Month: April 2025

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Watch the Writers of the Future Vol. 41 Gala LIVE Tonight!

Tonight, April 10th, 2025 is the Writers and Illustrators of the Future Vol. 41 award ceremony, streamed LIVE at writersofthefuture.com. Two of my Patreon members (seen above) will be there, stepping up to that glamorous stage to receive their trophies and give their acceptance speeches: Robert “Fred” Lowell, and Sandra Skalski! The Wulf Pack Writers group is gathering in our Discord Wulf Den in a watch party to cheer them on, but we hope you’ll do the same from home tonight. It’s an incredible red carpet event with all the glamour of Hollywood. In fact, some of us call it “The Oscars of science fiction and fantasy.” When you tune in online, you’ll see why!

Fred joined the Wulf Pack Writers group a few years ago after attending the masterclasses I teach at the LTUE Seminar in Provo, Utah. He joined the annual Super Secrets Workshop and Challenge and faithfully practiced the primary exercise the group works in to advance, the KYD: Kill Your Darlings Exercise. I’m happy to say Fred was published this year in LTUE’s annual anthology–I got a signed copy from him there–and now he’s following it up with his contest win and publication in the bestselling anthology, WRITERS OF THE FUTURE VOL. 41. Way to go, Fred! YOU HAVE LIFTOFF!

While we’ll be celebrating the achievement of all of these writers and illustrators, another writer we’ll be especially cheering for is Sandra Skalski. She’s a friend from Twitter that saw my posts when I launched my HOW TO WRITE A HOWLING GOOD STORY Kickstarter and got my Illustrated workbook and Howling book before the public release. When I launched my Patreon page, she joined here as well and remains a valued member. And then last year, I saw her name on the quarterly Q1 Writers of the Future winners’ list, and lo and behold, Sandra had won First Place! I wrote to congratulate her, and this is what she wrote back. Don’t worry, I asked for permission and Sandra said: “Feel free to share my thoughts. Your books truly helped me, and I refer to them often.” Here’s Sandra:

Hi Wulf

Thank you for your good wishes. And thank you especially for your wonderful books. I can’t tell you how many times I was stuck on a story and I opened one of your books and figured out the problem. I think focusing on heart’s desire was key for me. You’ve helped so many of us with your time and generosity. You rock!

I hope you’re at the workshop next year. I would love to meet you.

Thanks,

Sandy

Well, life has kept me from attending the event this year, but thanks to the live-stream, it won’t keep me from cheering both of these emerging writers on as they take the stage to celebrate their wonderful victories. Thousands enter this contest every quarter from around the world, and it truly is the greatest talent search contest for speculative fiction writers. Huge congratulations to Robert “Fred” Lowell, and Sandra Skalski!

Here’s where you can enjoy the live-stream of the event! Click HERE.

Would you like a copy of the anthology? Say no more. It officially releases tonight! Click HERE for your copy of Writers of the Future Volume 41!

Go Fred! Go Sandra! Go Wulf Pack!

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A FREE Story by Wulf Moon!

Exciting news I’d like to share with you, my cherished supporters! And a good lesson for my writer friends to be persistent with submitting our work. Almost 30 years ago, I entered a year-long international writing contest where writers were given a fresh prompt and had to submit a vignette of no more than 250 words by the end of the week. The fifty-two weekly first place winners were then judged at the end of the contest year by twelve professionals in the publishing industry. Two of mine placed in the Top 10, one of them taking the Grand Prize and the Writer of the Year award. First place … out of some 30,000 entries.

I then created two stories based on that prizewinning vignette. One was a longer surrealistic story, the other a shorter science fiction flash story. I sent them to every pro market in their respective genres that appeared over the years, all to no avail. But I knew the core of these stories was solid, having won against improbable odds. I never stopped believing over the years that at least one of the stories would touch the heart of an editor and get bought and published.

Enter the new literary market Story Unlikely and their annual short story contest. I submitted three stories to this blind contest. They had 2500 entries that year out of which nine finalists were chosen. From the nine were picked the first through third prizewinners. While I didn’t win, all three of my stories placed in the top nine. One of them was “Grasshoppers Against the Jar,” that story I had been submitting to markets for almost thirty years.

The editor also bought it for publication.

I am happy to announce “Grasshoppers Against the Jar” has now been published. Persistence yields rewards.

It’s free to read at Story Unlikely. It’s short. I hope you’ll check it out. Enjoy!

https://view.flodesk.com/emails/67e59525d916963b4bc0ebf2