Friday, October 05, 2007

One aspect of L. Ron Hubbard's personal philosophy was to help people accomplish all they were capable of accomplishing. One aspect of his doing this was the Writers and Illustrators of the Future contest and the Science Fiction and Fantasy publication by that same name that appears is published annually.

According to the Writers of the Future web site, the contest was first established and sponsored by L. Ron Hubbard in 1983, " at discovering, and eventually publishing, deserving amateur and aspiring writers."

But his supporting of artists, and providing the means by which they could gain exposure or improve their skill began far earlier than that.

For example, in his essay "Search for Research" Ron begins with a familiar problem (familiar to any writer, that is):

"All of us want to sell more stories and write better ones. It is hard to believe that there exists a writer with soul so dead that he would not. But, from careful observation, I have come to the heart-breaking conclusion that while writers usually want to do this, they generally fail to try."

And the essay goes on to give some really helpful tips to writers and would-be writers, which apply as much today as they did back then (and you can read these tips online).


I like to help others and count it as my greatest pleasure in life to see a person free himself of the shadows which darken his days.— Scientology Founder, L. Ron Hubbard