Wulf Moon's SUPER SECRETS Workshop & Challenge!

Got you WotF submission down, Peter Glen! Keep on writing!

I am in for Q1v37 - just submitted.

TWO DAYS left, pack members! Final push for Q1!

Extra credit flash challenge members: remember to get your flash piece for December wrapped up!

Final Monday of the year - and the decade! Today's Monday prompt is: CATCH AND RELEASE.

I'm in for Q1, now I'll spend the day finding a target for my second kraken.
The prompt sounds like it could be fun to write to.

I'm in for Q1. Probably won't work on my Q2 stories until after Superstars and the seminar on short stories with Dave Farland. Best of luck to all!

I'm in for Q1, now I'll spend the day finding a target for my second kraken.
The prompt sounds like it could be fun to write to.

Well done, Storysinger! Weren't you the very first entrant to the very first call to join my very first Vol. 36 Super Secret challenge and workshop? May you have great rewards for your efforts! BTW, by popular demand, the Table of Contents is now up on page 1 where this all began, with a new introduction to Moon's SUPER SECRETS.

I kindly remind all to remember their commitment to this challenge (barring health issues and childbirth, we totally understand. Well, I'm a man, so I cannot totally understand childbirth! To qualify each quarter for meeting the challenge, you must write TWO FRESH, ORIGINAL STORIES, 3,000 words or greater. Some of you took the extra credit Flash Challenge as well. For that, you must write one flash story per month, based on one of the weekly prompts--and hopefully you ran it through the Kill Your Darlings flash exercise. Finally, you must submit one regular short story to WotF (doesn't have to be one of the two you created for the quarter, I leave that up to you), and you must submit the other to a "respectable market." If you don't know what that term means, look back to the Super Secrets, the sample market list Swift and I carefully compiled for you, and also my essay "Never Let Go" in HOW I GOT PUBLISHED AND WHAT I LEARNED ALONG THE WAY. Currently #1 in Critters Readers Poll for "Best Non-Fiction Article."

Speaking of the annual Critters Readers' Choice Awards, all kinds of nice things were said in the comments section in various categories about the WotF Forum, the WotF Vol. 35 anthology, and "Super-Duper Moongirl..." under Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Story. http://critters.org/predpoll/shortstorysf.shtml

I suspect some of those were from you great challenge beasties. Thank you so much. It's been an honor to serve, I really mean that. I am tickled pink seeing so many wonderful results at the culmination of our first year and start of our second year for all of you! You made the commitment, you deserve to reap the rewards. Each of you no doubt can look back before you began and see the difference over a year of writing fresh stories and applying Moon's SUPER SECRETS have made for you. Keep up the good work!

With that in mind, I think it's good for people to know what you've been accomplishing here. You might find another nomination on the Critters Poll for Best Writers' Workshop. Hey, the category needed another contender or no award would be issued. Now, voters have a choice.

https://critters.org/predpoll/writerws.shtml

My very best to all of you. I've heard of some marvelous stories being submitted for this quarter. I've critiqued some for the group as well. And I see you doing wonderful things to help your writing team. There are rewards. Meeting the challenge and being a force for good has its privileges--some of them unseen, but you better believe beneficial and career changing. So does helping one another.

Well done, all! Don't miss your deadline. Even if you have to start a story today and finish it and hit submit before 11:56 pm tomorrow. That's how Moongirl came about, because I had committed to never missing a WotF quarter. You do the same. Not the minutes before portal closing stuff! That will give you a heart attack! But the never miss a quarter thing. And that also includes sending another story out to a respectable market every quarter in this year's challenge.

You've got this.

See you next year! More SUPER SECRETS to come! But right now...shouldn't you be writing?

BEASTMODE!

Beastmaster Moon

Please let me know when I can join the Challenge. Votes are in!

Got you down for the roster, RSchibler and storysinger! Nicely done! Release ALL the krakens!

and you must submit the other to a "respectable market."

Quick question: does the second story have to be submitted to another market by the quarter deadline or any time during the challenge?

Peter,

My understanding is that the 2nd story has the same deadline. But maybe Wulf or Becky can confirm.

All the best,
Angela

Yes, I believe StarReacher is correct. Both stories must be submitted by the quarter deadline.

Hi everyone. I'm in sorry shape right now with... exactly 25 hours to go.

I've written three stories this quarter, but I'm not satisfied with any. (yes, I'm a bit obsessive)... So, I started a new story yesterday and working on it now.

I've got a crit partner, but I'm not sure if she will be available in this final hour. ...Just in case she can't, are any of you available for a crit of about 4k words? I'll be able to send it when I go to bed, in about 5 hours from the time of this post.

Thanks!!!

