NEW USERS! INTRODUCE YOURSELVES!

Posted by: @m-h-hughes

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Michael here! Writing under the pen name M.H Hughes looking forward to doing the workshop and learning what LRH has to say on the field of writing!! 

 

Have a great weekend!!

Welcome aboard, Michael!

I'm happy to hear you're taking part in the WotF Online Workshop! You will learn from some of the best!
Enjoy all the support you'll find here. Welcome to the Forum!

Posted by: @szadok

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Hi! I've been lurking and reading here for maybe two years while writing my novel. I made the terrible mistake of submitting a pseudo-excerpt from my novel to the contest---which as you guessed it predictable R. Then I decided to write a brand new short story for Q2 and got an HM! So I thought I'd come and say hi 🙂 I'm so impressed how some people submit a brand new story for each quarter! 

Welcome, Sarit!

Congratulations on writing a fresh, original story! Keep that up. We grow with every new story we write.

In fact, look at the honor codes in many of the Forum members' signatures. You'll see patterns of growth. Growth happens over time, so stay the course, keep writing, and keep learning!

Welcome aboard!

@wulfmoon Thanks, Wulf! I may finally have figured out how to use this forum. 😏 I appreciate your welcome and encouragement!

@toddjones Thank you!

@gideonpsmith Thank you, Gideon! I think I've just figured out how to use this communication tool. Sorry about the delay 😏

Welcome @jstephens

@craydimensional Not sure my reply went properly. Thank you !

Posted by: @wulfmoon

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@jphollingsworth1995 

Welcome to the Forum, John!

D&D certainly uses creative thought. I used to compete in championships at TSR’s HQ in Lake Geneva, WI (Gary Gygax DMd the final round) and I was there when they released their first hardcover, The Monster Manual. We’d never have to design our own monsters again! 😄

Do take the WotF Online Workshop, it will help!

Welcome aboard!

Hi guys,

My name's Mário and I'm from Slovakia. I've been writing ever since I was a kid, although with mixed success (read: no published stories and lots of projects which I didn't finish). I usually write in English, even though it's my second language and I'm not exactly a master of grammar or spelling. I love reading, although nowadays I don't do it nearly as often as I used to, gaming and creative hobbies. Q3 is my first time submitting to this competition, although I've known about it for a few years already.

Posted by: @haganenoedward

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Hi guys,

My name's Mário and I'm from Slovakia. I've been writing ever since I was a kid, although with mixed success (read: no published stories and lots of projects which I didn't finish). I usually write in English, even though it's my second language and I'm not exactly a master of grammar or spelling. I love reading, although nowadays I don't do it nearly as often as I used to, gaming and creative hobbies. Q3 is my first time submitting to this competition, although I've known about it for a few years already.

welcome to the forums and congrats on your first time submitting to the competition! It takes work to write a story and courage to put it out there - but with that you have the ingredients to success

Posted by: @haganenoedward

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Hi guys,

My name's Mário and I'm from Slovakia. I've been writing ever since I was a kid, although with mixed success (read: no published stories and lots of projects which I didn't finish). I usually write in English, even though it's my second language and I'm not exactly a master of grammar or spelling. I love reading, although nowadays I don't do it nearly as often as I used to, gaming and creative hobbies. Q3 is my first time submitting to this competition, although I've known about it for a few years already.

Welcome to the Forum, Mario. You've definitely got the writer gene if you've been writing since you were a child. 

You made a big level up finishing a story and submitting it to WotF! Well done! Write your next and keep moving forward. And I recommend you get help with your grammar and spelling. You are competing against those with English as their first language, and that means you'll need to work twice as hard. Try the critique swaps--many here are willing to help. 

Best of success!

Hi everyone. I haven't written for a while, but some life stuff has happened lately, and I'm itching to do something creative. I just signed up for the online workshop. Looking forward to chatting with you all.

@planktongirl welcome! Love the screenname. Enjoy the course and post questions, thoughts or updates - activity on the forum is always fun

@planktongirl Welcome. The free courses are very helpful. They are the reason I received my first HM.

Welcome @haganenoedward 

Great news that you took the next step and joined the forum. Even better that you submitted. Take the free online course, they are a great way to improve and see what the judges are looking for.

Posted by: @planktongirl

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Hi everyone. I haven't written for a while, but some life stuff has happened lately, and I'm itching to do something creative. I just signed up for the online workshop. Looking forward to chatting with you all.

Welcome to the Forum, Rebecca!

I'm glad you found us, and that you've found a way to write again! The WotF Online Writing Workshop is an excellent place to start!

Have fun. Write your story from the workshop instructions. Send it in before the end of September when both the quarter and the year ends. You can't win if you aren't in!

Cheers!

"Life finds a way."--Ian Malcolm, Jurassic Park

"Writing finds a way."--Wulf Moon, Olympic Park

Hello all! I've been back and forth on a novelette I've been working on for a little over a year now. It currently exceeds 17k words by about 500, is there any advice on either trimming it down or the possibility of entering it without an immediate Rejection? I'm still new to this and don't want to water down the message of the story, but this is my best avenue for potential publication.

(To anyone interested, I'll likely be writing in the pen name Ben Anderson)

@aunionmaninanonionsuit I don’t know your story (obviously), but cutting that much doesn’t seem like a big cut. (I would aim a little under 17,000 because different word processors count differently.)

A very mechanical approach is to cut one word out of every ten. Look for qualifiers: very, many somewhat, slightly, etc. These can often be eliminated and result in a stronger sentence. Also look for cases where one word makes a good synonym for multiple words.

Also mechanical: look for places to substitute contractions. “Can not” is two words, “can’t” is one.

Reduce dialogue tags.

Beyond mechanical, consider if there are scenes or details you could summarize instead of providing details. Are there characters you could combine or remove?

Good luck!

@aunionmaninanonionsuit Welcome.

I agree with @martin-l-shoemaker on the cutting.  Most stories I've read could cut 10%, and some 20 to 30%.  

Posted by: @aunionmaninanonionsuit

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Hello all! I've been back and forth on a novelette I've been working on for a little over a year now. It currently exceeds 17k words by about 500, is there any advice on either trimming it down or the possibility of entering it without an immediate Rejection? I'm still new to this and don't want to water down the message of the story, but this is my best avenue for potential publication.

 

(To anyone interested, I'll likely be writing in the pen name Ben Anderson)

Welcome to the Forum, Benjamin!

While a few stories win at the 17k max level, it’s not common. And yes, you will need to get it under 17k to meet the rules. 

I’ll recommend an old friend’s book, The 10% Solution. While Ken Rand is no longer with us, his excellent little book is. His premise is that every story can benefit from cutting 10%, and at that word count in yours, it’s likely to be true. It’s published by another friend of mine, but that’s not why I’m recommending it. It’s a valuable resource from Fairwood Press.

You can also try swapping with critique members in here. They can advise on what could be cut to tighten your tale.

Best of success! And welcome to the Forum!

Hiya,

I'm Amy and work in investment banking in NYC (boo!)

I spend a lot of my time at work writing (it's not all Excel spreadsheets) and have been improving my design/illustration skills. Particularly interested in the overlap between human skill, AI and how it will change the writing industry longer term. 

Found the forum searching around things I am learning so looking forward to getting involved
Amy 

@amydavisnyc 

Hi Amy,

Welcome to the Forum! I’m glad you can find time to write and create art. Writers of the Future celebrates both!

Do take their online workshop. It’s free and it’s taught by the best. And when you’re finished you’ll have a story you can submit to the Contest!

Welcome aboard!

@amydavisnyc Welcome.  

Make sure you check out the free workshops.