NEW USERS! INTRODUCE YOURSELVES!

@sandy Welcome to the Forum, Butterfly!

You’ve already got a nice collection of honors—well done! As you see in here, most winners work their way up, and we hope the same for you. Do swap crits in the crit swap folder—your experience from Critters is much appreciated. 

Thanks for the kind words about the warmth and support. We work together to make this a safe haven to share and grow within. We look forward to your own share in that.

Welcome aboard!

Wulf Moon

Forum Moderator

Posted by: @sandy

Hello!

I've been lurking for a while, but I decided it was time to join in the conversation. I've been a SF/fantasy fan since my kindergarten teacher read us The Magician's Nephew and Ozma of Oz. I started writing as a teen and I have always written SOMETHING but especially SF removed link    

Welcome Sandy! As a fellow lurker-recently-turned-poster, I commend the step. So far I recommend it

Also, for Narnia, I've heard general comments about reading it in chronological order vs publication order. (I started with Lion as a kid.) Do you think you preferred it starting with Magician's Nephew? Either way, kindergarten read alouds are a wonderful time to get hooked on spec fic. My first fantasy read-aloud memory was the junior LeGuin series "Catwings."

Hiya guys! 

I'm an inexperienced writer, but I've become passionate about the craft over the past few months and I'm always looking for ways to improve! I've been an avid reader my entire life, and have dreamed of being able to write something that would impact others in the same way fiction has helped me over the years. The actual task, though, of starting was always too daunting for me.

Anyway, I'm sorry for my rambling, but thank you all in advance for offering your knowledge to aspiring writers.

The words you type provide information about you (@twdad). Feel free to ramble all over the forum.

There are numerous topics to respond to and great people to help you on your journey. Enjoy.

Posted by: @twdad

Hiya guys! 

I'm an inexperienced writer, but I've become passionate about the craft over the past few months and I'm always looking for ways to improve! I've been an avid reader my entire life, and have dreamed of being able to write something that would impact others in the same way fiction has helped me over the years. The actual task, though, of starting was always too daunting for me.

Anyway, I'm sorry for my rambling, but thank you all in advance for offering your knowledge to aspiring writers.

Welcome, twdad!

You’ve come to the right place! There’s an easy way to learn the principles of craft and storytelling—take the Writers of the Future Online Course! Free instruction on what makes a story work, and you compose a story right in the class! Once you master the basics, you can grow from there. And the Forum has many Sherpas to help guide you up the mountain.

Welcome aboard!

Wulf Moon

Forum Moderator 

Posted by: @twdad

Hiya guys! 

I'm an inexperienced writer, but I've become passionate about the craft over the past few months and I'm always looking for ways to improve! I've been an avid reader my entire life, and have dreamed of being able to write something that would impact others in the same way fiction has helped me over the years. The actual task, though, of starting was always too daunting for me.

Anyway, I'm sorry for my rambling, but thank you all in advance for offering your knowledge to aspiring writers.

Ten years now for me, and each new story task is STILL daunting! LOL Every new story brings its own unique challenges and levels of excitement, but that's what makes it so FUN!

Welcome aboard the crazy train!

Thank you all for the kind words of welcome! I'm excited to get to know everyone!

Posted by: @twdad

Hiya guys! 

I'm an inexperienced writer, but I've become passionate about the craft over the past few months and I'm always looking for ways to improve! I've been an avid reader my entire life, and have dreamed of being able to write something that would impact others in the same way fiction has helped me over the years. The actual task, though, of starting was always too daunting for me.

Anyway, I'm sorry for my rambling, but thank you all in advance for offering your knowledge to aspiring writers.

Hello and welcome!

I understand how daunting the process of actually getting words down can be. (I got my start with fanfiction, wrote one original short story that I sent to a single market and got a form rejection on... and then took about a decade's break before taking the pen back up again at age 31.) If you've got the passion and that willingness to improve, odds are you'll do well (although, fair warning, it can sometimes take awhile before that growth really produces fruit--we all have to start from somewhere, and no two people's writing journeys are the same).

The most important thing, I think, is to write stories you care about--and to remember that everything you've written helps to inform everything you'll write in the future. This means that even if a specific story proves too difficult to write or doesn't sell, the words aren't wasted.   

Posted by: @twdad

Hiya guys! 

