Okay, I'm a Junior in highschool, and I am pretty much depending on financial aid for college (Not extremely hard, I got into a prestigious summer program, I'm a hard worker, My family gets food stamps etc.), so I go to scholarships.com, a legit sight for finding scholarships, and lo and behold, there is a scholarship, or some kind of cash award, for 'Writers of the future'. I submit a sf or fantasy short story, and voila, I get money, assuming I win, and I don't.
But OSC is one of the judges (Or, at least, he was at some point, I'm not sure). It's so cool. I just got back from the site.
I'll feel really dumb if it turns out that I don't qualify, because I didn't look into it in detail (Namely, the requirements for eligibility), because my scholarship search turned up over 100 scholarships.
Anywho, I just was thinking, 'small world', isn't it?
Posted by talsmitde (Member # 9780) on :
You qualify, assuming the rules haven't changed in the last eight years, if you haven't published a book or more than two short stories. I think the competition is pretty stiff. Then again, I competed when I was fourteen and looking at my entry now, it reads like it was written by a fourteen-year-old.
Good luck with the scholarships. There are a lot that not many people know about. You may also want to consider doing your first two years (all the general education requirements) at a community college or feeder school. No reason to take 30,000 a year out in loans to sit through Freshman English.
Posted by scholar (Member # 9232) on :
I wouldn't really view writer's of the future as a scholarship and it seems a whole lot harder to win than a scholarship. It is a very tough writing competition. Not saying you shouldn't enter, but you probably shouldn't count on winning. If you go on to the other side, Silver3 just won second place and one of her fragments might be posted somewhere to get an idea of what level they are looking at.
Posted by Nathan2006 (Member # 9387) on :
Yeah, I kind of figured it was stiff considering they had quarterly winners. But, I already write this stuff, and it's not hard to submit it, so, it's worth a shot.
Besides, it gives me an excuse to go give one of my stories another read-through without being self-involved. LOL
Yeah... I got a 32 on my pre-act (The PATH test, or something like that), and I'm homeschooled. While it's obvious that I might test out of some remedial courses (Depending on the College) because of my ACT score, being homeschooled helps too.
And I'm majoring in Music Performence (And English if I can, even though my spelling is positively horrid, and double majors are tough), and they don't put much emphasis on the remedial in Music Conservatories. In CCM (Second ranked Music school in the country, second only to Juliard), only a 21 ACT is required. That's about 60 percent of the material you 'learned' in high-school. Actually, the ACT is more of a reasoning test, but I digress.
I feel myself starting to blabber, so I'll end my post now.
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
The contest is definitely worth it. Be prepared for a long, long wait for a response though.
There are a couple folks lurking around on Hatrack that are actually winners of the contest-- if you've got any specific questions about it, this is a good place to ask.
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
Nathan- I'm a Senior Music/English double major at a UC. It is tough to fulfill all the requirements, especially when music majors are so work intensive, but it's possible- three of my friends are also doing the double major. I've found that being able to write, and being an avid reader, makes you a far better member of a musical community. I find that though people don't often depend on me for my performing or even my composing abilities, they lean heavily on me for my literary style of analysis and speaking, so I do well in my musicology studies.
Posted by Nathan2006 (Member # 9387) on :
Wow! That is soooo cool. I'm pretty much not involved in sports and stuff, or anything else but church and volunteering, so I'll probably have enough time on my hands... Although I'm sure I'll have my share of late nights, spending as much time in the practice rooms as I can. LOL
I'd ask you what instrument or instruments you play, but that would make the topic veer even further away from OSC, and I already feel sooooo guilty now, seeing as it had only a little to do with OSC in the first place, and everybody here pretty much knew this info about him in the writers of the future competition. I do feel guilty.
Really! It's keeping me up nights. ;~)
Posted by Flaming Toad on a Stick (Member # 9302) on :
Wow, you need to chill, man.
And I play guitar, bass piano and oud.
Mwahahahahaha!
Posted by Nathan2006 (Member # 9387) on :
Oh, how delightfully evil.
I love it... I feel so - So FREE... Excuse, I think I just vomited a little.