The Writers Aspirant Accountability Thread

 @pdblake, nice one! Congrats on getting in early. I've just submitted mine: the earliest I've ever done so. Woot to well-timed rejections, I guess.

@ajschultz6, @clfors, @writhmic,@annax, @kz_richards, @toddjones, @joel-c-scoberg, @storysinger, @physa, @pegeen, @kent, @jeschleicher, @sconn, @gideonpsmith

 You have 9 days left for Q3.

Time to get it out to critique partners, trusted readers, e.t.c.. Feel free to hit me up if you want me to look at your opening. Unfortunately I'm working 14 hour days every workday between now and the deadline, and have a jam-packed weekend scheduled, so can't offer more than that, though I really wish I could.

Make sure your name is off the manuscript! Get it off the cover page, out of the byline, away from the headers and footers! And don't forget to take it out the filename, too!

And don't forget to thank WOTF Q3 for taking your mind off the impending Baen and Resnick finalist announcements on July 1st. And then feel free to curse me for reminding you  

Best of luck to all of you. I know we have some future winners among us.

Posted by: @ease

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 You have 9 days left for Q3.

Time to get it out to critique partners, trusted readers, e.t.c.. Feel free to hit me up if you want me to look at your opening. 

I'm on final review, since I switched to another story for Q3 submission.   

@ease Why have you done this to me? July 1st was just pleasantly creeping up on me until you reminded me! Just kidding. I’m all-too-aware of all the results I’m expecting over the next two weeks. Now I just need to write to get my mind off of it! Q3 is already in, but I’m really excited about an idea brewing for Q4. Good luck with your busy work weeks! I’m impressed you get anything done outside of work.

@ease As of ten seconds ago, I am in!

I ended up reworking a HM. I hit a brick wall creatively with my intended Q3 and ran out of time; it snowballed and had no (satisfactory) end in sight. But, I am happy with my reworked story. When it received a HM, I think the ending on reflection was not quite WotF. I had helpful critiques which I think has made it stronger. The proof will be in the pudding and all. The word count has gone up from 8,000 to 9,700. I originally intended to cut it down, then it kind of...didn't happen  

@ease already in for Q3! ? 

I actually did it some time ago and thought that that would allow me to get an early start on Q4. That, sadly, has definitely not happened lol

@ease thanks for the reminder and encouragement. I am desperately trying to get into flow state for my June KYD and 3K+ story. I would love for it to be my Q3 instead of other new stories I wrote this quarter, but if not I do have 2 fallbacks. So as the Q3 deadline looms, I'm trying to do the crazy, but no matter what I'll be able to enter a fresh story for Q3. As always, each quarter comes with its unique challenges that takes time away from writing and this quarter has been no different. But... it's also been a quarter where I've been able to accumulate human experiences out in the world instead of holed up like a tightly wound hermit and I hope those experiences will fuel my writing sooner rather than later. 😉 Eight days is an eternity if flow state can be achieved. And not nearly long enough if flow state continues to elude me like the sneaky Kraken it can be.

Two days left!

If you're not in yet: you've got this! Two days is plenty. Remember, the 'sweet spot' is 4-7k, but they do accept (and occasionally select) flash! Plus I know you have a load of trunk stories that could be given a little polish and sent out. Don't forget, Jody is not David. They have different tastes. An HM for David could be a Winner for Jody (and vice versa. Don't send Jody your previous Winners...)

If you are in: great work. Enjoy a break if your drive to write allows you. Then start thinking about Q4!

Also, I wanted to thank each and every one of you. While I've enjoyed assisting y'all in keeping accountable to yourself, you've all greatly helped me also be accountable. Your support has encouraged me to submit ~40 stories in the last ~9 months, submit to all 3 quarters, and apply for writing scholarships (no acceptance/news there yet, but fingers crossed). So genuinely, thank you, to everyone who visits this little thread.

@ease congrats on all the subs! That's impressive and gives me some hope! Fingers crossed!

I'm down to the wire and, though I shouldn't be, I'm shocked I haven't been able to finish this one story I had pegged for Q3. Just hoping for flow state tonight and tomorrow! 

@sconn I'm with you there. I've had a mental wall for a while now but last night it finally broke. I was able to come up with the specifics for the rest of the plot line so hopefully I can get the last couple thousand words done by tomorrow. Fingers crossed for both of us!

I finished my story yesterday. When I tried to find it today, it was gone.  

Talk about a moment of stress. I took a deep breath and explored every option until I found where it was hiding.  

I made one more pass and entered that sucker before it could find another hiding place.  

I hope one of us continues the string of forumite winners.  

@ease I've found the odd kick from you helpful too, thanks ? 

Targets for this month (I'm already in for Q3), is to enter the Q4 I already have ready as soon as the gates open, then to finalise a query and synopsis and, next Friday at the latest (that's my birthday so I may partake in a sip of dutch courage) submit my novel to agents (some at least).

