All right, folks, it's that time again - today's Monday prompt is MANIPULATION STATION or FORTRESS OF MANIPULATION.
R, 3rd place Q4 v36!!!
Stories in Apocalyptic, Cossmass Infinites x2! PodCastle, Spirit Machine; forthcoming in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Apex Magazine, Human Monsters
I have to post it here because this group is amazing and done so much for me!
I’ve been entering this contest for 4 years now...3 rejections...6 honorable mentions... 2 silvers... 1 semi finalist... and now 4 finalists. Four. FOUR!!! I can hardly believe it. I’m incredibly happy and also sick with anxiety as this ride gives me whiplash. Lol. I have to thank this little pack for all the critiques and for lifting me up when I’ve felt pretty low. It is so appreciated. A big shoutout to Wulf Moon for the secrets and for a great critique. I know your input helps us all. Seriously! We rise together and most definitely, we are rising! Have a fabulous Monday all!
Brittany Rainsdon
R-SHM-HM-R-HM-R-F-F-HM-HM-SHM-HM-HM-SF-PF-2nd place!
Published Finalist Volume 37 Quarter 4
Second Place Volume 38 Quarter 1
First publication was "Perfectly Painted Lies" published in Deep Magic Spring 2021 and reprinted in the anthology, Best of Deep Magic Volume 2.
Learn more about me at rainsdonwrites.com
Congratulations! I wish all of the finalists could win.
Vol. 36: 3rd -- R, 4th -- R
Vol. 37: R, HM, HM, SHM
Vol. 38: HM, HM, HM, HM
Vol. 39: SHM, RWC, RWC, HM
Vol. 40: HM, R, RWC, R
Vol. 41: R, 2nd -- HM, 3rd -- HM, 4th -- WIP
Amateur published stories:
"The Tell-Tale Cricket" in The Murderbugs Anthololgy
"Follow the Pretrons" in Martian Magazine, and a Critters Award
"Eyes and Hands" in Galaxy's Edge Magazine
"The Last Dance" in Parliament of Wizards, LTUE anthology
"My Ten Cents" in Sci Fi Lampoon
Professional Publication:
"Invasion" in Daily Science Fiction
Got the okay from Joni to “scream it from the hills”. I did it! I really can’t believe it. I’ve been in a state of half-stunned disbelief. I did it! Couldn’t have done it without you all!
That's awesome Becky. I hope you get the win.
Brittany, congrats are in order. Hope you and Becky take two of the prizes.
Today's science fiction is tomorrow's reality-D.R.Sweeney
HM x5
Published Poetry
2012 Stars in Our Hearts
Silver Ships
HUGE congratulations to all of you in the SUPER SECRETS Workshop!
To those in this TOP GUN Year...YOU ALL RECEIVED HONORS!
EVERY MEMBER OF THIS WORKSHOP! AWESOME SAUCE!
AND KUDOS TO OUR CHALLENGE BEASTIE FINALISTS IN Q1, VOLUME 38.
THE SUPER SECRETS WORKSHOP HAD THREE FINALISTS!
That's right! Did you forget that Doctor Jest joined in our first year in the first open call of the SUPER SECRETS?
I didn't.
SUPER-DUPER CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR
FINALIST CHALLENGE BEASTIES!
LIGHT UP THE MARQUEE!
REBECCA TREASURE! (RE Treasure)
BRITTANY PERRY RAINSDON! (thegirlintheglasses)
ROBERT LUKE WILKINS! (Doctor Jest)
WELL DONE, CHALLENGE BEASTIES!!!
Whatever happens next, you have now reached the pinnacle of this contest that you can achieve on your own. Your writing was judged worthy of being in the WotF Volume by NYT bestselling author and contest coordinator, David Farland. That will always be your prize. Whether more is in store is up to the other judges now, but know YOU MADE IT! Your writing reached the level that was worthy of appearing in an international bestselling anthology. Never forget that. Hold your heads high!
As to whatever happens next, you have our RESPECT. May your next phone call be wonderful, but however the chips may fall, never forget YOU DID IT! YOU ARE ALL WINNERS!
I am extremely proud of you!
All the beast!
