NEW USERS! INTRODUCE YOURSELVES!

Welcome David! Nothing witty to add, but welcome nonetheless.

Welcome David! (And Michael and everyone else I missed) Am I a cat or a doll? I like cats better...
It's been interesting to begin gathering rejections - I just got my 5th in 5 months. Even though it's always a little bit of a bummer - since I don't send out stories unless I believe they've got a little something - it's also an accomplishment in itself, since it means that I took the time and courage to submit! Now if only my alpha readers would hurry up and finish their critiques for my next two stories - then I'd have 5 stories to be rolling around the market.

IGMS has been holding onto one of my stories for 46 days now. Even though part of me tells me not to EVER expect anything, I can't help but see this as a good sign - 1) attending Card's bootcamp got me out of the slush pile, and 2) most duotropers have heard back around the 30-31 day mark. I originally intended this to be my Q2 submission, but after I sent it to Clarkesworld and Lightspeed, I finally talked myself into sending to IGMS (which I actually found more intimidating than most other places), and of course they still have it. But if it sells there, I won't cry about not getting to submit it (even though WOTF would give me twice as much for a 3rd place, a pro sale is a pro sale!)

And thus ends my soliloquy on something that probably won't come to pass anyway. A writer can dream, though.

Welcome David! (And Michael and everyone else I missed) Am I a cat or a doll? I like cats better...
It's been interesting to begin gathering rejections - I just got my 5th in 5 months. Even though it's always a little bit of a bummer - since I don't send out stories unless I believe they've got a little something - it's also an accomplishment in itself, since it means that I took the time and courage to submit! Now if only my alpha readers would hurry up and finish their critiques for my next two stories - then I'd have 5 stories to be rolling around the market.

IGMS has been holding onto one of my stories for 46 days now. Even though part of me tells me not to EVER expect anything, I can't help but see this as a good sign - 1) attending Card's bootcamp got me out of the slush pile, and 2) most duotropers have heard back around the 30-31 day mark. I originally intended this to be my Q2 submission, but after I sent it to Clarkesworld and Lightspeed, I finally talked myself into sending to IGMS (which I actually found more intimidating than most other places), and of course they still have it. But if it sells there, I won't cry about not getting to submit it (even though WOTF would give me twice as much for a 3rd place, a pro sale is a pro sale!)

And thus ends my soliloquy on something that probably won't come to pass anyway. A writer can dream, though.

Well, I surmise from your picture that you're a female, so in the 1920's vernacular, that would make you a "doll." But, we're in a different era, so we can probably flaunt the rules of 1920's word use

As for rejections, meh, they don't get me too down now. I mean, Dune got rejected some 40 times, right? So that just shows you that high quality work gets rejected and that rejection isn't necessarily a reflection on your abilities. Plus, it's good to set your expectations low. As Barry Schwartz, a social psychologist, once said: "The key to happiness is low expectations."

Plus, it's good to set your expectations low. As Barry Schwartz, a social psychologist, once said: "The key to happiness is low expectations."

Om.......

Well, I surmise from your picture that you're a female, so in the 1920's vernacular, that would make you a "doll." But, we're in a different era, so we can probably flaunt the rules of 1920's word use

As for rejections, meh, they don't get me too down now. I mean, Dune got rejected some 40 times, right? So that just shows you that high quality work gets rejected and that rejection isn't necessarily a reflection on your abilities. Plus, it's good to set your expectations low. As Barry Schwartz, a social psychologist, once said: "The key to happiness is low expectations."

I'm teasing you about the cats and dolls.

I'm definitely okay with getting rejections - I carry the same philosophy about keeping expectations low. Some submissions are harder to maintain low expectations, though.

Well, I surmise from your picture that you're a female, so in the 1920's vernacular, that would make you a "doll." But, we're in a different era, so we can probably flaunt the rules of 1920's word use

As for rejections, meh, they don't get me too down now. I mean, Dune got rejected some 40 times, right? So that just shows you that high quality work gets rejected and that rejection isn't necessarily a reflection on your abilities. Plus, it's good to set your expectations low. As Barry Schwartz, a social psychologist, once said: "The key to happiness is low expectations."

I'm teasing you about the cats and dolls.

I'm definitely okay with getting rejections - I carry the same philosophy about keeping expectations low. Some submissions are harder to maintain low expectations, though.

So, to avoid grading, let me get to know you better (if that's alright).

