Discussion: Q2 Volume 37

Brandie 3, I'm not a WOTF Judge, nor have I ever won 1st, 2nd or 3rd place in their contests. But, with that disclaimer, what about starting your story in media res (about middle of the way through) with a speculative element (sci-fi/fantasy) which alerts the reader your story has these elements, put in a hook in that one paragraph, and then spin your tale forward?

Just a thought.

Best,

Retro

Thanks Retro. Definitely something to consider.

Retro is a wise human. It sounds to me like at least part of your big reveal is the speculative element? If that's the case, I'd recommend (along with Retro's advice) hinting at the effect your speculative element has on the world, and especially your character. That's certainly enough to make it obvious this is a spec fic story. Best of luck!

Working on a story I think I can get in before the deadline, but I'm a bit concern about the opening. Much of the supernatural stuff doesn't happen till later in the story, but I know the judges need to know right away that these stories are sci-fi/fantasy. Any tips on how much to foreshadow? How to be clear that there is sci-fi/fantasy at work, even if most of the reveal is coming later?

"Magic up front." It's in Wulf's secrets. Not sure if that's a Wulf original or he got it from somewhere else.

Added: It's here: http://forum.writersofthefuture.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7600&start=60

And it's submitted!

And it's submitted!

Congratulations, Brandie! Good to hear you are in the running. I hope you found a way to get a speculative element in the first two pages. It's important. As to how I know these things, I entered the contest for 25 years. I was a member of Wordos, the writers group that has produced more WotF winners (and eventually WotF judges, including Dave!) than any other workshop in the country. And I'm friends with the people grading your papers. I know what they look for.
I wrote those Super Secrets for all of you, because it would be a shame to write an awesome story, but miss by a critical element. Sometimes, it's just one item that is holding you back, like it was for me. Knowing what the first reader and judges are looking for in a winning story can make all the difference in the world.

Best of success! And I am sorry we did not get to meet again this year due to the pandemic, but I so enjoyed meeting you at the Volume 35 Gala. Your amazing gown made from pages of books, and that book hat, was dazzling. It took masterful skill to make that look chic and formal, Brandie. You are most creative!

All the beast!

Wulf Moon

I'm in with my 50th entry!

I'm in with my 50th entry!

Never give up! Never surrender!

Good work, Beth!

I'm in with my 50th entry!

Beth, that is super awesome. Worthy of celebrating.

Good luck.

I'm in!

Had to sign up anew. Sometimes it has made me do this and sometimes not. Is there a rhyme or reason to this?

I'm in!

Had to sign up anew. Sometimes it has made me do this and sometimes not. Is there a rhyme or reason to this?

I've had to sign up fresh every quarter for the last year or so. I think it's supposed to work that way (they say you'll need to on the site).

Thanks Wulf Moon! I added more elements up front in a way that I hope made it clear stuff was coming without giving everything away. I guess we'll see! Hopefully, we can meet up at a future Gala. Glad you liked my dress. Not sure I'll ever be able to top that!

I'm in with my 50th entry!

Awesome!!

As for signing in anew, I have a user name and password which brings me to the screen where I type in all my info. It's kinda the same. I think signing up gets you on the mailing list. Some have, in the past, complained about this. They say, I just want to submit my story, not receive e-mails. But others appreciate the writing tips, etc. I've noticed a decrease in Hubbard-as-author e-mails, but maybe my program is filtering them out... Either way, you do need to type all your info in each time you submit.

I might slip in under the wire again.

I am sorry that I have been out of the forum loop for a while. I have been dodging all quarantined minions in my house and attempting to edit a novel. I hoped it would be complete last year, but spinal surgery took longer to recover from than I had hoped. (But not as long as I had feared) During that time, my mind was quite muddled--although I did submit each quarter of V36--to lessoning degrees of success.

This morning, I am cleaning up a short (possibly too short) story and should have it polished and submitted today. I am a wary of its chances at success. About half the stories I submitted the past year or two, have not feel like WotF stories. To win, I know that I should write to the market. But these stories bubble up, and I hate to pass them over without running them through the WotF gauntlet before searching for a more appropriate audience.