Beastmaster Moon
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!
Amazing results, everyone!
I already reported my results in private, but I am finally going to report here and start engaging on the forum more. I got my first SHM in Q1! So exciting! I finished this story in Fall of 2019, then after finishing the 2019-2020 year with the Super Secrets I came back to it with feedback from fellow challenge members and a student of Moon’s class. So thanks to Moon for this group/forum thread and your classes. Also, thanks to those who provided feedback. I know Angela and Victoria helped with this particular story, and Brittany provided a lot of last minute enthusiastic suggestions. And I think everyone has made suggestions on at least one of my pieces which has helped me in future writings and revisions. Go Wulf Pack!
As you know, I also recently had my short story among the final selections at a magazine. The editor invited me to work with him over the summer to polish the piece, so after that, I’ll have my story published in their high quality publication.
I love all the good news we’ve received. Finalists, Semi-Finalist, SHMs, and HMs! Stories accepted for publication! Consistently hitting high marks among the Top Gun and among former Super Secrets challenge members (some still engaging with us in private as well). Takes a lot of effort and perseverance to write at the level we aim for; I’m glad we have the Wulf Pack and this forum to support us!
R.J.K. Lee
WotF 2021: SHM, R, R, S-F
2020: HMx2, Rx2
2019: Rx4
2018: N/A
2017; HMx2, Rx2
2016: HMx2, Rx2
2015: Rx1
Publications:
Stone Shaper Tanukis Estranged in Dark Cheer: Cryptids Emerging - Volume Blue (Improbable Press, 12/13/2021)
Memo from the Jolly Overlords on the Weird Christmas Podcast (12/2020). I read my story at the 22:10 mark in the flash fiction contest episode.
Monthly updates on where to submit your creative work: https://figmentsdiehard.blogspot.com/
Amazing results, everyone!
I already reported my results in private, but I am finally going to report here and start engaging on the forum more. I got my first SHM in Q1! So exciting! I finished this story in Fall of 2019, then after finishing the 2019-2020 year with the Super Secrets I came back to it with feedback from fellow challenge members and a student of Moon’s class. So thanks to Moon for this group/forum thread and your classes. Also, thanks to those who provided feedback. I know Angela and Victoria helped with this particular story, and Brittany provided a lot of last minute enthusiastic suggestions. And I think everyone has made suggestions on at least one of my pieces which has helped me in future writings and revisions. Go Wulf Pack!
As you know, I also recently had my short story among the final selections at a magazine. The editor invited me to work with him over the summer to polish the piece, so after that, I’ll have my story published in their high quality publication.
I love all the good news we’ve received. Finalists, Semi-Finalist, SHMs, and HMs! Stories accepted for publication! Consistently hitting high marks among the Top Gun and among former Super Secrets challenge members (some still engaging with us in private as well). Takes a lot of effort and perseverance to write at the level we aim for; I’m glad we have the Wulf Pack and this forum to support us!
I'm so very excited for you... on both accounts!
v35: Q4 - HM
V36: R, R, R, R
V37: SHM, HM, HM, SHM
V38: SHM, HM, HM, HM
V39: HM, R, SHM, HM
Indie author of The Lex Chronicles (Legends of Arameth), and the in-progress Leyward Stones series--including my serial, Macchiatos, Faerie Princes, and Other Things That Happen at Midnight, currently available on Kindle Vella.
Website: http://ccrawfordwriting.com. I also have a newsletter and a blog!
Short story "Our Kind" published in DreamForge Anvil, Issue #5, and also "One Shot at Aeden" published in DreamForge Anvil, Issue #7!
Amazing results, everyone!
I already reported my results in private, but I am finally going to report here and start engaging on the forum more. I got my first SHM in Q1! So exciting! I finished this story in Fall of 2019, then after finishing the 2019-2020 year with the Super Secrets I came back to it with feedback from fellow challenge members and a student of Moon’s class. So thanks to Moon for this group/forum thread and your classes. Also, thanks to those who provided feedback. I know Angela and Victoria helped with this particular story, and Brittany provided a lot of last minute enthusiastic suggestions. And I think everyone has made suggestions on at least one of my pieces which has helped me in future writings and revisions. Go Wulf Pack!
