Writers of the Future Podcast

I just listened to the January 13 interview with Robert Silverberg. Just superb! Mr. Silverberg was a delight. Considerable candor as he looked back over 50 (or was it 60) years of writing; a bit of probably misplaced criticism on how easy it is for anyone to be "published" these days; and a slew of opinions on many topics (not all writing-related). Sprinkle in a bit of light self-deprecation and you get a great look at a man who wrote and wrote and wrote and also put in 30 wonderful years as a judge of the Writers of the Future contest.

I was ecstatic when I discovered there was a WoTF podcast and so far it has more than fulfilled my expectations! The interviews with Joni and the judges have been very informative and have helped me, as an aspiring writer, to get a much clearer idea of what they’re looking for in this contest. Plus, if you’ve ever gotten an award in the contest, the interview with Dave Farland helps explain why your piece may have placed as it did. I’m also totally loving the interviews with the volume 35 winners as well. Each of their stories (both their IRL backstories and WoTF ones!) has been inspiring and they’ve all given some great advice. It’s refreshing to hear from others who are just breaking into this industry! Finally, though I haven’t been entering the illustrator’s contest, I’ve also appreciated hearing their stories. Visual art was my first love, and it’s so awesome to hear that there are people out there making a living from it. Even if you’re not into visual art, I highly recommend their interviews, too! A lot of it is applicable to writing, and it’s also just cool to hear about their processes for creating their WoTF-featured pieces. So, in conclusion: if you are entering writers or illustrators of the future, you need to be listening to this podcast! Thanks, John, and anyone else that’s helped put this together! It really has proved to be a great resource so far.