Writers of the Future Podcast

Writers of the Future 35 writer winner, Carrie Callahan, has been writing since she was a child and talks about her journey to become a professional writer. Despite the poverty in her youth, she has persisted and is now a professional. She has always had to write and has always wanted to be a writer. She has learned that writing as an author is different than writing as a writer and that writing is a muscle you can flex and strengthen. Learn more at: carriecallahan.com

Ciruelo Cabral began creating his art in Buenos Aires, Argentina and moved to Barcelona, Spain where he became a world-famous fantasy artist, specializing in dragons. Art is not just a career. You need to know what kind of person you are as an artist. You need to keep the passion you started with. Ciruelo is now an Illustrators of the Future judge helping new artists and a regular guest of DragonCon, where this interview is being conducted. Ciruelo can be found at http://www.dac-editions.com/

Echo Chernik is the Coordinating Judge for the Illustrators of the future Contest discusses what the Contest looks for in illustration submissions. It must be illustration vs fine art. She then defines the difference between illustration & art. Lazarus addresses the agency side of illustration: can it tell a story and is it executed well.

Science fiction fantasy landscape artist Bruce Brenneise (volume 34 winner)talks about art direction and the importance of setting your ego aside. You are fulfilling someone else's vision. You are selling creative problem solving to a client. "If I have a disagreement, I take a beat, let any anxieties calm down, then have a calm professional discussion on the best route to take for the project." He recommends biting your tongue until you build a rep as an artist. The sooner you can figure out what kind of artist you are, the better, as you will find clients that will be best for you. Learn more at www.BruceBrenneise.com

Robert J. Sawyer, Dean of Science Fiction in Canada, discusses the importance of diversity in science fiction and fantasy and the value of Writers of the Future in providing a smorgasbord of techniques and styles in writing SF&F and the importance of paying it forward to the community as unique to the genre.

Brian C. Hailes was an Illustrators of the Future winner in 2002. We met up at Salt Lake City FanX and had a chance to talk about his career and thoughts for aspiring artists. With an art career, people don't care what kind of degree you have, they want to see your stuff. Can it sell. Can you make them money? The portfolio is key. They aren't going to hire you if you have a doctorate degree. And you need to tailor your portfolio to the account you are going to pitch. Stay true to your passion and the style that you are best at. Validation is a key part of the Illustrators of the Future Contest and being taught by world-class artists. It is the Academy Awards of Writers and Illustrators. You have to be a great artist. Have to meet your deadlines. Have to be good to work with. You can usually get away with two of the three if you are an established artist. If you are a new artist, you need to have all three. Contact Brian at hailesart.com

Listen to the panel recorded at Salt Lake City FanX 2019. How do you write short stories that sell? Writers of the Future judges, Kevin J. Anderson, Jody Lynn Nye, Todd McCaffrey, Contest winner Brian Lee Durfee, and Galaxy Press staff Emily Goodwin and John Goodwin discuss the Contest, tips on story prompts and short fiction. They then answer questions from the audience. One hour long.

Larry Elmore, while working for TSR Inc. help set the standards for gaming art by creating covers for Dungeons & Dragons, AD&D, Star Frontiers, and Dragonlance. He has freelanced since 1987, creating cover art and commissions and has been an Illustrators of the Future judge since 2012. In this interview, Larry provides what he considers very important ̶ there is no silver spoon to being an artist. It takes hard work, finding the points you are weak in and working to fix them, and ultimately doing the best you can.

Learn facts and figures of how blood donations save lives in this interview with Galen Unold, Director of the LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, in this interview at the DragonCon Heinlein Memorial Blood Drive where nearly 1,000 copies of L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 35 were donated to be given to blood donators. Also, learn more about the long-term friendship between Mr. Heinlein and Mr. Hubbard

Listen to the panel recorded at DragonCon2019. How do you become one of the 12 winners to be published in the annual anthology? Writers of the Future judges, Kevin J. Anderson, Rebecca Moesta, Larry Niven, Jody Lynn Nye, Tim Powers, Brandon Sanderson, Robert J. Sawyer, discuss the Contest, tips on story prompts and short fiction. They then answer questions from the audience. One hour long.