Contest Questions

How many semi-finalists and finalists are there per quarter?

Edit: another question, how are retellings of fairy/folktales viewed in this competition?

When I submitted my 2nd Quarter story, I didn't put the title of the story on every page - just the page number. Do you think my story will be disqualified because of that? I didn't remember this was in the rules, and just reviewed the rules again today and saw that.

Another question I have regarding the rules is if there is any minimum word limit. I saw that there is a maximum word limit, but I didn't see a minimum word limit. Has anyone encountered anything about this?

Posted by: @writhmic

How many semi-finalists and finalists are there per quarter?

Edit: another question, how are retellings of fairy/folktales viewed in this competition?

There are typically 8 finalists and 8 semi-finalists. 

Fairytale retellings should be fine I would think. 

@cweaver you won’t be disqualified unless you left your name on the manuscript. 

As for minimum word count, they do take flash (under 1,000 words) but bear in mind that any flash piece will be competing against stories of full length and will have to stand out accordingly. 

@rschibler Thank you, Rebecca, I appreciate that, and congratulations on your recent publication in Vol 38!

I'm curious what a 5-page critique in your signature box is? Is it a critique of the first 5 pages of a story, or a 5-page-long critique?

@cweaver I will critique up to 5 pages, doesn’t have to be a complete story at all!

@wulfmoon Thank you so much for your reply! And thank you Dr. Jest too. 

Posted by: @wulfmoon

“Professional publication is deemed to be payment of at least eight cents per word, and at least 5,000 copies, or 5,000 hits.”

I think this is where my confusion lies heaviest. Do these guidelines pertain only to short fiction, or is this the threshold for novels as well? I think we so rarely hear about novels in terms of cents/word so I just wanted to double check!

Thank you again, and I will be sure to post in the New Members forum. I'm already working on brainstorming for this quarter's story  

Posted by: @lizardosity

@wulfmoon Thank you so much for your reply! And thank you Dr. Jest too. 

Posted by: @wulfmoon

“Professional publication is deemed to be payment of at least eight cents per word, and at least 5,000 copies, or 5,000 hits.”

I think this is where my confusion lies heaviest. Do these guidelines pertain only to short fiction, or is this the threshold for novels as well? I think we so rarely hear about novels in terms of cents/word so I just wanted to double check!

Thank you again, and I will be sure to post in the New Members forum. I'm already working on brainstorming for this quarter's story  

 

When any individual piece of fiction you write and is published hits this marker, the Contest deems it a professional sale.

Posted by: @lizardosity

@wulfmoon Thank you so much for your reply! And thank you Dr. Jest too. 

Posted by: @wulfmoon

“Professional publication is deemed to be payment of at least eight cents per word, and at least 5,000 copies, or 5,000 hits.”

I think this is where my confusion lies heaviest. Do these guidelines pertain only to short fiction, or is this the threshold for novels as well? I think we so rarely hear about novels in terms of cents/word so I just wanted to double check!

Thank you again, and I will be sure to post in the New Members forum. I'm already working on brainstorming for this quarter's story  

 

According to rule #5 in the contest guidelines, you are no longer eligible if you've published a novel in a professional market.

The Contest is open only to those who have not professionally published a novel or short novel, or more than one novelette, or more than three short stories, in any medium. Professional publication is deemed to be payment of at least eight cents per word, and at least 5,000 copies, or 5,000 hits.

Can I mention Starbucks by name in my story? Or any other well-known ubiquitous place? 

Posted by: @cweaver

Can I mention Starbucks by name in my story? Or any other well-known ubiquitous place? 

I believe the general rule is:

1. Better not to, and
2. If you do, and you win anyway, they'll often ask you to edit it out before publication.

I don't know if (2) is a hard rule in all circumstances, but I could see just doing it to avoid any risk of riling up the enthusiastically litigious. Still, while to the best of my knowledge including them isn't a deal-breaker for a submission, I'd probably steer clear.

Besides, because those things are ubiquitous, you almost always have a more interesting option available to you that might add a little extra colour to the story you're telling.

Posted by: @lizardosity

@wulfmoon Thank you so much for your reply! And thank you Dr. Jest too. 

Posted by: @wulfmoon

“Professional publication is deemed to be payment of at least eight cents per word, and at least 5,000 copies, or 5,000 hits.”

