic keyboard

“Boosting” Your Prose

August 5, 2017

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I earlier mentioned that when I used to write for competitions, I would make lists of ways that judges might look at my work in order to grade it. For example, some judges might look for an ending that brought them to tears, while another might be more interested in an intellectual feast. A couple of you asked what my list might look like. So here is a list of things that I might consider in creating a piece.

Orson Scott Card

Are We at the End of Science Fiction?

August 1, 2017

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In 2006, Writers of the Future judge Orson Scott Card addressed a very simple if not vital question which was published in Writers of the Future Volume 22. These aren’t the best of times for science fiction.

Jake Marley on stage with the Golden Pen Award

Multidimensionality: The Value of Subplots

July 31, 2017

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Very often when reading slush for the Writers of the Future contest, I come upon stories that at first glance seem to be perfectly acceptable. They presented a protagonist who had a problem to overcome. The setting was reasonably well defined. The story proceeded at a good pace, with the problem escalating nicely. Often there was a surprise twist at the ending, and the conclusion seemed appropriate. Yet when I got done reading the story, it just lacked ... something.

Brandon Sanderson addresses the Writer winners

The Fine Distinction Between Cooks and Chefs

July 31, 2017

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A lot of people want to give you writing advice. I’ve felt it—trust me, I’ve been there. During my long years trying to break in as a writer, I felt that I never lacked for someone jumping in to tell me how this writing thing had to be done.

Jake Marley on stage with the Golden Pen Award

Parts to a Story – From the inciting incident to the denouement

July 27, 2017

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I earlier talked about the first four parts of a story—setting,…

Jake Marley on stage with the Golden Pen Award

Writers of the Future Contest – 2nd Quarter 2017 Winners

July 26, 2017

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The judging results are in! Here are the 2nd Quarter 2017 Writers of the Future Contest winners. Congratulations to you all!

Andrew and Jake signing books for fans at SDCC.

Check Out How SD Comic Con Welcomed Writers of the Future

July 26, 2017

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Over 500 Comic Con attendees had an opportunity to meet Writers of the Future Volume 33 winners Jake Marley and Andrew L. Roberts to get an autographed copy of volume 33 and the beautiful poster of the cover art, Crimson Dawn, painted by Larry Elmore.

Illustrators of the Future Contest

Illustrators of the Future Contest – 2nd Quarter 2017 Winners

July 21, 2017

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The results are in for the 2nd Quarter Illustrators of the Future Contest. And the winners are...

Man reading a book

Grounding Your Reader

July 17, 2017

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One reader asked me to discuss a bit about what I call “grounding” the reader. Quite simply, grounding is the fine art of letting the reader know what is going on. You need to focus on some basics...

Jake Marley on stage with the Golden Pen Award

What Makes a Story Great?

July 10, 2017

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Recently I’ve had a number of my students ask, “What makes a story great?” For example, what sets apart a story that wins major awards from one that doesn’t? What makes one story monumental, a landmark in its field, while another story fades from memory?

Jake Marley on stage with the Golden Pen Award

Writing the Future: Thoughts on the Writers of the Future Contest

July 6, 2017

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I can admit that when I first heard about the Writers and Illustrators of the Future contest, I was skeptical. On the surface it seemed too good to be true.