Discussion: Q1 Volume 37

R for me maties. Sort of expected it though--always have trouble with that darn opening.
Back to the keyboard. And maybe a dram or two.

Cheers Wulfy!

Congrats to all who went beyond R this round, as I join and commiserate with those like me who didn't.
Cinch your sashes, me hearties, and swab the deck!

Heh-heh. Dragonchef knows of my love of single malt. GOOD single malt whiskey.

Keep swabbing those decks! We have to have this place cleaned up and bristol by next quarter!

All the beast!

Wulf Moon

Rejected again. I won't be entering in the future.

Please, don't give up. If that was the case, I would have given up of trying to be a writer since I first entered this contest when I was 13 years old. Through my sheer determination, I have driven on to become a writer. Yes, I too just got another R in this quarter, but it won't stop me. We are all here to help each other and grow as writers.
I know it's hard to get that Rejection and makes you want to sit in a corner, but after some contemplation and chatting with oneself, you get on that horse and keep trying:)...

I will add this. At his workshop, Dave said an SHM is often finalist quality but something needs fixing before you can win with it. He doesn't want the story to be a finalist yet because then the story is disqualified. He'd like to see it fixed and resubmitted. That's not what's going on for every SHM but it tells you how incredibly close you are.

Thanks Chuck, I didn't realize if your story makes it to finalist level it isn't eligible to be resubmitted.

Just to add to this, Finalists do not get feedback, other than Joni perhaps saying, "But Tim Powers really loved your story." They are not allowed to be resubmitted because they had their chance. The judges voted on them already, and they did not make the final cut. Semifinalists are the ones that get a brief critique from David Farland, the contest coordinating judge. This critique disqualifies the author from submitting that story again, because they had help from the judge on what it would take to make it a Finalist, and that would be unfair to others in subsequent quarters that did not receive such help. My story, "Weep No More for the Willow" was such a story. Dave said on the level of world building alone, it was stronger than all the other winners in that quarter. But he also said I need to "kill my darlings." Based on his critique, I toed back in my descriptions, sent it to Deep Magic, and it was published in the Fall 2019 issue. It shows you that semifinalists are very close, and with just a few words from a bestselling author and instructor like Dave, you can figure out how to make them winners. So, while you can't send them back to WotF, you can sell them elsewhere, and have a better chance at it, as I and others have proven.

Sometimes a story is at Semifinalist level, but Dave hopes to see it again. Instead of disqualifying it by helping the author with a critique, he gives them a Silver Honorable Mention, which he has said among some of those, he hopes the author will revise it and submit it again. Is yours one of those? Only Dave knows. But a pro likely will also know. Try to get someone that has pro sales to take a look at it. If you have the means, hire a pro if you can't find one--some do freelance editing. Or submit it to a workshop that has pro authors offering critiques. You might find with a simple fix, that story could be perfected.

So, when you get a Silver HM, Dave has told you he liked your idea, but there's something you need to fix. If you can figure it out, and I mean really figure it out by getting someone with more experience than you to point out what it is, you could submit that story again. It might just be your winner.

Best of success!

Wulf Moon

Thank you Wulf! Very good information for a rookie to the contest! Much appreciated

R for me maties. Sort of expected it though--always have trouble with that darn opening.
Back to the keyboard. And maybe a dram or two.

Let's swap for Q3.
We'll work on the pesky openings.
PM me whenever you're ready.

R here - best of luck to all those still in the running!

Rejected again. I won't be entering in the future.

Before you quit, ask yourself why do you write? It’s a question I ask myself everyday. And everyday I feel like quitting but the absolute, addictive need to put words into sentences and paragraphs and to enter another world is what drives me to sit down and write however many words I can. Sometimes it’s only a paragraph. Lately it’s been about two or three paragraphs before I stop.

There’s no shame in terminating your pursuit of an art form. Yeah Rs hurt like hell. I’ve gotten quite a few in the last several months. But like I said, before you quit ask yourself why do you write.

Let's swap for Q3.
We'll work on the pesky openings.
PM me whenever you're ready.