As you know, I also recently had my short story among the final selections at a magazine. The editor invited me to work with him over the summer to polish the piece, so after that, I’ll have my story published in their high quality publication.
I love all the good news we’ve received. Finalists, Semi-Finalist, SHMs, and HMs! Stories accepted for publication! Consistently hitting high marks among the Top Gun and among former Super Secrets challenge members (some still engaging with us in private as well). Takes a lot of effort and perseverance to write at the level we aim for; I’m glad we have the Wulf Pack and this forum to support us!
Ryland!
We had an opening in this currently closed workshop because a member had life issues, and I invited you back in because I watched your dedication and wanted to reward it. And then you go and meet the very qualification standard I set this year for the TOP GUN Workshop--to score SHM or higher! You did it! WELL DONE! You earned your stripes!
Not only that, you just snagged a personal revision on your story with the editor of a GORGEOUS pro-level magazine. That will be an amazing sale!
Thanks for the dedication and zeal you show not only toward your writing, but toward your comrades in the Wulf Pack. You are greatly appreciated.
Keep flying with the Wulf Squadron!
Commander "Beastmaster" Moon
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!
I have to put it here as well.
Guys!!!! I’ve been around for 4 years. I haven’t missed a quarter for 16 straight entries and I am beyond thrilled that I finally get to use this button...
Joni told me my story took second place!
I can hardly believe it.
Thank you guys for encouraging me. There were some big up and downs over the last year or so, and you guys helped me get up and keep believing.
I can’t wait to see where this year takes us. I’ve read some pretty fantastic stories from this group and I just know there is room for plenty of company on that stage.
Congratulations to the other finalists! Congratulations to all who entered. Keep going. This has been one crazy ride!
Brittany Rainsdon
R-SHM-HM-R-HM-R-F-F-HM-HM-SHM-HM-HM-SF-PF-2nd place!
Published Finalist Volume 37 Quarter 4
Second Place Volume 38 Quarter 1
First publication was "Perfectly Painted Lies" published in Deep Magic Spring 2021 and reprinted in the anthology, Best of Deep Magic Volume 2.
Learn more about me at rainsdonwrites.com
To all you Wulf Pack beasties - Amazing!
Several of you have generously provided critiques of my own work that have been a great help. Your results this last quarter are just fantastic!! Well Done all.
And Brittany - wow. Congratulations! So good. Enjoy telling everyone!!
"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
To all you Wulf Pack beasties - Amazing!
Several of you have generously provided critiques of my own work that have been a great help. Your results this last quarter are just fantastic!! Well Done all.
And Brittany - wow. Congratulations! So good. Enjoy telling everyone!!
You'll get there too, Scott. I know you've done the WotF Online Workshop, you've read all the SUPER SECRETS, and are doing the challenge requirements just like those in the this workshop this year. That's why I've never taken it out of here and made it private, even though many have asked. I did this so that anyone doing the work can follow along, do the challenges, learn the same lessons, and get the same benefits. The more we write fresh, the more we grow as writers. But if we add pro knowledge to the equation, we can write smarter, and get to professional level in less time. That's what you see happening here. That's the miracle that keeps unfolding quarter after quarter here. So stay the course! There's a good reward for your hard work!
Beastmaster Moon
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!
I've made my commendations and condolences to the two SUPER SECRETS Workshop members that made Finalist in Q1 Vol. 38, but didn't receive the final reward of being chosen as first, second, and third and being published in the anthology. There's still hope for them as Published Finalists, and as long as they told Joni to keep their stories for that possibility at the end of the year, they still have a chance. We wish this prize for them with all our might. Our Brittany Rainsdon actually received this reward for Volume 37, so we know it's a real possibility and hope for the best.
At any rate, having three from the SUPER SECRETS Workshop reach Finalist this Q1 is a miraculous accomplishment, and we praise the hard work of our challenge beasties that got them there!
But now it's time to celebrate one of our own that has achieved the highest of honors, something all in this workshop have been striving toward.
Drumroll, please!
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!
CONGRATULATIONS TO SUPER SECRETS WULF PACK MEMBER BRITTANY PERRY RAINSDON!