Do you mainly write science fiction or fantasy?

I mainly write science fiction

Also, what do you do for a living?

I am rather lucky. I am a graduate student in a philosophy department where I also teach.

I write both science fiction and fantasy - almost a 50/50 split.

I got my degrees in English and dance, and currently I'm using the latter as I teach dance, yoga, and Pilates (both mat and Reformer, if you know anything about Pilates), which I love. Writing sci-fi/fantasy and teaching movement is a very fulfilling combination for me.

Greetings, - I'm sorta new, again. Did a few posts back in the day, but never really got into it much. So, I'm gonna try to fix that and improve my participation here. My goal is to find, 'My People', so that I may grow in the field of fiction I tend to enjoy. So again, greeting! Hopefully you will hear more from me as the days wax and wane.

And - no I'm not an old man. More of a cautious one, hence avatar. Give me some time to warm up my seat before I spew forth my bits and pieces.

Welcome! I understand not quite getting involved - I've been intending to submit to WOTF for about 11 years, and finally started submitting last year, and didn't join the forum until recently.

You're perfectly welcome to participate while keeping all of your bits and pieces under wraps. One of the fun things about the internet is getting to know someone as a disembodied nexus of personality, emotions and opinions - if that makes any sort of weird sense.

You're perfectly welcome to participate while keeping all of your bits and pieces under wraps. One of the fun things about the internet is getting to know someone as a disembodied nexus of personality, emotions and opinions - if that makes any sort of weird sense.

Perfect sense. It goes along with a chapter in Stephen King's On Writing, a chapter with the provocative title, "What Writing Is". And the one-word answer: "Telepathy". And before you write that off as glib, he then proceeds to spend pages justifying how writing can be seen as a practical mechanism for transfering a thought from one brain into another.

Here, let me reproduce in miniature his experiment: red checkered tablecloth. OK, after reading those words, I daresay most of you now have in your brains an approximation of the thought that was in my brain. If that's not enough to convince you, you'll have to read the book for a deeper argument.

But that is enough to lay a foundation for my point, which I'm finally winding around to: the internet at its best is thought-to-thought. When it works right, we make exactly the sort of deep philosophical and intellectual connections that we most value in our communications with others, without regard to the boundaries of time or space -- or for that matter, the boundaries of appearance, prejudice, even bodies. Here we connect mind to mind, for good or ill.

Hello!

I made my first submission to Writers of the Future yesterday. It's the longest short story I've written yet -- although still nowhere near the 17,000 limit -- and I had a lot of fun working on it.

Now I need to concentrate on my entry for Q4, make progress on my other writing projects, and try not to spend too much time procrastinating on this forum...

Welcome aboard, Helen! You're not planning a Q3 entry?

(This should not be construed as an insidious plan to induce you to break your "no procrastination" pledge...)

Welcome Helen. I hope to "see" you around here just enough for it not to count as procrastination. Good luck with your entry in Q2!

Hello!

I made my first submission to Writers of the Future yesterday. It's the longest short story I've written yet -- although still nowhere near the 17,000 limit -- and I had a lot of fun working on it.

Now I need to concentrate on my entry for Q4, make progress on my other writing projects, and try not to spend too much time procrastinating on this forum...

Welcome. Enjoy your stay, and if you party too hard here, have a designated driver take you home 😉

Welcome aboard, Helen! You're not planning a Q3 entry?

Darn. I've been struggling to get the hang of which quarter is which. In my mind, the quarter ending in a few days was Q3. I've just looked at the rules again and I realise I'm completely wrong.

So... I am planning a Q3 entry (and I haven't even begun to think about Q4 yet). Thanks for straightening me out, Martin. Hi Patrick and Solanavi77 too, thanks for the welcomes.

Welcome aboard, Helen! You're not planning a Q3 entry?

Darn. I've been struggling to get the hang of which quarter is which. In my mind, the quarter ending in a few days was Q3. I've just looked at the rules again and I realise I'm completely wrong.

Heh. The Quarter system reminds me of the line about the Universe in "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe":

There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.

There is another theory which states that this has already happened.

The joke was especially effective in the hardcover edition, where those two lines were on separate pages with a blank space between them. First page: a quote that almost seems philosophical, even profound. Turn the page: Wham! There's the joke.

Or as long as I'm indulging in 80s trivia, maybe that should be Wham! There's the joke.

