Wulf Moon's SUPER SECRETS Workshop & Challenge!

[I created a new topic but it seemed strange that I was the only one who did it and concluded it was not allowed - so I'm choosing to make this a topic for focus. Much may have been written about it - it's new to me - and trying to search the forum to compile the information has proved a bit overwhelming.]

I recently began to workshops by Wulf Moon, specifically The Heart's Desire and the Reader/Hero Bond and after that The Magic Sword. (I have the Howling book, which was the foundation for me). I am also taking notes by hand, although my trusty typewriters are sitting close by and feeling a bit neglected   . 

The information has proven to be quite fascinating to me. He presents the information in a very clear way and I think that has been what has allowed me to see other connections I didn't make before - or I didn't recognize existed - not just with my own understanding of craft and writing but with already published works.

I'm curious of the experiences of anyone else who has taken the classes and how they have used it and how they have noticed the change in their writing. 

Posted by: @kingmidas

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[I created a new topic but it seemed strange that I was the only one who did it and concluded it was not allowed - so I'm choosing to make this a topic for focus. Much may have been written about it - it's new to me - and trying to search the forum to compile the information has proved a bit overwhelming.]

 

I've made topics before - I don't see why it wouldn't be allowed. I'd defer to @wulfmoon whether he prefers this here or elsewhere, though I would assume he too would suggest a separate topic-thread. Fortunately, he's a moderator, so I'm sure he can move it if he wants 😉

@gideonpsmith I didn't see where any one else had made a topic and thought ok - I might have made one in the wrong place; this post I can move if asked. I just am not sure where it should go at this point and since it was connected to Wulf, I thought - well, at least it's topical. I deleted the other one as I only saw topics created by administrators.

Posted by: @kingmidas

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@gideonpsmith I didn't see where any one else had made a topic and thought ok - I might have made one in the wrong place; this post I can move if asked. I just am not sure where it should go at this point and since it was connected to Wulf, I thought - well, at least it's topical. I deleted the other one as I only saw topics created by administrators.

Hi KingMidas,

You can create new topics in the WotF Forum--you don't have to be an administrator or moderator to do so. But your questions are specific to my Super Secrets of Writing topic, and the workshops that were spawned from this thread. It's fitting to make your post here. Even the book you have commented about, HOW TO CREATE A HOWLING GOOD STORY, is the product of this Super Secrets of Writing project to help emerging writers. Everyone kept asking me to condense these Super Secrets into a book to make it easier to follow and apply, and you now hold the result. Many have won the Writers of the Future Contest after learning and practicing these principles and exercises. I designed the program to help emerging writers understand what makes a story work. I'm glad the clarity of the teachings have helped you make the connections necessary to create your own winning story!

Others here are certainly welcome to comment on how these principles have helped them. 

Thank you for letting me know they've helped you!

All the beast!

Beastmaster Moon

Your Monday KYD "Kill Your Darlings" Weekly Prompt

I'm back from my Super Secrets of Writing Suite Workshop in Vegas, and I have many edits to do for my clients on my return. But I haven't forgotten you! You've got NINE days left to finish out the year in Q4--plenty of time to write your winner! 

Here's the prompt that may take you to the top and get you the gold! They have for others!

Life-quakes

Happy writing! Don't miss your deadline! 

BOOM!

Beastmaster Moon

Hi @kingmidas,

I used the Write A Howling Good Story book to write a short story "The Army Ration That Saved the Earth", which got published the first time I submitted it. I just followed the instructions in Moon's book to write the story.

Heart's Desire and the Magic Sword are very important, but you also should take the KYD (Kill Your Darlings) workshop. In the Wulf Pack, we do the KYD exercise every month. It changes your writing drastically.

We also get one-on-one mentoring as Wulf Pack members in @wulfmoon 's Discord.

Writing by hand is important. I have seen articles which discuss this. There is a deep connection with your mind and heart in writing by hand. Don't discount it! 

@kingmidas hello!

I first experienced Moon when he was a guest speaker in a course I took. I was intrigued by the things he taught us. Since then, I have read Howling Good Story and the illustrated workbook (can't wait for the second one!) and have taken if not all, almost all of his Teachable classes and a few other of his workshops. I love being a member of the Wulf Pack. 

I will be attending the Vegas Suite training in November (happy birthday to me) and St. Augustine 2027.