THE GIRL IN THE GLASSES JUST WON SECOND PLACE IN Q1 OF WRITERS OF THE FUTURE, VOL. 38!
SHE ALSO EARNED PUBLISHED FINALIST IN WRITERS OF THE FUTURE, VOLUME 37! SHE'LL BE GOING TO THE WORKSHOP AND GALA TWO YEARS IN A ROW!
WELL DONE, CHALLENGE BEASTIE! WE COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD OF YOUR SUCCESS! BESIDES PURE AWESOMENESS, THIS IS WHAT WE WORK TO ACHIEVE!!!
SEE YOU ON THAT GORGEOUS STAGE IN HOLLYWOOD, BRITTANY!
BEASTMASTER MOON
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!
First of all, I yelled it before but I'll do it again: CONGRATULATIONS, BRITTANY!!!!! I'm in total awe of both your talent and your perseverance. Can't wait to meet you this fall!
Second of all, well done to everyone - this quarter was insane!!! You all did SO well. Extra congrats to Ryland on your first SHM! It's level up time!
Last but not least, and without further ado, today's Monday prompt is: HAUNT YOU FOREVER.
R, 3rd place Q4 v36!!!
Stories in Apocalyptic, Cossmass Infinites x2! PodCastle, Spirit Machine; forthcoming in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Apex Magazine, Human Monsters
Wow! Those are some pretty fireworks! I am absolutely gobsmacked. Thanks so much, guys! Wow! WOW!!!
Thank you to Wulf and the pack! A rising tide lifts all ships. This group’s positivity and perseverance are infectious (in the best way ) and I know more than once I needed that. We still have 3 quarters left and I know there’s some pretty fantastic stories in the queue.
All the best
Brittany Rainsdon
R-SHM-HM-R-HM-R-F-F-HM-HM-SHM-HM-HM-SF-PF-2nd place!
Published Finalist Volume 37 Quarter 4
Second Place Volume 38 Quarter 1
First publication was "Perfectly Painted Lies" published in Deep Magic Spring 2021 and reprinted in the anthology, Best of Deep Magic Volume 2.
Learn more about me at rainsdonwrites.com
Wow, that's amazing! Congratulations Brittany on your 2nd Place and to the others as well!
I've been working my way through this feed (thanks Wulf for keeping it public!) and you guys are fantastic. This is truly a forum for writers helping writers and a place to learn the craft. I'm on Workshop page 9 of 127, and I'm starting to learn just how much I don't know. After writing alone and unafraid for a couple of years (3 novels written, 0 published) it's been a real eye-opener to see what it takes to write well, to win, and to get published. Because in the end, that's the goal - to get our stories out there and maybe make a buck or two in the process.
All of that to say: I'm in, if you'll have me. I'm not sure what the current challenge is, that pesky day job keeps getting in the way of my reading and writing (thus why I'm only up to the posts from early 2019!), but I'm starting with the challenge to submit a fresh story each quarter.
I submitted for 2Q this year (written alone and unafraid) and am working on my 3Q story (now on rewrite #3 after reading a SUPER SECRET that gave me an 'ah ha - oh no' moment).
Looking forward to the ride.
-David
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
Wow, that's amazing! Congratulations Brittany on your 2nd Place and to the others as well!
I've been working my way through this feed (thanks Wulf for keeping it public!) and you guys are fantastic. This is truly a forum for writers helping writers and a place to learn the craft. I'm on Workshop page 9 of 127, and I'm starting to learn just how much I don't know. After writing alone and unafraid for a couple of years (3 novels written, 0 published) it's been a real eye-opener to see what it takes to write well, to win, and to get published. Because in the end, that's the goal - to get our stories out there and maybe make a buck or two in the process.
All of that to say: I'm in, if you'll have me. I'm not sure what the current challenge is, that pesky day job keeps getting in the way of my reading and writing (thus why I'm only up to the posts from early 2019!), but I'm starting with the challenge to submit a fresh story each quarter.
I submitted for 2Q this year (written alone and unafraid) and am working on my 3Q story (now on rewrite #3 after reading a SUPER SECRET that gave me an 'ah ha - oh no' moment).
