Greetings everyone!
My name is Ben, and I'm horrible with introductions. I'm 19 years old, but I've been writing for a lot longer than that and I'm hoping to put my first complete novel out into the world sometime this year (although, I said that last year, so who knows?). It's a bit of a doozy: 230k words, so I've got more than just my fingers crossed, but I'm optimistic! I grew up with a pretty complex and diverse library, but my absolute favorites came from authors like J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. They're definitely my biggest inspirations (well, that and mythology/folklore of all kinds) and I love writing in that style, but I think my ideas are all pretty unique as well. I'm always coming up with new story ideas, or revising old ones from my childhood, and I occasionally have weird dreams that I like to add to my "upcoming novels" list. Obviously I have my work cut out for me, but I love every second of being a writer. It's just what I was meant to do.
I submitted to WotF for the first time this past quarter (Vol. 39, Q2), and I have another submission planned for whenever I need a break from revising my novel. While I wait for the results of Q2, I figured I'd join the community; after all, you never know who you might meet, or what opportunities you might stumble upon, when you involve yourself with a group of like-minded authors. I've never really had the chance to be a part of a writing group before, so I'm looking forward to seeing what comes of this venture.
Well, that's enough about me and my aspirations. Best of luck to everyone in the contest, and cheers!
Ben
"So this is it, then? This is the end of our adventure?"
"Why yes indeed. But adventure lies always just outside the door, on the long road to nowhere. And on the many paths that we each will take, it will find us: a rendezvous unplanned in the realm of the unknown."
V39, Q2: RWC
@ben-t-j-martin Welcome! This is a good place to find like-minded writers. Make sure you check out the free online workshop then make your way over to Wulf Moon’s Super Secrets thread. Those two resources will definitely help you craft better stories.
Glad you found us!
Death and the Taxman, my WotF V39 winning story is now a novel! (Click Here >).
Death and the Dragon launches on Kickstarter August 27th. (Click Here >)
Subscribe to The Lost Bard's Letter at www.davidhankins.com and receive an exclusive novelette!
New Releases:
"The Missing Music in Milo Piper's Head" in Third Flatiron's Offshoots: Humanity Twigged
"To Catch a Foo Fighter" in DreamForge Magazine
"Milo Piper's Breakout Single that Ended the Rat War" in LTUE's Troubadours and Space Princesses anthology
"The Rise and Fall of Frankie's Patisserie" in Murderbugs anthology
"Felix and the Flamingo" in Escape Pod
"The Devil's Foot Locker" in Amazing Stories
Welcome to the forum Ben Martin. Like David says explore the threads and get to know everyone.
Today's science fiction is tomorrow's reality-D.R.Sweeney
HM x5
Published Poetry
2012 Stars in Our Hearts
Silver Ships
Howdy, Ben! On behalf of all the WotF Forumites, we welcome you to Munchkin Land. Christopher Paolini was a teenager when he first published so there is always hope and plenty of room for another. Break a leg, mon ami, because you won't need them to fly.
3 HMs
6 SHMs
Umpteen Rs
Still hoping and working toward better -
One of these days, Alice . . . POW! We're going to the moon!
Hey everybody, I'm Jered. My brain isn't working very well today, because I've been staring at the screen trying to come up with something to say for about 10 minutes now. I've been writing on and off since high school, never really sticking to it, but never really able to let go completely all through the military, dead end jobs, a couple years working on wind turbines, and now an electronic engineering tech. It was in 2020 that I finally made the commitment to pursue writing seriously. I'm currently working on my MFA at Southern New Hampshire University online, and I'm a member of the Noble Pen writing group in Cedar Rapids, IA.
Since I'm on this forum, I obviously write science fiction and fantasy. I like writing character driven stories with dark humor and pushing the speculative element as far as I can. I submitted to the Q1 contest this year, and my anxiety has never been higher. Fingers crossed for honorable mention. It's a chapter from a theoretical novel I plan to write sometime down the line. I'm not a big short story guy. I like to deep dive into the worlds I create. My dream is to see a book I have written sitting on a bookstore shelf, regardless of its success. I've started and stopped a couple novels, always seeming to get stuck. My last project I stopped because I wasn't confident I could give the story justice with my current skill level, and the way it's going now it could be thousand page whopper. But my thesis for my master's program demands a 50k to 80k novel, so if all goes according to plan I'll have it written by early next year.
