NEW USERS! INTRODUCE YOURSELVES!

Hello! 
I'm Jason North, I've been writing for probably fifteen years and only have a tall stack of unfinished stories to show for it. My recent ADHD diagnosis is helping me feel to not feel too dumb about that and my therapist encouraged me to find a support group to help me stick with writing. I met with John Goodwin last month at the LTUE symposium as well, and he recommended I come here, said it would be a great place to be part of a community and possibly even find an enthusiastic writing group, so I'm here to check it all out!

I have also heard about the contest, not just the forum, and would love to start submitting entries in the near future! I've never really looked at or used a forum outside of them occasionally popping up when I google computer problems, so if I'm not using great forum etiquette or otherwise not using the forum well, please let me know!

Hi everyone!

My name is Anna and I live in New Zealand. I've also been writing for 15 years (snap! Jason ). I've completed four novel manuscripts (all unpublished) and have switched to short stories for a bit to see if the change in form might help level up my craft - also thought it would be fun to write something short. I came across the WotF contest through my obsession with Patrick Rothfuss (I see I'm not the only one!)

I entered the contest for the first time in Q1 (Dec 2025) and am waiting with bated breath for the results 😓  

Posted by: @scribble

↑

Hi everyone!

My name is Anna and I live in New Zealand. I've also been writing for 15 years (snap! Jason ). I've completed four novel manuscripts (all unpublished) and have switched to short stories for a bit to see if the change in form might help level up my craft - also thought it would be fun to write something short. I came across the WotF contest through my obsession with Patrick Rothfuss (I see I'm not the only one!)

 

I entered the contest for the first time in Q1 (Dec 2025) and am waiting with bated breath for the results 😓  

Welcome. Congrats on the novel manuscripts. Congrats on the Q1 entry.

Writing short stories can really open up possibilities and give insight into plotting, efficient character development, and conflict resolution. Take advantage of WotF's free online workshop.

@jasonnort  

Welcome.

I know the feeling about unfinished stories. I found WotF around five years ago and submitted a story I'd I'd been working on for years to finish. Rejection. Augh.

I took the free online workshop, polished the story using what I'd learned and turned that R into my first honorable mention. That HM helped me decide to get series about writing and start finishing stories. I became more active in the forum discussions, participated in story swaps, and learned how to take, and give, constructive feedback. It really helped me grow as a writer.

I say all that to suggest getting involved in the forum and take the free workshop.

Write, submit, and have fun.

Welcome @jasonnorth and @scribble!

I definitely hear you on those ADHD struggles, my friend! There's plenty of people here with similar issues, and you might find some advice that helps. Hopefully we can help take some things off your unfinished pile, and create a new pile for finished work!

Posted by: @jasonnorth

↑

Hello! 
I'm Jason North, I've been writing for probably fifteen years and only have a tall stack of unfinished stories to show for it. My recent ADHD diagnosis is helping me feel to not feel too dumb about that and my therapist encouraged me to find a support group to help me stick with writing. I met with John Goodwin last month at the LTUE symposium as well, and he recommended I come here, said it would be a great place to be part of a community and possibly even find an enthusiastic writing group, so I'm here to check it all out!

I have also heard about the contest, not just the forum, and would love to start submitting entries in the near future! I've never really looked at or used a forum outside of them occasionally popping up when I google computer problems, so if I'm not using great forum etiquette or otherwise not using the forum well, please let me know!

Hi Jason!

Sorry I missed you at LTUE, I teach masterclasses there every year and am also a presenter. But I'm glad you ran into John Goodwin--I assume that was in a career consultation and you are most fortunate. Few know more about the publishing industry than John!

We're glad you are here. A forum can do far more than help you answer questions. You can find a group of like-minded people, working together to help one another succeed. Take advantage of all the folders, and don't be afraid to ask questions. We're here to help!

Do take the WotF Online Workshop. You can't get better advice on winning this contest than the words from the judges themselves!

Welcome aboard!

@scribble 

Hi Anna!

