36-year-old Joel was taken completely by surprise by the accomplishment, which saw the lawyer earn a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Hollywood to work with some of the industry’s biggest names.
Just back from his trip to Los Angeles, where he undertook a ten-day set of workshops, life has been a whirlwind for Joel, who also appeared at a red-carpet black-tie gala.
The talented writer also appeared at an exclusive winner’s book signing for the latest edition of ‘Writers of the Future’ with publishers of the industry in attendance, to fulfill a dream he never thought would come true.
“I always fancied writing, had ideas, and was always daydreaming stories and so forth,” said Joel after returning from the event.
“In so much of my childhood, every bank holiday we would go away in the caravan at Easter, half-terms, and summer, etc. I’d always have a stack of books in the days before the Kindle.
“When I was about 10 or 12, a family friend went with us and had The Hobbit. I picked it up and read the first couple of pages.
“I was absolutely mesmerised and would just sit there all afternoon completely glued to this book. I thought, just wow… and it opened my eyes to fantasy as the genre that I liked reading the most. Before that, it was children’s books on various things.
“Aside from fantasies, I have always loved science-fiction movies, my dad is a big Star Wars fan, and we always watched them growing up.
“Also, I loved the ‘Neverending Story’, which we had a copy of on video that I carried around when I was small – I watched it so many times.
“It has always been fantasy, magic, and science fiction for me.”
For Joel, writing was never really an option as a career choice, and says in the 90s whilst growing up, it wasn’t the done thing. With fears of being ridiculed, he would use the rational as an excuse not to follow his dreams, moving into a successful career in Law.
Now that he has children of his own, Joel has taken a leap of faith and wants to show to them that their dreams and hopes can come true.
“Being from Swansea, I had a very working-class background, and hearing about writing wasn’t really the sort of thing you’d see in growing in the 90s and noughties,” said Joel.
“I trained as a Lawyer in university but have always been interested in writing and was obsessed with reading as a kid.
“I pursued a career in law, and it has some long hours which is quite demanding. The writing then had to take a back seat.
“I used to commute in the days before lockdown from Swansea to Cardiff. On the train home, I used to write little stories, not taking it seriously.
“Then my daughter was born, and it was a transformational moment for me really because I wanted to be my best self and I also wanted her to follow her dreams.
“I thought I can’t really tell her that and not have done it myself. So, I thought I’m going to make a proper go of writing.
“Not long after that, I found this competition ‘Writers of the future’ which is on Science Fiction/Fantasy, which is the genre I tend to write.
“I wrote a short story about 15,000 words that had to be published last year.
“I tried to make what I wrote light and conversational, and I like to have the language stripped back. In my job, as a lawyer, where I tend to have to write legal advice, I always try to make it clear, so I strayed away from just trying to be pretentious using big words.
“It has to be accessible and easy to read. I want to tell a story, and I don’t want fancy words to get in the way of it. I want anyone to pick up and read it.
“The end of last year then I had a phone call from a lady over in Hollywood saying I was one of the three winners of a competition, and they’d be flying me out on a week-long writer’s workshop with writers, judges, and workshop tutors.
“As an aspiring writer, it can be quite tough as I have a full-time job, two young children, and a wife.
“My head hadn’t stopped spinning to think; it’s just a bit mad and surreal. Something like this doesn’t happen to people like me.”
As one of twelve winners of the 2025 contest, Joel was lucky enough to gain a deep dive into the processes involved in developing from an amateur writer to a professional in the event held between 3-12 April.
Workshops were provided by various multiple award-winning authors in the Science Fiction in both novel writing and short story format.
Held on Hollywood Boulevard, advice and guidance was presented and led by World Fantasy Award winner Tim Powers (The Anubis Gates) and the contest’s co-ordinating judge, Jody Lynn Nye (Mythology 101).
Joel also had the privilege to hear from numerous guest speakers during the week. Some of the biggest names in science fiction and fantasy such as Larry Niven (Ringworld), Orson Scott Card (Ender’s Game), Nancy Kress (Beggars in Spain) and Robert J. Sawyer (Flashforward) amongst several others.
The hidden part of the industry was also discussed with sessions on how to market yourself, approach agents approach the commercial side of writing amongst the jam-packed agenda.
During the week Joel was tasked to write a story in twenty-four hours to read to the rest of the workshop and panel.
Joel explains It was a surreal experience to meet such huge names in the industry and invaluable to hear their writing advice, pitfalls, and anecdotes.
“I had to pinch myself every day that it wasn’t a dream,” continued Joel.
“It is meant as a launch pad to find the next bunch of writers, as there have been previously 15 New York Times best sellers that have previously won this competition. It is quite a unique opportunity.
“On one part of the week, we undertook a 24-hour story challenge, where each of us twelve writers were given a random object and told to go and write a complete story inspired by that object within 24 hours.
“I was given a broken piece of polystyrene! It was a tough challenge, but it got me thinking about my process for writing, and thankfully, I managed to complete it on time. Although the vast majority of my story was written in the final four hours!
“One of the highlights of the week was the art reveal, where us writers got to see the illustrations for our stories for the first time. I was completely blown away by the artwork for my story, “The Stench of Freedom”, which was illustrated by John Barlow, one of the winners of the illustrators’ side of the contest. It was a really special moment.
“The climax of the week was the annual awards gala, which was held at the Taglyan Complex. It was a proper black-tie red-carpet affair, and we were driven down in a stretch limousine.
“It was a bit surreal, as there were journalists and media from not just the US but also China and elsewhere, and I was asked to pose for photos and give interviews, it was like being a celebrity for a night.
“All the winners (writers and illustrators) gave an acceptance speech, which was pretty nerve-wracking but at the same time a really emotional and exhilarating experience.
“The keynote speakers at the gala included Ron Clements, who was the director of The Little Mermaid, Moana, and many more Disney movies, as well as the poet, scientist and astronaut, Dr. Sian Proctor. Both were very inspiring, and you can watch the gala on the Writers of the Future website.”
With the world in his hands, or pen so to speak, Joel just has one wish.
“I would be so happy for someone to pick up one of my stories and just have the same reaction as I did (to reading) all those years ago.”
Writers of the Future Volume 41 is now available in the US and Canada, as well as in ebook, and will be on sale in the UK from 18 June 2025.
[Lead image: Joel Scoberg]
Wow! I wish Joel Scoberg lots of success as an author. If he wishes a professional career as such, I truly hope he succeeds and so shows his children to pursue your dreams! Even though I think Joel did prove his children already! His story so far sounds like a dream!
Of course there is always more to be had, so I hope his next dream also becomes a reality and that one day many readers will have that same reaction he had which started it all.
Congrats, Joel!!!