Congrats! But here's to progress and improving! Congrats!!! Thank you! I didn't know that!! You’ll need to come at me next time with a fresh idea. Did the author give it a surprise twist that lifted it above similar stories?” If the answer to both of those questions is no, then it will probably not get higher than an Honorable Mention. You might write it beautifully, and I might get through the entire tale and enjoy it. <3 I think i'll mention it in my query letter...once I make a query letter. Frequently I see stories that just don’t have enough conflicts, or the conflicts that they do have aren’t dealt with as rigorously as they should be. ", "Out of the 1,800 science fiction and fantasy novels published yearly — most of them are written by established authors. ♂️ That story is being published and illustrated by a paying market, this June. The author’s style and tone were exceptional in many ways, but I’m not sure that it should win the contest. At the end of the day, when a story wins an Honorable Mention in the contest, it means that you came close. Right now on my computer, I have a story up. Writers & Illustrators of the Future Blogs, Illustrators of the Future Contest – 1st Quarter 2017 Winners, Battlefield Earth Audiobook – or rather Terl – Wins Audie Award. We are here to discuss, critique, and share our stories. Does the story work? So let’s talk about those stories that get an Honorable Mention. I’m hoping that someday I’ll be able to say, “I was the one who discovered this author.”. As a judge, I have to wonder why. from 8 AM - 9 PM ET, Copyright © 2020 PR Newswire Association LLC. I didn’t know if everyone got honorable mentions, like participation trophies. • The story may have plotting problems. For example, let’s say that you decide to write a story about “Zombie Sharecroppers.” Great. That helped me avoid blind spots quite a bit. Or maybe your opening doesn’t have a hook. Very often I’ll have a story whose concept is good and the writing is beautiful, but the plot just doesn’t work. "Out of the thousands of stories that get submitted to the contest, a very small percentage make it this far," Wentworth continued. Why didn’t the author put in a sidekick, someone to talk to in order to make this more engaging? Cision Distribution 888-776-0942 But ultimately I have to look at it and ask, “Is the basic tenet of the story fresh and original? DISCUSSION . I’ve read the first two pages, and although I’m a little soft on the opening paragraph, the rest of the first page is quite intriguing. Cool. This leaves me feeling a lot of emotions. I can't wait for the certificate. A, HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning), Machine Tools, Metalworking and Metallurgy, Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American. Your email address will not be published. Thank you for the advice. Guest Blogger, David Farland , Coordinating Judge of the Writers of the Future Contest. So, possibly next year! A while ago I promised to tell you why I reject good stories when I’m reading for Writers of the Future. The contest to date has discovered 7 authors who have gone on to be New York Times bestsellers and the contest has also launched hundreds of other writing careers. Keep trying!”. • The story has missing elements. Joined Apr 28, 2008 Messages 153. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Well, only if you don’t think about it too much. Those missing elements can be a lot of things. David Farland is an award-winning, international bestselling author with over 50 novels in print. The odds increase dramatically if you live in a foreign country, where publishers are rare or non-existent. Hollywood, CA (PRWEB) January 02, 2015 The L. Ron Hubbard Writers Of The Future contest year ended on the 30th of September and the 4th quarter results are being released. You too, keep entering! Fingers crossed for you. I've gone for that one a few times and haven't made it myself. So you should be able to look at your story and find ways to “boost” the story, perhaps by adding new dimensions to it (for example, giving me internal dialog and referencing smells), or perhaps by fixing a weak middle to the tale. Very often I’ll get stories where the idea intrigues me and the story is written pretty well, but the author still has a few problems. Still other authors have no internal dialog, so that you never know what their character is thinking or feeling. :D. Me too! If you win an Honorable Mention, you should know that I’m rooting for you! I finally got an honorable mention in this contest after a few years of entering. I don't know who else to tell about this besides you guys. In short, there are a lot of good things happening here for a first page. I’m hoping that it can be a grand prize winner. Writers of the Future 4th Quarter Honorable Mentions