Looking forward to the ride.
-David
Hi David!
I'm happy you're swimming up the entire SUPER SECRETS' thread! You're currently doing the Challenge I set for Year One, which was to enter a FRESH story every quarter for one year in Writers of the Future. That's a great place to start! That first workshop was open call to anyone in the Forum that wished to accept the challenge and apply the Super Secrets. After three weeks to a month, I closed it so we could focus on the members. The next year, same thing, only I increased the Challenge requirements. So you'll be working your way up to those, and you can decide if you wish to add those to your routine. Right now, we're in Year Three. I call this year our Top Gun year because, 1. they're remaking the movie and I thought it would be fun, and 2. because I had seventeen sign up in Year Two, and I knew it would double again if I didn't put limits on it. So I limited the workshop this year to those that had already proven they could do the work, take on the new additional requirements, and I let the Contest limit the members by requiring they had to have an SHM or higher to be in. Sorry I can't take in more, but my time is so limited now. I am under contract to provide two SUPER SECRETS books to my publisher, I am commissioned to write SUPER SECRETS articles for DreamForge Anvil magazine and others, and my freelance editing business for writers has shot through the roof since David Farland interviewed me on Apex Writers and recommended my editing skills. Not to mention the wonderful results this group is having! We had three Finalists from the SUPER SECRETS this Q1, and one of them won! Our challenge beastie Brittany Rainsdon! Three of the WotF winners going to Hollywood this year took this workshop, and one of my clients won as well. I point this out because I wrote the Super Secrets to help you guys, and for so many inside and outside the workshop, it's been doing exactly that. The proof is in the pudding.
I have kept the Secrets and this workshop open and public so that anyone that wishes can learn from them. Alas, I cannot take more members in, but it's all here to follow as you wish. Watching how the members fulfilled their assignments and the commentary surrounding the Secrets can enhance your knowledge. So stay the course, and keep reading on. Several followed the workshops on their own each year just like you're doing, and even made their first pro sales following the advice in the Secrets. How do I know? They told me.
I encourage you and anyone reading to stay the course. You have to do the work, but I wrote the Secrets to help you to do smarter work. I learned these lessons through my own blood, sweat, and tears. My goal is to make it easier for the rest of you.
It's working.
All the beast!
Wulf Moon
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!
@wulfmoon, thanks for the advice and encouragement. I understand the need to limit because of time with everything going on. I hope that after 25yrs in this business I’m just half as busy as you. Keep blazing the way and thanks for leaving trail markers for us to follow.
And thanks for the personal challenge. SHM or higher to get in? Let’s see what I can do about that (he said with equal parts confidence and trepidation). Looks like I’ve got some reading and writing to do.
For WotF Forum participation, should I limit my posts to other threads in the forum, or are non-challenge members still encouraged to post in here? Not trying to be pedantic, just figuring out the etiquette for this new world I’ve stumbled upon.
Thanks again for all you do. Coming into this thread has been like opening Pandora’s Box and discovering that the answer is in fact 42.
Now I have to figure out how to frame the question.
-David
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
@wulfmoon, thanks for the advice and encouragement. I understand the need to limit because of time with everything going on. I hope that after 25yrs in this business I’m just half as busy as you. Keep blazing the way and thanks for leaving trail markers for us to follow.
And thanks for the personal challenge. SMH or higher to get in? Let’s see what I can do about that (he said with equal parts confidence and trepidation). Looks like I’ve got some reading and writing to do.
For WotF Forum participation, should I limit my posts to other threads in the forum, or are non-challenge members still encouraged to post in here? Not trying to be pedantic, just figuring out the etiquette for this new world I’ve stumbled upon.
Thanks again for all you do. Coming into this thread has been like opening Pandora’s Box and discovering that the answer is in fact 42.
Now I have to figure out how to frame the question.
-David
I love your enthusiasm, David. I don't wish to turn anyone away. It just gets hard to keep up with the assignments members post if there's a lot of posts by those outside the workshop that are looking on. I like to say class is in session, please keep it down in the hallway. That said, I don't mind onlookers commenting from time to time...especially if it's meaningful and on topic, or a cheer like several just did for the great quarterly results the Super Secrets Workshop just had. We love it that people are looking on and enjoying what they see.