I'm an inexperienced writer, but I've become passionate about the craft over the past few months and I'm always looking for ways to improve! I've been an avid reader my entire life, and have dreamed of being able to write something that would impact others in the same way fiction has helped me over the years. The actual task, though, of starting was always too daunting for me.

Anyway, I'm sorry for my rambling, but thank you all in advance for offering your knowledge to aspiring writers.

Hello @twdad, welcome to the group!

Awesome pay-back / pay-forward mindset, which I agree sounds daunting. You could start by working write the story you need to read--chances are someone else needs it too.

Hi all, I'm Jess! I don't really have anything interesting to tell about myself, but I took up writing around 2 years ago as I needed a portable hobby, as I tend to travel a lot for work and often end up in places with no internet. Reading/writing is of course excellent for that!

I have this fictional sci-fi universe which I gradually built over 20 years of roleplaying and imagination, compiled most of the key events, history, factions characters, locations and other details in a massive excel and have started writing short stories using this verse.

My writing skills are probably not up to par compared to all the veterans out here, but patience, determination and hard work will hopefully pay off in the future!

Hello there,

I realized that I never introduced myself.

I’m Cherrie; I use CL Fors for my writing and art. I’m 39, married to my favorite person and we have four kids. Currently living in Southern California not far from LA.
I’ve always been an artist bouncing between all sorts of mediums, painting, sculpting, writing, stone and wood carving, never could pick one. I wrote and produced a “newspaper” and sold it door to door as a kid so writing, illustration, and publishing were already things I wanted to do together.

After high school I tried acting then joined the army as an MI linguist(Arabic), got married and started having kids, studied midwifery and was a doula for awhile. I struggled to do art for the first several years of parenting but in 2012 my husband, myself, and my older sister started a writing group and my husband and I started a small publishing company for our novels. I’ve been entering Writers and Illustrator’s of the future off and on since 2016. I did a lot of editing and resubmitting at first but for the last two volumes I’ve been submitting mostly new stories. 

I still do all sorts of art, middle eastern dance, silversmithing, etc, but I’ve learned how to keep some as a hobby and focus more energy on my main artistic priorities of writing and illustration. 

I’m excited for V39 if not for the chance to win then for another year of improving my craft by working at it and submitting! I’m pleased to meet you all and look forward to getting to know more creative people. 

@ahly Hi! Happy to meet you!

Posted by: @cube

Hi all, I'm Jess! I don't really have anything interesting to tell about myself, but I took up writing around 2 years ago as I needed a portable hobby, as I tend to travel a lot for work and often end up in places with no internet. Reading/writing is of course excellent for that!

I have this fictional sci-fi universe which I gradually built over 20 years of roleplaying and imagination, compiled most of the key events, history, factions characters, locations and other details in a massive excel and have started writing short stories using this verse.

My writing skills are probably not up to par compared to all the veterans out here, but patience, determination and hard work will hopefully pay off in the future!

Welcome, Jess!

It sounds like you’ve created your own The Silmarillion to base your works upon. Well done!

Short stories are of course a bit of a different animal than a novel. To learn the ropes, I recommend the WotF Online Workshop, taught by the three instructors of the winners’ workshop when they come to Hollywood for the week! Don’t miss posting to the quarter you are entering, and take advantage of our critique swap folder to get additional one-on-one help by members. There’s lots of support here to help you succeed, and we all have had our humble beginnings just like you. Submit a story and start your baseline. You have nowhere to go but up from here!

Welcome aboard!

Wulf Moon

Forum Moderator 

@clfors 

Welcome, Cherrie!

Sounds like you have many creative interests! We sound like birds of a feather—my creativity likes to flow in many different directions, and I’ve had to realize to master something, you really have to focus your all on it. I have chosen writing, although I still dabble in watercolor and flame-worked bead making. And cooking—great cooking and plating is also an art form. I create songs as well, but with no musical training, I can do little with them but sing them to my wife and friends. I did write a story called “Muzik Man” which reflects my love of music and how sounds around me are transformed into melodies by my Musical Ear Syndrome (MES). Don’t worry, it’s not contagious. ?

You’ll find many creative friends here, and I know you’ve already tapped into the folders and shared on topics. We’re happy to add your voice to the Collective! Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.

Thanks for introducing yourself! I hope others will as well. Welcome aboard!

Wulf Moon 

Forum Moderator 

Welcome to the forum Jess. Having a world to write in is awesome. May your success grow along with your presence here.  

