Contests: A Proving Ground

by Alexis Walker

Unpublished writers can gain much from writing contests

Contestsare a great way to hone a writer’s skill and develop good author habitsas long as the contest route is taken with “practice” in mind. Likemaking the Olympic team, we need to develop a routine, exercise ourmuscles, practice our art, and enter competitions, so when we make thepublishing team, we have a solid foundation on which to build and wewon’t let our teammates down.

Butwe must be very conscious of how we approach this path and what ourexpectations are. If we enter contests simply hoping our entry willpass the test of the first-round judges who will pass it along to thefinal judge who will then request the full manuscript, and love it somuch they’ll decide to publish it, then we are losing out on theeducation that can be gained from the experience itself. Not everycompetition will be won, but we can take something away from everycompetition entered.

The Reality

Feedbackis probably the most controversial area of entering a contest. Horrorstories abound about the belittling judge who told a writer never towrite another word. To me, this type of critique tells me more aboutthe judge than the work. However, it amazes me that a writer willreceive feedback from three judges and two will offer wonderful praiseand the third will trash it. The writer can’t stop talking about, and,yes, obsessing over, the negative feedback. Granted, positive critiquesdon’t give you a lot to work on, but, for some reason, we always focuson the one negative. Are our egos really so delicate? For writers,they’d better not be, or trips to the psychologist will far outpacetrips to the bank!

Yes,getting a harsh critique can be tough, but guess what? Editors andagents are not all going to have the same opinion. They aren’t going tolike the same genres, writing styles, voices, and plot lines. They willcome to your manuscript with their own personal biases and beliefs,just as the many volunteer judges do for our chapter contests. Someeditors will think my manuscript needs work. Others may think it shouldbe thrown in the trash (though they won’t say so), and then, there willbe that one editor who thinks my story has great potential and willwant to publish it.

Noticethe similarity? The judging portion of the contest world is simply amicrocosm of the publishing world. It is a competition for your Olympicmanuscript. Feedback from the “good” judges is like our coaches sharingtheir experience and wisdom. The feedback from the “bad” judge is theopposing team’s trash talk. Are we really going to waste time on trashtalk?

Building Self-Judgment

So,having entered a contest and received all this feedback (whether wellexplained or poorly judged), you now need to review it and separate thewheat from the chaff. What will make the manuscript better, and whatwon’t? If more than one judge makes a similar comment, it is easier todetermine whether a change should be made. But, many times it is onlyone judge’s opinion. Do you make the change or not?

Thisdecision making process is important not only to the quality of thestory, but also to the future of the writer. Why? Because oncepublished, an author has an editor, one judge who will give feedbackand request changes. Most of the time, especially with new authors,every change will be made, but what if a requested change just isn’tright for the story? If 98% of editor feedback is right on the money,how will we recognize that remaining 2%? Will we know when we need tonegotiate that point? By entering contests, we can hone this skill ofdetermining what can be changed and what might destroy the whole effectof the story.

Beyond the First Three Chapters

I’mnot sure how many people look for contests based on what is requested,but I do. The “first 25 pages and a synopsis” requirements can be foundin dozens of contests. After submitting those pages to a few, I don’tfeel the need for more feedback, unless of course, that final judge ismy dream agent or editor. I like to look for unique contests, forexample: the MERWA Synopsis contest, the EVA Query contest, the IEPicture This contest (which is any scene), OVRWA’s Summer Sizzlecontest (which is a scene filled with sexual tension), the ARWABreak-up Contest (which is the dark moment), or the KYOWA Bold as Brasscontest (which is a scene with your heroine showing she has, um . . .guts).

Thereare a number of contests out there that focus on specific areas of yourwork. Why bother with these? How will they help you get published?Well, one of the common complaints I have heard from agents and editorsis that those golden first three chapters are excellent, polished, andwell crafted. Then, the full is requested and it completely fallsapart.

Asfar as I know, there is only one contest where the full manuscript isinitially read, the Australia Romance Writers Emerald Award. So, withthat in mind, the next best thing is to see where you stand in otherimportant aspects of your story. Let’s face it, if you are writing asteamy romance and your sexual tension is lacking, then a rewrite maybe in order. The same can go for your black moment, your ability toshow and not tell, etc. These contests give you the chance to getaspects of your story you are not completely confident in judged andcritiqued by people who don’t know you.  

