CONTESTS - The Competitive Art for Writers

Most unpublished authors, at least those who are members of RWA, invertibly wonder—are contests for me?  Perhaps. 

On the positive side, contests can provide invaluable feedback.  Anonymous judges are often a better indicator of your writing ability than friends, family and even critique partners.  And if you final, you can get the attention of editors and agents

The negatives?  First contests are expensive.  If you decide to take the plunge, make sure you keep a tally of those deductible expenses.  And while contests provide good feedback, you occasionally will get a judge who simply doesn’t get it…or you. 

Should you decide to take the plunge into the contest waters, here are a few hints:

• First, make sure you entry is the best it can be.  Then, download a copy of the scoresheet and rate your entry—be honest.  Fix those pacing and dialogue issues.
• Know your genre.  You can bet most of the judges will.
• No prologues.
• No backstory in first five pages.  Absolutely NONE.
• Double-check spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
• Don’t just get feedback before you submit your entry—get lots of feedback.  Find someone who bores easily and is brutally honest. 
• End your entry with a hook—even if you fall short of the allowable pages or word count.
• Enter contests that drop the lowest score.  Our business is a subjective one.  The odds of getting one judge who doesn’t like your story/voice/style are very high.  Improve your odds by getting her score eliminated.
• Once you submit your entry, get back to writing.
• Once you get the contest results, get back to writing.

Whether you win, place, or get a no-go, celebrate!  Then, honestly consider all feedback.  Does the comment have merit?  Has more than one person made a similar comment?  If the answer is yes, rework your entry and try again.  If you get a low score you feel is undeserved, remember contests are a microcosm of the reading public.  Some people will love you, some won’t.  So  reinforce your sense of humor (i.e, buck up).

 
And most important, believe in yourself.  One study showed that people with high expectations get what they want nine out of ten times.    To improve your chances of winning, combine this believe with the suggestions above. J