NEW USERS! INTRODUCE YOURSELVES!

Welcome to your new daily ritual Alex, cruising the forum. As far as your writing goes, head on over to the WotF website and take the free course being offered. Also check out Wulf's Super-Secrets, your writing will become much easier, and your nest of krakens will become very crowded, unless you send them to new homes.

Howdy, all. My name is Robert, but I mostly go by Bert to friends and colleagues. I'm from Virginia, USA, but I've lived in Taiwan for almost half of my life. I came to writing a few years ago and discovered the WotF website and the contest just recently.

Glad to join the forum and be a part of the community!

Posted by: @foxed

Hi all! My name is Alex (or Foxed, if you’d like). I started writing seriously about 1.5 years ago (after I read Cormac McCarthy for the first time lol). Anyways. Submitted a piece to WoTF to challenge myself (to finish a piece and meet a deadline, first time submitting). Got an HM which encouraged me.

Question for you all (if I can post this here). do you all really submit every quarter? I think I need to refine my process. I spend a lot of time editing, but maybe that’s because I’m a newer (-ish) writer. This WoTF piece I submitted I spent six months on, on-and-off. Is the ability to put out more stories more frequently something learned over time? Hopefully I can achieve that pace one day.

Anyways, happy to be here.

Welcome Alex! I’m also pretty new to this short story thing and have learned a lot from the WotF workshop, from Wulf Moon’s Super Secrets thread here in the forum, and just from cruising around the forum reading old threads. 

My goal is to eventually get into writing novels, but I have to get better at the art and craft of storytelling, so I’ve taken the daunting (to me) challenge to write a new story every quarter. I just submitted my second story and you know what-the writing is getting easier already. I’m starting to internalize the lessons learned and not needing to edit as much.

All of that to say, the only way to get better and faster is to keep writing, keep reading, and find a supportive community to help.

Glad you’re here!

@foxed When I first started here. It was painful for me to write just 500 words! Now, after more than a year of submitting each quarter, I can write 1,000 words in a day, no problem. Just takes practice.  

@foxed welcome!

I was similarly taken aback when I heard people submit each quarter. I submitted my first in Q4 v37 but was not able to get another story finished for submission until a few days ago, so Q3 v38. However, I did begin work on outlines for Q4 when I had finished the first draft for Q3 and am now in a position where I reckon I'll be able to submit another for Q4. When you get in the swing of things, I've found I can plan out ahead so it does not seem as daunting at first to submit each quarter. Of course, whether I can in fact submit each quarter - consistently - remains to be seen!

@llamarob welcome Bert*!! i love your username. Taiwan, that's pretty awesome, I bet there's some great inspiration to be found in such a place.

@storysinger thank you for the helpful pointers, am looking forward to tearing this forum up for some information heh (aka, reading every darned thing)

@lost_bard (another awesome username) excellent, i'm halfway through the workshop and it definitely has some valuable info, i like the practical exercises as well. i've just started to delve into Wulf's Super Secrets and wow, this is such an awesome community to have those types of resources. i'm in a similar boat where i wanted to write novels but found that the best way to hone my craft would be through short stories (plus they're easier to finish, lol). that's great to know about writing getting easier (and ergo, less time spent editing). congrats on your submission!!

@crlisle that's very encouraging, i'll keep at it for sure

@joel-c-scoberg yup this makes a lot of sense, i have a few stories in the works (aka some half-written and then abandoned when i don't feel thrilled about the central concept, etc), but i'm hoping that learning more here will help me find ways to...not be so critical when it comes to my stuff and finish more things, even if i'm not "in love" with the plot (plot/intriguing concept is my biggest achilles heel when it comes to writing, which is a pretty big flaw to have with fantasy and sci-fi genres. i can write a decent sentence though). so hopefully i'll get something done for Q4!!! (i WILL get something done, gosh dangit)

Welcome, @llamarob and @foxed!

And to Foxed, I always try to at least, though other writers have been more consistent with it than I have. As time goes by, however, I've found it easier to do--I've had years where I submitted new stories every quarter, and others where life was running me ragged, and I either revised and resubmitted a story I'd entered before, or expanded or reworked a story from my trunk and submitted that into the contest instead. Either way, though, it's always better to be entered than not.

@llamarob Welcome Bert! You’ve found a great community to join on this crazy writing journey. We’re happy to have you here!

@llamarob welcome to the community!

Welcome new members! Holiday weekend, but I will personally welcome you when I return. Enjoy the Forum!

Wulf Moon

Forum Moderator

Welcome Bert. Apply your attention to the forum and grow your talents. Enjoy!

