Writers of the Future, Volume XVI Bridge, $7.99 ISBN 1573182036 Send this review to a friend 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 | |
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