I do apologize for the lack of fresh Secrets and assignments for the members currently. I am swamped with work right now, including editing for clients and writing Super Secrets' articles for publishers. And our house was just crashed into by a pickup truck, so now I have a major remodeling job to take care of that I had not been planning on. Always something.
Do check out the Super Secret in my signature line where you see: DreamForge Anvil, "Nail Your Opening." It's based on a Super Secret in here, but that's one of the polished versions you'll see in the books coming out later this year. I've donated a writing workshop for them as well on that article's very subject. 100% of funds goes to paying hopeful writers for their stories, and I'm proud to support that cause. The editor has opened up the remaining spots. Only $24.99. Those that take my workshops get the secret bonus of the Wulf Pack Discord Chat invite. Here's the link to sign up: https://dreamforgemagazine.com/product/nail-your-workshop/
There. Lots of help.
All the beast!
Wulf Moon
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!
"NAIL YOUR OPENING: How Driving to the Story Creates Accidents."
Scot Noel is a winner of Writers of the Future, Vol. 6. At our Volume 35 WotF Workshop, each of us were presented with a beautiful gift: a full color, full-sized magazine called DreamForge, Volume 1. Beautiful. I thought, Who has the guts to create a print magazine with color illustrations for every story again? This hadn't been done in the industry since Sovereign Media did Realms of Fantasy and Science Fiction Age, which I subscribed to in support until they folded. Costs. They are huge. And yet, there I was, holding the genesis once again of something wonderful.
The magazine had a glorious start. In its two years, over 20 stories made the prestigious Tangent Year End Recommended Reading List. But COVID struck, the mail system faltered, businesses that supported Scot and Jane Noel's day job closed their doors, and they could no longer fund their labor of love. To keep it running, they dreamed up a new solution--eliminate the paper subscriptions, go digital, and still pay writers a respectable rate (6 cents/word), but focus on helping hopeful writers get published. They renamed their magazine DreamForge Anvil, and they set up a Kickstarter to collect the funds to pay writers for their stories for another year. Many of us reached out to support them--this was a noble cause. 100% of all funds are dedicated to helping aspiring writers get paid to have their stories published.
I donated a couple of things to help. This workshop was one of them. It was offered along with subscriptions and their Best Of anthology for a $35 pledge. Some 35 people signed up and it closed when the Kickstarter funded. But here's why this is important to you: Scot left the workshop on his portal so those that pledged can enter their code to get access. And as of this moment, there are 11 spots left. Because it's just the workshop, it's only $24.99. And I'm not taking a penny--I want 100% of the funds to go to helping writers like you get published. Writers like Crystal Crawford, in this very workshop, who just received notice DreamForge Anvil will be publishing her story. This is Crystal's first pro-level sale!
This is one of the most important workshops I teach. If you don't nail your opening, your story will not be read. I've read many stories by aspiring writers, both from the slush, from my workshops, and in my professional editing business. I see the same mistakes over and over, and they would be so simple to fix if someone just new about them.
That's why I teach this workshop.
Again, this workshop is not for profit. I donated this workshop to help DreamForge, and to help writers like you. It's a win-win for all.
If you'd like a sample of what my teaching is like (WHAT? Haven't you been reading the SUPER SECRETS?), you can get a taste of what this workshop offers by reading my article "NAIL YOUR OPENING: How Driving to the Story Creates Accidents" at DreamForge Anvil, Volume 2. If you like what you see, here's how to sign up for my 1.5 hour workshop (plus a half hour for discussion after), on Saturday, May 15th, at 10 a.m. PDT. But you'd better hurry. There's only 11 spots left! (UPDATE: As of May 10th, only 6 spots out of 50 left!)
All the beast!
Wulf Moon
Here's the details: NAIL YOUR OPENING WORKSHOP. Here's the link to sign up: https://dreamforgemagazine.com/product/nail-your-workshop/
Oh, and here's your Monday prompt, a day early. In view of the truck ramming into our house, this seemed appropriate:
SUDDEN IMPACT
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!
