Discussion: Q1 Volume 36

October 1, 2018 - December 31, 2019

The possibilities are endless!
New volume, new friends. Gala in 2020.

Gahhhhhh not ready not ready

This is starting to feel like a Kingkiller saga. "And the wheel of time goes round and round, and you have to buy the next book to figure out how to get off the wheel." But that's just it. You NEVER get off. It's an endless prologue.

Mantra time: Fear is the mind killer. I shall face the Wheel and let it pass through me. Only I shall remain. Fear is the mind killer. I shall face the Wheel ...

~Moon~

Surely it's December 2018, though?

My entry for this one will just be the story I know won't be ready in time for Q4 v.35. That's simple, even if nothing else about this is...

I just want to write again. Life has derailed my writing. Such a bummer. Been months since I wrote a word. Miss it terribley...

See! I can't even speel!

Life does get in the way. But writing finds a way. Hang in there, Dustin!

I have a question that may seem on the newb side. Does anyone ever enter both writer and illustrator contests in the same quarter? What I'm thinking of entering for Q1 (assuming I have the time of course) has a nice visual that is tempting to try to illustrate.

Follow up... has anyone ever won both illustrator and writer for the same quarter and wound up illustrating their own entry?

I'm refusing to acknowledge Volume 36 will be published in 2020 until I get my full set of rejections for Volume 35. How time flies...

Follow up... has anyone ever won both illustrator and writer for the same quarter and wound up illustrating their own entry?

That sounds unlikely - the authors don't know who their illustrator is until the awards event.

Haha nooooo too soon. I get til the end of october to read all the things I want, then back to writing.

I may miss Q1. I'm working hard on a novel I hope to have ready to query by next summer's conference season, and that's quite a deadline. I might send in one of my shorts that hasn't gone to WotF, but I doubt I'll write something new. I'm also terribly behind on my reading stack. Never enough hours in the day. Now where's my coffee...

Dustin! Your writing resume for this one contest alone will get you an agent or book deal, as long as you have a 50k word ms ready to go. You should have already disqualified yourself and signed your 10,000 dollar advance!

My two HMs carried a surprising amount of weight, so I’ll only be eligible for two more quarters myself.

You should go ahead and finish that novel, grab yourself a major publisher with that resume.

And you’ll be giving me a chance before I have to go!

(Actually this is gonna be my best evah so it’s fruitless to enter, another reason for you to go ahead and step up to the big leagues)

I have a question that may seem on the newb side. Does anyone ever enter both writer and illustrator contests in the same quarter? What I'm thinking of entering for Q1 (assuming I have the time of course) has a nice visual that is tempting to try to illustrate.

Follow up... has anyone ever won both illustrator and writer for the same quarter and wound up illustrating their own entry?

I don't have the answers to your specific questions, but some have won both contests. I think Stephen Stanley was the first. When I was in the Wordos writing group in Eugene, Oregon, Stephen won WotF. I remember him asking the group if anyone had won both contests before, and none of us could recall anyone that had. Stephen said, "Then I'm going to try to be the first to win both." And you know what? He did!

I just want to write again. Life has derailed my writing. Such a bummer. Been months since I wrote a word. Miss it terribley...

See! I can't even speel!

Let me know if you want to do "Magic in the First". The magic story I intended for the fourth quarter is still in the works, I'll hopefully have it done this quarter. A lot more research went into it than I anticipated. most of it of the rabbit hole variety.

Amos, I'll probably still be around for Magic in the 4th, v 36. Ha!

I really want to get in this Q. I got a silver for 2/35, then an R. That's my year. Not very satisfying.
I've got a great story that just needs time and attention. And I've got three months. Fingers crossed!

p.s. Thanks Gruffbane. I'd take a 10k advance!

Amos, I'll probably still be around for Magic in the 4th, v 36. Ha!

I really want to get in this Q. I got a silver for 2/35, then an R. That's my year. Not very satisfying.
I've got a great story that just needs time and attention. And I've got three months. Fingers crossed!

p.s. Thanks Gruffbane. I'd take a 10k advance!

Have you contacted any agents yet with the Finalist and Semifinalist credits in your query?

Hmm, just been sort of thinking of what story I wanted to do. Today I decided to decide. Been wanting to do cyberpunk but I am still not sure enough to attempt one. Need to read more of them. Anyway I did start a story. Not sure if it is the one for the contest though. We shall see how it comes off. I am doing the opening like Dave likes anyway. Named the MC, made sure there is something to indicate that it is speculative and making sure the description of the setting is good. Of course I would have done most of that anyway. Only 260 words so far. I have time to do more but it's late and I am tired.

Life does get in the way. But writing finds a way. Hang in there, Dustin!

I say the something.

Hello, I'm pretty new to this contest so excuse the ignorance... but I wanted to know where you could see the theme for q1 2018.
I'm an illustrator and I participated for the first time in q3 and got a honorable mention! So I wanted to try again.
So I just wanted to make sure if we have a specific theme/topic for q1 or we can just do something sci-fi.
Thank you!

Hello, I'm pretty new to this contest so excuse the ignorance... but I wanted to know where you could see the theme for q1 2018.
I'm an illustrator and I participated for the first time in q3 and got a honorable mention! So I wanted to try again.
So I just wanted to make sure if we have a specific theme/topic for q1 or we can just do something sci-fi.
Thank you!

If I'm reading the rules correctly, there is no theme. You just provide three fantasy and/or sci-fi illustrations.