Hi everyone! I'm Anna and I'm most recently in Texas. I've been writing since I was a kid, and it's pretty much always been speculative something, most often fantasy. I'm currently participating in the Clarion West Write-a-thon through the end of July, and someone I met through that told me that WotF isn't just a competition, but also has a forum and a community, so I started looking it, and, well, here I am. I'm hoping to meet folks and grow as a writer. And to start submitting to the contest and giving myself at least one external control over my writing schedule.

So far only one publishing credit: a short story in a self-published anthology with some other writers. I tried submitting to markets a few years ago and got quickly discouraged, which I think is a reason to be in a community of other people going through the same thing!

In my non-writing professional life I work in a museum where my job revolves mostly around keeping track of the collections, but also involves handling the collections. I've worked mostly with art collections, but have also worked with history collections, pop culture and media collections, and natural history collections. There are a lot of really weird and really cool things in museums, folks.

Greetings from the faraway continent of Brazil, y'all! Name's Alex. Pen name's Álex. (attention to detail!)

I've been writing SFF for two and a half years now. After a few publishing credits in my so-beloved country, I decided to finally put those language school credits to use, so now I'm writing in Queen's. So far, I published a story in a market that pays a (very) small sum, and got a truckload of rejections. But we keep struggling! ? I submitted to Q3 and Q4 and am really looking forward to it!

I'm already active at SFF Chronicles and Escape Artists. Also, I'm always critiquing things over at critters.org, and I slush for The Common Tongue Magazine (great dark fantasy magazine btw).

Glad to be here ? 

Welcome, @gooseandcaboose and @alexvss! It's always nice to have fresh blood in the forum.  

@gooseandcaboose, this is a really fantastic community. I've been a member of a few online writing communities, and this has been the longest lasting, most supportive, and the most directly helpful one I've ever been a part of. Activity here does ebb and flow a little around the contest quarters, but there's usually something going on, and always someone willing to answer a question, help with a quick crit, or just to commiserate or chat about details of the craft.

(All of which doesn't even touch on things like Wulf's super secrets, which is a kind of course-within-a-group-within-a-forum here, and rather follows a separate cadence all of its own.)

Also, you talked about being discouraged by submission rejections, which leads me nicely into...

@alexvss! I also have a truckload of rejections (four hundred plus, at the moment), and regard them as a badge of honour. Years ago, I set out to earn myself a hundred, because I was having the same issue as Anna with becoming discouraged, and realised I wanted and needed to develop a thicker skin if I was to have any chance of being successful. And every rejection counts -- you can only get them by doing the work of writing and submitting. Not one single rejection comes to you without effort, and there can be things to learn from them, even when the rejections come back as flat form "no thankyou" letters.

Welcome @gooseandcaboose and @alexvss!

I've not long joined the forum myself having submitted to the contest oblivious to the forum's existence. I feel like my writing has improved through the support and critiques of fellow writers here. I have a rather depressing spreadsheet where I have listed my rejections. But, as @doctorjest pointed out, developing a thick skin for rejections - by in my case laying it all out so I can see it - has helped firm up my determination. Hearing success stories of other writers who have had stories rejected numerous times only to be accepted is inspiring.

I hope you both get a lot out of the forum, I know I have. It's great to have you on board  

P.s. @alexvss for having a story published in your second language. I struggle with my first  

Welcome Alex and Anna. Glad you both made it to the forum. Let the journey begin.

@gooseandcaboose Welcome! As an archivist, you probably see some cool stuff! I have a friend who worked briefly with the Smithsonian Archive and she was always excited to tell about the latest thing she found. Do your artifacts find ways into your stories?

@alexvss Welcome! I can imagine that writing in another language presents some unique challenges. This is a great place to hone your skills with a fantastically supportive community. Dive in and have fun!

Welcome Anna and Álex!

I absolutely concur with the comments made regarding the forum here. I've been part of it for a little while (not nearly as long as some!) and I've found it immensely helpful and encouraging. The people here really do want to help you with your writing-which almost doesn't make sense. Clearly they don't see other writers as 'competition' but genuinely want people's hard work to pay off.

Posted by: @gooseandcaboose

I tried submitting to markets a few years ago

Fantastic! Have a listen to the podcast (or ask any of the long-standing members here), sometimes it can take a LOT of rejections before things really start to fall in line for you. Have a look at p.47 of Wulf Moon's Super Secrets thread on this forum, it has a list of possible markets to sell your story too. Also, check out RJK Lee's blog for the same reason, it's amazing.

The more I listen to successful people in this field, the more I hear repeated, "Professional writers are just aspiring writers who didn't quit."

Posted by: @foxed

Hi all! My name is Alex (or Foxed, if you’d like). I started writing seriously about 1.5 years ago (after I read Cormac McCarthy for the first time lol). Anyways. Submitted a piece to WoTF to challenge myself (to finish a piece and meet a deadline, first time submitting). Got an HM which encouraged me.

