Link:
https://writersofthefuture.com/writers-of-the-future-4th-quarter-winners-announced-for-volume-38/
And the winners are:
First Place – Desmond Astaire from Illinois
Second Place – Z.T. Bright from Utah
Third Place – Michael Panter from Sweden
Finalists:
C.A. Barrett from Kentucky
Marianne Connolly from Massachusetts
Berkeley Franklin from Oregon
William Grace from Colorado
Rebecca E. Treasure from Texas
Semi-Finalists:
Matt Bosio from Florida
Morgan Broadhead from Ohio
Hannah Hoare from Great Britain
Aaron Kilgore from Michigan
Benjamin Kindel from Florida
R.J.K. Lee from Japan
Ryan A. Smith from Delaware
Silver Honorable Mentions:
Michael Ainaire from New Hampshire
Tormod Andersen from California
J.D. Anthony from Oregon
Brandon Scott Argetsinger from New York
Taylor Banks from Virginia
Christopher Baxter from Utah
Anatoly Belilovsky from New York
Melissa Bobe from New York
Bret Booher from Indiana
Grant Bowman from Arizona
Christopher Brown from Alabama
Evelyn K. Brunswick from France
J. Perry Carr from Texas
Keith Casto from Ohio
Alicia Cay from Colorado
M.T. Chambers from Florida
Tania Chiovato from California
Christopher Chwang from California
Finn Clarke from Great Britain
Andrea Clerkin from Great Britain
Spencer Cramer from Missouri
Colson Cruciani from Iowa
James Cummins from Georgia
AJ Cunder from New Jersey
Apu Das from India
Emily Dauvin from Canada
Kevin A. Davis from Florida
Andrea de Wied from Oregon
Michael DeCarolis from Florida
Nicholas Diehl from California
Russell Dillingham from Washington
Michael Dittman from Pennsylvania
Victoria L. Dixon from Kansas
Michael Duda from Ohio
Joshua Dyer from West Virginia
Amanda Falk from Kentucky
Ben Fitzgerald from Connecticut
A.J. Forget from Colorado
Tim Fox from Oregon
Cara Giles from Utah
Nate Givens from Virginia
Michelle F. Goddard from Canada
Ian Gonzales from Washington
Joshua Grasso from Oklahoma
James Green-Armytage from New York
Sam Hallion from Great Britain
David Hankins from Iowa
Michelle Henrie from Utah
Kristopher Horton from California
Steve Husk from Virginia
Sierra July from Florida
Andria Kennedy from Virginia
Hannah Marie Kubiak from Wisconsin
Willadean Leo from Canada
C.D. Lewis from Texas
Morgan Lloyd from Massachusetts
Boo Ludlow from Utah
J.G.P. MacAdam from Oregon
William Mangieri from Texas
Russell McConnell from Texas
Sky McKinnon from Washington
Lance Menthe from California
Vincent Morgan from Canada
Jack Mulcahy from Pennsylvania
Paul Mullen from Scotland
Tahani Nelson from Montana
M.K. Norhawk from New Jersey
R.S. Olivetree from Brazil
Wesley Overholt from Massachusetts
Geoffrey Parker from Michigan
Alex Pickens from North Carolina
Thomas Poldervaart from Netherlands
Beth Powers from Indiana
William Quackenbush from New Jersey
Michelle Rose from Oregon
Michael Rosenstein from Oregon
Robert Russo from Ohio
Christopher Schmitz from Minnesota
Spencer Sekulin from Canada
Chaya Shettigar from Michigan
Lisa Short from Maryland
Jefferson Snow from Utah
Skyler Stallings from Kentucky
James Tanenbaum from California
Niz Thomas from New Jersey
Mark Thomsen from Virginia
Nathan Throop from Utah
James A. Tweedie from Washington
E.J. Vasko from Ohio
D. Victor Vellard from California
J.E. Wallis from Great Britain
Rylann Watts from Oregon
Tyler West from Canada
Kevin West from Germany
Galen Westlake from Canada
David Whitaker from Australia
Brandy Woldstad from Idaho
William R.D. Wood from Virginia
Caroline Woods from California
W. Arthur Wright from Georgia
Honorable Mentions:
Harvey Aberin from New Jersey
J.F. Acosta Rodriguez from New York
King Afrika from South Africa
Stacey Akins from Tennessee
Stefan Alford from US Military
M.F. Alfrey from Great Britain
Bradley Allen from Utah
Van Alrik from Idaho
Catheline Ankunda from Uganda
E.S.S. Archer from Canada
Ardaschir Arguelles from Minnesota
Elocus Arnett from Arkansas
Wilbur Arron from Florida
Kat Asdell from Idaho
A.R.R. Ash from Arizona
Julia Ashley from Mississippi
Daniel C. Atkinson from Georgia
Hannah Azok from Ohio
Robert Bagnall from Great Britain
Jen Bair from Texas
Dawson Vi Balencia from Texas
Jake Barlow from California
Alexander Barrett from Arizona
Chuck Barrow from Ohio
Joshua Bartolome from Canada
JP Behrens from Connecticut
Kasia Beloussov from Canada
Joe Benet from North Carolina
J.W. Benjamin from Hawaii
