Thoughts on writing contests
| I admit it. I've never been interested in participating in writing contests. Why? I find them useless. Every time I read the guidelines for these contests, I feel like I have to sit and write something to please a few people just to get their approval. And you see, I've got big issues with that. First, I've lived my life just pleasing myself. Second, I'm not much of a approval-seeker. If I were an animal, that would be the cat. I do what I want, when I want - as long as I harm none. Others don't like, fine. They don't have to do what I do, or like what I like, or think as I think. Not long ago I was talking to a fellow aspiring writer, and she mentioned something about entering a contest about "the first kiss" between the hero and the heroine and asked me if I was planning to submit something. So I mentioned her my thoughts on it, and she told me that I shouldn't dismiss them so easily since there are advantages to entering these contests. She mostly went on to point out how these were shortcuts to get published by the "biggies" since sometimes the prizes were having one’s MS read by big-time editors. Perhaps that’s true for a few of them, but honestly I've seen tonz of aspiring romance writers who enter every single contest out, polishing those few chapters over and over and then displaying their winning titles in their signatures, yet they never get published. She also said these contests are a great source to get feedback. Perhaps that's true. But, isn't this feedback subjective? Not everyone "gets" your writing. But that doesn't mean your writing is bad. How about styles? We all have different writing styles. Doesn't that count? Then she told me that one of the advantages to enter a contest is to see what's selling. Personally I disagree. The readers are the ones spending their hard-earned cash on books and ebooks, so for me they're the true measure of what sells. |
posted by Silma at 5:05 PM
Comments on "Thoughts on writing contests"
-
MJFredrick said ... (6:45 PM) :
-
Anonymous said ... (10:02 PM) :
-
Anonymous said ... (6:59 AM) :
-
Unknown said ... (3:46 PM) :
-
Anonymous said ... (3:59 PM) :
-
Anonymous said ... (2:48 AM) :
-
Jax Cassidy said ... (1:43 PM) :
-
Angela's Designs said ... (4:58 PM) :
-
Jill Monroe said ... (8:53 AM) :
post a commentI enter a lot of contests. And I've finalled in a number, sometimes with the same entry. Actually, all of my "good" mss, other than my WIP, which I just entered in, um, four contests, have finalled more than once. And yeah, I haven't sold. But I continue to enter. Here's why.
When the book is new, I enter for feedback. Not of my writing, necessarily, but of the marketability of the book. I may or may not make changes.
Once the ms has a final under its belt, I retire it, and use that final in my query letters if the manuscript is not requested. (I know, some editors think finals are meaningless, but I feel affirmed.) So far, only one ms has not been requested by the judging editor.
If the book is rejected (which, clearly, they've all been or I wouldn't be unpublished), I start contesting it again, targeting different editors, more senior editors, or houses that don't take queries from unagented writers. The final judge is the first thing I look at when choosing a contest.
So I don't feel like I'm writing TO someone (though I know some of my mss won't do as well in contests because of certain elements) but I want to see how readers react to my writing.
You know, I wish I'd put this many words on my story today :)
All feedback is subjective, whether from contests, crits, whatever.
I have never entered a contest other than the Divas' BOH. Yeah, occasionally, I've felt like I might be missing out on something, but the bottom line is I know I don't write good contest mss. That's not to say the stories aren't good, but nothing I've written would do well in a contest.
I know this because I have read a bunch of contest scoresheets, and I've judged my own stories based on them. And I know that if I were a judge receiving one of my mss as an entry, I wouldn't score it well, based on the scoring criteria. But not necessarily blased on the quality of the writing.
Case in point: My first ms has an awesome kiss in it. It's my favorite of all I've written. But I'll never enter it in a "kiss" contest simply because all the scoresheets mention a balance of action v. dialogue, and this scene has NO dialogue. But IMHO, it doesn't need it. It's a great scene as is, but it's not a good contest scene.