Question for you all (if I can post this here). do you all really submit every quarter? I think I need to refine my process. I spend a lot of time editing, but maybe that’s because I’m a newer (-ish) writer. This WoTF piece I submitted I spent six months on, on-and-off. Is the ability to put out more stories more frequently something learned over time? Hopefully I can achieve that pace one day.

Anyways, happy to be here.

Welcome to the Forum, Foxed! 

We're glad you've found us! Congratulations on finishing a story. To paraphrase contest judge Robert Sawyer, ninety percent of hopeful writers talk about writing a story, but never do it. Of that remaining ten percent, ninety percent start a story, but never finish it. Of that remaining ten percent, ninety percent that finish a story never send it out to be published. As you can see, you've already beaten all the odds! Now it's a simple matter of repeating the process. And the more you write, the easier it gets. That's because writing creates new neural pathways, and the more you exercise them, the faster and stronger they get!

Yes, many here enter every quarter, and many do so with fresh stories. I've done several year-long challenges to that very effect, and it's done wonders for those that took up the gauntlet.

But don't let that intimidate you. One step at a time, because we are all at different places on the writing path.

May you find what you need here to help you succeed in your goals. Including allies that can stand beside you in the battle!

All the best!

Wulf Moon
Forum Moderator

Posted by: @llamarob

Howdy, all. My name is Robert, but I mostly go by Bert to friends and colleagues. I'm from Virginia, USA, but I've lived in Taiwan for almost half of my life. I came to writing a few years ago and discovered the WotF website and the contest just recently.

Glad to join the forum and be a part of the community!

Welcome aboard, Bert!

Coming from Taiwan gives you some cool cultural knowledge that could set your writing apart. I hope you're tapping into that, as there is a strong desire in the publishing industry right now to expand beyond US borders. I'm sure WotF is doing its part to expand its representation as well, so that's a word to the wise.

Do enjoy all the helpful folders here, and do post in the quarter you plan to enter, as most support happens there. 

We wish you much success!

Cheers!

Wulf Moon
Forum Moderator

Posted by: @gooseandcaboose

Hi everyone! I'm Anna and I'm most recently in Texas. I've been writing since I was a kid, and it's pretty much always been speculative something, most often fantasy. I'm currently participating in the Clarion West Write-a-thon through the end of July, and someone I met through that told me that WotF isn't just a competition, but also has a forum and a community, so I started looking it, and, well, here I am. I'm hoping to meet folks and grow as a writer. And to start submitting to the contest and giving myself at least one external control over my writing schedule.

So far only one publishing credit: a short story in a self-published anthology with some other writers. I tried submitting to markets a few years ago and got quickly discouraged, which I think is a reason to be in a community of other people going through the same thing!

In my non-writing professional life I work in a museum where my job revolves mostly around keeping track of the collections, but also involves handling the collections. I've worked mostly with art collections, but have also worked with history collections, pop culture and media collections, and natural history collections. There are a lot of really weird and really cool things in museums, folks.

Welcome aboard, Anna!

How cool you work with museum collections! You should have all kinds of unique and authentic story ideas tapping into the microcosm of your world! I encourage you to do so--many of us creatives find museums fascinating. Use your knowledge to create a great story so I can read it in the next WotF anthology!

Congratulations on being in Clarion. You'll learn great critiquing methods there, and have a great model to start your own writers' ring should you care to do so. And you are absolutely correct that it takes a village to raise a writer. It's not an easy path, and we all need all the support we can get! You'll certainly find that here, so please do take part in the discussions, that's how we get to know one another and form bonds.

Thank you for introducing yourself. Now jump on in! The water is fine.

Cheers!

Wulf Moon
Forum Moderator

Posted by: @alexvss

Greetings from the faraway continent of Brazil, y'all! Name's Alex. Pen name's Álex. (attention to detail!)

 

I've been writing SFF for two and a half years now. After a few publishing credits in my so-beloved country, I decided to finally put those language school credits to use, so now I'm writing in Queen's. So far, I published a story in a market that pays a (very) small sum, and got a truckload of rejections. But we keep struggling! ? I submitted to Q3 and Q4 and am really looking forward to it!

 

I'm already active at SFF Chronicles and Escape Artists. Also, I'm always critiquing things over at critters.org, and I slush for The Common Tongue Magazine (great dark fantasy magazine btw).

 

Glad to be here ? 

Welcome aboard, Alex!

We're glad you've found us! With an average of two winners from the Forum every year of late, it's a fact you'll find no better place to help you succeed in winning this contest. But many have launched professional writing careers from here regardless of winning or not. That's because there's a treasure trove of knowledge held in these pages to help members improve their writing.

May you find that is the case for yourself!