Sounds good, Dustin. I was also thinking, after reading several of the stories in the V36 Anthology, that maybe my stories just aren't weird enough. Seems we gotta get weird now to place these days.

Let's swap for Q3.
We'll work on the pesky openings.
PM me whenever you're ready.

Sounds good, Dustin. I was also thinking, after reading several of the stories in the V36 Anthology, that maybe my stories just aren't weird enough. Seems we gotta get weird now to place these days.

Not weird, Dragonchef. Original. Or at least an original twist on the old. Executed with technical expertise adequate to produce an emotional impact.

Rob Sawyer recently stated it this way: "What can I say in a way no one has ever heard before?"

Answer that question, WITH technical proficiency (the thing all aspiring writers lack in varying degrees), WITH emotional impact, and you will create your winner.

All the beast!

Wulf Moon

Not weird, Dragonchef. Original. Or at least an original twist on the old. Executed with technical expertise adequate to produce an emotional impact.

Rob Sawyer recently stated it this way: "What can I say in a way no one has ever heard before?"

Answer that question, WITH technical proficiency (the thing all aspiring writers lack in varying degrees), WITH emotional impact, and you will create your winner.

All the beast!

Wulf Moon

What I meant by weird is . . . "Dang! Why didn't I think of that?"
Sláinte!

Let's swap for Q3.
We'll work on the pesky openings.
PM me whenever you're ready.

Sounds good, Dustin. I was also thinking, after reading several of the stories in the V36 Anthology, that maybe my stories just aren't weird enough. Seems we gotta get weird now to place these days.

Actually, I feel what you're saying. I'm itching to talk to someone about this. I'll send a PM in a bit and see if we're on the same wavelength. And share my e-mail so we can swap later on.

HM for me. Congrats guys--so many silvers and semis!!! Best of luck to those still waiting. As for the rest of us...may our Q2s kick butt!

I keep on reading the email about my first HM... tell me that I am not the only one doing this.
Anyway, what was the idea with the special notice at the end?
"I WILL BE SENDING YOU NEWS IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS REGARDING THE MOST EXCITING CONTEST NEWS EVER! BE LOOKING FOR THE E-MAIL. "
(Capital letters in original).

No further email so far...

I keep on reading the email about my first HM... tell me that I am not the only one doing this.
Anyway, what was the idea with the special notice at the end?
"I WILL BE SENDING YOU NEWS IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS REGARDING THE MOST EXCITING CONTEST NEWS EVER! BE LOOKING FOR THE E-MAIL. "
(Capital letters in original).

No further email so far...

I got Joni's letter. It's the new Writers of the Future Online Course. Go to Writers of the Future homepage and click on ONLINE WRITING COURSE.

Cheers!

Thanks!

Looks like the results have been posted now--I don't see any more trickling in. Congratulations to everyone that had the courage to enter a story. Yes, it does take courage to put your heart on the page and send your story out to be judged against your peers. It takes more courage to do it again, and again, and again, come what may. Keep forging ahead--you know how hard many of us worked to win this contest. It is a marathon, not a sprint, with a wonderful reward at the end.

And for those that placed for the first time, many on their very first try, well done! Like Kevin J. Anderson once told me, "Getting even one HM is a big deal, they don't give those things out lightly." Enjoy your beautiful certificate that will come in the mail. Display it proudly on your wall. It's a badge of honor! The Forum had quite a number of Silver HMs as well, some earning those for their first time. For those that don't realize what this means, you wrote a story that impressed Dave. You were close. Ranking in the top forty or fifty stories out of thousands submitted from around the world in a quarter is an impressive accomplishment! It's one of the best signposts that your writing is at a level that could win this. Don't stop now!

Finally, dancing conga rats for Galen, our Semifinalist! You wrote a stellar story, placing in the top 16 stories from around the world! You wrote a professional story that deeply impressed David Farland, and had the wind been blowing another direction that day, who knows, it might have been a winner (Preston proved the truth of this). Enjoy the critique you'll receive from our coordinating judge. Where else can aspiring writers get personal commentary for improvement from a New York Times bestselling author? It is a great gift from this contest that should receive far more praise than it does. You don't have to win this contest to receive tremendous bonuses and gifts.