*sigh*

This is one such story. But it is lovely to me, and it is the only polished piece I have with under two days to submit. Soooo...better in than not.

I wish you all the best success in WotF and in the greater SFF world.

Okay, and I've submitted.

I couldn't reacquire or reset my password this time, but it let me create a new account with the same email address, so no harm done (and I received the "thank you for your entry" email, so I'll take that as a good sign).

I've been very quiet on the forum of late, but have appreciated the bits and pieces of contact I've had (thanks much to Dustin Adams in particular!) that helped keep my spirits up and my groove going better than I think I might have managed by myself right now.

Fingers crossed for both of us!

Best of luck to everyone who entered! I’ve submitted mine on 3/21, but now I’m wondering if I should’ve revised it a few more times before entering...anyway, I still have quarter three to look forward to

Entered. Later then I planned, but happy I got it in with all the chaos of the real world. =)

Lol. I just found a blatant mistake in my entry. Strange how you can edit as much as you want but something might still get by you. My first readers all missed it too. Fortunately, it is easy to read right past it and it's near the end so I don't think it would kill my chance if the story is otherwise good enough.
Congrats to everyone who got a story in. I hope the winners are all forumites!

I'm in as well with an edit of a previous HM.

Good luck to everyone!

Okay, and I've submitted.

I've been very quiet on the forum of late, but have appreciated the bits and pieces of contact I've had (thanks much to Dustin Adams in particular!) that helped keep my spirits up and my groove going better than I think I might have managed by myself right now.

Fingers crossed for both of us!

No problemo! Was a cool story, and I demand* you send me your Q3 when ready.

* And by demand I mean totally optional if you want.

I'm in. Submitted a previous HM.

I submitted a fresh story for this quarter. May the bet prevail.

I'm In!

I had to spend the morning hooking the kiddos up intravenously to computers for remote classes. But got the edits in this afternoon with help from Will and Dustin!

The best part about submitting is being able to share brownies in the pillow fort when the results start rolling in. Well, that is the best part so far. I assume it gets even better if you win and can crawl out of the pillow fort and put on sparkly clothes and attend the Gala. But for now, I am fluffing my pillow and heating up the oven.

JV Ashley, what genre is your novel in which you're editing?

Has anyone heard of or from Girl In The Glasses? I hope she is healthy and doing well, and her family is well.

I recently learned the ONLY advantage to being a senior citizen – they let you in an hour before everyone else at Super Fry's when you're grocery shopping or waiting at Target for cleaning wipes.

Best,

Retro

JV Ashley, what genre is your novel in which you're editing?

It is a Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy.

Has anyone heard of or from Girl In The Glasses? I hope she is healthy and doing well, and her family is well.

I have not heard from here.
Are you out there? Are you Okay? Send up a flare so we know if you need help or are okay.

Okay, and I've submitted.

I've been very quiet on the forum of late, but have appreciated the bits and pieces of contact I've had (thanks much to Dustin Adams in particular!) that helped keep my spirits up and my groove going better than I think I might have managed by myself right now.

Fingers crossed for both of us!

No problemo! Was a cool story, and I demand* you send me your Q3 when ready.

* And by demand I mean totally optional if you want.

You have a deal there! 🙂

Three hours left, friends! Best of luck to those who have already submitted to Q2, and godspeed to those still rushing to meet the deadline!

Just submitted. Best of luck to everyone!

So I've just submitted my 13th story this quarter under my 13th pseudonym. What a rush!

It's April Fool's Day - of course I'm joking!

It is approaching 8am here in the UK though - I've now been awake for 24 hours straight and start work in 2 hours! If it wasn't for this working-from-home malarky, I'd have to be on my way soon.

My one story is in. I changed my mind on what to submit quite late on, and wish I had more time, but I bet most people didn't have until 8am.

I better go to the toilet, clean my teeth and get some sleep.

Best wishes everyone.

When does Q3 begin?