I think this is where my confusion lies heaviest. Do these guidelines pertain only to short fiction, or is this the threshold for novels as well? I think we so rarely hear about novels in terms of cents/word so I just wanted to double check!

Thank you again, and I will be sure to post in the New Members forum. I'm already working on brainstorming for this quarter's story  

 

Hi, Liz,

For novels, your eligibility ends on the day you are notified that you've sold 5,000 copies for money. Freebies don't count.

For short stories, your eligibility ends when your 4th pro sale is published.

In both cases, you remain eligible for the whole quarter so long as you submit your entry before the disqualifying event happens. So let's say you receive an acceptance for your 4th pro rate short story today, but the story won't actually be published until May. As long as you submit to the current quarter before the disqualifying story goes live, you're eligible for the quarter.

If you submit today, and you receive notice that your novel (published anywhere, by anyone, including self) has sold 5,000 copies for money tomorrow, you're eligible.

For anyone who is close to pro-ing out, submit early in the quarter! As long as you're eligible on the day you submit, you're eligible for the whole quarter. 

Cheers,

Kary

I understand that you need to submit a complete novel of no more than 17,000 words. My question would be may I include labeled chapters?

Hello Ron,

The story can be up to 17,000 words. Most submissions are between 3,000 - 7,000 words. Yes, you can have chapters that are labeled.

@johngoodwin Thank you for getting back to me about my question. I have one more question that I thought of that i hope you can help me with.

I was wondering if LitRPG story's are allowed?

Posted by: @rseitz55

@johngoodwin Thank you for getting back to me about my question. I have one more question that I thought of that i hope you can help me with.

I was wondering if LitRPG story's are allowed?

 

I don't remember where or who said this, but I recently heard someone talking about RPG stories and the risk being that they are "You Had To Be There" stories instead of truly unique standalone pieces. Retelling your parties adventures? Probably not the strongest submission. Using characters and worlds and situations as inspiration for a piece? Can absolutely work (I know someone who did very well with such stories).

@rschibler I am not sure if you have read many LitRPG's but I have read some awesome LitRPG novels that were 100% original with amazing worlds and characters.

I see what you mean though, it would definitely be risky. I just don't want to be disqualified if its not allowed.

Posted by: @rseitz55

@rschibler I am not sure if you have read many LitRPG's but I have read some awesome LitRPG novels that were 100% original with amazing worlds and characters.

I see what you mean though, it would definitely be risky. I just don't want to be disqualified if its not allowed.

There's a guy at my company who is a huge fan of LitRPGs, and compiled a whole list of the ones he liked the most (a pretty popular thread on Reddit, I may try and dig it out later). But I've never tried writing anything like this myself.

Posted by: @rseitz55

@rschibler I am not sure if you have read many LitRPG's but I have read some awesome LitRPG novels that were 100% original with amazing worlds and characters.

I see what you mean though, it would definitely be risky. I just don't want to be disqualified if its not allowed.

I've never read LitRPG myself. (Embarrassing fact: I actually had to Google it to see what it was. Shhh...don't tell anyone.) I do enjoy a good horror story though. Sadly, horror also doesn't have much chance in THIS contest, although there are lots of other places where horror has better odds. Probably your best bet is to pick up a few copies of prior WOTF anthologies and read the winning stories. This will give you the best perspective on the kinds of sci-fi and fantasy the judges are looking for.

Best of luck!

@katt_kitt Hi, Katt_Kitt!

We need a complete story, so please don't send in something unfinished. You have two options: 1) Edit one of your stories so it's within the word count guidelines, or 2) Deliberately write a shorter story.

Here's a link on how to keep a story short.  https://writersofthefuture.com/forum/postid/44371/

Happy writing!

Kary

Posted by: @doctorjest

Posted by: @cweaver

Can I mention Starbucks by name in my story? Or any other well-known ubiquitous place? 

I believe the general rule is:

1. Better not to, and
2. If you do, and you win anyway, they'll often ask you to edit it out before publication.

I don't know if (2) is a hard rule in all circumstances, but I could see just doing it to avoid any risk of riling up the enthusiastically litigious. Still, while to the best of my knowledge including them isn't a deal-breaker for a submission, I'd probably steer clear.