Speaking of gifts, may everyone take full advantage of the new Writers of the Future Online Writing Course. You have three of the top names in the industry teaching you how to write a professional story. These are the same instructors that taught our workshop in Hollywood for Volume 35! May it be the boost you need to put you across the finish line!

Good showing, Forumites! Keep reaching for your dreams!

All the beast!

Wulf Moon

So... since all the other results have gone out I should be in the clear for announcing:

This is my sixth time up at the plate. Will I actually get the home run this time? Here's hoping!

I got the call Monday but Joni asked me to keep quiet until she had sent out all the results (and contacted the other finalists).

Sixth time lucky - it's a common saying isn't it?

Seems to me you deserve to win. Hope you do.

So... since all the other results have gone out I should be in the clear for announcing:

This is my sixth time up at the plate. Will I actually get the home run this time? Here's hoping!

I got the call Monday but Joni asked me to keep quiet until she had sent out all the results (and contacted the other finalists).

KD the SUPER FINALIST!!!
May this be your turn!

As a Scott Parkin fan, I'm sad to see his record broken.
As a KD Julicher fan, I'm holding my breath FTW.

So... since all the other results have gone out I should be in the clear for announcing:

This is my sixth time up at the plate. Will I actually get the home run this time? Here's hoping!

I got the call Monday but Joni asked me to keep quiet until she had sent out all the results (and contacted the other finalists).

Yeah Baby! Fingers crossed.

I’ve now had four separate emails about the online workshop!

So... since all the other results have gone out I should be in the clear for announcing:

This is my sixth time up at the plate. Will I actually get the home run this time? Here's hoping!

I got the call Monday but Joni asked me to keep quiet until she had sent out all the results (and contacted the other finalists).

Congratulations!!!! Rooting for you!!!

So... since all the other results have gone out I should be in the clear for announcing:

This is my sixth time up at the plate. Will I actually get the home run this time? Here's hoping!

I got the call Monday but Joni asked me to keep quiet until she had sent out all the results (and contacted the other finalists).

So... since all the other results have gone out I should be in the clear for announcing:

This is my sixth time up at the plate. Will I actually get the home run this time? Here's hoping!

I got the call Monday but Joni asked me to keep quiet until she had sent out all the results (and contacted the other finalists).

Great news, Kate! You have the entire forum cheering you on! THIS is your winner! I believe!

All the BEAST!

Wulf Moon

So... since all the other results have gone out I should be in the clear for announcing:

This is my sixth time up at the plate. Will I actually get the home run this time? Here's hoping!

I got the call Monday but Joni asked me to keep quiet until she had sent out all the results (and contacted the other finalists).

I've crossed my fingers, my toes, my eyes, my legs, my arms... I'm a human pretzel for you!

So... since all the other results have gone out I should be in the clear for announcing:

This is my sixth time up at the plate. Will I actually get the home run this time? Here's hoping!

I got the call Monday but Joni asked me to keep quiet until she had sent out all the results (and contacted the other finalists).

Oh my gosh! GOOD LUCK!!! Sixth time the charm?

Thanks for the good wishes! I am hoping this is the one, for sure! This story was a reworked HM -- I submitted it elsewhere and got a personal rejection with one line of feedback that showed me what needed to be fixed, so I trimmed 12% of the word count and tried again.

Thanks for the good wishes! I am hoping this is the one, for sure! This story was a reworked HM -- I submitted it elsewhere and got a personal rejection with one line of feedback that showed me what needed to be fixed, so I trimmed 12% of the word count and tried again.

When you win, you can write a new book: THE 12 PERCENT SOLUTION.

So... since all the other results have gone out I should be in the clear for announcing:

This is my sixth time up at the plate. Will I actually get the home run this time? Here's hoping!

I got the call Monday but Joni asked me to keep quiet until she had sent out all the results (and contacted the other finalists).

I'm rooting for you! Very much want this to be the one.