Submission windows:
Q1: October 1, 2025 - December 31, 2025
Q2: January 1, 2026 - March 31, 2026
Q3: April 1, 2026 - June 30, 2026
Q4: July 1, 2026 - September 30, 2026
This is the post, September 1, that always gets me. The start of the new volume! Endless possibilities: twelve new writer winners, twelve new illustrator winners. Can't wait to see what happens next!
Career: 1x Win -- 2x NW-F -- 2x S-F -- 9x S-HM -- 11x HM -- 7x R
Like me: facebook/AuthorTJKnight
sigh. How can we be here already? I felt sure I was going to be in vol 42. 42 being the answer to life, the universe and everything... 😉
"...your motivations for wanting to write are probably complex. You may have a few great passions, you may want to be rich and famous, and you may need therapy."
- Dave Farland, Million Dollar Outlines
Writers of the Future:
2026 Q1: TBD Q2: TBD Q3: TBD Q4: TBD
2025 Q1: HM Q2: SHM Q3: HM Q4: P
2024 Q1: F Q2: HM Q3:SHM Q4: SHM
2023 Q1: RWC Q2: SHM Q3: SHM Q4: R
2022 Q4: R
Submissions to other markets:
2025: 163 submitted 10 acceptances
2024: 53 submitted 8 acceptances
2023: 74 submitted 13 acceptances
2022: 22 submitted 1 acceptance
2025 goals: a. New Novel b. New piece submitted/month c. 100 rejections
I guess I should get back to my qtr 4 and get that in.
Small steps add up to miles.
5 R, 5 RWC, 8 HM, 1 SHM
"Amore For Life" in After the Gold Rush Third Flatiron Anthology
"Freedom’s Song” in Troubadour and Space Princesses LTUE Anthology
sigh. How can we be here already? I felt sure I was going to be in vol 42. 42 being the answer to life, the universe and everything... 😉
There's still a chance for vol 42. But what was the question, again?
Writers of the Future:
2025 V42: RWC, HM (HM Resubmit), HM, Submitted
2024 V41: RWC (HM Resubmit), HM, RWC, Finalist (RWC Resubmit)
2023 V40: HM, HM, R, HM
2022 V39: SHM, HM, Semi-finalist, HM (HM Resubmit)
2021 V38: -, -, -, HM (R Resubmit)
2020 V37: -, R, -, -
Other Achievements:
2025 SWA: Crime Fiction Contest - 1st Place, The Lighthouse Prompt - 3rd Place
Todd S Jones
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right."~ Henry Ford
I'll be more excited about Q1 Volume 43 once I have my Q4 Volume 42 story written and submitted, 😉
WOTF results:
Vol 42: Q1 SHM, Q2 SHM, Q3 RWC, Q4 P
running totals to date:
WOTF: 6 Rs, 4 RWCs, 8 HMs, 2 SHMs
IOTF: 4 Rs, 3 HMs
Check out my new website: https://www.amyrwethingtonwriterofspeculativeworlds.com/
According to Winston Churchill, "success is going from failure to failure with enthusiasm"
Somehow I lost my Guthington profile, but it's me. Amy Wethington = Guthington = Physa
I'll be more excited about Q1 Volume 43 once I have my Q4 Volume 42 story written and submitted, 😉
And 43 will be waiting. 😍
Career: 1x Win -- 2x NW-F -- 2x S-F -- 9x S-HM -- 11x HM -- 7x R
Like me: facebook/AuthorTJKnight
I'll be more excited about Q1 Volume 43 once I have my Q4 Volume 42 story written and submitted, 😉
Agree! 
Writers of the Future:
2025 V42: RWC, HM (HM Resubmit), HM, Submitted
2024 V41: RWC (HM Resubmit), HM, RWC, Finalist (RWC Resubmit)
2023 V40: HM, HM, R, HM
2022 V39: SHM, HM, Semi-finalist, HM (HM Resubmit)
2021 V38: -, -, -, HM (R Resubmit)
2020 V37: -, R, -, -
Other Achievements:
2025 SWA: Crime Fiction Contest - 1st Place, The Lighthouse Prompt - 3rd Place
Todd S Jones
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right."~ Henry Ford
DittoI'll be more excited about Q1 Volume 43 once I have my Q4 Volume 42 story written and submitted, 😉
Agree!
Small steps add up to miles.
5 R, 5 RWC, 8 HM, 1 SHM
"Amore For Life" in After the Gold Rush Third Flatiron Anthology
"Freedom’s Song” in Troubadour and Space Princesses LTUE Anthology
I don't want to make anyone jealous, but I'm ready to submit my Q4 story 😜
I'm going on holiday next week, so I needed to get it in early.
Writers of the Future stats:
V32: Q3 - R
V33: Q3 - R
V39: Q4 - RWC
V40: RWC, R, HM, HM
V41: R, HM, RWC, HM
V42: Q1 - HM, Q2 - HM, Q3 - HM, Q4 - sub'd
V43: Q1 - Revising
All markets submission stats:
254 Submissions
243 Rejections
31 Personal Rejections
1 Acceptances
Bumping, because we are LIVE!
Career: 1x Win -- 2x NW-F -- 2x S-F -- 9x S-HM -- 11x HM -- 7x R
Like me: facebook/AuthorTJKnight
The submission portal is now open. https://writersofthefuture.com/enter-writer-contest/
Maybe this is the year I'll be really smart, and complete my Q1 months early ahead of the holidays.