Ryan Benson from Georgia
Philip Benz from Oregon
Rob Birch from Serbia
Kai Black from New York
Ceci Black from Virginia
Alex Blackthorne from Indiana
Alexandria Blaelock from Australia
P.D. Blake from Great Britain
Oliver Blakemore from Colorado
James Blakey from Virginia
Rob Bleckly from Australia
Russell Blickhan from California
Seth Bohn from Washington
Lori Bonati from New York
Michael Bondies from California
B.A. Boose from Washington
Maya Bose from Illinois
Ezekiel James Boston from Nevada
Deren Bott from Utah
Robert A. Boyd from Washington
Christy Spaulding Boyer from Florida
Mark Braidwood from Canada
R. Bremner from New Jersey
Rodica Bretin from Romania
Timothy Brown from District of Columbia
Quentin Brown from Australia
Ed Buchan from Canada
Kinza Bukhari from Pakistan
Agnes Buratti from Czech Republic
Mike Burke from Armed Forces (AE)
Amy Bush from Illinois
Jeanne Bustamante from Idaho
Gloria Byrd from Indiana
Madi C.H. from Florida
Neftalie Cajuste from Florida
Curtis Campbell from Washington
K.M. Campbell from New Zealand
Al Campbell from Great Britain
Jarrid Cantway from Iowa
Ignacio Carrasco from California
Jeffrey Carter from Utah
Brandon Case from Nevada
Katelyn Cassens from Minnesota
Anna Cates from Ohio
Ankur Chandra from India
Philip Charter from Great Britain
Low Chief from Texas
M.R. Chriest from Washington
Brad Christy from Texas
Stephanie Claggett from Canada
Thomas Clement from France
John Coffren from Maryland
Daniel M. Cojocaru from Switzerland
E.R. Collier from North Carolina
Lee Collins from Alabama
G. Rene Colls from California
Breana Condon from Wisconsin
Kendall Conway from Iowa
A.A. Conway from Great Britain
Benjamin Copple from California
Col Cort from Australia
James Cortese from California
Yelena Crane from Pennsylvania
Crystal Crawford from Florida
Brian Crenshaw from California
Adrian Cross from California
Steven Crow from Massachusetts
Paul Crowe from Great Britain
Marcus Crowe from Arizona
Marco Cultrera from Canada
Sylvia Cumming from California
Dean N. D’Amico from Florida
Kate Dane from Minnesota
Anh Dang from California
Rob Darnell from Michigan
Dionna Dash from Pennsylvania
Simonas Davidavicius from Lithuania
James Davies from Maryland
Audrey Dawn from Washington
Gabriel de Anda from California
Marco de la Roche from New York
J. de Leon from Texas
Benjamin DeHaan from Japan
Abigail Deland from Great Britain
Dennis T. Delaney from Pennsylvania
Robert Delaware from Florida
Christopher DelGuercio from New York
FR di Brozolo from California
Cray Dimensional from Pennsylvania
Michael Anthony Dioguardi from New York
L.E. Doggett from California
Jaclyn Doherty from New York
Sadie Downing from Singapore
Paul Du Preez from South Africa
Frank Dutkiewicz from Michigan
Joseph Dyer from Indiana
Didrik Dyrdal from Norway
Jessica Eaton from Maine
Phoebe Eligon-Jones from New York
Tim Emery from Great Britain
Tula Eriksson Turtiainen from Sweden
Andrew Est from Florida
Christine Estopare from South Carolina
Sofia Ezdina from Russian Federation
Patricia A. Ezell from Georgia
Thomas Farringer-Logan from Oregon
Angelique Fawns from Canada
S.J. Fazekas from Maryland
Brianna M. Fenty from New York
Julia Feuerborn from Kansas
Derek Flake from Missouri
Neil Flinchbaugh from Texas
A.A. Fornax from Australia
Alex Fox from Massachusetts
Douglas Fraley from Delaware
David Francischelli from Minnesota
Klay Frappier from North Dakota
John A. Frochio from Pennsylvania
Krispen Frost from Michigan
Lindsay Fudim from New York
TS Gallows from Arizona
Shelley Gaske from Oregon
Henry Gasko from Australia
J.G. Gatewood from Colorado
Jasmin Gelinck from Netherlands
Sergey Gerasimov from Ukraine
Eric W. Gershman from Vermont
Melva Gifford from Utah
Russell Giles from Utah
KC Gilman from Virginia
Cat Girczyc from Canada
Aster Glass from California
Peter Glazebrook from Great Britain
D.K. Golden from Pennsylvania
W. Goodwin from Colorado
Mark Gordon from Florida
Olivia Gordon from South Carolina
Jaq Green from Colorado
Jude-Marie Green from California
Justin Greer from Utah
Lucy Gregory from Colorado
Rosalie Gloria Gunger from Tennessee
Sarah Haarmann from Missouri
Mary Eliz Haaser from Michigan
Atar Hadari from Great Britain
Ana Haen from Netherlands
Phillip Hall from Virginia
J.C. Hammer from California
Jem Hanan from New York