Hi everyone. I'm in sorry shape right now with... exactly 25 hours to go.

I've written three stories this quarter, but I'm not satisfied with any. (yes, I'm a bit obsessive)... So, I started a new story yesterday and working on it now.

I've got a crit partner, but I'm not sure if she will be available in this final hour. ...Just in case she can't, are any of you available for a crit of about 4k words? I'll be able to send it when I go to bed, in about 5 hours from the time of this post.

Thanks!!!

I feel your pain, Henckel, but I am in the same boat. One story left to finish polishing. I was up most of last night getting my WoTF entry ready to submit. I WILL get this story in to a professional magazine before midnight!! I foresee very little sleep in my immediate future.

I do offer support, though. Keep writing and hang in there! We can do this!

and you must submit the other to a "respectable market."

Quick question: does the second story have to be submitted to another market by the quarter deadline or any time during the challenge?

The challenge runs by the WotF quarterly deadlines. To meet the challenge, before midnight closes each quarter, you must write two fresh stories of 3000 words or more and send one to WotF (I am giving some leeway this year and it doesn't have to be one of the two fresh stories you wrote), and send one to a respectable market (that one does have to be one of your two fresh stories).

Two fresh original stories written. Two sent out. One goes to WotF. One goes to a respectable market. Before every quarter deadline.

If you meet the challenge requirements, you post it here for SwiftPotato to enter in the log. Those meeting the quarterly deadlines and telling Swift so she can post it stay current in the challenge. Meeting quarterly deadlines, and fulfilling the year's challenge, has rewards. Last year, those that succesfully fulfilled the challenge got a year end Super Secret bonus no one else obtained, and it happens to be my best one, my secret magic writing trick explained. Those that succeeded for the year are no doubt applying that Secret for the very first time on this Q1 quarter. Also, after each quarter I check the list, and those meeting the challenge get priority status on available critiques by me. (Three of you got full line by line edited critiques from me this quarter, and all of you got critiques in the KYD exercise.) Priority also goes to the challenge beasties that do extra good deeds to help advance our members and writing group.

Membership in the Wulf Pack has its privileges. So fulfill your oaths to lord and land!

All the beast,

Beastmaster Moon

Hi everyone. I'm in sorry shape right now with... exactly 25 hours to go.

I've written three stories this quarter, but I'm not satisfied with any. (yes, I'm a bit obsessive)... So, I started a new story yesterday and working on it now.

I've got a crit partner, but I'm not sure if she will be available in this final hour. ...Just in case she can't, are any of you available for a crit of about 4k words? I'll be able to send it when I go to bed, in about 5 hours from the time of this post.

Thanks!!!

Dunno if I'm good enough to help, but I can try. I'll PM my mail. (And assume my wife doesn't want me to take her anywhere.)

Thanks TimE. I appreciate your help.

It's after midnight. I've not heard back from my other crit partner (she's probably asleep Ha! Ha!) so, I'll send my story to you in about thirty minutes.

Wulf, no worries. I'll meet my quota. This will be story number 4. All have been over 3k. I just need to submit.

...so tired....... ...kids will be up in 5 hrs. I'm going to be total zombie tomorrow.

Dunno if I'm good enough to help, but I can try. I'll PM my mail. (And assume my wife doesn't want me to take her anywhere.)

You did a great job with my story.

Thanks TimE. I appreciate your help.

It's after midnight. I've not heard back from my other crit partner (she's probably asleep Ha! Ha!) so, I'll send my story to you in about thirty minutes.

Wulf, no worries. I'll meet my quota. This will be story number 4. All have been over 3k. I just need to submit.

...so tired....... ...kids will be up in 5 hrs. I'm going to be total zombie tomorrow.

You can send to me too - I've a few things to do but should be able to have a quick run-through.

Any last-minute thoughts on my story would be helpful too (no swap required Henckel - it seems you won't have time). I had two critiques with contrasting opinions. In my head, I thought I had it right, but the overnight nagging doubts haven't disappeared! I'll be submitting in under 12 hours (I'm 8 hours ahead of PST time).

I'm sharing a lesson I learned a few minutes ago, some ezines close submission windows for the holidays.
So I was unable to send a story to my targeted zine, F&SF. No worry though, I found another in the top ten of the markets listed on pg. 47.
I completed the challenges.
1 3000+fresh story to WotF
1 3000+fresh story to another respectable market
At least one flash piece written each month.

Henckel, you already have my address. I will be happy to help if you need me to.

Nice job, storysinger, I've got you down. I learned that today too--luckily it was for my third story for the quarter, so I can wait until tomorrow to submit!