Between now and then I have a short story to finish (Q1?) and then the next few months (probably with breaks) will be writing the novel I've just finished planning, hence getting ahead with WotF submissions.

I currently have 12 stories out on submission, one held (been held for a while).

A good translation is an integral part of a writer's success on an international scale. When an author seeks to expand their audience and communicate their ideas to different cultures and languages, quality translation plays a key role in maintaining the integrity and effectiveness of their works.
Do you have good translators?

Well, I finished that query and synopsis and have submitted to a handful of agents. I've already resubbed the HM I just got, entered Q4 and have a couple of sessions left to go on Q1 and then it's novel time for a while.

@pdblake excellent start to July, wow!

Excited to hear how others in this aspirants thread got on in Q2. Quietly optimistic someone will announce they are a finalist.

My story was awarded a HM and I admit I was a touch disappointed. I had higher hopes for this story but am certainly not going to look down upon a HM, it is a very respectable achievement to get into the top 10%. I just thought it was my strongest story to date (in terms of world building, character arc, and other elements). Then again, I thought my story in Q1 was my strongest to date (which was also awarded HM). I have revised my Q1 and submitted it to Q3, so I will see if my "improvements" to that story are reflected in my Q3 results. If not, I think I will need to go back to the drawing board to try and understand how I can move beyond HM. I have two SHMs under my belt, but looking at my "portfolio" of results I am not sure why those got SHM over my HMs. Indeed, a revised version of one of those SHMs which I subsequently submitted and thought was better then received an R (before the days of RWC so not sure if it would now be a RWC or straight R). I guess, sometimes a story just strikes a chord or it doesn't. I am none the wiser but firmly believe my writing has improved over the three years of submitting to WotF, even if my results do not always reflect that.

Back to the keyboard for Q4  

@ease I truly hope I am jumping to the correct conclusion here: your silence as to your result from Q2 is hinting at something...

Posted by: @pdblake

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Well, I finished that query and synopsis and have submitted to a handful of agents. I've already resubbed the HM I just got, entered Q4 and have a couple of sessions left to go on Q1 and then it's novel time for a while.

Great work! Way to get ahead of the game. Did you check out Reddit.Com/r/PubTips or QueryShark to hone your query?

Posted by: @joel-c-scoberg

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My story was awarded a HM and I admit I was a touch disappointed. 

...

I am none the wiser but firmly believe my writing has improved over the three years of submitting to WotF, even if my results do not always reflect that.

Back to the keyboard for Q4  

I completely understand why you're disappointed, but an HM is a really awesome achievement. And don't forget, the better HMs aren't top 10%, they're closer to top 5%. Almost nothing separates the best HMs from the SHM category. Though I will admit, if your Q2 was the story I read, I'm also surprised it didn't get a result starting with S or F! 

Back to the keyboard is precisely the correct response! That, and use what resources you can. Hit up some previous winners for critiques (I know Dustin is outright offering them, but I've had a lot of fantastic help from several winners, whether they were offering or not ?), or anyone else that's offering, tbh! I'll happily do a 450 whenever, but time limitations prevent me from doing more right now. Hoping I'll have more time toward the end of the quarter.

Posted by: @ease

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I completely understand why you're disappointed, but an HM is a really awesome achievement.

It is, and when you step back and think about it, it's a fine thing to achieve. We all just enter to win (at least, I do!), so naturally there is disappointment when that does not happen. That disappointment is tempered by seeing the success of others on this forum ( ), which serves as inspiration, knowing "even" a HM is in the top 10%, and also that this is not a once in a year shot. There are more quarters, and I have plenty of ideas.

Posted by: @ease

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Though I will admit, if your Q2 was the story I read, I'm also surprised it didn't get a result starting with S or F! 

It was indeed the very same. I think I will take another look and try and refine it, keep it in my back pocket in case my planned Q4 does not work out / get onto the paper in time. Maybe send it out to find another home in the meantime (which is something I am rubbish at, I put WotF entered stories to the side and move on. I need to start revising and sending out too).

Posted by: @ease

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That, and use what resources you can. Hit up some previous winners for critiques (I know Dustin is outright offering them, but I've had a lot of fantastic help from several winners, whether they were offering or not ?), or anyone else that's offering, tbh! I'll happily do a 450 whenever, but time limitations prevent me from doing more right now. Hoping I'll have more time toward the end of the quarter.

I tried out the first 450 crits with my Q2 story and it really helped (from you and others), and I reached out to Dustin on another potential Q4 entry. Invaluable. First two pages are key and even in those first 450 words a story seed needs to not just be planted, but growing. Sometimes that's hard to spot yourself when you have (all? some?) the info in your head and (kind of) know what's coming.

@joel-c-scoberg if you ever want a fresh set of eyes, I'd be happy to read both a SHM and an HM and see if I can pick up any differences for you.

@wahlquistj That is an awfully kind offer, thank you

I have edited this to add a reflection: this sums up for me why this forum is great; writers genuinely looking to help each other to develop and succeed. Equally, I am happy to do the same for you or just provide a critique of any drafts prior to submission (either WotF or elsewhere).