David Hangman from Estonia
Dan Hankner from Iowa
Alex Harford from Great Britain
J Christopher Harman from Great Britain
Aidan Hass from Azerbaijan
Greta Hayer from Louisiana
Mary Lynn Heath from California
Eileen Heintz from Minnesota
Christopher Henckel from New Zealand
Calvin Henninger from Utah
Soren M. Henry from Canada
Amy Herring from Alabama
HextheDeathLord from South Carolina
Eric John Hildeman from Wisconsin
Alicia Hilton from Illinois
Ben Holden from Great Britain
Doc Honour from Florida
Ken Hoover from New Mexico
Alan Huang from Massachusetts
Randy G. Hughes from Utah
Caleb Huitt from Iowa
Larry Hunt from Arizona
Illuminique from California
Natasha Inwood from Texas
Jared A. Jackson from Florida
Guendolen Jacobs from Virginia
Ron James from Massachusetts
Emily Jane from Massachusetts
Abhilash Jayachandra from India
S.R. Jensen from Idaho
Bob Johnston from Great Britain
Eli Jones from Oregon
Todd Jones from Michigan
Kent Jones from Minnesota
Sean Jones from Colorado
Kohl Jordan from California
Toshiya Kamei from Missouri
Edward Kane from Connecticut
Myra Karine from Utah
Alex Kay from Great Britain
Iulia Keeley from Florida
Seth W. Kennedy from California
Jared Kerr from California
R. W. Kerry from Ohio
Kari Kilgore from Virginia
A.H. Kim from Maryland
Scott Kim from Korea Republic
Snowdon King from Romania
Nicholas Kirkikis from Louisiana
Doyle Knight from Louisiana
TJ Knight from New York
Cailyn Kohn from Wisconsin
Tadayoshi Kohno from Washington
Nic Kolly from Texas
Sean CW Korsgaard from Virginia
Marysia Kosowski from California
James Krake from Michigan
S.E. Kramer from District of Columbia
Stephanie Kraner from Pennsylvania
AC Kraus from California
Mary Rose Kreger from Michigan
Kacie Faith Kress from Tennessee
Micaela Kreuzwieser from Ohio
Kalen Kubik from Kansas
Michelle Kulwicki from Michigan
J G Kyte from Great Britain
Michele Laframboise from Canada
Colin J. Lamb from Washington
E.M. Lamdan from Iowa
Lindsey Lamh from South Carolina
MQ Larue from Maryland
William Layton from Mississippi
Ty Lazar from Canada
Elise Le Bihan from France
Elden Lee from Tennessee
Austen Lee from Oregon
Katie Lee from Great Britain
Becky Leeson from Great Britain
Annaliese Lemmon from Arizona
Hannah Levin from Massachusetts
Morag Lewis from Great Britain
Karen A. Lin from California
Anthon Lindoff from Great Britain
Candice R. Lisle from Missouri
Dawn Lloyd from Washington
Jason Loch from Wisconsin
L.C.R. Lohrenz from Texas
Abigail Louie from California
Isaiah Lowe from Washington
Nick Lunzman from Oregon
Sean Mabry from California
Diane Macdonald from Canada
Cameron David Mack from Northern Ireland
Anna Madden from Texas
Maya Magal from Washington
Celine Malgen from Switzerland
Phillip Scott Mandel from Texas
Mark Manifesto from California
L.F. Mankin from Virginia
CL Mannarino from Massachusetts
Roger Mannon from Colorado
John C. Mannone from Tennessee
Lee Mansius from Arizona
James Mapes from Oregon
Charley Marsh from Minnesota
Terrence Martin from California
Melanie Mason from Canada
T.F. Massetti from New York
Django Mathijsen from Netherlands
Marcas McClellan from Hawaii
Kevin McDonald from Utah
Agathon McGeachy from Oregon
Joshua Harley McKnight from California
Jessamin McSwain from Missouri
Mark McWaters from Florida
Kenneth Meade from Georgia
D.R. Medlen from California
Gabriel Meek from Washington
R.A. Meenan from California
Melissa Mendelson from New York
Omni Meraki from Barbados
Dom Michaels from Idaho
Theresa Miller from Idaho
Todd Miller from Georgia
Tannar Miller from Wyoming
Ash Moen from Ohio
Stephen C. Morrison from North Carolina
Aaron Moskalik from Michigan
Evan D. Mullicane from California
Dhasi Mwale from Zambia
Victoria Navarra from Georgia
Shelby Neideen from Wisconsin
Dannielle Nelson from Arizona
Nicholas Nethery from Armed Forces (AE)
Rey Nichols from North Carolina
Waverly X. Night from Washington
August Nigro from Pennsylvania
Jeremy Nigro from Australia
Alice Nord from France
Ari Officer from Illinois
Rosie Oliver from Great Britain
Cody Olson from Iowa
Al Onia from Canada
Miguel Opena from Arizona
Jocelyn P. Osier from Pennsylvania
Darko Paige from Australia
Jerry Parker from California
Samuel Parr from Great Britain
Elena Pavlova from Bulgaria
Nico Pengin from Massachusetts
Shelby Perlis from California
