Writers Of The Future Q407 : Finalist!!!

http://wotfblog.galaxypress.com/2007/11/4th-quarter-writers-of-future-finalists.html

I feel I should say something insightful, something profound, but right now my mind is all a jumble. In fact, if I were the first man on the moon, those would probably be my words upon stepping out of the Eagle: "Um--uh--my mind is blank!"

Of course, there's only a 37% chance that my story will place first, second, or third. The judges will have to weigh my story's merits against 7 others. I am pleased to see a fellow Virginian among the finalists. It's a possibility, albeit a slim one, that we'll both be in the workshop and our stories in the anthology. Wouldn't that be a good way to represent Virginia!!!

Though I haven't yet made it, I have to say, crafting a publishable story isn't easy. It takes work and there are many dimensions of consideration. Style, characterization, plot, clarity, pace, suspense, ect, ect--and in SF&F there is the added burden of worldbuilding & making the unreal credible-seeming. This particular story went through 3 drafts. Then, since mistakes abound, two rounds of proofreading. Hours and hours of work over many months.

None of this would've been possible either without solid feedback, which I recieved from my wife and Paul Comstock, a fellow Hatracker, Critter, and Writers Of The Future semifinalist. Many thanks to them!

Incidentally, here's a link to Paul's site, which contains many helpful tips on writing:
http://www.paulallancomstock.com/

Q107 Writers of The Future: The Envelope Please...

In late December, I sent out “Foregleamer” to the Writers of The Future contest/anthology, the third story that I've sent there. The last two times, the stories placed in the quarterfinals, which meant that they were, “in the top 10--15% of all entries received for the quarter”. According to Kathy Wentworth, first judge and reader, "Quaterfinalist means that I did get all the way through it, and it had one or more elements that I considered well done: setting, idea, characters, plot, prose, voice."

Last week, while my wife and I were vacationing in NYC, the result rolled in. “Foregleamer” placed as a semifinalist. That, according to what I can gather, puts the story somewhere in the Top 20, though of course, NOT in the top 8. I received a page long critique on why it was one of the last cut from the potential list of finalists. I plan to absorb the critique, begin revising and mail it to another potential publisher.