Now in its 41st year, the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest has been shaping the next wave of genre storytellers—turning starry-eyed dreamers into published sci-fi and fantasy authors with a legacy that’s as cosmic as the stories themselves. Find out more about the contest here.
All winners of the contest get their short stories and illustrations included in the anthology for that year – this year is Volume 41 – and we spoke to one of those winners, Andrew Jackson, to find out more about his story ‘Code L1’…
Congratulations on your story, ‘Code L1’ being one of the winning stories in the 41st edition of L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future. What does this accolade mean for you and your writing?
It’s a great personal and professional validation. The publication along with so many other talented authors and the Hollywood experience made me believe that I could have a long and successful career in writing. I keep my trophy on my writing desk as a reminder!
What did you learn at the masterclass? Can you share your top three takeaways/tips?
One of the most important lessons I learned was the importance of community and connections. Writing can be lonely, and having peers and mentors makes a massive difference. Jody Lynn Nye, who edited the anthology, was so kind to me – lifting me up when I was struggling in the workshops and constantly being approachable and understanding.
Make time for your writing. Show up when you really don’t want to. A bad page can be fixed. A blank page cannot.
Find your own niche. You’ll have so much great advice from so many great writers, but their processes might not work one-to-one for you. Take what works for you and become yourself.
What impact do you think winning will have?
It’s already hugely changed my attitude to writing. I believe it will make me push on and use this success to launch more projects. It’s a big publishing credit, and it will help open doors in the industry in future. I feel immortalised!
Please tell us about the premise behind your story. (What is Code L1?! How did you choose the title?)
Code L1 follows a survey team prospecting and signing off real estate on alien worlds. On this occasion, the team come across an extinct alien civilisation but soon discover that despite this, they are not alone, and rapidly come under threat.
A Code L1 is a company term for signs of intelligent civilisation (rare, compared to an L2, for lesser life forms). Roughly translated, it means life. I was lucky that the title immediately jumped out at me, rather than having to grope for it afterwards, as often happens! I felt the title was unique, and tied together the story’s themes of life-but-not-as-we-know-it and the big eternal question – what happens when we die?
What was the inspiration?
I was heavily influenced by two of my favourite sci-fi authors who have both explored life/ascension after death and a universe where life is exceedingly rare, due to terrible, nonhuman factors. After unconsciously meditating on all this, I felt I had my own story to tell. I looked out of the window at the beginning of summer, saw a lot of greenery, and off I went!
Did the story grow over time, or arrive in a flash of inspiration? How did it shift and change as you wrote it? (Or perhaps it is as you first imagined it?)
It was one of these exceedingly uncommon stories that just flowed out in two or three long sittings. I found myself surprised often by my next sentence but just let it lead me. I was never quite sure what would happen next. I initially had planned it to be around 3-5k words for that sweet submission spot, but it decided it wanted to grow. It seemed to want to be told.
What kind of writer are you: get it out of your head and onto the page/meticulous planner and plotter? Talk us through your writing process.
I like to have a couple of thoughts about where the next scene will go. I’ll think about it when away from the screen and make the odd note at the bottom of the document. But if I plan too much, I feel my creativity getting stifled. Rough guidelines work better for me than a detailed map, and if my brain runs away, so be it. True spontaneity is wonderful but the longer a piece gets, the more I find it needs planning. It’s very hard to fluidly write an entire novel.
For those of us who are not conversant – please explain the Fermi Paradox!
The Fermi Paradox is a question asked by the physicist Enrico Fermi, basically asking why, if life is theoretically possible across the billions of stars out there, why we haven’t seen any evidence of it. The universe is ancient, and there should be some sign of past interstellar travel or alien activity. Maybe we should even have been visited by now.
I’m not much of a scientist, but I am a dreamer, and I don’t like to think that intelligent life, while maybe mathematically rare, would necessarily evolve in the way we’d expect it to. The aliens in Code L1 lived in an advanced society that had nothing to do with the universe at large.
How important is the relationship between story (words) and illustration?
When we read, we’re constantly creating pictures in our minds, based on our experience. It’s a very visual medium. We were very lucky to have our own dedicated artists for our stories in the anthology. It was fascinating to see how they envisioned our stories, using our words to create their own pictures. My own artist stunned me with her work. Illustration – even just as a book cover – helps bring a story to life.
How would you characterise your own relationship with stories?
I’ve always been quiet; a thinker with plenty to say but not much good with my mouth, so I use my pen instead. I find that telling stories helps me get through dark times. I enjoy the escapism of living as someone else for a while and getting all my thoughts out in a creative way. I’m a bit like a sponge. I absorb a lot and then every now and then I’ve got to wring myself out.
Have you always enjoyed reading fantasy and science fiction? Who are your favourite authors?
It’s always been my go-to genre, for maximum escapism! I’ve read it as long as I can remember. Some of my favourite authors are Iain M. Banks, Alastair Reynolds, China Mieville, and Stephen King. I always know I’m in for a rich, wild journey reading them.
Have you always wanted to write – and what was it that made you decide to (metaphorically!) put pen to paper? Do you write full-time or fit it into the corners of your day?
I’ve written since I was around twelve, when I found that creating gave me a real sense of purpose and fun. I took several long breaks but I’ve always come drifting back. At the moment, I squeeze writing in where I can around work and family and life, but I always try to find a spare minute. Full-time is the dream!
What advice would you give a would-be/trying-to-make-it-happen writer?
Expect rejections, because the greatest authors started in the same place you are now. Just keep persevering and putting yourself out there. Keep learning and listening and creating. Never give up – the world needs your voice.
A great place for a writer to start is the free online workshop at WritersoftheFuture.com. It’s packed with workshops and exercises and interviews with masters of the craft.
And what’s next? What are you working on? What’s the dream?!
I’m submitting a few short pieces to magazines and revisiting an older sci-fi novella that I really want to get out there. There is also a novel in the trunk that needs a major rewrite, along with a short story collection I’ve been planning for a long time.
My ultimate dream is to have a space opera series on the shelves along with the sci-fi greats. Watch this “space”!
Featuring 15 illustrated short stories by the year’s contest winners—hand-selected by some of the biggest names in the field—Writers of the Future Volume 41 is now available in print, ebook, and audiobook editions. Order your copy and discover the future of science fiction and fantasy.