And maybe there. That film was one long Wham! joke. I don't know who should sue, George Michael or Andrew Ridgeley, but one of them was lampooned there...

Welcome, Helen!

Hi Jeanette! I'm feeling very welcomed.

(Although... Mr Shoemaker... I'm not entirely happy about Douglas Adams being referred to as "80s trivia". Don't you know he's a national hero over here?! )

Hi Jeanette! I'm feeling very welcomed.

(Although... Mr Shoemaker... I'm not entirely happy about Douglas Adams being referred to as "80s trivia". Don't you know he's a national hero over here?! )

Welcome, Helen! Double welcome. There are far too few of us from this side of the great pond! And Douglas Adams used to live in my street you know. (Well, almost).

Apologies in advance. I'm in a particularly reptilian mood. It's the waiting that does it.
Ommmmm.

Hi Jeanette! I'm feeling very welcomed.

(Although... Mr Shoemaker... I'm not entirely happy about Douglas Adams being referred to as "80s trivia". Don't you know he's a national hero over here?! )

Welcome, Helen! Double welcome. There are far too few of us from this side of the great pond! And Douglas Adams used to live in my street you know. (Well, almost).

Apologies in advance. I'm in a particularly reptilian mood. It's the waiting that does it.
Ommmmm.

Wow! IN your street?

Hi Jeanette! I'm feeling very welcomed.

(Although... Mr Shoemaker... I'm not entirely happy about Douglas Adams being referred to as "80s trivia". Don't you know he's a national hero over here?! )

Welcome, Helen! Double welcome. There are far too few of us from this side of the great pond! And Douglas Adams used to live in my street you know. (Well, almost).

Apologies in advance. I'm in a particularly reptilian mood. It's the waiting that does it.
Ommmmm.

Wow! IN your street?

Heh. I suppose for Americans it has to be on my street or something... maybe I should have said in my hood.

Welcome, Helen! Double welcome. There are far too few of us from this side of the great pond! And Douglas Adams used to live in my street you know. (Well, almost).

Apologies in advance. I'm in a particularly reptilian mood. It's the waiting that does it.
Ommmmm.

Wow! IN your street?

Heh. I suppose for Americans it has to be on my street or something... maybe I should have said in my hood.

Word, homey.

Hi, I'm Sarah. I'm a little shy about BBs like this, so bear with me if I post something lame.

I've entered WotF once, in Q4 of Y26, and received a Semi-Finalist Award. Then I stopped writing--I had a baby, graduated from law school, took a bar exam, and dove headlong into an empty job market, all in the six months following announcement of that award. I guess I didn't think I had time for it anymore, or I felt like I needed to be practical and focus on my family and my dayjob, once I found one (I did, after several very long months).

Meanwhile, one of my co-semifinalists has since been published twice in Clarkesworld, among other markets, and I'm left wondering what I was thinking, letting a dream like that go for so long.

In the past month I've completed three more stories, none of which are WotF material, but have had the honor of being rejected by top-tier publications.

I'm staying on track this round. I'm determined to either win WotF, or get published trying. I've started on another story targeted for WotF, but I gotta say...I'm nervous. Hoping to meet some new friends who aren't alienated by how much time I spend at the keyboard, and with whom I can cheer and commiserate as appropriate.

Welcome back, Sarah! You're in good company. We tend to be a pretty supportive and grown-up bunch. I've been around here since November '11, though my first WOTF sub was several years back. Like you I failed to keep submitting after that (unlike you, I got a straight-up rejection), though I did keep writing, off and on. Are you in either of the two current quarters (Q1 having stretched past the deadline for Q2)?

Are you in either of the two current quarters (Q1 having stretched past the deadline for Q2)?

Nope. I tried to pull something together for Q2, but I started super late--two weeks before the deadline--and then I found a few particularly stubborn little plot holes. I decided I'd be happier focusing on something else and giving that idea some time to ripen for this quarter instead. I'm glad I did--the plot holes have seemed so much less intransigent since then.

Good luck to you, though (and to anyone else who's reading this and has a story on the line)! The wait's a killer, isn't it? I'm gonna need tranquilizers before I can handle overlapping entries.

Hi Sarah. I'm a newbie too. Good luck with filling in those plot holes! (And, congratulations for the semi-finalist nod on your previous entry... that's great going, and should give you plenty of confidence about trying again.)

Welcome Sarah!

Welcome aboard, Sarah!