Welcome to the WotF Forum! We're glad you found us, and yes, Patrick Rothfuss won this contest by turning a novel chapter into a short story format and the rest is history. WotF is known for launching careers, and you will never be hurt by learning how to write tighter, which is what the short story form teaches you, among many other things. 

Do take advantage of all the folders here. Short stories are of course a horse of a different color compared to novels, but they do have similar principles. Scott Card defines a short story as a speedboat heading straight to its destination across the lake, where a novel is a pontoon boat out for a leisurely cruise to that destination, but it's going to tour about the lake first.

Best of success on your endeavors!

Welcome aboard!

Hello,

My name is Greg. I'm from Maryland but have lived in 9 different states. I recently finished a screenplay (thriller genre) and got positive feedback from several coverage services. I'm currently working on my first novel. It helps to have a broad life experience that includes the military. As a teen I hitched across the United States which provides fodder for my characters. My background is a software engineer, and oddly, I find writing the novel a bit like coding software.

Posted by: @groxwear

↑

Hello,

My name is Greg. I'm from Maryland but have lived in 9 different states. I recently finished a screenplay (thriller genre) and got positive feedback from several coverage services. I'm currently working on my first novel. It helps to have a broad life experience that includes the military. As a teen I hitched across the United States which provides fodder for my characters. My background is a software engineer, and oddly, I find writing the novel a bit like coding software.

Welcome, Greg! We're glad you found us. We already have a folder for new users to introduce themselves. Please move this over to NEW USERS: INTRODUCE YOURSELVES so members can welcome you in. Thanks so much!

Hi!

I’ve been lurking for a long time, but just discovered I can’t edit my profile (and that pic needs to be updated!!) unless I post more often. Ok, to be fair, I also figured it was time to actively participate.

I’ve lived a thousand lives in just this one lifetime, and I definitely use all of that life experience in my stories. I was a neuroscientist, then spent decades as a technical writer and editor as a contractor supporting the U.S. Dept. of Energy. When I was worried the job and writing dry reports was beating the creativity out of me, I quit to write fiction. So far, I’ve sold flash and drabbles…so it’s encouraging that people like what I have to say in microbursts (as a tech writer, that makes sense!). My husband contends that my short stories are brilliant though—too bad he’s not in charge of buying them!

Anyhow, I entered for the first time last year, in Q3, 2025 (rejected with comments), then got HM the next quarter.  I’ll keep plugging along until I can’t enter anymore!

Thanks for having me!

~Mari

off to see if I can change that profile pic now!   

@javajnkie 

Welcome a-board!

I like your trajectory. Upward!

Welcome @javajnkie. Congrats on writing and entering WotF. Double-congrats on the HM. It sounds like you have a lot of life experiences to tap into. 

@tj_knight thanks to you and @toddsjones for the friendly welcome! I’ve been told it’s ok to say now that I’m a non-winning finalist for the last quarter. I like my trajectory too and have three more shots this year!

Welcome @javajnkie! This is a super supportive forum with lots of helpful resources. Have you checked out the free online workshop yet? And congratulations (and commiserations) on F for last quarter. That's a great trajectory with just three submissions! We'll be seeing you on that stage in Hollywood in the future!

Posted by: @javajnkie

↑

@tj_knight thanks to you and @toddsjones for the friendly welcome! I’ve been told it’s ok to say now that I’m a non-winning finalist for the last quarter. I like my trajectory too and have three more shots this year!

Congrats on the finalist. Very hard to achieve. I look forward to reading a future story of yours in WotF print.

Dang @javajnkie that was fast! Good for you!

I went HM HM N-WF (Non-winning finalist). Let's hope you get that winner in less time than it took me! 

And let us know if you sell that story so folks can read more finalists in general. I put my eyes on every N-WF I could find to learn from. 

@javajnkie 

Welcome to the Fourm, Mari! We're glad you came out of hiding!  

There's lots of help here to help you reach your goals, including the free WotF Online Workshop. Don't miss that. A short story is a different beast from a drabble, just as a novel is a different beast from a short story. But you've certainly learned some great lessons writing in such a tight form.  And you already received an HM, showing you have skills.