My professors have been stressing the importance of creating an author's persona, so I thought maybe this would be a good first place to start. I do have a website that is a work in progress, theotherfitzgerald.wordpress.com. It was a required assignment from one of my classes, but building it has been good practice for when I start working on my registered domain. I had the idea that I could blog my way through the process of (hopefully) getting published someday, sharing the highs and lows. Speaking of my persona, my nickname in high school and the military was always Fitz, which I've been thinking about picking back up. Might make for a good nickname for readers to call me someday.
I look forward to interacting and learning from everyone on the forum.
Thanks,
Jered Daniel Fitzgerald (Fitz?)
Welcome to the forum Fitz. With your background it sounds like you will be writing exciting stuff. Tour the threads and mingle with the citizens of the forum. Best of results for your entry.
Today's science fiction is tomorrow's reality-D.R.Sweeney
HM x5
Published Poetry
2012 Stars in Our Hearts
Silver Ships
Hello everyone!
Not sure what to say, I go by the username Error Writes on the internet, 30 years old and been writing for 6 years now, and sending shorter works to magazines and journals. Been eyeing Writers of the Future for a while but haven't had the courage to submit anything yet. Hoping to do so this Q3!
I'm mainly a fantasy reader. I think it was the Dragonlance Chronicles and the Belgariad which jumpstarted my love for it. Some of my favourite authors are Pratchett, Sanderson, and Martin.
I'm from Sweden. When I'm not writing for work or hobby, I'm usually out dancing lindy hop or practicing martial arts. Also enjoy board game nights with friends and karaoke whenever opportunity arises.
When I do sit down and write, it's usually character-driven stories. My favourite medium for characterization is through dialogue, I'm a big fan of writing banter between characters. Genres are mostly in fantasy but also done a few romance, mysteries, and thrillers.
Happy to be here and wishing everyone the best of luck in the contest!
Error
Hey.
Second time lucky.
I do apologise if I infringed the guidelines last time, mr moderator, i didn't mean to! Please let me know if my signature thingy is not acceptable. If so, I'll amend.
In this world, we are all here to make amends in some way or another.
i'm just a very enthusiastic person.
That's just the effect that being amongst humans has on me. I like you all, really. Despite appearances.
Ciao, Bella.
Bella Ciao Ciao Ciao!!!
"It doesn't sell but it's mine!" George Peppard in The Subterraneans (1960)
V38 Q3 SHM
V38 Q4 SHM
V39 Q1 RWC (same story as V38Q3)
V39 Q2 HM (same story as V38Q4)
V39 Q3 RWC
V39 Q4 This one is going to win! Trust me! It's amazing! - Ok, so it only got an SHM. Poodoo! It was a brilliant YA story!!!
V40 Q1 SHM; will these torments never end?!! It was a great story!
V40 Q2 SHM Now this is getting silly. I write a definite YA winning story and it only gets SHM. Perhaps I should edit my online history...
V40 Q3 I'm guessing either SHM or RWC...
Have decided am going for the record number of RWCs! 2 out of 3 so far...
Follow me at:
Smashwords – About Evelyn K. Brunswick, author of 'Rejected Messages'
...and find out what we ETIs actually think of you humans...
@storysinger and @eviekb Welcome! This is a great place to hone your craft and meet like-minded writers. Ensure you check out the free Writers of the Future online workshop. It really helped create a baseline for storytelling. Dig around the forum, join in the conversations. We’re happy to have you here!
Death and the Taxman, my WotF V39 winning story is now a novel! (Click Here >).
Death and the Dragon launches on Kickstarter August 27th. (Click Here >)
Subscribe to The Lost Bard's Letter at www.davidhankins.com and receive an exclusive novelette!
New Releases:
"The Missing Music in Milo Piper's Head" in Third Flatiron's Offshoots: Humanity Twigged
"To Catch a Foo Fighter" in DreamForge Magazine
"Milo Piper's Breakout Single that Ended the Rat War" in LTUE's Troubadours and Space Princesses anthology
"The Rise and Fall of Frankie's Patisserie" in Murderbugs anthology
"Felix and the Flamingo" in Escape Pod
"The Devil's Foot Locker" in Amazing Stories
Welcome to the forum (@errorwrites). Submitting to the contest can help with your ambitions. If you haven't taken the online workshop yet you might want check it out.
