I bought a copy of Writers of the Future XI, published in 1995, an anthology of short stories by undiscovered fantasy and science fiction authors. It fueled a desire to write fiction that had lain dormant inside of me for many years. I vowed to write a story and submit it to this contest until I won and let it kick off an illustrious writing career. I was intent on sitting down and writing that first short story. As soon as I could find some time. Like maybe after I finished college and got my degree. I was thirty-five at the time, a non-traditional student at the University of Wyoming, recently separated and raising two girls, 8 and 5, and working fifty hours a week managing the Taco Bell in Laramie, WY.
I was in my third year of starting college over and many of my classes were aimed at broadening my knowledge so I could be a better writer. I had taken literature classes, political philosophy, anthropology, psychology, and history classes. I was listening to a professor of a political philosophy class at the University of Wyoming talk about Nikos Kazantzakis, a Greek author. We were reading portions of his book “Report to Greco”. The professor told us about Kazantzakis and his story. Kazantzakis didn’t finish and publish his first book, Zorba the Greek, until he was sixty-three. He went on to write more books including “The Last Temptation of Christ” which he completed at the age of seventy. With my busy schedule and responsibilities, I didn’t think I had time to write. I told myself, if Kazantsakis could do it after he turned sixty, I could delay the start of my writing career for a few years.
Twenty-two years later, I still hadn’t finished a short story or novel, let alone submitted one to WotF. The 34th anthology was just released and tonight the winner of the Golden Pen award will be announced. After several geographical moves (Wyoming to Missouri to Iowa), another marriage which I learned more lessons from, and many jobs later, I finally submitted my first short story to the Writers of the Future in March of 2018. I also attended a Superstars Writers Conference and learned so much about the business of writing. I am finally taking steps to realize my dream with corresponding actions. I intend to submit another short story this quarter to the WotF and I’m working on two novel ideas. This website is another step in that process and incentive for me to do the work to be in anthology number 35.
I invite you to sign up for my Reader’s Group and be a part of that process.