WotF: "Deadline is 11:59 p.m. December 31, 2019 Pacific Standard Time."
F&SF: "We will REOPEN at 11:59 PM Eastern (4:59 AM GMT) on Dec. 31, 2019, for the benefit of everyone who wants to start their New Year by submitting a story."

Technically, you'll have three hours to submit to F&SF before the challenge deadline. Moon and WotF are both on PST

Good luck, everyone!

Swift Potato, I think you already have me down for TWO FRESH STORIES this Quarter 1.

But if not, just to clarify, my Quarter 1 WOTF story was submitted on or about late October 2019, and the other FRESH STORY submitted to a respectable market during the same period.

Thanks.

Best,

Retro

I do have both your stories down, Retro, and all four of your flash pieces. Thank you!

I have my Q1 submitted (just barely) and my flash for December done. But for my second fresh story, I’ve found all of the paying markets closed at this time. I’ll do one last check to see if I can send my other story off, otherwise I’ve missed that part of the challenge. Should’ve checked those submissions periods more carefully.

I have my Q1 submitted (just barely) and my flash for December done. But for my second fresh story, I’ve found all of the paying markets closed at this time. I’ll do one last check to see if I can send my other story off, otherwise I’ve missed that part of the challenge. Should’ve checked those submissions periods more carefully.

Well, this is our first quarter for the Vol. 37 Challenge, and the holiday did mess things up. Let's give everyone until January 7, 2020, to submit your other fresh original 3000 word or more story to a respectable market. This gives some of these markets that have closed for New Years time to open to subs again. Sound good everyone? Good. You have a reprieve. But only this quarter! Don't get trapped again! And if you didn't get your second story written, use the time to do so and SEND IT OUT. You can still meet the challenge requirement that way, if it's within reach for you.

I am really happy to see all of you trying so hard. Did anyone listen to Brad Torgerson's latest WotF Podcast? Please do. He clearly states diligence wins over talent in this industry.

I say if you can combine both, you can rule the writing world.

Okay, you have until January 7, 2020, 11:59 pm to get one of those two stories you wrote out to a "respectable market." You have the list of what I believe that to mean. SwiftPotato, stay your guillotine. I know, I know, you have been waiting all your life to shout, "OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!"

Next quarter. : )

All the beast,

Beastmaster Moon

Just finished up story number two.

Now I’ll read it to my wife and I’ll decide which to submit to WotF.

Moon, you’re the best. Thanks for the extra time. I’m going to do my best to submit tonight when F&SF opens, so hopefully I don’t need the extra few days.

I did listen to Brad on the podcast. It was a good one!

Good luck to everyone! Next quarter I hope to be a little more on the ball to take advantage of (and offer) critiques.

Actually, never mind. I did one last check before holiday obligations dragged me off, and I noticed Clarkesworld is open to submissions as far as I can tell. So, why not start the story there.

Submitted my second story to a respectable paying market. If rejected there, I’ll send it to Podcastle which was my first choice for this particular story.

Also, my flash submitted to Frozen Wavelets was rejected. I received notice yesterday. Now to send it to the next.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Actually, never mind. I did one last check before holiday obligations dragged me off, and I noticed Clarkesworld is open to submissions as far as I can tell. So, why not start the story there.

Submitted my second story to a respectable paying market. If rejected there, I’ll send it to Podcastle which was my first choice for this particular story.

Also, my flash submitted to Frozen Wavelets was rejected. I received notice yesterday. Now to send it to the next.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Good work, RJK Lee! You found a way to make it happen and met the challenge requirement for the quarter! Congratulations on sending out your fresh stories both to WotF AND to respectable markets! That's how you build your career. Sorry about Frozen Wavelets, but there are other decent flash markets. Keep swinging!

To all...I gave you an extension on challenge requirements due to the holiday and many markets being closed, but WotF will not give you slack. Get those entries in before midnight! THAT will be something to celebrate!

WULF PACK BEASTMODE!

Beastmaster Moon

Well, this is our first quarter for the Vol. 37 Challenge, and the holiday did mess things up. Let's give everyone until January 7, 2020, to submit your other fresh original 3000 word or more story to a respectable market. This gives some of these markets that have closed for New Years time to open to subs again. Sound good everyone? Good. You have a reprieve. But only this quarter! Don't get trapped again! And if you didn't get your second story written, use the time to do so and SEND IT OUT. You can still meet the challenge requirement that way, if it's within reach for you.

Now I have a shot to get my second story finished, if baby kraken cooperates. Thanks for the extension! Congrats to those who have all their requirements done for this quarter already!

Has anyone else noticed the word count discrepancy in different writing software? I was using GoogleDocs and had a word count at 16,990. But in OpenOffice it was 17,234 and 17,136 In Word. I guess the question is:

Is Word considered the industry standard?