Today's science fiction is tomorrow's reality-D.R.Sweeney
HM x5
Published Poetry
2012 Stars in Our Hearts
Silver Ships
Hey all,
first time poster here. V39 Q1 was my first time submitting my illustrations, and to say I was over-joyed to make finalist would be an understatement. I am a full time engineer with 2 young kids (3 and 5), so finding time for my art can by trying but I was able to carve out some time late last year to make 3 pieces just for the IOTF contest that I was quite proud of ..or… didn’t want to tear up when looking at them a week later :). Getting the recognition from such esteemed judges was incredible and a shot of self-validation that I just might be doing something right. A have been doing art for 20+ years as a hobby, and have never really had the confidence to enter a contest like this, however seeing that one of my all time favorite artist Frank Frazetta was a long time judge was all I needed to take a shot. His art has always been so inspiring to me and if there was a place where that style and genre was celebrated, how could I pass that up. I amLooking forward to participating in the contest and this forum in the future.
best on luck to all in future contests and Bring on Q2!
take care all
V39 Q1: IOTF Finalist
V39 Q2: IOTF Semi-Finalist
V39 Q3: IOTF Semi-Finalist
V39 Q4: Winner
@cbinnsillustration Welcome and congratulations on your finalist!
Death and the Taxman, my WotF V39 winning story is now a novel! (Click Here >).
Death and the Dragon launches on Kickstarter August 27th. (Click Here >)
Subscribe to The Lost Bard's Letter at www.davidhankins.com and receive an exclusive novelette!
New Releases:
"The Missing Music in Milo Piper's Head" in Third Flatiron's Offshoots: Humanity Twigged
"To Catch a Foo Fighter" in DreamForge Magazine
"Milo Piper's Breakout Single that Ended the Rat War" in LTUE's Troubadours and Space Princesses anthology
"The Rise and Fall of Frankie's Patisserie" in Murderbugs anthology
"Felix and the Flamingo" in Escape Pod
"The Devil's Foot Locker" in Amazing Stories
Congratulations Chris Binn on making finalist. Your signature looks great.
Today's science fiction is tomorrow's reality-D.R.Sweeney
HM x5
Published Poetry
2012 Stars in Our Hearts
Silver Ships
@storysinger Awesome, will check out the workshops. Thanks!
@cbinnsillustration Welcome and congrats!
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right."~ Henry Ford
2025 V42: Submitted, WIP, ?, ?
2024 V41: RWC (Resubmitted "HM"), HM, RWC, Finalist (RWC Resubmit)
2023 V40: HM, HM, R, HM
2022 V39: SHM, HM, Semi-finalist, HM (HM Resubmit)
2021 V38: ---HM (R Resubmit)
2020 V37: -R--
Hey everyone. I've been floating around on WotF for a while, but this is my first post.
I've been impressed by how open, inviting, and informative this group is. There's nothing else quite like it!
I have my Q3 ready to go (happy to do critique exchanges), and I'm excited to stick around for Q4.
My readers call me Gilbert???
2022: Q3 - SHM; Q4 - HM
2023: Q1 - Pass; Q2 - Submitted
Welcome to the forum(@g-l-bertram).
Taking the free online course provided by WotF will greatly enhance your chances at writing a winning story.
Dig in and enjoy.
Today's science fiction is tomorrow's reality-D.R.Sweeney
HM x5
Published Poetry
2012 Stars in Our Hearts
Silver Ships
@storysinger I'll have to register. Wulf's SUPER SECRETS discussions were definitely helpful.
My readers call me Gilbert???
2022: Q3 - SHM; Q4 - HM
2023: Q1 - Pass; Q2 - Submitted
@g-l-bertram Glad they helped, G.L. It’s why I wrote them and made them available here. ?
Click here to JOIN THE WULF PACK!
"Super-Duper Moongirl and the Amazing Moon Dawdler" won Best SFF Story of 2019! Read it in Writers of the Future, Vol. 35. Order HERE!