Besides, because those things are ubiquitous, you almost always have a more interesting option available to you that might add a little extra colour to the story you're telling.

Dave always taught: be specific. Your character doesn’t drive a car, he drives a beat-up blue Ford Escort with bondo on the right rear fender. He doesn’t drink coffee, he drinks a Starbucks mocha latte with an espresso shot.

Making it specific makes it vivid. Vivid is a good thing.

The thing to avoid is disparagement. Never say Escorts are all junk. Never say Starbucks tastes like battery acid. Even if it’s true.

I haven’t heard from Jody; but with Dave, being specific increased your chances.

Posted by: @rseitz55

@johngoodwin Thank you for getting back to me about my question. I have one more question that I thought of that i hope you can help me with.

I was wondering if LitRPG story's are allowed?

 

As long as your LitRPG can be viewed as a subgenre of science fiction or fantasy, it’s fine.

@martin-l-shoemaker thanks, Martin! That makes it easier. I prefer to write more specifically. Thank you for the tip!

Just out of curiosity, what does Joni do if a finalist doesn't pick up the call? I never pick up calls from numbers I don't know and I'm sure other people do (or rather, don't do) that, too, so does Joni email them instead?

Posted by: @writhmic

Just out of curiosity, what does Joni do if a finalist doesn't pick up the call? I never pick up calls from numbers I don't know and I'm sure other people do (or rather, don't do) that, too, so does Joni email them instead?

The times I missed a call from her she left a message for me to call her back with a number to use. I'd assume if you don't, she'll email you.

Posted by: @kd-julicher

Posted by: @writhmic

Just out of curiosity, what does Joni do if a finalist doesn't pick up the call? I never pick up calls from numbers I don't know and I'm sure other people do (or rather, don't do) that, too, so does Joni email them instead?

The times I missed a call from her she left a message for me to call her back with a number to use. I'd assume if you don't, she'll email you.

That was my experience too--I screened out an unknown number after one too many calls about my auto warranty, and she left me a number to call in voicemail.

@rschibler Sorry to take so long to respond...  There are no rules about Lit RPG stories. They would have to hold up to the same criteria as any other story. You can listen to Jody's or Kary's podcast interviews where they say what they are looking for. Nowhere did they indicate a problem with RPG, only that stories are original, have a clear start, middle, and end.

Are there any particular grammar styles that this contest prefers? For example, Chicago rules state that ages must be spelled out (a sixteen-year-old girl) and AP states that they must be in numerical form (a 16-year-old girl). Strunk and White says to always spell out numbers under 100 unless they're in dialogue, but when they're in dialogue to write them numerically. Title capitalization is also slightly different. And of course, there's always the Oxford comma debate. Also, do we need to use some particular grammar software's conventions?

Are there paragraph spacing conventions and scene change conventions?
Thank you for any direction on this.

@cweaver 

Personally, I've never read any official guidelines from the contest about specific grammar preferences. Kary and Jody may have their own personal preferences, but I've never seen anything directly from them or any of the other judges. Beyond what is published on the contest guidelines page, it's pretty much whatever works for you and the story, whatever you're comfortable with.

Follow Standard Manuscript Formatting for paragraphs. I've used triple asterisks in the past to note a break in time or scene. Others have used a single hashtag. I think either is fine. Looks like you're already well on your way with that HM! Nice work!

Posted by: @cweaver

Are there any particular grammar styles that this contest prefers? For example, Chicago rules state that ages must be spelled out (a sixteen-year-old girl) and AP states that they must be in numerical form (a 16-year-old girl). Strunk and White says to always spell out numbers under 100 unless they're in dialogue, but when they're in dialogue to write them numerically. Title capitalization is also slightly different. And of course, there's always the Oxford comma debate. Also, do we need to use some particular grammar software's conventions?

Are there paragraph spacing conventions and scene change conventions?
Thank you for any direction on this.

@morgan-broadhead is correct, there is no official preference for grammar style beyond standard formatting (see https://www.shunn.net/format/classic/ for the most commonly accepted/preferred format).

However, I will tell you that WotF does use CMOS (Chicago Manual of Style) when formatting each anthology. I had the opportunity to be a proofreader for the most recent anthology and that’s the format they had me use.