Tight Writing

Thiswas an unexpected benefit I found to entering contests. Those drattedpage length requirements can actually help you fine tune a veryimportant skill, tight writing. How do you fit everything you want thejudges to read inside the page limit, especially as the going advice isto leave the judge with a hook? This takes some strategizing.

Ilook at the page count and find a good hook somewhere after the pagelimit, preferably no more than five pages beyond. Then, I go through mypages with a fine tooth comb, cutting every extra word and every tidbitof information that seemed critical before but, with the page limit, issuddenly not so critical now. The margins are strict, as are the linesper page, so it is really your writing that needs to be tightened up ifyou want to leave the judge wanting more.

Thisis a very helpful benefit if you’re like me and writing short doesn’thappen much. Practicing it enough times can really pay off. So, as apublished author, when you submit your next book to your editor, youalready have the skill to go through the entire manuscript and tightenit up. Or, better yet, you write a tighter book to start with!

Writing Under Deadline

Thiswas the initial reason I started entering contests. My concern was thatwhen I started writing my first novel, I had no deadline. No editor waswaiting in the wings. I realized that writing without a deadline was aluxury a published author wouldn’t have. As a result, I startedentering contests. As a result, I had a set amount of time to get thatentry in or lose my money. There’s nothing like the great dollar billto motivate oneself.

Atfirst, I was doing the “come into work late gig” because I had been upuntil two minutes before the midnight deadline to get in my entry, butI soon figured out how to structure my time better. This can be aninvaluable skill to learn. For me, it has come in handy with requestsfor full manuscripts from agents. I always review my manuscript onemore time before sending it out because I know I will find other placesto tweak. This has given me the confidence to believe that, when myfuture editor requests my next book by a given date, I will be able tomeet that deadline.

Somecontests, after you final, allow you to take the judges’ comments andrevise before submitting to the final judge. It’s not on the scale ofdoing revisions on a whole book for an editor, but it certainly givesyou a taste of things to come. This is truly a skill that will benefitus as we make the transition from unpublished to published. And whatbetter place to practice than with contests, where your biggest lossmight be a few bucks if you don’t get it in on time--versus yourreputation if you can’t make a deadline as an author?

Name Recognition

Regardingname recognition, we need to be realistic. Having your unpublished workfinal or win a few contests is not going to make you a best seller.However, it’s a tiny step in the right direction. Many contests willannounce finalists and winners in the RWR. How fun to see your name inthe National publication! Pretty soon, your writing buddies arewatching for you, too.  In addition, contest finalists and winners are always posted on the sponsoring chapter’s Web site.

Plus,you have one more accomplishment to crow about on your variouslistservs. The fun about crowing to your listservs is not that you arepromoting yourself, but that you can tell people from the world ofromance publishing who can truly appreciate your success. Ever try toexplain to your hair stylist what making PRO means? Trust me; it’s justtoo subtle a concept.

And,something I just learned: there is a Web site out there called ContestDivas that lists contest finalists. I checked it out and, sure enough,there I am. Once we join the ranks of the published, we are going tohave to market ourselves, so this is a good habit to develop. Sometimeswe have a difficult time blowing our own horn, but our future publisherwill prefer we do, so we might as well practice.

Building Credentials

Placingin a contest can build your credentials while still un-published. Ithought this was a no-brainer, a finalist placement to add to my queryletters. This shows I’m not only serious about this work, but that Imight actually be able to string a few words together.

Well,guess what? There is some controversy over this because being afinalist means you didn’t win the contest. Wins are a given, butcommunicating that you finaled tells the agent or editor that youdidn’t win because if you did win, you would say so.

Havinggone to numerous conferences and listened to agents talk about queryletters, as well as having read umpteen agent blogs where this topiccame up, I say go ahead and list the contest finals. Why? Over and overyou hear that you should state that you are a member of RWA. Heck, ifpaying $85 a year is all it takes to get one leg up on the competition,imagine what a contest final can do for you. And once published, thecontests don’t go away. People like to back winners, and readers liketo read award winners. Being able to add to your Web site that you’re aGolden Heart winner or a RITA finalist is certainly not going to hurtyour fan base.