Need writing help? My award-winning SUPER SECRETS articles are FREE in DreamForge.
IT’S HERE! Many have been begged me to publish the Super Secrets of Writing. How to Write a Howling Good Story is now a #1 BESTSELLING BOOK! Get yours at your favorite retailer HERE!
Hello!
My name is Dobrin. I am an 18 y/o from Bulgaria. I have been a fan of neither reading nor writing my whole life. I think it's because as a kid I was borderline forced to read at least 20 pages a day (which seemed absolutely monstrous and inhumane) from the books demanded from school for the summer break. Whether I understood what I read was somehow less important. So, naturally, I got extremely bored of it. And it wasn't helped by me constantly being told that "if you read more, you will get smarter" and "you should get off your computer and grab some paper", which conflicted the things I actually liked doing.
As I started to mature, I realised that videogames, books, movies, comics were all the same in a way. They all told a story with an idea behind it whose purpose was to entertain and enlighten the audience. Books were just my favourite plots but in a written format. So I tried to start reading... and failed miserably. There were just too many other things to do. Since then I have had several more ventures into literature. I believe I am making progress, but I have yet to truly learn how to read.
Writing I had never even considered until a year ago, when I wrote my first real poem as a gift for Mother's Day (8 March in Bulgaria). Since then I have been somewhat serious about poetry, having won a few contests in my country. I tried my hand at short stories with slight fiction elements about 7 months ago and rarely after that. I am participating in the current quarter of WotF as my first short-story submission and hope to improve my skills and imagination.
I was never supported by my family or my teachers from my childhood years like a lot of writers my age seem to be. The ones who contributed to my confidence and betterment early on by reading and critiquing my stories were my friends. Other than that, I received no words of encouragement until I won my first poetry competition and proved that I wasn't wasting my time writing. What I want to express with my introduction is that anyone can become a writer through their own effort.
This took perhaps way more time than it should have to write, so I hope it makes sense.
I wish you all the best and hope I can learn a lot from this community!
@hexador Welcome!
Poetry is pretty hard; it sounds like you're getting off to a good start!
The most important part of writing is to work hard. The process feels impossible to every writer at times, but the effort is always worth it.
My readers call me Gilbert???
2022: Q3 - SHM; Q4 - HM
2023: Q1 - Pass; Q2 - Submitted
@hexador Welcome! There's a lot of great content here to help you on your writing journey, and friendly folks to encourage and enlighten you along the way. Make sure you check out the free Writers of the Future Online Workshop. It will make a world of difference in your writing.
Best of luck and welcome to the forum!
Death and the Taxman, my WotF V39 winning story is now a novel! (Click Here >).
Death and the Dragon launches on Kickstarter August 27th. (Click Here >)
Subscribe to The Lost Bard's Letter at www.davidhankins.com and receive an exclusive novelette!
New Releases:
"The Missing Music in Milo Piper's Head" in Third Flatiron's Offshoots: Humanity Twigged
"To Catch a Foo Fighter" in DreamForge Magazine
"Milo Piper's Breakout Single that Ended the Rat War" in LTUE's Troubadours and Space Princesses anthology
"The Rise and Fall of Frankie's Patisserie" in Murderbugs anthology
"Felix and the Flamingo" in Escape Pod
"The Devil's Foot Locker" in Amazing Stories
Welcome (@hexador) to the forum of enlightenment. You have advanced to the next level and can now collect endowments from other forumites that will assist you as you strive to attain the upper tier of success. Be prepared for unexpected results for your solitary labor, success happens when you put in the work.
Take the WotF online workshop
Study Wulf Moon's Super Secrets
Stay focused
Write your acceptance speech
Today's science fiction is tomorrow's reality-D.R.Sweeney
HM x5
Published Poetry
2012 Stars in Our Hearts
Silver Ships
Welcome (@hexador) to the forum of enlightenment. You have advanced to the next level and can now collect endowments from other forumites that will assist you as you strive to attain the upper tier of success. Be prepared for unexpected results for your solitary labor, success happens when you put in the work.
Take the WotF online workshop
Study Wulf Moon's Super Secrets
Stay focused
Write your acceptance speech
Four simple steps of awesome. Love it!