January 13, 2016 / 1 Comment / in Quarterly Winners / by Joni The last quarter of the Writers of the Future Contest was one of our largest on record and it shows in the extensive list of Honorable Mentions for … For instance, when I finish a story, I want it to have some universality. I finally got an honorable mention in this contest after a few years of entering. Sometimes I’ll have a story where only one character is involved. Or maybe your descriptions aren’t crisp enough, or your characters feel a bit flat and stereotypical, or your language isn’t fresh or beautiful. Thread starter theWallflower; Start date Jan 14, 2011; theWallflower Start judging. Will write until the world ends. That's cool, I tried doing it a couple of times... How far distance is it from Scientology proper? On one hand, of course, I’m happy. If Wikipedia is accurate, it's loosely associated with Scientology but still fairly well-received in the industry. If you win an Honorable Mention, you should know that I’m rooting for you! I have an entry in now so crossing my fingers! I know we’re not supposed to rely on external validation, but damn it feels good every now and then. Why do I feel that I have to read this particular story? I want to understand why this story is important for others to read. I haven't received any recognition for my work in ages. Second, the author is writing with clarity and grace. It also let me win some good money, so that I didn’t have to take a job while in college. This is the most frequent problem, and the hardest to solve. Hope you're doing well in these dark times. He is best known for his New York Times bestselling fantasy series The Runelords. • If the idea is good, then it may be that your execution is off. HOLLYWOOD, Calif., July 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2nd Quarter Honorable Mentions of the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest were announced today. I entered, and got an honorable mention. Thanks a lot! Others forget to describe the middle-ground (a golden pyramid with a congregation of Egyptian slaves and merchants bowing to the god-king at its peak). Moral of this story is, Remember there are different strokes for different folks. There are four simple reasons why a story may not rise above Honorable Mention. Congrats (: that’s great! I actually abandoned short story writing completely and have been working on a manuscript. You may not realize it, but the basic concept of your story has probably been done before. I had one a couple of days ago that was set in Haiti, and while interesting, nothing about the character’s voices suggested that the author had ever listened closely to a Haitian. Awarded HONORABLE MENTION, L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future contest 2nd quarter 2013 for "Something in the Air Powered by Create your own unique website with … Covid has been a huge damper on everything. I haven't received any recognition for my work in ages. I got the news today. The quarter had 171 Honorable Mentions granted, which is higher than any other quarter in the history of the contest. For more information about the contest, go to www.writersofthefuture.com. Maybe the author uses too many weak verbs, or has word repetitions. I was an honorable mention years ago and ended up getting published in one of their annual anthologies. That’s my way of saying, “You’re writing almost at a professional level, but this one didn’t quite do it for me.” Or better yet, “I’d really like to see more from you. ", SECOND QUARTER HONORABLE MENTIONS 2010 - FIRST LIST, Alan Baxter of New South Wales, Australia. This is one very effective way to get in the door for the newcomer from anywhere in the world. Writers of the Future Honorable Mention. I wasn’t even sure if it should be a finalist. Leave a Comment on Honorable Mention in Writers of the Future Contest; This morning I got an e-mail that said one of my stories got Honorable Mention in the Writers of the Future Contest. Third, the pacing is just right. Plus it’s sponsored by L. Ron Hubbard. More posts from the scifiwriting community. David Farland talking to winners at the Writers of the Future Workshop. A second Honorable Mention list will be announced in a few weeks as we get closer to our decision on which stories will make the semi-finalist and finalist categories. A couple of persistent little bugs like this will put you in the Honorable Mention category. In such tales, the reader might as well be watching a poorly made movie. I know that from the first page. Got an Honorable Mention for the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest 1st quarter. "This is the first list of Honorable Mentions. And at first I wasn’t real excited. First off, it has an engaging idea at its core. I’m happy for you!! Right now on my computer, I