Putting It Out There

Forsome unpublished writers, it‘s hard to send their creations out intothe world and let others criticize. But, if you can’t cut the stringsnow, how do you expect to get published? You have to send themanuscript out.

Contests make you practice formattingyour work, just like you’ll have to do for agents and publishers. Theymake you trim that synopsis to five pages, just as the agents andeditors will do. And, they also make you send your work off to be readby complete strangers! It’s amazing how freeing it can be.
Withno empty nest syndrome, you find you have the freedom to work onediting that other work in progress or to start a new story. Besides,now you’ll have mail to wait for that’s not a bill.  

Sometimeswe think that once published, we will never see a rejection ever again.Wrong. There is no guarantee every story idea you have is going to bebought by your first editor. So, getting comfortable with sending yourbaby out into the cold, cruel world is important. We, as unpublishedauthors, forget that the world is just as cold after publication asbefore. In fact, published authors have to send their printed babies toreviewers, and not all reviewers will like their work. In that case, the rejection is put in print for everyone to read. Ouch!

Positive Reinforcement

Wehave all heard of the author who said she had enough rejections towallpaper her office. I’m sincerely hoping no one has ever done that.Rejections on the wall are negative energy better left filed in adrawer somewhere. When you enter a contest and you do final or win, youusually get a nifty certificate. If you get one, hang it on the wall.Display it. Add your finalist position or award to your Web site. Toutyour win to your writers’ listserv. Take in all that joy, that feelingof accomplishment, and float on the thought that you just might havesomething . . . for as long as you can. This positive reinforcementthat says you’re on the right track will help you stay on track. Thosecertificates on the wall can remind you that you do not have a crazydream, you have a potential career, and you need to sit your butt infront of your computer and make it happen.

Howdoes this temporary euphoria help you once published? Well, believe itor not, there are a number of very successful writers out there whostill doubt their own work. They still call their critique partner of12 years and say “I’m halfway through this thing and it’s a mess. I’mgoing to trash it!” Then, at the next RWA conference you see “RitaFinalist” on their badge for the very same work. I can’t imagine everbeing so good at something that you don’t need a few kudos thrown yourway every once in a while to remind yourself that you really can dothis.

Appreciation

Ifyou have entered a contest, you know the feeling you get when yourentry comes back in the mail and you haven’t won. You haven’t evenfinaled. You tear it open and start looking at the feedback. Then, youlet it sit for awhile because you just don’t have the energy to makethe changes quite yet. You need to sit on them, let them percolate.But, something you can and should do in the meantime is thank thejudges. It’s a bit strange because you don’t know who they are, butthey have volunteered their time away from their own writing anddeserve a thank you. It’s not an easy job judging manuscripts.

This appreciation is good practice for once you are published, as well.  Youbecome part of a publishing team. Yes, you wrote the book, but youragent sold it, your editor helped make it awesome, and the marketingdepartment gave you a great cover. True, they are paid to do theirjobs, but that doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate their hard work aspart of the team that makes your book successful. When someone isappreciated, they naturally want to do even better next time. This iswhat the nonprofits have known for a long time, and the corporate worldis just starting to understand. The salary is not the motivator, butappreciation definitely can be.

The Path for You

Formany unpublished writers, contests can help develop habits that willstand you in good stead once published. Getting used to meetingdeadlines, building self-judgment, writing tighter, and sending themanuscript out are just a few of the habits you develop. Despite thenumerous inconsistencies, contests can be a good investment in yourwriting career. But, they are only one path, and there are so many thatcan lead to success. It all comes down to individual choice and whatworks for you.

Theyhave worked well for me so far, and I feel much better prepared for thecareer I plan to have for the next 30 or so years. I’ll bet they canwork for you, too.

Alexis Walker is a unpublished writer whose manuscript Highland Magichas finaled in five contests. Currently, she is whipping into contestshape her third manuscript, a contemporary fantasy, while teaching atArizona State University in the Nonprofit Management program. Her Website is www.alexiswalkerauthor.com.