Being a member of the Pack has been wonderful for inspiration and accountability. The fellowship is fantastic and safe. No question is dumb. No one belittles you as has happened in other online groups I've known of. There are no vicious keyboard warriors in our Pack.

As far as my writing, I've gone from a Writers of the Future rejection to multiple Honorable Mentions. I am working, studying, and learning more to bump those up to Silver Honorable Mention,  Finalists and one day, Winner.

I highly recommend joining the Pack. Hope to see you there.

Your Monday KYD "Kill Your Darlings" Weekly Prompt

JUST TWO DAYS LEFT TO THE END OF THE CONTEST YEAR!

YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO WRITE YOUR WINNER--I ONLY NEEDED ONE DAY.  

DO NOT MISS YOUR DEADLINE!

HERE'S A KYD PROMPT TO HELP:

LOS: Loss of Signal

Beastmaster Moon

Your Monday KYD "Kill Your Darlings" Weekly Prompt

How did you do with the final quarter for Volume 43? Did you get your story in with plenty of time to spare? Or did you procrastinate, waiting until the last day or even the final minutes to rush something in? Granted, stuff happens. I wrote my winner in a day, writing the conclusion in the final hour of the contest year. I didn't even have time to read the story through--I only had time to fix a few typos my wife marked before submitting at 11:56 pm, and I have the time stamp to prove it!

But I wasn't procrastinating, not that time. My wife was sick, recovering from cancer and a serious nuclear treatment, and I was her caretaker. I had set a goal four years earlier to enter a fresh new story every quarter, but that last Q4 had been a dark quarter and she needed care and taking care of your loved ones always comes first. So I asked her if she'd be okay taking care of herself and if I could have one day to write my Q4 entry before the Volume 35 contest closed for the year. She said yes, I wrote like a madman, "Super-Duper Moongirl" was born, and the rest is history. Of course, I had many decades of writing under my belt when I did that, whereas you may not. 

As this year closed, I read a number of entries as a freelance editor, all being sent to me in the final week of the Volume 43 contest. Some, partials, because the writers were still writing their ending scenes. I noted most of these had undeveloped premises with plot holes that could have ruined their chances against other submissions. Others had endings that did not give the reader time to contemplate the ending, or to steep them in the good feels of a decent denouement tea that leaves readers feeling all warm and fuzzy. Fortunately, they came to me for help, and I dropped everything to show them how to fix their stories. They did the work, completed smartly polished stories, and made the deadline. 

Like I've always said, stuff happens. I get it. I faced the WotF deadlines for twenty-five years. But let me say this. Who will have the better chance in Q4? The person that waited until the last week to cobble a story together, and on the last day rushed their ending? Or the writer that started early, finished early, got somebody that knows what they're doing to critique their story, made the appropriate changes that held fast to their own voice, and after doing a spellcheck and a quality check by reading the story aloud, got their story submitted well before the final day or even the final contest hours? And don't forget--some people spend all year working on one story and send it in Q4 because it's their last chance for the year. I don't recommend that--multiple streamlining revisions can strip your original visceral voice--but at least they took the time to analyze their stories to figure out what worked and what did not. 

This contest is the largest talent search contest for emerging speculative fiction writers in the world. With thousands entering every quarter, there are elite writers in every quarter about to break out by crafting professional level stories. They prove their level by achieving finalist, semifinalist, and silver HMs. Your job isn't to get an HM or a silver if you want to win this. Your job is to make it to finalist and then outshine the others in the Top 8 from around the world. That's the only way you win.

Now ask yourself: What's going to give you your best chances at winning with such incredibly gifted and skilled writers at the top? Are you really giving yourself a true chance at winning by waiting until the end to get something in? Do you really think you can outshine someone with talent and skills that didn't wait to the end to write and quality check their story? 

Be honest. Ask yourself what your habit has become. 

Fix it if you feel uncomfortable.

Plan for success in Q1. 

I'm trying to help.

Okay, here's another way I help. Sharing a KYD "Kill Your Darlings" writing prompt each week to stir your creative fire and hopefully help you generate a story. They work! Many of those from the annual Super Secrets of Writing Workshop that have won will tell you so. By the way, my Year Nine annual workshop is beginning right now. Not here--I moved this workshop several years ago over to my Patreon page. Just saying so you know the program continues to live on and is going strong. Now here's your prompt:

In the line of fire

Start your story right and this one has instant tension!

All the beast!

Beastmaster Moon