Anything can happen, right?
But that does mean it's time to find a plot to go with the cool story vibes in my head.
Q3 V38 - F, Q 4 V38 - SHM
Q1 V39 - HM, Q2 V39 - HM, Q3 V39 SHM, Q4 V39 SHM
Maybe this is the year I'll be really smart, and complete my Q1 months early ahead of the holidays.
Anything can happen, right?
But that does mean it's time to find a plot to go with the cool story vibes in my head.
That is a great plan. I like the use of 'maybe' and want to join you on this herculean journey of finishing a story early. That is, of course, 'maybe.'
Good luck, and keep writing. I'm rooting for you.
Writers of the Future:
2025 V42: RWC, HM (HM Resubmit), HM, Submitted
2024 V41: RWC (HM Resubmit), HM, RWC, Finalist (RWC Resubmit)
2023 V40: HM, HM, R, HM
2022 V39: SHM, HM, Semi-finalist, HM (HM Resubmit)
2021 V38: -, -, -, HM (R Resubmit)
2020 V37: -, R, -, -
Other Achievements:
2025 SWA: Crime Fiction Contest - 1st Place, The Lighthouse Prompt - 3rd Place
Todd S Jones
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right."~ Henry Ford
My QTR1 is in, and now I can focus on the upcoming holidays. I will still be writing though.
Small steps add up to miles.
5 R, 5 RWC, 8 HM, 1 SHM
"Amore For Life" in After the Gold Rush Third Flatiron Anthology
"Freedom’s Song” in Troubadour and Space Princesses LTUE Anthology
I thought I would be able to finish the story by the end of October. I haven't even started my research for it properly (it's a secondary world, but I want it to be HEAVILY inspired by history and certain cultures).
2025: Q3: S-F, Q4: submitted
My QTR1 is in, and now I can focus on the upcoming holidays. I will still be writing though.
Nice!
From what I've heard, Q1 is the lightest, likely because folks get caught up in travel and holidays. Glad you're already in.
Career: 1x Win -- 2x NW-F -- 2x S-F -- 9x S-HM -- 11x HM -- 7x R
Like me: facebook/AuthorTJKnight
I thought I would be able to finish the story by the end of October. I haven't even started my research for it properly (it's a secondary world, but I want it to be HEAVILY inspired by history and certain cultures).
My research consisted of watching lots of TV growing up.
Career: 1x Win -- 2x NW-F -- 2x S-F -- 9x S-HM -- 11x HM -- 7x R
Like me: facebook/AuthorTJKnight
Man, I am so stuck right now. I've started writing 3 different stories, and all of them have stalled out. The first was kind of a fun story prompt... but didn't really have any depth, and felt too young. The other two... I really liked the concepts, but can't seem to turn them into an actual story arc with action, conflict, and a resolution. I've tried looking up some random prompts, but nothing's really sticking.
Hope your Octobers are going smoother than mine 
sometimes I find it helpful to combine prompts. On the face of it it sounds initially harder but oftentimes I write better stuff if the prompt requires my brain to do a somersault to make sense of it.I mean, the hit legends and lattes is basically trolls plus cafe... not your run of the mill comboMan, I am so stuck right now. I've started writing 3 different stories, and all of them have stalled out. The first was kind of a fun story prompt... but didn't really have any depth, and felt too young. The other two... I really liked the concepts, but can't seem to turn them into an actual story arc with action, conflict, and a resolution. I've tried looking up some random prompts, but nothing's really sticking.
Hope your Octobers are going smoother than mine
"...your motivations for wanting to write are probably complex. You may have a few great passions, you may want to be rich and famous, and you may need therapy."
- Dave Farland, Million Dollar Outlines
Writers of the Future:
2026 Q1: TBD Q2: TBD Q3: TBD Q4: TBD
2025 Q1: HM Q2: SHM Q3: HM Q4: P
2024 Q1: F Q2: HM Q3:SHM Q4: SHM
2023 Q1: RWC Q2: SHM Q3: SHM Q4: R
2022 Q4: R
Submissions to other markets:
2025: 163 submitted 10 acceptances
2024: 53 submitted 8 acceptances
2023: 74 submitted 13 acceptances
2022: 22 submitted 1 acceptance
2025 goals: a. New Novel b. New piece submitted/month c. 100 rejections
I planned to do a more history-inspired short story this quarter (in a secondary world, but HEAVILY inspired by one historical period and real-world cultures). But one day, after hanging out with friends (we celebrated my semi-finalist placement from Q3 🤣 ), an idea for a short story in a genre I wanted to write something in for a looonng time just popped into my head. I thought it will be a tiny, little story I'll manage to write during one weekend and then I could polish it.
I've been writing for a week, I'm barely a fifth/quarter into the story and the "short" story already has around 3.5k words. While I don't think it's on the level of my Q4 entry (I'm "hammering" this one down, while with the other one I actually tried to play with the prose a bit), but I like the story, even though it has only very light speculative elements, I enjoy the characters much more than I though I would at first and I'm having a lot of fun with writing it.
Hopefully I'll be able to finish this one and the first short story by the end of the year and then send out one of them :).
2025: Q3: S-F, Q4: submitted
My day job sapped all my energy in October with no progress made whatsoever. But in the best spirit of Novel Writing Month I'm turning up the wick. Of course 100% improvement over October would still be a word count of .............0.
