www.writersofthefuture.com

Tune in Sunday night, May 15, 2011 at 6 PM Pacific time to watch the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest celebrate it’s 27th year. All of the 12 writer winners and all of the 12 illustrator winners from the vol. XXVII book will be accepting their awards, live from the ballroom of the famed Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. Present will be a who’s who of Contest judges from across the United States and around the world, including Dave Wolverton, Kevin J. Anderson, Robert J. Sawyer, Mike Resnick, Eric Flint, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Jerry Pournelle, Gregory Benford, Yoji Kondo, Rebecca Moesta, Tim Powers, K.D. Wentworth, Vincent Di Fate, Cliff Nielson, Stephen Hickman, Val Lakey Lindahn, and Ron Lindahn.

This is science fiction and fantasy’s premiere coming out party for some the latest, hottest talent in both writing and illustration. Every year the Contest showcases the top rising names in the field, many of whom go on to be some of the top professionals in the field -- including returning as judges for the event.

Actually, there's a lot to see but it would be nice to see what at least one person from here looks like. But maybe two, including you Brad?

I think he's our only winner this year.

We've got no one yet for next year, so we've got to amp it up and get some rep.

We should develop a call sign so when one of us gets up on stage we can sneak in a shout out to our homies without having to come out and say it.

I wanted to pop on here this morning to encourage you guys to check it out - whether you see this post and get to watch tonight, or even if you see it later and come back to the website and have a look at the recorded address and acceptances. Because to me, it's a working proof that contributing to and thinking about what's said here on this forum works.

Any chance you could donate a signed copy for this years challenge? Perhaps you could leave it with a trusted hatrack member so it doesn't need to be sent from down under.

PDT (Pacific Daylight-Savings Time) is GMT -7.

Rats, feel cussing out my memory...totally spaced on it. Only saw the last half an hour and only because I came online to say that I finished the first revision for my Bright Lights novel.

Who did the shout out to hatrack???

Saw only one writer I know. Kevin Anderson. The lady with him, I didn't recognize at all. I did see Joni and KDW. So I know what the sister looks like.

But for some reason I was thinking they might have the ceremony after dinner like other groups I've seen. So you could see more of the audience. Oh well.

So the next volume is officially for sale. I voted on that cover even though I'm not sure if its the drawing I voted for. But I wonder if they will have the writing set like they have had before.

I keep forgetting to say, one of the reasons, not the only one by far, I want to get into a WotF anthology is that I would love to have one of my stories illustrated with one or two pics.

I believe one or two or three magazines do that for a couple of their stories.

Looks like the ceremony wasn't like some I've seen on the News.

I have put together a signed copy for a future Hatrack challenge and will liase with our contest organiser extraordinaire skadder to get something started in the next few weeks.

And if anyone reading this is still sitting on the fence as to whether they should enter, all I can say is get your entries in! Getting to spend a week making friends and working with Tim Powers, KD Wentworth, Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Rob Sawyer, Mike Resnick, Eric Flint, Doug Beason, Yoji Kondo, Dave Wolverton and many other past winners may well blow your mind.

(and Brendan, the video will be up in a day or two, I think they've got to do some processing or something on it due to a mixup with the recording)

Wait.

I have to win first.

Sent me back to look at the original crit I did for you. Ouch, I think I was a little rougher than I remembered. But I do look forward to seeing the final version.

I hope next year it's on a Friday Saturday and back to San Diego or some place else that's a bit closer. And not in August again. The only way I will be able to get there in August is to win. And.....

It was cool meeting BenM in person; I felt like I knew him from all his posts.

I don't remember what I said on stage. They _strongly_ suggested first place winners prepare two speeches, and they said don't fire all your ammunition in the first round, so I put most of my personal thank yous in the second one. I really wanted to thank the organization and the judges first, and my family and friends know I love them already, and even if I didn't get to thank them from the stage I'd have the opportunity to thank them one-on-one later. Like now.

Whenever I needed a lift and needed to be reminded that there were people outside the room I write in I'd log on to Hatrack and read the posts. It helped just knowing that there was a community of writers going through what I was going through, and that any time of day or night I could log on and get advice, or make a bad joke, or vent, or simply sit back and read and learn.

So thanks to all of you for regularly making my day a little better. Just because I don't post very often doesn't mean that I'm not reading, and benefiting, and feeling part of the community. I really do feel like I know many of you, and I hope I get to see you on stage next year, and I get to say thanks to you face-to-face.

Congrats to all of the Hatrack winners!

We'd like to use you in our annual WotF trigger contest. Ben has already offered a book as a prize. Would you be willing to be one of our judges for the finalist round? I am expecting it would be 4 or 5 stories, approx length, 10000 words total, for you to look over. it wouldn't be until at least June when we need you. I just need one more judge and prefer it be you.

I would have emailed you in private for this but your address isn't available here on hatrack.

I'll be happy and honored to do that. Sorry about the email address. I'll add it right now. Just let me know what you need.

Email address added.

A few years ago, he wrote a very encouraging post about what he called The Overthink. It was so freeing. Writing isn't open heart surgery. It's mowing the grass. Just go. Stop worrying.