All the best,

Wulf Moon
Forum Moderator

@wulfmoon Hi Wulf, thanks for the greeting and helpful pointers. Just wanted to say I loved your story "Super-Duper Moongirl" 😀 Congrats on all your hard-earned success and thanks for paying it forward in your Super Secrets and general knowledge tidbits. I've been lurking that SS thread for days now and it's just an awesome resource. You (and all the other forumites) have inspired me to try and get something in for Q4. Trying to get my neural pathways buff as heck 

Posted by: @foxed

@wulfmoon Hi Wulf, thanks for the greeting and helpful pointers. Just wanted to say I loved your story "Super-Duper Moongirl" 😀 Congrats on all your hard-earned success and thanks for paying it forward in your Super Secrets and general knowledge tidbits. I've been lurking that SS thread for days now and it's just an awesome resource. You (and all the other forumites) have inspired me to try and get something in for Q4. Trying to get my neural pathways buff as heck 

Thank you for your kind words, Foxed! Glad you loved my winner, "Super-Duper Moongirl and the Amazing Moon Dawdler."

Lurk in the Super Secrets topic all your heart desires. Many have, and many have attributed their leveling up, obtaining pro sales, and even winning this contest to studying those Secrets. I wrote them to make it easier for aspiring writers to craft stories that can sell ... and to win this contest! May they help you do the same!

Don't forget to take the Writers of the Future Online Writing Course. That's taught by the contest judges and it can really help!

I also have a new writing article in the latest issue of DreamForge Anvil #3 that can make the process easier for you. Click HERE to read.

Please keep me posted on your progress. If you have questions, please send me a private message. And if you'd like to be in my Wulf Pack Club, do click on the link in my signature.

Have fun in the Forum. There's good people here that can help you succeed!

@doctorjest, @joel-c-scoberg, @storysinger, @scott_m_sands, @wulfmoon, et al.: Thanks for the welcome! I can tell already that there's a good community here, and I'm looking forward to getting involved. Thanks for all the suggestions and resources out of the gate--seems like you folks do this a lot 😉

@lost_bard That's awesome you've a friend who worked in archives! So far I would say no specific artifacts have made it into my stories, but I definitely use what I learn in the course of my job about types of artifacts, materials, manufacturing processes, etc. Little things I never knew about or never would have thought up to give an extra jolt to world-building or scene-setting, like giving a character in a Victorian-esque setting an article of clothing decorated with beetle wings (having worked with a textile collection containing a dress embroidered with beetle wings). 

@wulfmoon Hi

The South African girl is still here! Been working away on the course while trying to hold up my end at the day job, so not had a chance to spend time here in the forum. Sorry!

I can report that I am 65% into the course and have written about 14000 words since I was here last. Yay!

I am loving it!

Keep writing, All!

Posted by: @connie-colin

@wulfmoon Hi

The South African girl is still here! Been working away on the course while trying to hold up my end at the day job, so not had a chance to spend time here in the forum. Sorry!

I can report that I am 65% into the course and have written about 14000 words since I was here last. Yay!

I am loving it!

Keep writing, All!

Glad to hear the Writers of the Future Online Course has helped you, Connie! Keep up the good work on your writing, and welcome back!

Wulf Moon

Forum Moderator 

Hi, all!

I've been submitting on and off to WotF for a couple years now with increasing success. I made Finalist for Q2 this year, which was super exciting. I figured one of the things I've been missing is a good writer's group to help me hone my craft. Ya'll seem like a super-supportive bunch so I thought I'd join you folks, learn from you, and hopefully make Winner some day!

A little background about myself: I've been writing stories since I was a kid, primarily science fiction but some fantasy. I grew up on a steady diet of franchises like Star Trek, Stargate, Halo, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings. For a few years in middle/high school I made a comedy webcomic based on the video game Half-Life, which I think was formative for me. Since graduating college and entering my professional career I've pursued writing as a hobby more seriously with the ultimate goal of publishing a novel. Ray Bradbury and Arthur C. Clarke are currently my biggest influences.

Looking forward to writing with you!

Posted by: @cobalt

Hi, all!

I've been submitting on and off to WotF for a couple years now with increasing success. I made Finalist for Q2 this year, which was super exciting. I figured one of the things I've been missing is a good writer's group to help me hone my craft. Ya'll seem like a super-supportive bunch so I thought I'd join you folks, learn from you, and hopefully make Winner some day!

A little background about myself: I've been writing stories since I was a kid, primarily science fiction but some fantasy. I grew up on a steady diet of franchises like Star Trek, Stargate, Halo, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings. For a few years in middle/high school I made a comedy webcomic based on the video game Half-Life, which I think was formative for me. Since graduating college and entering my professional career I've pursued writing as a hobby more seriously with the ultimate goal of publishing a novel. Ray Bradbury and Arthur C. Clarke are currently my biggest influences.

Looking forward to writing with you!

Welcome, Cobalt! And 1x each of HM, SHM, SF, and F is a damn solid record--I'll look forward to seeing your input here!