It's true that contests can be a shortcut to get your work in front of agents/editors, but that certainly doesn't mean it's a gauranteed sale. I've heard of ms after ms after ms that have finaled multiple times but never sold.
And I think I've rambled on without saying anything helpful for long enough. That'll teach me to try to comment while watching Rock Star: INXS. *gg*
I've only entered three contests. I've kind of been put off because the first chapter of one of my manuscripts did horrendously bad in a contest. The scores were all over the place from a 1 to a 4 (the highest possible score). I knew then that everything is subjective and not everyone likes the same sort of story. I tightened up the manuscript using suggestions from the judge who really hated it. Two weeks later, it sold. So, I guess it was a positive experience.
About contests . . . they are all subjective. Because no two people's tastes are going to be the same. One person might like a chaste kiss for the first kiss and another a rock me to the core kiss. And depending on what you enter and who gets your submission . . .
I believe to enter a contest you have to have a reason. And it should be your's and your's alone.
I've only entered one contest. I've thought about entering others and never did. Why? Because it wasn't right for me at the time. The one I did enter was The Maggie. I wanted the two critiques from published authors. One didn't *get* me. The other *I think* based on her comments loved my entry. The one that liked it was a suspense novelists. I know because she typed up a two page sheet of comemnts and signed it. The other based on her comments on the manuscript liked a lot narrative and did not read suspense. All I got from her were comments on the entry itself and a not on synposis. . . . "This is an unbelievable and unsatifying ending." "You make the reader mad and they'll just stop reading". "You're hero doesn' act like a hero." This is the story I just sold to Triskelion. I did not change the ending. . . btw.
Ok, I've gone on enough I think for now.
The only contests I've entered are the ones from Romance Divas. Because they're free, so I've got nothing to lose. ;)
I just don't feel like spending $30 a contest to have people shred my writing. I have a CP to tear it apart and tell me where I went wrong. And I trust her judgment.
And like you said, I've seen people who've finalled in gazillions of contests but still haven't sold. I'd rather concentrate on submitting to editors and agents rather than contests.
In the past, I've used contests as a way to train myself to write to deadline. In this respect, I think they're good.
Contests are a lot like book reviews - they're subjective. They're a good way to see if you've hit the mark with a new idea or something you're experimenting with, but IMO you're better off writing a full manuscript and submitting it to an agent or publisher. That way you know you can complete a manuscript.
Having said that, I'm going to enter said competition you're talking about just for fun.
The problem with contests are that most folks who final spend way too much time polishing the first three chapters and neglect the rest. I know quite a few writers who have won or finaled in contests and I've yet to see them published. It's tough to see all the wins and not get anywhere. I'm with you on the reasons you don't enter and mainly that's the reason I don't enter. I would think I'm a good writer, but in contests I do awful. I told myself I'd never enter contests again, but lately I've been going over the Golden Heart. Sure it's a hefty penny, but I'd like to have it under my belt. There are a few prestigious ones and maybe I should look into those. But it's not all about getting it to the editors and agents, like anyone.. I want to win.
I should shut up. I'm rambling.
I've never entered a contest. I wrote a story for a publisher-sponsored challenge but didn't meet the deadline due to work. Those catch my eye because all the entries get in front of that publisher. Also, I've talked to authors who've received requests after entering their chapter at Romance Junkies.
Excellent post.
Okay, so I'll let everyone know that I was and author who sold through a contest. The judging editor asked to see the partial, then the full. Then a set of revisions, and a month after that - THE CALL.
This manuscript also BOMBED in the GH, so really, it's all a crapshoot.
I had a love/hate relationship with contests. I spent a lot of money on them, and obviously it worked for me, but I finaled in my first contest in 1999 and sold in 2003 - it took a while.
Feedback is fine, but I get that from my cps. And yes, I think that contests can really make a manuscript awfully bland.
I think if a person looks at them as a way to get their foot in the door to an editor, bypassing the query/slush pile stage, then they'll be in good shape.