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Somewhere around the last two weeks of Dec. 2011 I sent in my latest entry to the WotF Contest by conventional mail...hard copy. This is my 2nd entry with my last entry well over a year ago. I can't remember how long it took, but I was sent an email that I was officially entered with my first story. I've heard nothing yet about whether my latest entry has been accepted or if they've even received it.
Should I be expecting an email of this sort, or has their policy changed in this respect? I'm concerned that my entry may have gotten lost in the mail. Is there anything I can do to find out, or should I just wait for the WotF people to contact me?
Posts: 1320 | Registered: May 2008
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Ms. Labaqui, Author Services, Inc., is generally very attentive to notifying submission receipts; however, some slip by.
I heard of one submission a few years ago that wasn't received until the following quarter. International mail snafu. The writer said that that was to be the last attempt and had all but abandoned hope of ever breaking through. Imagine the surprise, first, when notice came in that it had been received, albeit a quarter late; and second, that it was selected as a quarter finalist.
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I sent in my entry via snail mail on Dec. 29 and haven't received confirmation either. I'm not worried. I wouldn't be surprised to receive word of how my story placed (or didn't place) before the confirmation shows up.
Extrinsic: If you're referring to Jordan Lapp, he not only made finalist but won first place. Posts: 968 | Registered: Sep 2008
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JenniferHicks, yep. The surprises kept piling on, didn't they. Mail snafu was something about a yak herder mail carrier who took his good sweet time delivering the mail.
Oh the delightful stories about stories' publication complications, what do their subtexts say? Persevere. It's a plot. Desire: publication. Obstacles: competition, resistance, rejection. Outcome: success or failure. For hopelessly dedicated writers, failure is not an option.
Posts: 6037 | Registered: Jun 2008
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Crystal, I would say about half the time I get an email pretty promptly, at other times, I either don't get one or get one very late. I wouldn't worry about it.
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As recall over the years I usual receive mine a week or two into the second month after their quarter ends. Which is about now. So go ahead and send an E-mail. or wait a few days and send one. At times they took longer than others.
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I'll try and be patient and wait them out. Thank's everyone for your responses. I really hate to bother them. After all they have quite a job going through all those entries every quarter.
Posts: 1320 | Registered: May 2008
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I had a question regarding genre limitations. I have considered writing a short story to submit to WotF, but have not yet decided on which idea to focus on. One involves superheros (simplest explanation without going into details though superheros is not exactly accurate), but would a superhero story fall into the categories accepted for WotF? (Also, was I supposed to start a new thread for a question like this? Or was it appropriate to continue the thread with related questions? Sorry, relatively unfamiliar with some forum etiquette.)
Posts: 3 | Registered: Feb 2012
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I don't know much about WOTF...I believe they are theoretically open to any kind of science fiction or fantasy...however, since its all about the opinions of the other KDW and the judges, some types of stories or content are seen as more or less likely to do well.
I will say this...Hatrack is the right place to look for WOTF advice. Oftentimes even when what your doing is unrelated to WOTF.
Posts: 2626 | Registered: Apr 2008
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Yes, they're sf and fantasy. But even fantasy seems to be a really uphill battle. There's usually only one or two fantasy stories in any given anthology.
Posts: 1993 | Registered: Jul 2009
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Ms. Wentworth has said a concern of hers with much of the fantasy that crosses her reading is it's burdened by retread fantasy motifs, dragons and vampires and orphan magicians, oh my, that are trite and outworn uses.
She says she likes original inventions, reimaginations, reinventions no matter what. And she says she's partial to hard science fiction, military science fiction, inventive fantasy, and tragically beautiful endings.
Posts: 6037 | Registered: Jun 2008
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I highly recommend the WotF crit groups here on Hatrack in the Groups section. You'll get some top notch crits over there with an eye for the contest as well.
And generally I think of the contest as looking for 'high concept' regardless of the genre you're writing in. As extrinsic pointed out -'inventive fantasy'.
Posts: 1993 | Registered: Jul 2009
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I don't recall reading any super hero type stories in the WotF anthologies. High Concept is pretty much the overruling factor for WotF. Want fantasy? Read Living Rooms by Laurie Tam. It's not Sci-Fi. It's fantasy, yet... there are no elves, or swords, or longbows.
Regarding superheros, look at the movie Kick-Ass. That's a superhero movie that turned the genre on its ear. For the reason that no one had a real super power. (Well, the kid did have metal under his skin but that only served to allow him to take a severe beating, often to humorous yet stomach churning effectiveness.)
If you go there - write something NEW. Something no one has ever seen before. That's what WotF is about... NEW.
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I thought they allowed horror too in the WotF, or am I mistaken?
This brings up another question on my lastest WIP. I have a mythical beast created by accident in a scientific experiment. Some of you have read this story, but I don't want to indulge anymore details than this right now. So would this be considered a fantasy or science fiction? Right now, I think of it as what I term soft science fiction. Either that or a lapover in the two genres.
Posts: 1320 | Registered: May 2008
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Crystal, you have the epitome of a crossover. For WotF it won't matter as they take both genres. I think the determining factor will be how you take care of the mythical beast. Assuming it needs to be stopped, do you do it with a gamma ray or a magic spell? And if your heroes aren't trying to stop it and it comes to live with them, does it open portals to other mythical lands or promote the wonders of future genetic engineering? It's all in the spin.
Oh, and while they don't take horror, they will accept 'dark' sf and fantasy. Still they're not known for liking their topics too dark.
Posts: 1993 | Registered: Jul 2009
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BTW, my current Q1 entry is a fantasy with no high conceptual note. It's solidly written and is entirely a character oriented story. The magic is essential, but I would consider it fairly low magic. I'm sort of testing the outer edges of the WotF judging system. I'll let you know how that goes.
Posts: 1993 | Registered: Jul 2009
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quote:Originally posted by annepin: Crystal, i would qualify yours as a Sci Fi. The reason for the mythical beast is scientific.
That's what I thought too. And thanks for the response.
Just curious since I didn't receive any response, but did you read the latest version I sent you? Since then, Merlion gave me an excellent crit on that version that I'm using to put the finishing touches on the story.
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