Wulf, glad to see no one in your house was injured. Nothing short of a miracle from the way you described it. I can't overemphasize how lucky you both were to avoid serious physical injury.
A thought occurred to me. If and when the State of Washington proceeds with their criminal case of these two derelicts who caused substantial structural damage to your premises, you might be called as a prosecution witness for the State to put your hand on the bible and be sworn in to testify that you own your residence and did not give permission or authority for the defendants to be on your property, and especially not to crash into your house. (Unless they take your deposition testimony and admit it in court).
At any rate, if you ascribe to deity, I would give abundant thanks to your Guardian Angel and your wife's.
Best,
Retropianoplayer
@wulfmoon Thanks looking forward to the workshop. How do the writing prompts work?
Small steps add up to miles.
V38: R, R, HM, HM
V39: RWC, HM, HM, SHM
V40 : HM, RWC, R, HM
V41 : RWC, P, P
"Amore For Life" in After the Gold Rush Third Flatiron Anthology
"Freedom’s Song” in Troubadour and Space Princesses LTUE Anthology
"Experimenting with the Dance of Death" in Love is Complicated LUW Romance Anthology.
@Cray
I believe the 'Top Gunners' who are doing the challenge workshop with Monsieur Moon have committed to write one 1000w story each month using one of these prompts. They then do a KYD exercise with that story. I think as long as the prompt enters into the story in some significant way, you're good.
"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
@Cray
I believe the 'Top Gunners' who are doing the challenge workshop with Monsieur Moon have committed to write one 1000w story each month using one of these prompts. They then do a KYD exercise with that story. I think as long as the prompt enters into the story in some significant way, you're good.
@craydimensional Yes, we write a flash (1000 words) around the prompt (can be sci fi or fantasy), then KYD it. The KYD exercise is: (1) Slash it to half (500 words) cutting ALL the fat (This part's hard!), then (2) Isolate the story's "beating heart" and distill that down to a 250-word vignette that captures the core/heart of the original story (Focus on rewriting around the heart, not just cutting words, for this phase. This part is harder! But it gets easier with practice). You can then use that 250-word heart to clarify your story's purpose and expand back to a larger piece (full flash, if you want), or save the heart for the seed of a larger story. But the goal is to slash, distill, and end up with that pure, powerful distilled core of your story.
Hope that helps!
PS -- When I first started doing KYDs, I didn't think it was possible. But my writing has grown SO MUCH from doing these again and again. You start to learn to see the beating heart of your story much earlier, and to write much tighter, more potent stories. It's worth the hard work!
v35: Q4 - HM
V36: R, R, R, R
V37: SHM, HM, HM, SHM
V38: SHM, HM, HM, HM
V39: HM, R, SHM, HM
Indie author of The Lex Chronicles (Legends of Arameth), and the in-progress Leyward Stones series--including my serial, Macchiatos, Faerie Princes, and Other Things That Happen at Midnight, currently available on Kindle Vella.
Website: http://ccrawfordwriting.com. I also have a newsletter and a blog!
Short story "Our Kind" published in DreamForge Anvil, Issue #5, and also "One Shot at Aeden" published in DreamForge Anvil, Issue #7!
@rschibler Not surprised at all, but well done!!
Victoria Dixon
Author of Mourn Their Courage
a 2010 Sandy Writing Contest Finalist
A Tribble Ate My Lunch: a Star Trek Cookbook (unpublished)
R=24
HM= 8
SHM=4
Finalist=1
Some nice news! The preorder just came out for BEST OF DEEP MAGIC, VOL. 2. Three SUPER SECRETS Workshop alumni that are ALSO Writers of the Future winners are in here! Brittany Perry Rainsdon, Kate Julicher, and some dude named Wulf Moon. It will also be released in print, but the Kindle version is coming out in a couple of weeks on May 25th. Get it while it's hot! Only $6.99, and a great way to study this market with the creme de la creme of DEEP MAGIC stories!
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!
