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Brandon Sanderson addresses the Writer winners

The Fine Distinction Between Cooks and Chefs

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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.
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Author Scott Nicholson

Writers of the Future Contest – 2nd Quarter 2017 Winners

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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!
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Andrew and Jake signing books for fans at SDCC.

Check Out How SD Comic Con Welcomed Writers of the Future

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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.
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Illustrators of the Future Contest

Illustrators of the Future Contest – 2nd Quarter 2017 Winners

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

Grounding Your Reader

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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...
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Author Scott Nicholson

What Makes a Story Great?

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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?
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Jake Marley on stage with the Golden Pen Award

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

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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.
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Author Jake Marley

Meet the winner – Jake Marley

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Writers of the Future alumni C Stuart Hardwick interviewed the winners from this year's contest. Here's his interview with Jake Marley, author of "Acquisition."
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David Farland with Lawrence Simmons Jr, General Manager of the Nellis AFB Exchange

David Farland at Nellis AFB to Promote Writers of the Future

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Writers of the Future Coordinating Judge David Farland visited the Nellis Air Force Base just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada, to promote Writers of the Future and this year’s bestselling volume of the annual anthology this past weekend.
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Eric James Stone with his novel "Unforgettable"

Focus on Eric James Stone

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Eric James Stone is one of the few people who’ve managed to appear in two editions of the Writers of the Future anthology, putting “Memory” into Volume XX in 2004 as a published finalist, and “Betrayer of Trees” into Volume XXI in 2005 as a prizewinner.
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David Farland speaking to several of the 2017 Writers of the Future winners: (l-r) Stephen Lawson, Ziporah Hildebrandt and Molly Atkins

Persistence

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There is a myth among the general public that the greatest writers are born with uncanny innate talents that average folks dare not aspire to. Yet there is only a sliver of truth to that argument. Talent is helpful, especially for new authors who are just trying to break in, but you can’t make a career out of it.
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Mike Resnick

Q&A with Bestselling Author and Writers of the Future Judge, Mike Resnick

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Mike Resnick has 5 Hugo Awards and has won numerous other awards from places as diverse as France, Japan, Spain, Croatia and Poland. He is also first on the Locus list of all-time award winners, living or dead, for short fiction, and fourth on the Locus list of science fiction’s all-time top award winners in all fiction categories. Here's our interview with him.
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David Farland talking to winners at the Writers of the Future Workshop

Why You Only Got an Honorable Mention

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A while ago I promised to tell you why I reject good stories when I’m reading for Writers of the Future. So let’s talk about those stories that get an Honorable Mention
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Illustrators of the Future Contest

Illustrators of the Future Contest – 1st Quarter 2017 Winners

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The judging results are in and here are the winners for the Illustrators of the Future Contest–1st Quarter 2017. Congratulations to you all!
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Writers of the Future logo

Writers of the Future Contest – 1st Quarter 2017 Winners

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The judging results are in! And here are the winners for the Writers of the Future Contest—1st Quarter 2017. Congratulations to you all!
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Grand Prize Winners 2017, Jake Marley and Michael Michera

David Farland’s 10 Points to Avoid in Writing Short Fiction

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This past week I've been judging Writers of the Future. Most of the stories come to us electronically, so much of my day is spent opening files, taking a look at them, and then putting in a review–usually one that says “Rejected.” I hate that “Reject” button . . .
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Author Ken Liu, photo by Li Yibo (李一博)

Focus on Ken Liu: Writers of the Future Volume 19 Finalist

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“Treasure your time at the workshop,” Ken Liu says when I ask how he would advise a new prizewinner going to the Writers of the Future workshop, “but don’t make too much of it.” This is Ken Liu in a nutshell. He’s a well-spoken man who puts conflicting ideas side by side and then makes you think about what they mean.
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Ken Scholes

Focus on Ken Scholes: Writers of the Future Vol 22 Winner

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In addition to his Writers of the Future Award for “Into the Blank Where Life Is Hurled” (published in volume XXI of the annual anthology), Ken Scholes’s fiction has won ...
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Author Melissa Yuan-Innes

Focus on Melissa Yuan-Innes, Writers of the Future Volume 16 Winner

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When you sit down to write a profile about Melissa Yuan-Innes, it’s hard to figure out where to start. Sure, she published her short story “Skin Song” in the 16th annual volume of Writers of the Future, so you could start there. But Yuan-Innes is a person who seems ...
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Author Scott Nicholson

Scott Nicholson: Life-changing Lesson–Lifelong Professionalism

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“Maybe the biggest thing I took away from the Writers of the…
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