Jason Pfister from New York
Adam Pierce from Washington
J.C. Pillard from Colorado
Christina Polge from North Carolina
Rebecca Ponichtera from Oregon
Rajeev Prasad from California
Ed Prestwood from Arizona
Viraj Puri from India
James Quinn from Kentucky
Randy Quiroz from California
Sallona Ramesh from Germany
Ray Ransom from California
Anaqat Raschid from Maldives
Shawn J. Ratti from Pennsylvania
Thomas Redford from South Dakota
Raymund P. Reyes from Canada
Timothy Reynolds from Canada
Dru Richman from Texas
Joseph Ridgwell from Scotland
Elisabeth Ring from Utah
Solomon Robert from Washington
Dhyane Robinson from Canada
Isana Rochar from Utah
M Rojas from California
Barry Neal Rolen from Oklahoma
James Romag from Colorado
Winter Ross from New Mexico
Sharon Rossing from Virginia
Johanna Rothman from Massachusetts
Brian Rowe from Ohio
Jason Russell from Alaska
Connor Ryan from Massachusetts
Natalie Sage from Virginia
Manisha Sahoo from India
Lorenzo Samuel from Florida
Scott M. Sands from Australia
Cloe Santamaria from Canada
Lancelot Schaubert from New York
Mike Scherer from North Carolina
John Eric Schleicher from Montana
Marcus Schmidt from California
Jeremy Schnee from Oregon
Melanie Scott-Dela Cruz from California
Carrie Seidler from California
Jaakko Seppala from Florida
James Shade from Colorado
Tim Sharp from Canada
James Sheasby from Canada
Meagan Shelley from Virginia
Hank Shore from South Carolina
Pierre-Alexandre Sicart from Taiwan
Joseph Sidari from Massachusetts
Sandra Siegienski from Oregon
Maurice Silvera from New York
Ihsan Sim from Singapore
Michael Simon from Canada
Cass Sims Knight from Oregon
Jil Sinnes from Luxembourg
Sandra Skalski from New Jersey
Kyeli Sky from Oklahoma
Brad Smith from New York
Mills Smith from South Carolina
Ronni Souers from Colorado
Alex Souza from Brazil
Jerry Spain from Texas
Rishika Srivastava from India
Anthony St. Clair from Oregon
Dane St. George from Pennsylvania
Kelley Stead from Florida
Corey Stedwell from Washington
Reece Steidle from Pennsylvania
Wanda E. Stellar from Tennessee
Malcolm Sterling from Florida
Mason Stevens from Kentucky
Eric Stever from Idaho
Nicle Stewart from Utah
Brian Lyle Stine from Idaho
Wesley Stine from Arizona
Daniel W. Stohel from Oregon
J.V. Sumpter from Oklahoma
Timothy Sutton from Canada
D. R. Sweeney from Florida
Sylvia Telfer from Great Britain
Pierluigi Testerni from Romania
Ryan Michael Thayer from Michigan
Kelly Thomas from California
Jason Thomas from California
Jeffrey D. W. Thompson from Canada
Charles Thompson from South Carolina
Andrew Tomlinson from Great Britain
ErlyAnne Toomey from Georgia
Eugene Tower from Nevada
Steven Trice from South Carolina
Lauren Triola from Virginia
Patrik Tripes from Great Britain
Mackenna Triplett from Washington
Crystal Troback from Canada
Diego Tronca from France
Brandon Trotter from Canada
Renee Troxler from New York
Howard Tseng from Canada
Tobias Turello from Australia
Roderick D. Turner from Canada
Stephanie Turner from Canada
Edgar Ube from California
Sara Valdes from Texas
Shannon Valenzuela from Texas
Davin Vandriel from Kentucky
Vivek Vasan from India
Eleazar Villaflor from Philippines
Alex Vrettos from Great Britain
William P. Walker from Virginia
Charles Walter from Arizona
Jordan Broode Walters from California
Merethe Walther from Georgia
Waverly Wang from Oklahoma
Richard Ware from Maine
Hazel Warlaumont from California
Trisha Watterson from Iowa
Morgan Welch from Great Britain
Aaron Werntz from Texas
Avery Whelan from Estonia
Iris Whelan from Maryland
L. Cyrus Whelchel from Texas
Lee Whensley from Great Britain
P.F. White from New Hampshire
Amanda White from Texas
Liz White from District of Columbia
Kaitlyn Whitten from Washington
Icie Wildes from Ireland
Robert Luke Wilkins from Nevada
Jarrod K. Williams from Ohio
Brad Williamson from Korea Republic
Rei Wolfsohn from New York
Zoe Woodard from California
Mike Wyant, Jr. from New York
Katherine Wyvern from Georgia
Aifos Yeu-Worth from Rhode Island
Salem Yuki from Wisconsin
Brad Zeiger from Oregon
Total placings: 584
Career: 1x Win -- 2x NW-F -- 2x S-F -- 9x S-HM -- 11x HM -- 7x R
Like me: facebook/AuthorTJKnight
And for those who may be looking for a head start, you are welcome to join the 450 group. Write 1, 2, or 3 new 450s and get some quick feedback.
