Here's how I used Save The Cat to write Book One of my #dystopian #sciencefiction #trilogy #romance #action novels & how you can, too: https://boldly.blue/save-the-cat-to-write-my-dystopian-science-fiction-opus/

#writers #savethecat #outlining #sciencefictionfans #indieauthor #newwriters #literature #vaauthor #hamptonroadsauthor

Spotted this, supported by Ben Aaronovitch and the publisher Gonlancz

FUTURE WORLDS PRIZE 2026 IS OPEN FOR ENTRIES!

We're on the lookout for great works of science fiction and fantasy by new writers, so whether you're writing a space opera or a dystopian novel, a romantasy or a book set in a magical world...or something completely different, we want to hear from you.
https://www.futureworldsprize.co.uk/2026-prize/
#writers #writersofmastodon #newwriting #newwriters #newwriterswelcome #SciFiWriter

Use the 4 Cs of Writing (But Only If You Want Readers to Understand You)

Master this self-check to guarantee more readers embrace your content Continue reading on The Writing Cooperative »
https://writingcooperative.com/use-the-4-cs-of-writing-but-only-if-you-want-readers-to-understand-you-acfd465acdf

#newwriters #wisewords #writingtips #clarity #editing
@indieauthors

Don’t Build a Writing Habit. Do This Instead.

Just for today, make a choice. Continue reading on The Writing Cooperative »
https://writingcooperative.com/dont-build-a-writing-habit-do-this-instead-42eb2081c20

#wisewords #newwriters #writingtips #writinglife #habits
@indieauthors

The 2 Best Ways to Narrow Your Topic

It's ironic: the more specific your focus, the broader your appeal Continue reading on The Writing Cooperative »
https://writingcooperative.com/the-2-best-ways-to-narrow-your-topic-e49cd8d1c10

#contentwriting #blog #articles #newwriters #wisewords
@indieauthors

New authors, you’re doing a great job

For a few years, I blogged about Astounding Award-eligible authors. Neo-pro short fiction writers can get lost in the churn of publishing, social media, and short attention spans, and their work deserves to be celebrated. I’m increasingly less keen on spending energy promoting the Hugo-adjacent award (I’m not part of the Worldcon community, and recent failures of award administration have been spectacular). So I’ve scrapped those blog posts for this year and will spend my spoons elsewhere. But new authors, you’re doing great! You made things nobody else ever made or ever could make and that’s absolutely awesome.

#astoundingAward #astoundingaward2025 #newWriters

Agents and editors, what’s a mistake new authors keep making?

Let’s hear from agents, editors, and established authors: What’s a mistake new authors keep making?

I’m going to post this one in Agents on OpenMentions

#errors #mistakes #newWriters #Publishing

https://chat.authorbuzz.co.uk/publishing/agents-and-editors-whats-a-mistake-new-authors-keep-making/

These authors are in their second year of eligibility for the Astounding, meaning that their qualifying work was published in 2022. Their eligibility clocks run out after the Glasgow Worldcon ballot.

Check the #astounding2024 tag for a more complete list of eligible authors and more of these spotlight posts, focusing on authors who qualify with their short fiction.

Parker Ragland has a law degree and experience as a technical writer. His short fiction includes “Sensation and Sensibility” (Clarkesworld), “The Carrion Droid, Zoe, and a Small Flame” (Clarkesworld), and “Cherry-Blossom Droid” (The Dread Machine).

YM Resnick has published flash fiction and short stories, with more to come. Check out “Bashert” (Small Wonders), “Across the Great Divide” (Factor Four), “Magic is Like a Box of Chocolates” (Wyld Flash), and “Shalom Aleichem” (Diabolical Plots).

A.D. Sui is a Ukrainian-born author, formerly an academic and a competitive fencer for Canada. Her recent short stories include “Hunt” (Apparition Lit), “The Succubus and the Store Clerk” (Baffling), “A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Apocalypse Go Down” (Haven Speculative), and “Svitla” (Embroidered Worlds). Her debut novella, The Dragonfly Gambit (Neon Hemlock), drops in 2024.

Nadine Aurora Tabing is a designer and author who lives in the Pacific Northwest with an obscenely adorable Shiba Inu. Her recent stories include “The Conditions for Blooming” (Utopia Science Fiction), “An Inherited Taste” (No Trouble at All), and “The Bright in the Gyre” (Reckoning).

Kanishk Tantia is an Indian immigrant to the U.S. whose recent stories include “The Moonlight Muse” (Solarpunk Magazine), “Gathering Stitches” (Hidden Realms Short Stories), “I Promise I’ll Visit, Ma” (Monstrous Futures), and “Red Berry, White Berry” (Immigrant Sci-Fi Short Stories).

Guan Un lives in Sydney, Australia. His short fiction includes “Re: Your Stone” (Diabolical Plots), “Phoenix Tile” (khōréō), and “Wok Hei St” (Strange Horizons).

Aigner Loren Wilson is a baker, hiker, editor, and writer. Her recent stories include the 2023 Ignyte nominee “To Carve Home in Your Bones” (F&SF), “Building Blocks” (Interzone), “You Who Does Not Exist” (Baffling), and “The Black and White” (Fantasy).

Hannah Yang enjoys painting, guitar playing, and rock climbing. Her short fiction includes “A Girl of Nails and Teeth” (Nightmare), “Inheritance” (Analog), “A Monster in the Shape of a Boy” (Apex), and “How to Make a Man Love You” (Fantasy).

Kelsea Yu is a Taiwanese Chinese American living in the Pacific Northwest. Her short fiction includes “A Scarcity of Sharks” (Reckoning), “Harvest of the Deep” (Fantasy), “The Orchard of Tomorrow” (Clarkesworld), and “Wanted: Bone-White Skull-Patterned Lace Trim” (Pseudopod). The novella Bound Feet earned a Shirley Jackson Award nomination, and the novel It’s Only a Game debuts this year.

David Lee Zweifler has traveled the world and spent long stints in Jakarta, Hong Kong, and New York City. His recent short fiction includes “The Best Buggy Whip You Ever Saw” (Obsolescence), “Catch and Keep” (Creepy Podcast), “Reconnecting” (Martian Magazine), and “Standard Deviation” (Seven Day Weekend).

https://aphowell.com/2024/01/27/2024-astounding-eligible-authors-roundup-3/

#shortStories #astoundingAward #newWriters #nadineAuroraTabing #kanishkTantia #davidLeeZweifler #aignerLorenWilson #aDSui #astounding2024 #parkerRagland #guanUn #hannahYang #kelseaYu #ymResnick

So, my first #FlashFiction format story is "done", but now I need to find someone to edit it for #publication, before submission.

Or, do I submit, and they'll critique/kick back for fixes before publishing themselves?

Learning this as I go, so please be gentle!

#CreativeWriting #Fiction #Writing #Writers #NewWriters