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Monday, May 30, 2011

The Burning of the Judge's Score Sheets (On Writing Contests Part 2)


“I’m just entering for the feedback.”   That’s a statement I hear a great deal concerning writing contests. 
The question is can you handle the feedback?  A critique group will sprinkle their well meaning suggestions with compliments.  Whereas, contest judges, according to my recent experience, are brutal.  This year I entered two writing contests that were both sponsored by RWA chapters.  In the first contest, which will remain nameless other than to say that it was sponsored by a city’s chapter known for the production of cars and Bon Jovi, I received no feedback.  There was no number ranking, no score sheet and certainly no line edits.  In fact, I think they took my entrance fee and put it toward their Mexican vacation.  The second contest, which will also remain nameless other than to say it focuses on a certain period of British history, only gave me partial feedback.  I got one score sheet for a book that I did not write!  Who is Prudence?  Last time I checked, my heroine is Lillian.  The two score sheets that were intended for my entry were harsh to say the least. 
After getting the feedback that everyone says is the reason for entering, I found I lacked the self confidence to write for a week.  I wished I could un-know the mean spirited criticism of my work.   It took four pep talks from two writer friends and one from Mr. Alpha Male, not to mention far more margaritas than I should have ingested, before I was able to sit back down at the computer and continue to work.  Because of these back to back negative experiences involving writing contests, I have decided to implement a new system.  It is a simple system I like to call WSFB, (Writer’s Sanity Found Buried, for easy memorization.)
Write it. Write your entry the way you want your book to read.  Write it for the joy of writing and storytelling. Write the shit out of it.
Send it. Send your entry in to as many contests as you wish. Without this risk you will never final and never win.
Forget it. Let it go and keep writing.  Do not count down the days until the day finalists are announced! Do not check your email thirty times when that day comes!
Burn it.  When you get that feedback you’ve been waiting on, burn it.  This is the most important part of this system --burn it. 
Now, you may be saying, “I can’t burn the very feedback I paid for and have been waiting to receive for months!”  But, think about what you just said.  You paid for it.  You waited months to receive it.  Critique groups are a wonderful thing.  They are free, quick, and offer better feedback than some unknown, unpublished writer in a bad mood because they’re reading a hundred first round contest entries.  With any critique partner or group there is discussion involved with the critique. 
“Is this secondary character important to the plot fifty pages from now?”
“Did you phrase it that way because it is referencing a specific plot point?”
However, with writing contests, there is no discussion.  This lack of communication makes half of their feedback invalid.  Instead, you get misinformed judgment of your work that will cause much second guessing and self doubt.  For these reasons, I don’t think you should ever enter a writing contest for the feedback.  Enter to win or don’t enter at all.  And when you do enter, remember my system.  Writer’s Sanity Found Buried.  Good luck and happy writing.

Friday, May 20, 2011

You're the next contestant! (Part One)

All writing contests are not created equal.
Perhaps this is a widely known fact, but there may still be plenty of writers out there that don’t realize the truth of that statement.  If contests were wine tastings, some are like sampling 1987 Cabernets in the Napa Valley - you learn a lot, you come away with a better understanding of the craft, overall it’s an enjoyable experience, and you feel content in the money you’ve spent even if you don’t agree with every critic.  Other contests are like a blindfold taste test of Boone’s Farm in your back yard.  You learn nothing, know nothing, and end up feeling sick after wasting your money on nothing.
As soon as I mentioned entering contests, an experienced writer friend told me to choose wisely.  “Don’t waste your time and money or open yourself up for discouragement with contests that don't care,” she said, giving me a list of contests she knew were reputable. She also gave me things to look for when checking out a contest.  I’d like to share them with you:
1.        How long has the contest been around?  Do you know anyone that’s entered?  Speak to them about their experience.
2.       Who are the round one judges and what are their qualifications?  Are the final judges agents and editors? (That’s the preference.)
3.       What is the entry fee in relation to other similar contests? What are you getting for your $15 or $40?
4.       Do you get a score sheet or actual feedback on your submission?
5.       How many categories are there?  How well is the contest organized?
These few things will tell you a lot about a contest, especially #1.  Good luck and happy competing!

Monday, May 9, 2011

Are you finished reading that magazine?

“What time is it?”
“You just asked me that 5 minutes ago.”
“That couldn’t have only been 5 minutes ago.”
“How much longer do you think we’ll be here?”
“Another 30 minutes?  I wonder if they forgot we’re here.”
“Maybe I should go check.  Should I go check?  I’ll just go check…”
I have spent the past year caring for ill parents.  It’s not something I have talked about here until now.  But, when something consumes your life to this degree, there isn’t much space for the freedom thought that leads to my usually frivolous blog topics.  For today my mind can’t seem to leave this room, this waiting room.  Because of my parent’s illnesses, I’ve had the opportunity to spend a large amount of time in waiting rooms.   I’ve even made jokes about creating a waiting room ranking system that gives stars for comfort of chairs, convenience to drink machines, cell reception and magazine selection.  But, as I sit in yet another waiting room, it occurred to me that although some rooms have beige walls and some have green, they are all really the same.  There is always the family gathered together discussing anything but the one thing on all of their minds, the sleeping man, the woman escaping into a book and in this case me with my pink laptop writing this blog entry.  
Did you know that 2-3 years of your life will be wrapped up in waiting?  (And yes, I got curious and googled that while waiting.) When you consider the volume of time spent on this most boring activity, the question of what you do while waiting becomes an important one.  Whether you’re waiting to hear back after a job interview or waiting for that hot guy you met to call you, life is filled with waiting situations.  I am currently waiting for results of writing contests and reaction to a submitted partial manuscript.  Yet, I’m writing my next story.  I am waiting for my life to return to normal.  Yet, I am spending time with family.  I am waiting to get out of this windowless, overly air conditioned room with hard vinyl chairs.  Yet, I am using the time I have to…okay so I’m not really accomplishing anything right now.  But, my point is this: life is short.  Appreciate the time you have with loved ones and use every second you are granted to try and reach your goals. 
There is a long list of things you can do in a real or a metaphorical waiting room to fill the time: read, sleep, talk, pray, text, knit, write, balance the checkbook, surf the internet, watch something mindless on the TV… 
The question is how do you choose to use the small moments of your time while you wait?  What do you do in waiting rooms?