I’ve been asked a few times how many times I entered the Writers of the Future Contest (WofT). I never really kept count, but fortunately, WofT keeps handy records. The answer is seven (in case you don’t want to read more).
I entered the competition for the first time in 2020 with my story “Hiding Inside.” I spent a lot of time on the story and was excited that it earned an Honorable Mention. I felt great with the recognition, but it didn’t translate to a new full-time hobby. To be honest, I thought I was done with that adventure, but I did have a bucket list dream to have something published.
In 2023, I decided to take writing a little more seriously and resolved to submit a new story to WofT every quarter. I had a lot of ideas, which allowed me to keep my resolution. I submitted “Tomorrow’s Failsafe,” “Last Era of Mankind,” “Space Dust,” and “Lab 731.” After a year of solid rejections, I contacted a professional editor for help. What was I doing wrong?
Her first piece of advice was to follow the WofT rules. She noticed that my stories did not follow the formatting instructions. Ugh! She was right.
She also politely remarked that I was not really writing stories. I was jotting down cool concepts (which I would later dub “stubs”) without connecting them to people. How did I miss that? For me, science fiction is at its best when it delves into how technology impacts us, our society, and our culture.
In 2024, I again resolved to submit a new story every quarter, with some added caveats. I will follow the formatting rules and focus on storytelling. This plan worked much quicker than I anticipated. My first story of the year, “I Will Save You,” earned an Honorable Mention. I was back on track!
The WotF contest has four levels: Honorable Mention, Silver Honorable Mention, Semi-Finalist, and Finalist. The first, second, and third-place winners are drawn from the eight finalists.
Feeling more confident, I set a new goal to reach the Silver Honorable Mention level. I liked having quarterly deadlines and clear goals to achieve. I was in this for the long haul and would claw my way to the top over the next couple of years.
And then Joni called me.
My second story of the year had been selected as one of the eight finalists, which was not part of my plan. A week later, I had to sit down when she told me I won first place. In the course of a week, my little adventure has turned into the start of an extraordinary odyssey.
I am very aware of how hard so many people have worked to get where I am, so I am humbled and grateful for this opportunity. I deeply appreciate WotF for the contest and the judges for taking an interest in my story, but I will have a special place in my heart for the friends who pushed me forward after “Hiding Inside.” Thank you to Samantha, Paul, Kathyna, Dusti, Violet, Lou, and Sarah. That list continues to grow as I share my journey, and I learn a little more from each of them that adds to my success.
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