We're starting today, but you can join any time. PM me for the password.
Career: 1x Win -- 2x NW-F -- 2x S-F -- 9x S-HM -- 11x HM -- 7x R
Like me: facebook/AuthorTJKnight
Not sure what I'll be sending yet, but I've got options. Odds are good I won't be writing fresh, because I have too much going on this year, but I do have a story I finished a few weeks ago that would make a good option if/when I get it back from Beneath Ceaseless Skies. I also have a number of stories that have seen revisions since their last entry into this contest, so I could potentially resub.
If you are in difficulties with a book, try the element of surprise: attack it at an hour when it isn't expecting it. ~ H.G. Wells
If a person offend you, and you are in doubt as to whether it was intentional or not, do not resort to extreme measures; simply watch your chance and hit him with a brick. ~ Mark Twain
R, SF, SHM, SHM, SHM, F, R, HM, SHM, R, HM, R, F, SHM, SHM, SHM, SF, SHM, 1st Place (Q2 V38)
Ticknor Tales
Twitter
4th and Starlight: e-book | paperback
I do have a story I finished a few weeks ago that would make a good option if/when I get it back from Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
I generally submit here first and then shop a story elsewhere when I don't win. I figured the reward from the contest was larger than the reward from a single publisher. I do submit elsewhere, but I'm curious as to the merits of submitting to other publishers first. Faster turnaround? Too much material to wait for just WotF?
2012 Q4: R
2016 Q3: SHM
2019 Q2: HM, Q3: HM
2020 Q2: HM, Q4: SHM
2021 Q1: HM, Q2: SF, Q3: SHM, Q4: SHM
2022 Q1: SHM, Q2 RWC, Q4 RWC
2023 Q1: RWC Q2: SHM Q3:Nope Q4: WIP
I have a few stories that I'm looking at as well. I'm going to plan to try and put together a couple of new stories during the Q4 window too, but if that doesn't come together, I do have some other options to try submitting.
DQ:0 / R:0 / RWC:0 / HM:15 / SHM:7 / SF:1 / F:1
Published prior WotF entries: PodCastle, HFQ, Abyss & Apex
Drafting for Q1 V42
I do have a story I finished a few weeks ago that would make a good option if/when I get it back from Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
I generally submit here first and then shop a story elsewhere when I don't win. I figured the reward from the contest was larger than the reward from a single publisher. I do submit elsewhere, but I'm curious as to the merits of submitting to other publishers first. Faster turnaround? Too much material to wait for just WotF?
It's a bit of both, in my case--I'd already sent in my Q3 when the story ambushed me, and I didn't want to just leave it sit for a month and a half once it was done. I try not to put all my eggs in one basket, at least in part because one basket isn't big enough to hold them all anymore. 
If you are in difficulties with a book, try the element of surprise: attack it at an hour when it isn't expecting it. ~ H.G. Wells
If a person offend you, and you are in doubt as to whether it was intentional or not, do not resort to extreme measures; simply watch your chance and hit him with a brick. ~ Mark Twain
R, SF, SHM, SHM, SHM, F, R, HM, SHM, R, HM, R, F, SHM, SHM, SHM, SF, SHM, 1st Place (Q2 V38)
Ticknor Tales
Twitter
4th and Starlight: e-book | paperback
I have a 1st draft waiting to be edited but I'm in the process of writing a 2nd. I've been getting a buzz from this one and the words are flowing. I've not had that for a while.
R:6 RWC:1 HM:9 SHM:3
My Blog
Small Gods and Little Demons - Parsec Issue #10
It's a bit of both, in my case--I'd already sent in my Q3 when the story ambushed me, and I didn't want to just leave it sit for a month and a half once it was done. I try not to put all my eggs in one basket, at least in part because one basket isn't big enough to hold them all anymore.
I’ve been toying with a couple of interesting ideas for Q4, but then a story ambushed me (I like your phrasing!) last night, coming out almost fully outlined with the 7point plot within ten minutes. Usually I fiddle around and false start at least twice before I know where the story is going, so I’m pretty excited to have a full-fledged idea to work from this quarter.
Death and the Taxman, my WotF V39 winning story is now a novel! (Click Here >).
Death and the Dragon launches on Kickstarter August 27th. (Click Here >)
Subscribe to The Lost Bard's Letter at www.davidhankins.com and receive an exclusive novelette!
