This came up on a writer's market search. http://www.forwriters.com/markets.html

"Writers of the Future is probably the most lucrative market for unpublished science fiction writers around. In addition to being paid for publication, you'll also get a trip to the award ceremonies and a writers workshop."

Woo-hoo! This blurb is much more attractive than others on this page. But, do the winners have any idea that they are about to enter The Truman Show? Imagine being a starry-eyed woggie, circulating in the stratosphere of ego stroking at a gala event!

Then imagine the dark forces which swirl dangerously around you without your knowlege. You are surrounded by Rondroids, and you wonder why their eyes are so shiny, and why they smile at weird times when talking to you. http://writer.lronhubbard.org/page110.htm

It's your moment. You're called to the stage amidst applause. You're feeling all spinny, and they place an award in your hands, which is good because you don't know what to do with them up there on stage.

Did the accoustics garble it, or did the host just say you'd won the 'L. Ron Hubbard Gold Award?

You look at the engraving. Yep. Now, you have a nagging feeling that L. Ron Hubbard is associated with something unpleasant in your memory.

The smile freezes on your face, and you desperately want to get off this stage and sit down. It was when the host said, "humanitarian and author."

You remember now. He founded Scientology. You read a lot about Scientology last summer, after Tom Cruise played jump-monkey on Oprah's couch. You're still pissed off about wasting three hours of your life watching Battlefield Earth, too.

You quietly excuse yourself and head for the bathrooms. You slip out the door and slip away into the night, leaving your L. Ron Hubbard Gold Award under a program on your chair.

You keep the money, however. And you won't spend it on auditing, either.

Despite your feelings about Scientology, you don't realize until later that you are now condemned to a lifetime of receiving every brochure, every promo and advert for services that their PR machine spews out. Forever. And, even worse, your name is now in their brochures as a Winner of the L. Ron Hubbard Gold Award for new writers.

Here you thought you were just entering a writing contest!

--
--barb
Chaplain,ARSCC
xenubarb@netscape.net

"Imagine a church so dangerous, you must sign a release form before you can receive its "spiritual assistance." This assistance might involve holding you against your will for an indefinite period, isolating you from friends and family, and denying you access to appropriate medical care. You will of course be billed for this treatment - assuming you survive it. If not, the release form absolves your caretakers of all responsibility for your suffering and death.

Welcome to the Church of Scientology."

--Dr. Dave Touretzky Peter Alexander

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