Congratulations to all who received a Q2 result last week.

Regardless of which banner your overly-emotive emote is waving, getting a result means you put yourself out there, and that's what counts.

That's not to say the results are meaningless: for those who received a better result than they have in the past, what was it that made this piece excel? For those who got the same as usual, what are you going to do next time to change it up? For for those who got a learning opportunity, don't neglect it. Check that you didn't break too many of Martin's "rules" or Wulf's "secrets" (man, we could really do with a super summarized checklist at some point. (Oh, how neat would it be to have a piece of software give you a score on how many rules/secrets you'd met/broken? Probably would get in trouble with all the heat the 'AI' word gets. (except Ai Jiang, who is awesome. Read her stuff))).

And after that (or instead of that if it doesn't suit you), it's time to get working on Q4! I'm taking an unfinished story and retelling it from the beginning with a new viewpoint character. It's really helped revive my lost passion for it.

Posted by: @ease

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I'm taking an unfinished story and retelling it from the beginning with a new viewpoint character. It's really helped revive my lost passion for it.

That is a fantastic idea! Thanks!

July goals:

1. Am doing Clarion West flash fiction workshop so producing new flash every week.

2. First draft of Q4. I'm pretty certain I know what I'm doing for this. Unless it doesn't work once pen hits paper. 

3. Get some stuff critiqued as I am an underachiever in terms of letting other people see my work and I think I really need the wisdom of others to get anywhere in this contest (or elsewhere)

@gideonpsmith those are some great goals. With goal 3, I hope you can find someone who will let you look at their work, too. Sometimes it's far easier to see your own writing weakness in someone else's work, recognize them, learn from them, and then fix them in your own pieces. Nothing better than helping yourself by helping others!

Following your lead, my goals for July are:

1. Don't go insane 
2. Finish first draft for Q4
3. Resubmit the three stories I have out, assuming they are Returned in time

Posted by: @ease

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Finish first draft for Q4

Hopefully in the near future you find that this goal is no longer necessary ?

As for my goals,

1. Plot Q4 and hopefully get the beginning written

2. Finish revamping a story and submit it to BCS

July goals are Um…to not sink…My partner in crime is working such hours that I rarely see him and I’m running house with four kids, plus working on getting a job/rebuilding skills for the jobs Im looking at. Writing and art are happening only in dribbles and when I take the time it feels like stealing and the chores falter.

writing goals I guess have to be more minimal. Write a new story for Q4 or decide to resubmit my freshly edited one. Finish the painting submission I started last month for Q4. Maybe a word goal for my novel…edit the first 10,000-20,000 words.

My July goal is to decide between three potential stories to submit for Q4. I have a finished story which I submitted for critique to the forum in 2021. I needed to do a bit of work on it and I ran out of steam, lost interest, and moved on. But I like the story (as does my wife, which I hope is a good sign). Or, there's my HM from Q2, which having re-read I can see how to refine it. And it is a story I like and think has more potential in WotF. Or, a new story I intended to submit for Q3 but didn't finish. I got to Act 2 but it snowballed into something much longer than I expected / wanted and I changed tack and edited a HM from Q1 for Q3 instead. I think that decision (and the ensuing work on the story) will be all I will focus on this month. I'm hoping that I could get Q4 submitted July/August so give me time in September to edit rejected stories and try and find homes for them.

I have never actually posted anything in the forums, but I've decided it's time I get my butt in gear and go all-in. So, I'm going to do what I can to be more involved here, learn from all of you exceptionally-talented writers, and hopefully make it to the top.

As an aside note, how do I add the results I've had from previous WoTF entries like everyone else has at the bottom of their posts?

Thanks!

Posted by: @ericstallsworth

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I have never actually posted anything in the forums, but I've decided it's time I get my butt in gear and go all-in. So, I'm going to do what I can to be more involved here, learn from all of you exceptionally-talented writers, and hopefully make it to the top.

As an aside note, how do I add the results I've had from previous WoTF entries like everyone else has at the bottom of their posts?

Thanks!

Welcome! At the top of the Forum click on "My Profile" and then under this, there will be a dropdown menu. Click on "Account" and you will see where you can update your info. The one that shows up under each post is the "Signature" that you asking about. 

We also have an introduction thread here that you can post on to introduce yourself to the whole group if you like:

https://writersofthefuture.com/forum/about-the-forum-start-here/new-users-introduce-yourselves/#post-21

@ericstallsworth Welcome! 

The forum is chock full of helpful advice, but the two peaks (in my opinion) are Martin's Unwritten Rules and Wulf Moon's Super Secrets.

My recommendation would be to flick through them and then let people know how you're getting on with your Fourth quarter submission here, and check out how others are doing, too.

If you want to commit to achieving something in July, or any month thereafter, and want a little low-pressure "nagging," here's the place to lay out your goals.

Glad you joined us.