New Releases:
"The Missing Music in Milo Piper's Head" in Third Flatiron's Offshoots: Humanity Twigged
"To Catch a Foo Fighter" in DreamForge Magazine
"Milo Piper's Breakout Single that Ended the Rat War" in LTUE's Troubadours and Space Princesses anthology
"The Rise and Fall of Frankie's Patisserie" in Murderbugs anthology
"Felix and the Flamingo" in Escape Pod
"The Devil's Foot Locker" in Amazing Stories
I've got an idea for my Q4 but I'm still polishing up my Q3 entry. I'll have a bit more of a think and see if I can up the stakes for it a little.
That time of year isn't my busiest, though. I shouldn't have any trouble writing something fresh to submit.
"If writing is easy, you're doing it wrong." -Bryan Hutchinson
V36-37: R x6
V38: R, HM, R, HM
V39: HM, HM, HM, HM
V40: HM, HM, SHM, HM
V41: RWC, P
Huh, I'm already brainstorming for ideas, and looking at the workshop offered here, for the upcoming Q4 for my very first submission. I'm very much looking forward to attempting to write a short story.
For the first time when writing a story I'm actually planning on attempting to put some more thought into what I'd like people who read my story to experience. Formerly I've often just written for myself and just had fun with particular characters in particular settings (I really enjoy worldbuilding, and creating characters, sometimes I feel like I almost like that more than writing the actual story lol)
“Happiness consists in getting enough sleep. Just that, nothing more.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers
I'm the writer that subs at the last moment. I really like the story I'm writing right now, hope it's as unique as I think it is.
Today's science fiction is tomorrow's reality-D.R.Sweeney
HM x5
Published Poetry
2012 Stars in Our Hearts
Silver Ships
Sending in your first submission is great, Erik. Here's to that sub ... and the next!
"If writing is easy, you're doing it wrong." -Bryan Hutchinson
V36-37: R x6
V38: R, HM, R, HM
V39: HM, HM, HM, HM
V40: HM, HM, SHM, HM
V41: RWC, P
I've got a few options on my Q4 at the moment. I've got one that's already polished and has received raves from my readers, but it's a little shorter than my typical stories at ~1800 words. There's a couple others that are still in development but could be potential diamonds in the rough.
"Trust is like a shop. Difficult to build, but surprisingly easy to ruin. But when it is strong and true, there are few things in this world that make you feel stronger."
HM - V37/Q4, V38/Q4, V39/Q1
SHM - V38/Q3
I've got a few options on my Q4 at the moment. I've got one that's already polished and has received raves from my readers, but it's a little shorter than my typical stories at ~1800 words. There's a couple others that are still in development but could be potential diamonds in the rough.
Just to note, my finalist in Q1 was only 2400 words, and I've heard that Dave is (or, at least, is recently) leaning a little towards shorter stories. If the story's good, definitely don't eliminate it for length. A clean story that does everything it needs to in a tight space is a really good thing.
DQ:0 / R:0 / RWC:0 / HM:15 / SHM:7 / SF:1 / F:1
Published prior WotF entries: PodCastle, HFQ, Abyss & Apex
Drafting for Q1 V42
I'll definitely keep that in mind. Thanks for the advice. My short stories tend to be around 7K - 7.5K words, but that one I originally started as a flash fiction. I ended up opening it a bit more in order to really flesh out the setting and the interaction between the characters. I might just use that one for Q4 and work on developing my other projects for next year's Q1.
"Trust is like a shop. Difficult to build, but surprisingly easy to ruin. But when it is strong and true, there are few things in this world that make you feel stronger."
HM - V37/Q4, V38/Q4, V39/Q1
SHM - V38/Q3
I’ve go a new one I’m writing for Q4. I enjoy the thrill of starting fresh.
Small steps add up to miles.
5 R, 4 RWC, 6 HM, 1 SHM
"Amore For Life" in After the Gold Rush Third Flatiron Anthology
"Freedom’s Song” in Troubadour and Space Princesses LTUE Anthology
"Experimenting with the Dance of Death" in Love is Complicated LUW Romance Anthology.
I can understand that. I love the feeling of starting with a new idea and seeing how it develops. It's one of the things I enjoy most about writing.
My Q3 submission was based off a writing prompt I came across that hit me with a bolt of inspiration that had me writing like crazy. The final product resulted in a couple of twists that came out of left field, but my readers said they enjoyed the whole thing.
"Trust is like a shop. Difficult to build, but surprisingly easy to ruin. But when it is strong and true, there are few things in this world that make you feel stronger."