Keep learning, keep writing, keep submitting! 

All the best!

Hello, friends!

I happened to end up in a WoF panel at FanX in October and was absolutely captivated. I spoke with John at the booth and he gave some great encouragement. I went home with a few volumes of the anthology...then promptly found all the previous volumes on eBay and purchased all the rest of them. (Gotta collect 'em all, right?) I ended up submitting for the first time in Q4 of 2025 and waited patiently to hear back.

In the mean time, I started submitting to the Raconteur Press anthology calls to help give myself deadlines and improve my writing. I'm a technical writer (seems like I'm in good company here!), so the deadlines felt familiar, and the prompts helped me stretch my creative legs and get out of the technical approach. I ended up having one of my short stories picked up for publication with that press, and the feeling was electric!

Spurred on by desires to write and get my stories out of my head, I headed to LTUE here in Utah. The event was fantastic, and between sitting in on another WoF panel there and a great presentation from @wulfmoon, I decided to submit to WoF every single quarter.

Fast forward to this last weekend where more great news found me: A different short story of mine was picked up for publication in another Raconteur Press anthology AND I received an Honorable Mention for my first submission to WoF! I think I'm still floating a few inches off the ground from reading those two emails.

With all that in mind, I figured it's time to finally get on the forum, begin the workshop, and start rubbing elbows with other great writers. I'm glad to see it's such a welcoming community!

- Addison

@addison-reid 

Welcome, Addison!

Great news on Raconteur and on getting an HM on your first submission! Well done! These are great signs you’re writing with smart craft and storytelling skills. Taking the WotF Online Workshop is going to help you even further.

And I’m glad you benefited from my presentation on The Principles of Story at LTUE. May they serve you well as you create your next! Those Super Secrets I spoke of were founded right here in the WotF Forum after I won the contest and created the topic to help others win. And many have!

May you be next! Stick to your goal of entering every quarter, and I’ll add … with fresh new stories! 

See you on the stage hoisting your trophy!🏆 

All the beast!

Wulf Moon

hmm. Very uncomfortable indeed. I'm K.J. Isley and this is my first post on this or any forum. Ditto social media of any kind. Be gentle with me. Despite my intense tech aversion, I have been lucky enough to be published once or twice and hope to continue the trend. Figure it's time to dip a little toe into the big bad internet waters, though I've no idea if it's actually in me to swim. 

Posted by: @kelliott1493

↑

hmm. Very uncomfortable indeed. I'm K.J. Isley and this is my first post on this or any forum. Ditto social media of any kind. Be gentle with me. Despite my intense tech aversion, I have been lucky enough to be published once or twice and hope to continue the trend. Figure it's time to dip a little toe into the big bad internet waters, though I've no idea if it's actually in me to swim. 

welcome

if anywhere on the internet is less scary, i think this forum is probably - to use your analogy - where water wings are totally acceptable!

@kelliott1493 welcome. Congrats on the published works. Congrats for stepping into the forum light and posting.

Welcome @addison-reid. Congrats on the HM and the story that got picked up.

Posted by: @kelliott1493

↑

hmm. Very uncomfortable indeed. I'm K.J. Isley and this is my first post on this or any forum. Ditto social media of any kind. Be gentle with me. Despite my intense tech aversion, I have been lucky enough to be published once or twice and hope to continue the trend. Figure it's time to dip a little toe into the big bad internet waters, though I've no idea if it's actually in me to swim. 

Welcome, Kathleen!

Come on in, the water is fine!

Good job on getting published--it's a wonderful feeling to see your words in print somewhere, able to reach the hearts and minds of others.

If you win Writers of the Future, you'll reach thousands of hearts and minds. It's a worthy goal. Don't miss the WotF Online Workshop--it's taught by the best, actual judges or former judges of this contest. Feel free to ask questions in the various topics in the Forum. Don't be afraid, people are here to help!

Don't miss the live broadcast of the awards this week! Exciting!

Welcome aboard!