have a story up. When I first began entering competitions, I used to make up lists of ways that judges might look at my story, and I’d try to figure out how to tackle each problem. In other words, “Does this story have a message?” Sometimes, the answer is no, and that usually means that it won’t hold up well in a competition. Press J to jump to the feed. I don't know who else to tell about this besides you guys. Did anyone else receive an honorable mention? An HM is just the first step. I’ve been submitting to that contest for years, have a few HMs and a lot of rejections but never anything higher. So when plotting your story, make certain that its plot is logical, that it builds with each try-fail cycle, and that you have a powerful ending that leaves the reader thinking and emotionally moved. Wentworth stated. Keep on writing! In other stories, the author forgets to engage the senses. A lack of smells or touch is the largest problem. It's sorely needed. HOLLYWOOD, Calif., July 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2nd Quarter Honorable Mentions of the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest were announced today. I might go back to short story writing eventually. So when you read their stories, the protagonist is often bumping into characters that seem to come out of nowhere. I got a beautiful story last week, told in first-person. Don't take a single contest's word for it. 2nd Quarter First List of Honorable Mentions represent entrants from 17 US states and 5 countries. My reaction is, “Looks like I’ll have to read this one.” In other words, I’m looking forward to reading it. I consider it this way: this story started as a … The accents just weren’t right. Still, I'll take all the props I can get! So, wow. Nice go us!! But the plot only worked because the author withheld information from the reader. But in the end, I found two or more little problems that go beyond your typical typos. My story, “PFTETD”, has earned an Honorable Mention in the 4th Quarter 2010 Writers of the Future Contest.. Congrats on your recognition, my friend. He has won the Philip K. Dick Memorial Special Award for “Best Novel in the English Language” for his science fiction novel On My Way to Paradise, the Whitney Award for “Best Novel of the Year” for his historical novel In the Company of Angels, and many more awards for his work. The selected stories for this category did not make the semi-finalist or finalist category," contest coordinating judge K.D. So I’d look at the 25 things that I thought judges might be grading me on, and try to be excellent in each area. The annual winners of the contest are published in the L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future anthology. Apparently, all the employees of the publisher are Scientologists and I'm sure the events are likely a recruiting ground. Instead, the author writes in a cinematic style that keeps the reader at a distance. I'd like to share that I had a phenomenal story flat out rejected by this contest. Not sure if that's helpful for you~. Mine just said HM. Some judges might be big on humor, while another might look for powerfully emotional endings. Some authors, for example, forget to describe what is off in the distance (a line of mountains, a roiling sea). Apparently they have HM and Silver HM levels. We are a community for writers of science fiction! David Farland is an award-winning, international bestselling author with over 50 novels in print. Jan 14, 2011 #1 I have a question about the Writers of the Future Contest. Contest judges include multiple Nebula and Hugo Award winners and finalists such as Kevin J. Anderson, Orson Scott Card, Anne McCaffrey, Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Tim Powers, Robert J. Sawyer, Robert Silverberg, Dave Wolverton, Sean Williams, K.D. So let’s talk about those stories that get an Honorable Mention. That means you were better than 90% of entrants, which is awesome. There’s no interaction. But damn, I'm on page 206 of 340 in my final edit and I'm wasting time on Netflix. A while ago I promised to tell you why I reject good stories when I’m reading for Writers of the Future. Maybe I'll write tonight. Stories that keep me reading all the way through will almost always get an Honorable Mention. Usually it has a good opening (that’s why I got hooked), but perhaps the middle of the story is weak, or the ending doesn’t quite pan out. Usually the author is blind to his or her own missing element. All Rights Reserved. We'll see (: Congrats! Wentworth, Eric Flint, Mike Resnick, Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch. Guest Blogger, David Farland, Coordinating Judge of the Writers of the Future Contest. • The idea for the story isn’t particularly fresh or interesting. 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