Hi Cherrie. I went to your site and viewed your collection. You have a talent for sharing your vision, well done.

Here's to hoping you win a pen and a brush in a single quarter.  

@cube 

Welcome, Jess! Creating a world like that will definitely help you build out your stories. This is a great place to improve your craft. If you want to jumpstart yourself on the way, I highly recommend digging into Wulf Moon’s Super Secrets thread. Lots of great tips, advice, and exercises there.

@clfors 

I did a double- then triple-take when I read your bio. I have a friend who joined the Army as an MI linguist (Arabic), got out, became a doula (she helped with my daughter’s birth in Germany), and has become a midwife in Maryland. I didn’t see the transition from Army linguist to doula as a logical step, but clearly there’s something there.

Welcome to the Forum! It’s great to see folks who are so excited about their craft.

@clfors welcome

@cube Welcome

@lost_bard Ha! That’s fascinating! I almost became a midwife, caught a couple babies. But I realized my call to story craft was stronger. Thanks for the welcome! I bet your friend is cool! 

I don’t know the connection for sure but brains and independence seems to catalyze a strong need for agency and the fostering of that for self and others. That’s what the resurgence of doula work and midwifery is really about!

@wulfmoon Birds of a feather indeed:) I’ve been wanting to dabble in glass bead work lately but have slapped my own hands and directed them back to my top three creative outlets. Three is good right? It’s narrowish…? Lol

Yes, gotta put the hours of work in to attain mastery. We are in agreement there. Sometimes I insist on creating extra time to feed all the arts sufficiently. 

@storysinger oh wow! That’s so cool Thank you for checking out my work! A pen and a brush is my dream goal ? ? ? ? 

@cube Hi Jess! Pleased to meet you

Posted by: @cube

Hi all, I'm Jess! I don't really have anything interesting to tell about myself, but I took up writing around 2 years ago as I needed a portable hobby, as I tend to travel a lot for work and often end up in places with no internet. Reading/writing is of course excellent for that!

I have this fictional sci-fi universe which I gradually built over 20 years of roleplaying and imagination, compiled most of the key events, history, factions characters, locations and other details in a massive excel and have started writing short stories using this verse.

My writing skills are probably not up to par compared to all the veterans out here, but patience, determination and hard work will hopefully pay off in the future!

Hello and welcome! Sounds like you've got a solid basis to build your writing on. A lot of my epic fantasy shorts take place in the same universe (not all, but many).

Posted by: @clfors

Hello there,

I realized that I never introduced myself.

I’m Cherrie; I use CL Fors for my writing and art. I’m 39, married to my favorite person and we have four kids. Currently living in Southern California not far from LA.
I’ve always been an artist bouncing between all sorts of mediums, painting, sculpting, writing, stone and wood carving, never could pick one. I wrote and produced a “newspaper” and sold it door to door as a kid so writing, illustration, and publishing were already things I wanted to do together.

After high school I tried acting then joined the army as an MI linguist(Arabic), got married and started having kids, studied midwifery and was a doula for awhile. I struggled to do art for the first several years of parenting but in 2012 my husband, myself, and my older sister started a writing group and my husband and I started a small publishing company for our novels. I’ve been entering Writers and Illustrator’s of the future off and on since 2016. I did a lot of editing and resubmitting at first but for the last two volumes I’ve been submitting mostly new stories. 

I still do all sorts of art, middle eastern dance, silversmithing, etc, but I’ve learned how to keep some as a hobby and focus more energy on my main artistic priorities of writing and illustration. 

 

I’m excited for V39 if not for the chance to win then for another year of improving my craft by working at it and submitting! I’m pleased to meet you all and look forward to getting to know more creative people. 

 

Hello and welcome!  

New users. Come out, come out, wherever you are. ?

Hi! I'm Writhmic. This quarter will be my first submitting. Fantasy is my preferred genre for both reading and writing but I'm hoping to get into science fiction a little more. I've been writing for a few years but as a young author, I don't have much experience to go off of. I'm hoping the forums can help!

Welcome, Writhmic! You'll find these forums an invaluable resource. Fantasy is also my home, with science fiction a far-off land I only visited occasionally, but I love writing both. Make sure you pick up a copy of a recent volume (my library had several, you don't necessarily need to buy them) for some great examples of how to win. Best of luck this quarter!

@ease 

Yup, thanks! I have already read through some of the stories from recent volumes and I'm feeling the pressure begin haha