HM - V37/Q4, V38/Q4, V39/Q1
SHM - V38/Q3
Man, I got NOTHING for Q4. I'm still working on Q3! Dustin always kicks these threads off and gives me heartburn
V34: R,HM,R
V35: HM,R,R,HM
V36: R,HM,HM,SHM
V37: HM,SF,SHM,SHM
V38: (P)F, SHM, F, F
V39: SHM, SHM, HM, SHM
Published Finalist Volume 38
Pro’d out Q4V39
www.rebeccaetreasure.com
Managing Editor, Apex Magazine
Same! Should definitely finish Q3 but not quite there. I did have one possible interesting idea for Q4. We'll see if I still like it in a few weeks
"If writing is easy, you're doing it wrong." -Bryan Hutchinson
V36-37: R x6
V38: R, HM, R, HM
V39: HM, HM, HM, HM
V40: HM, HM, SHM, HM
V41: RWC, P
I have one revised HM set aside as a Q4 possible now. I'm trying to decide if I should sub it early (tempting, as I'm expecting another mess of a period during the Q4 months) or if I should just sit on it, and hold it for a later sub in case nothing else hits me.
DQ:0 / R:0 / RWC:0 / HM:15 / SHM:7 / SF:1 / F:1
Published prior WotF entries: PodCastle, HFQ, Abyss & Apex
Drafting for Q1 V42
My Q4 is floating around the unused portions of my brain waiting for recognition.
Today's science fiction is tomorrow's reality-D.R.Sweeney
HM x5
Published Poetry
2012 Stars in Our Hearts
Silver Ships
Just keep at it. Inspiration can hit us at any moment. Maybe even take a day or two to step away from writing and focus on other things. I've had a story idea come at me out of nowhere while I was cooking dinner, so it happens.
"Trust is like a shop. Difficult to build, but surprisingly easy to ruin. But when it is strong and true, there are few things in this world that make you feel stronger."
HM - V37/Q4, V38/Q4, V39/Q1
SHM - V38/Q3
My Q4 is floating around the unused portions of my brain waiting for recognition.
I know the feeling. I have enough ideas for longer stories, but it is kind of hard to come up with an idea for a short story, at least for me. I have some vague ideas at the moment, and even already started writing my first draft, but many things about the story are still a surprise for me lol. I'm sure I'l figure it all out, and that you'll find inspiration too!
“Happiness consists in getting enough sleep. Just that, nothing more.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers
My short story ideas come from a few distinct patterns:
- Weird things that struck me in the shower
- Two or more simple ideas, individually lacking enough meat for a story, but which bolt together to produce a much more interesting idea
- A simple idea for a human story that isn't SF or Fantasy in nature, with a brainstormed twist applied to the story that both moves it into that realm and changes the story in such a way that the new element becomes integral to it
- Simple prompts or triggers--word prompts, details in other stories, and so on
- In line with some of Dustin's other items, an opening that catches me
- A title for a story that crossed my mind, but for which I don't yet have a story
- Ideas that showed up in stories that I wrote that didn't work
- Elaborating on the implications of flash-fiction
My three highest entries came from these--the Finalist was both a thing that struck me in the shower and, broadly at least, expanded flash-fiction, and my SHM stories (3x SHM from two stories) were respectively, first, a detail in a story I read that got me thinking down a completely different path, and secondly, a single-word prompt and, again, expanded flash fiction.
(Addendum, from Q2.V38, since it's so close after this post was made: from the above, my third SHM story fits the pattern of title for which I didn't yet have a story. The title, in this case, was the seed for the idea that the story eventually became.)
Also, my sole second-round submission to F&SF, which was also an HM in the Contest twice, came from a title I'd written down while I was sleepy--then, when I read it later, I couldn't remember what the story was that I'd been thinking of at the time, but it set me thinking about a completely different story.
Ideas just seem to come from anywhere and everywhere, really. I find far more ideas when I'm writing, though--partly because I find ideas in the things I'm writing and abandoning, but also because while I'm in that writing frame of mind, it seems that I latch onto new ideas more readily. A simple idea that comes to mind quickly seems to bind itself to details, phrases, and a visualization of the setting and place, in a way that it simply doesn't if I'm thinking about ideas in the abstract and not in that same frame of mind.
DQ:0 / R:0 / RWC:0 / HM:15 / SHM:7 / SF:1 / F:1
Published prior WotF entries: PodCastle, HFQ, Abyss & Apex
Drafting for Q1 V42
I spent this evening tinkering with one of my Q4 prospect stories. This one has a very different tone and style to anything I've submitted before, and I'm quite keen to push it out for my Q4, to mix up my submissions a bit.
Today's revisions made it almost 25% longer, which isn't always a good thing, but in this case I think the story was significantly lacking in the realm of emotional heft--it needed something extra to help it click, and I changed both one core relationship within the story to give it more weight, and the ending of the story to heighten its drama. It's the first major revision of the story, but I'm confident that this version of it is a fair improvement over the one that came before.
I'll need to give it another sweep through, though, as some of the language used in the changes definitely didn't quite strike home for me.
I'm now in the position of having three stories in some state of completion, plus two (or possibly three) story ideas sketched out roughly, all standing as potential prospects for my Q4 entry. This one's in the driving seat for now, mainly for the reason I mentioned above--but if I can get all of them into shape for submission, at least I won't be short of options for a while!