Death and the Taxman, my WotF V39 winning story is now a novel! (Click Here >).
Death and the Dragon launches on Kickstarter August 27th. (Click Here >)
Subscribe to The Lost Bard's Letter at www.davidhankins.com and receive an exclusive novelette!
New Releases:
"The Missing Music in Milo Piper's Head" in Third Flatiron's Offshoots: Humanity Twigged
"To Catch a Foo Fighter" in DreamForge Magazine
"Milo Piper's Breakout Single that Ended the Rat War" in LTUE's Troubadours and Space Princesses anthology
"The Rise and Fall of Frankie's Patisserie" in Murderbugs anthology
"Felix and the Flamingo" in Escape Pod
"The Devil's Foot Locker" in Amazing Stories
Hello everyone!
My name is Cora. I am 21, and live in America. I signed up for the free online workshop a couple days ago, and am excited to mingle with other writers!
I've always been a big reader, with a love of thick books filled with dragons and magic. These interests, and a dream, started me on my writing journey when I was 11. As I got older, my interests started to branch out more. I developed a love for world building, and gained a deeper appreciation for well written characters, proper foreshadowing, and truly compelling stories.
I've had my eye out for writing contests for a while, and stumbled across WoTF. Lacking a suitable story to submit, I was prepared to bookmark this site and come back another time. Then I found the free workshop. I've never tried anything like it before, and am excited to get started!
On another note... I wasn't sure who to talk to about this, so I decided to bring it up here. Not sure if this has happened to anyone else, but I recently received a scam call in which the caller knew my name and said they were from a publishing house. This site is the only place I can think of that the scammer could have gotten my name, number, and known about my interest in writing. I'm not blaming WoTF for this, I just wanted to bring it up in case this happens to someone else.
That aside, I'm looking forward to diving into this community!
Welcome @horsearcher.
Nice to have you here.
As far as the spam call from the publisher you can rest assured that your personal information l is kept secure with us and not shared or sold to anyone. I also did check your profile and there is no phone number in your profile.
Again welcome to the forum.
Best, Jason
@jason Thanks!
Thank you for checking that! I just thought it was odd that I received the call just a day or two after signing up for the online workshop (which I thought I gave my number for, but looking back at the registration page I guess I didn't. My bad!).
Thanks again!
-Cora
Welcome to the forum, Cora! It a great place to mingle with some awesome, like-minded writers who will help you as best they can. It's also a great place to do what you just did- ask questions! Many people do this and the polite, respectful responses can be really helpful.
The free online workshop has some terrific keys. Study hard. And you can do it as many times as you'd like.
Best of luck Cora, and we'll see you around!
Scott
"If writing is easy, you're doing it wrong." -Bryan Hutchinson
V36-37: R x6
V38: R, HM, R, HM
V39: HM, HM, HM, HM
V40: HM, HM, SHM, HM
V41: RWC, P
@hexador Welcome. Nice to see someone else started with poetry. For me, it is a good way for me to express my feelings for others; after they've passed, anniversary, congrats, etc.
There are lots of free workshops, advice and just overall encouragement in the forum, so take advantage of it.
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right."~ Henry Ford
2025 V42: Submitted, WIP, ?, ?
2024 V41: RWC (Resubmitted "HM"), HM, RWC, Finalist (RWC Resubmit)
2023 V40: HM, HM, R, HM
2022 V39: SHM, HM, Semi-finalist, HM (HM Resubmit)
2021 V38: ---HM (R Resubmit)
2020 V37: -R--
@horsearcher Welcome. Good to see more avid readers out there trying their hand at writing. It is a good way to express yourself, even if you don't plan on submitting and just do it for yourself.
There are lots of free workshops, advice and just overall encouragement in the forum, so take advantage of it.
BTW: Never had anything from here with a publisher calling out of the blue.
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right."~ Henry Ford
2025 V42: Submitted, WIP, ?, ?
2024 V41: RWC (Resubmitted "HM"), HM, RWC, Finalist (RWC Resubmit)
2023 V40: HM, HM, R, HM
2022 V39: SHM, HM, Semi-finalist, HM (HM Resubmit)
2021 V38: ---HM (R Resubmit)
2020 V37: -R--