Tag Archive for: Writers of the Future Contest

Writers of the Future 1st Quarter Winners

Writers of the Future 1st Quarter Winners Announced for Volume 35

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The judging results are in! And here are the 4th Quarter 2017 Writers of the Future Contest winners.
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Writers of the Future 4th Quarter Winners Announced for Volume 34

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The judging results are in! And here are the 4th Quarter 2017 Writers of the Future Contest winners.
Defining yourself

Defining Yourself

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In this post New York Times bestselling author and Writers of the Future coordinating judge, David Farland, talks about defining yourself as an author and how that can help.
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Giving Up

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Sometimes it seems that your life has a theme. In the past couple of weeks I’ve heard from several authors the words “I’m thinking about giving up.” I worry about that. No one ever won a race by giving up.
Small kids handing soldier a ball

Character Traits

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New York Times bestselling author Dave Farland gives tips on characterization in story writing including common problems to avoid.
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A Guide to Critiquing a Story: Seven Vital Elements Every Story Must Have

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Frequently authors ask if I have a “form” that I used to help me critique a story. Given the large number of things that I look at in a story, any form that I had would simply be too long to be workable. Yet it makes sense to try to codify the critiquing process.
Roberta and Jerry Pournelle

Jerry Pournelle Leaves a Legacy of Helping New Writers (1933-2017)

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L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest Pays Tribute to Jerry Pournelle (1933 - 2017). Jerry leaves a legacy of helping new writers.
Jake Marley being interviewed at LA Festival of Book

Persevere

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It's been nearly a year since I found out I was a finalist for L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future contest, and very nearly five months since I was announced as the 2017 Golden Pen Award winner. To say my life has changed feels like an understatement.
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“Boosting” Your Prose

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I earlier mentioned that when I used to write for competitions, I would make lists of ways that judges might look at my work in order to grade it. For example, some judges might look for an ending that brought them to tears, while another might be more interested in an intellectual feast. A couple of you asked what my list might look like. So here is a list of things that I might consider in creating a piece.
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Multidimensionality: The Value of Subplots

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Very often when reading slush for the Writers of the Future contest, I come upon stories that at first glance seem to be perfectly acceptable. They presented a protagonist who had a problem to overcome. The setting was reasonably well defined. The story proceeded at a good pace, with the problem escalating nicely. Often there was a surprise twist at the ending, and the conclusion seemed appropriate. Yet when I got done reading the story, it just lacked ... something.