DQ:0 / R:0 / RWC:0 / HM:15 / SHM:7 / SF:1 / F:1
Published prior WotF entries: PodCastle, HFQ, Abyss & Apex
Drafting for Q1 V42
I'm now in the position of having three stories in some state of completion, plus two (or possibly three) story ideas sketched out roughly, all standing as potential prospects for my Q4 entry.
That... is definitely impressive, sir. 
I have a story on the back burner because it's already been to all the markets that accept longer work, and I'm waiting to see if my latest short comes back from BCS or not. (I assume it will, despite the fact that it's sat there uncommonly long.) Those are the two Q4 options I'm currently debating between, but there's always the possibility another story will crop up.
If you are in difficulties with a book, try the element of surprise: attack it at an hour when it isn't expecting it. ~ H.G. Wells
If a person offend you, and you are in doubt as to whether it was intentional or not, do not resort to extreme measures; simply watch your chance and hit him with a brick. ~ Mark Twain
R, SF, SHM, SHM, SHM, F, R, HM, SHM, R, HM, R, F, SHM, SHM, SHM, SF, SHM, 1st Place (Q2 V38)
Ticknor Tales
Twitter
4th and Starlight: e-book | paperback
I'm now in the position of having three stories in some state of completion, plus two (or possibly three) story ideas sketched out roughly, all standing as potential prospects for my Q4 entry.
Of the three finished ones, two are revisions, which may be cheating. 😀 But they are very significant revisions to a prior HM/SHM pair, and I do like both of them, and think they've both improved from when I last entered them. Whether they've improved enough, of course...now, that would be the question!
(Also, in sheer coincidence, I also have a lingering short at BCS, a story that I expected to get kicked back much quicker than it has been...it's not one I considered in the mix for WotF though. I wrote it almost entirely as a warm-up to clear my mental decks before writing the story I subbed for Q3.)
DQ:0 / R:0 / RWC:0 / HM:15 / SHM:7 / SF:1 / F:1
Published prior WotF entries: PodCastle, HFQ, Abyss & Apex
Drafting for Q1 V42
I keep getting false starts on my stories. Great opener, interesting premise, then halfway through I realize that a key aspect isn’t working, a character goes in a direction I didn’t expect, or the ending kind of fizzles.
I’m sure this is part of the process for learning how to write better, but it’s frustrating to rewrite 50% of my story multiple times.
Death and the Taxman, my WotF V39 winning story is now a novel! (Click Here >).
Death and the Dragon launches on Kickstarter August 27th. (Click Here >)
Subscribe to The Lost Bard's Letter at www.davidhankins.com and receive an exclusive novelette!
New Releases:
"The Missing Music in Milo Piper's Head" in Third Flatiron's Offshoots: Humanity Twigged
"To Catch a Foo Fighter" in DreamForge Magazine
"Milo Piper's Breakout Single that Ended the Rat War" in LTUE's Troubadours and Space Princesses anthology
"The Rise and Fall of Frankie's Patisserie" in Murderbugs anthology
"Felix and the Flamingo" in Escape Pod
"The Devil's Foot Locker" in Amazing Stories
I keep getting false starts on my stories. Great opener, interesting premise, then halfway through I realize that a key aspect isn’t working, a character goes in a direction I didn’t expect, or the ending kind of fizzles.
I’m sure this is part of the process for learning how to write better, but it’s frustrating to rewrite 50% of my story multiple times.
This happens to me with my characters all the time. I've got an idea on where I want the story to go, then suddenly a character goes "Fudge that, I'm going THIS way!" and just wanders off. I need to put some leashes in my mindscape or something.
"Trust is like a shop. Difficult to build, but surprisingly easy to ruin. But when it is strong and true, there are few things in this world that make you feel stronger."
HM - V37/Q4, V38/Q4, V39/Q1
SHM - V38/Q3
I keep getting false starts on my stories. Great opener, interesting premise, then halfway through I realize that a key aspect isn’t working, a character goes in a direction I didn’t expect, or the ending kind of fizzles.
I’m sure this is part of the process for learning how to write better, but it’s frustrating to rewrite 50% of my story multiple times.
This happens to me all the time. My current finalist took me two years to write because I kept getting stuck on plot points, so I'd set it down for awhile and work on other projects until I figured out how to fix a thing. Some stories flow easier than others, but most of mine require some level of revision. I have written exactly one easy story out of 20+ (I don't keep an exact count), and it was magic, and I never expect that to happen again.
If you are in difficulties with a book, try the element of surprise: attack it at an hour when it isn't expecting it. ~ H.G. Wells
If a person offend you, and you are in doubt as to whether it was intentional or not, do not resort to extreme measures; simply watch your chance and hit him with a brick. ~ Mark Twain
R, SF, SHM, SHM, SHM, F, R, HM, SHM, R, HM, R, F, SHM, SHM, SHM, SF, SHM, 1st Place (Q2 V38)
Ticknor Tales
Twitter
4th and Starlight: e-book | paperback