@wulfmoon Thank you! Just went and pre-ordered mine!
v35: Q4 - HM
V36: R, R, R, R
V37: SHM, HM, HM, SHM
V38: SHM, HM, HM, HM
V39: HM, R, SHM, HM
Indie author of The Lex Chronicles (Legends of Arameth), and the in-progress Leyward Stones series--including my serial, Macchiatos, Faerie Princes, and Other Things That Happen at Midnight, currently available on Kindle Vella.
Website: http://ccrawfordwriting.com. I also have a newsletter and a blog!
Short story "Our Kind" published in DreamForge Anvil, Issue #5, and also "One Shot at Aeden" published in DreamForge Anvil, Issue #7!
@swiftpotato That Haunt You Forever prompt really inspired an interesting story that I'm still working through. Looking forward to the next prompt!
R.J.K. Lee
WotF 2021: SHM, R, R, S-F
2020: HMx2, Rx2
2019: Rx4
2018: N/A
2017; HMx2, Rx2
2016: HMx2, Rx2
2015: Rx1
Publications:
Stone Shaper Tanukis Estranged in Dark Cheer: Cryptids Emerging - Volume Blue (Improbable Press, 12/13/2021)
Memo from the Jolly Overlords on the Weird Christmas Podcast (12/2020). I read my story at the 22:10 mark in the flash fiction contest episode.
Monthly updates on where to submit your creative work: https://figmentsdiehard.blogspot.com/
@Cray
I believe the 'Top Gunners' who are doing the challenge workshop with Monsieur Moon have committed to write one 1000w story each month using one of these prompts. They then do a KYD exercise with that story. I think as long as the prompt enters into the story in some significant way, you're good.
@craydimensional Yes, we write a flash (1000 words) around the prompt (can be sci fi or fantasy), then KYD it. The KYD exercise is: (1) Slash it to half (500 words) cutting ALL the fat (This part's hard!), then (2) Isolate the story's "beating heart" and distill that down to a 250-word vignette that captures the core/heart of the original story (Focus on rewriting around the heart, not just cutting words, for this phase. This part is harder! But it gets easier with practice). You can then use that 250-word heart to clarify your story's purpose and expand back to a larger piece (full flash, if you want), or save the heart for the seed of a larger story. But the goal is to slash, distill, and end up with that pure, powerful distilled core of your story.
Hope that helps!
PS -- When I first started doing KYDs, I didn't think it was possible. But my writing has grown SO MUCH from doing these again and again. You start to learn to see the beating heart of your story much earlier, and to write much tighter, more potent stories. It's worth the hard work!
@craydimensional @scott_m_sands I'd really recommend you go through and do each part one at a time, as @ccrawford noted: 1000, 500, 250. I've found the KYDs produce a range of stories, some more than one, some quickly, some requiring more time to simmer. You can find more discussion of this among the group if you go back and look at that Super Secret and some of the exercises we did (check the table of contents). I'd also recommend taking Wulf Moon's Masterclass if you ever have the chance to. He taught "How To Win Writing Stories That Win the Gold!" last year and provided some thoughtful insights into the whole KYD process that helped me understand it further.
R.J.K. Lee
WotF 2021: SHM, R, R, S-F
2020: HMx2, Rx2
2019: Rx4
2018: N/A
2017; HMx2, Rx2
2016: HMx2, Rx2
2015: Rx1
Publications:
Stone Shaper Tanukis Estranged in Dark Cheer: Cryptids Emerging - Volume Blue (Improbable Press, 12/13/2021)
Memo from the Jolly Overlords on the Weird Christmas Podcast (12/2020). I read my story at the 22:10 mark in the flash fiction contest episode.
Monthly updates on where to submit your creative work: https://figmentsdiehard.blogspot.com/
Very happy about this. All 50 seats of my SUPER SECRETS Workshop SOLD OUT. 100% of funds will go toward helping DreamForge Anvil buy stories from aspiring writers like our very own Crystal Crawford! Congratulations on your first sale, Crystal! You'll be getting a custom illustration with your story as well. Who gets that on their first sale, outside of Writers of the Future? No one--it can take years and years to see that kind of magic happen. This is a wonderful market, and I'm so happy to support their cause.
I encourage everyone that can to support them by getting a subscription. You are preserving a market that might eventually be publishing YOU.
All the beast!
Beastmaster Moon
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!