Writers of the Future, Volume XVI
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Starting out in science fiction
It's never easy to get that first, big break in the world of publishing, but aspiring science fiction writers at least have a good place to start. Writers of the Future, started in 1983 by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, is an ongoing contest for the Arthur C. Clarke wannabes of the world. Three winners are selected each quarter by panels of experienced science fiction writers, such as Anne McCaffrey, Frederick Pohl and Tim Powers. The winners receive cash prizes ($1,000 for first place each quarter), but more importantly for some, they also get to see their stories in print. The winning entries are published in an annual anthology. The most recent anthology, Writers of the Future, Volume XVI offers an excellent chance to sample the imaginative, if sometimes unpolished, work of the up-and-coming SF crowd. Brief author bios reveal that the contestants work in all sorts of occupations (software, medicine, public relations, even one stand-up comedian) while dreaming of careers as science fiction writers. Perhaps they can take heart from the record of previous winners. Organizers report that of the 200 winners selected since the contest began, 130 have gone on to become professional writers. The flights of fancy recorded in Writers of the Future, Volume XVI range from a rebellion by humanoid robots to an unexpected visit from a time machine. William Brown's "Home Grown" depicts a future Earth in which gene-spliced robots diligently tend to the needs of their master. The creator learns too late that his genetic manipulations left his humanoid servants with slightly too much emotional capacity. In "A Conversation with Schliegelman," Dan Barlow uses a hilarious "who's-on-first" conversational style to explore the mystery of a time machine that has landed in the home of a physics professor. If the stories collected here whet your appetite, you can sample more of the winners in The Best of Writers of the Future (Bridge, $14.95, ISBN 1573182044), which features some of the best stories from the contest's first eight years. Details on how to enter the contest are provided in each of the books. For more ideas on how to make your mark as a science fiction writer, check out The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Science Fiction (Alpha Books, $16.95, ISBN 0028639183). Authors Cody Doctorow and Karl Schroeder offer upbeat, detailed advice on creating your own space odyssey and seeing it through to publication.
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