Hmm, writing one story I had the opening scene to. Decided it could be the one I send in. But I am stuck. I know what I want for the next scene but the bridge to it is off somehow. I do not feel right about what I wrote and am thinking of writing. I think I did something that went against what I first wanted in the story. So delete the last couple of hundred words, do away with a new character. Part of it is getting around a real world problem. If my character was in the real world he would have this problem. Maybe I could ignore it but quite a few readers would probably say "hey wait a minute. What about...?"
(Shoulder shrug) I have time to think on it.

Then again using this story is not set in stone yet. There is another one I was doing that I have thought about. It is finished. I could redo an older one I still like or come up with another new idea.

I'm in for Q4, which means I can concentrate on NaNoWriMo and then finish off my current WIP before the end of the quarter and not have to worry about my entry. Hurrah!

I have my draft pinned down, so now it's all tweaking and refinements. Looking good to be ready to roll in time for the quarter close.

I have halted writing my story until I finish my NaNo novel. I would have time to finish it in Dec since it is almost finished. Even though there is still the possibility that I will revise an older story I think would fit better. In either case though I may still work on the first story this month since I am doing good with the novel. Somewhere between 17,800 and 18,200 words at the end of tonight.

guys please tell me is it just me or happens to anyone? when i start to read I finish novel after novel not having time to write anything. then there is a reading phase where i can't read a single. how do you balance? please help
I would be happy to do both but I seem to find no time for both.

I may miss Q1. I'm working hard on a novel I hope to have ready to query by next summer's conference season, and that's quite a deadline. I might send in one of my shorts that hasn't gone to WotF, but I doubt I'll write something new. I'm also terribly behind on my reading stack. Never enough hours in the day. Now where's my coffee...

Amos, I'll probably still be around for Magic in the 4th, v 36. Ha!

I really want to get in this Q. I got a silver for 2/35, then an R. That's my year. Not very satisfying.
I've got a great story that just needs time and attention. And I've got three months. Fingers crossed!

p.s. Thanks Gruffbane. I'd take a 10k advance!

I'm approaching the homestretch on my story. Rough draft done, first pass through complete. Now I just need to make some tweaks and polish it.

guys please tell me is it just me or happens to anyone? when i start to read I finish novel after novel not having time to write anything. then there is a reading phase where i can't read a single. how do you balance? please help
I would be happy to do both but I seem to find no time for both.

I may miss Q1. I'm working hard on a novel I hope to have ready to query by next summer's conference season, and that's quite a deadline. I might send in one of my shorts that hasn't gone to WotF, but I doubt I'll write something new. I'm also terribly behind on my reading stack. Never enough hours in the day. Now where's my coffee...

Aidanka, the writing process is unique to each writer. Go to a Con and listen to a panel on this. You will find similarities, but when you listen close, each writer has their own system that works exclusively for them. It's actually fun to find this out, and means we're all stark raving lunatic crazy, so consider yourself confirmed. : )

I'm guessing your style is to stuff lots of ingredients through reading into your primordial subconscious stew. Eventually the stew boils over into prose, and you empty the pot. Empty pot begs to be filled, so you stuff it with ingredients again....and on the process goes for you. It's not a bad thing. It's how you uniquely produce.

Carry on!

~Moon~

Amos, I'll probably still be around for Magic in the 4th, v 36. Ha!

I really want to get in this Q. I got a silver for 2/35, then an R. That's my year. Not very satisfying.
I've got a great story that just needs time and attention. And I've got three months. Fingers crossed!

p.s. Thanks Gruffbane. I'd take a 10k advance!

Have you contacted any agents yet with the Finalist and Semifinalist credits in your query?

At the risk of going into religion...

For the love of God, why in the hell would you ever consider going to an agent?

I can kind of understand...sort of...going with a trad pub deal. Maybe. If you're desperate for validation and don't care to make money.

But an agent??? Are you trying to have your IP stolen and what little money you make from the deal embezzled away?

These people are already committing criminal acts by practicing law without a license. But even were that not the case, read up on the history of the profession, and of the biggest, most reputable names in it. They are charlatans and crooks. Stay away.

BT

That said, looking forward to submitting my entry this quarter. I can always use another HM under my belt.

Not to be contrary, but saying all agents are bad is like saying all writers are good.

~Moon~

Not to be contrary, but saying all agents are bad is like saying all writers are good.

~Moon~

I agree. Some of the newer ones have changed-working more for the publishers and not their clients-and some have played games with how much the writer actually made but still of course there are good ones. Some writers-even new ones-love their agents and are quite happy with them. Just be careful though and watch those new contracts.

Not to be contrary, but saying all agents are bad is like saying all writers are good.

~Moon~

I agree. Some of the newer ones have changed-working more for the publishers and not their clients-and some have played games with how much the writer actually made but still of course there are good ones. Some writers-even new ones-love their agents and are quite happy with them. Just be careful though and watch those new contracts.

As in all marriages--and choosing an agent is one--you should have a good courtship where you get to know one another, trust one another, and believe in one another before you tie the knot.

Don Maass and I were friends through association at many cons, and the bar after, and dinners together, before I ever asked him to rep my Trek novel and he said yes (we didn't sell it, alas, but he wants my fantasy novel). I knew writers he repped, and I asked them pointed questions, and they had nothing but good to say about him. This, before I ever asked him to represent my work. How could he rep some of the best names in the industry, including recently winning over bestselling author Jim Butcher, if he was not a man of integrity? In any industry, there are good folks, and there are bad folks. If you get to know a person, it's pretty easy to tell. So I say to all, do your research. If you choose representation (and you don't have to, but there are advantages) go to cons where the agent is holding court. Get to know them by taking a master class, sitting in the bar and chatting, and asking questions to authors represented by the agent. It is a marriage, often a life long friendship, so choose your partner to help you succeed wisely.

Or not. The choice is yours.

Fortune favor the brave,

Moon