Tuesday, April 3, 2012

"C" is for Contests

Contests are fun, motivating experiences for writers.  They can also make you want to run from the stress like the zombie apocalypse is upon us.

It's exhausting blogging hard-core.
I've entered only one contest so far in my limited writing career, and scored fairly well. I'm also shooting to enter another one whose deadline is the middle of this month--you will see my name and picture under "Glutton for Punishment" in the dictionary--and plan on writing and editing up a storm, which is why I'm spending my Friday evening (yes, this entry was actually written in March) doing blog entries for the coming week.  Woo hoo!  Lindsay Lohan has nothing on me for sheer capacity to party.

No, I'm not saying which contest...it will jinx it.

Entering contests always freaks me out a bit.  There's always that feeling of should I? Maybe it's not good enough, but I have to get over that.

First I have to find out whether or not the contest will take an entry from my genre or length.  If the answer is no, then obviously I don't enter.  If yes, I look at what the criteria is: what do they want--an excerpt or certain type of scene? Just the first twenty pages?  A random word from page thirty-five?

Also, how much does it cost to enter? I see most contests run by RWA chapters, and they tend to cost between $15 and $35, give or take, to enter, so it's not a decision to take lightly.  Honestly, I'd love for them all to be free so I can enter them all without fear, but it is a good idea for them to charge.  They have to pay for the prizes (if there are any awarded) somehow, and there are admin costs, too.

Once you have an entry ready and sent on its way, the waiting starts.  If an entry is due on October 1st, you might get an email around the middle of December or early January about your placement, or finding out if you're going onto another round.  There's definitely some lag time which can be frustrating, but it has a purpose...to allow the judges to read and make sure they're doing the best they can.  They can't do a good job if they're rushed.  I've judged contests before, and found it easiest to get through a couple of entries a night, sometimes only one, depending on how long it was.

When you find out how you did, you'll typically get a marked-up version from each person who judged your entry as well as a score sheet to see how they judged the entry.  This is valuable because it's constructive criticism.  Even if you score well, it's nice to see the judges point things out that are working and aren't in your manuscript.

What's your take on contests? Have you entered any before? Thinking about doing one this year?

xoxo Sarah

20 comments:

  1. Hi Sarah - thanks for coming by my blog and following - I'm following you too. I think we go through phases with contests - I only enter know if one really speaks to me. I entered the Erma Bombeck (didn't win) because I had an idea. I won 10th prize in the Writer's Digest Poetry Competition in 2010, and I took that as a sign that it was time to really put my writing first. Now I just want to write what I want to write, so if a contest came along that fit that, I'd enter. But for me, contests distract me away from what I really should be working on.

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    1. Very true...I don't see the point in going out of your way to enter a contest when you have other writing to do. I'll typically only consider entering one if it coincides with 1) my schedule and 2) what I'm working on. I won't write something specially for a contest unless it's shouting at me.

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  2. I tend to avoid contests -- they are generally more work than I can afford the time to put in. I know a lot of people love them but I don't get it.

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    1. Very true...I don't see the point in going out of your way to enter a contest when you have other writing to do. Best to concentrate on what you want to write!

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  3. Hi there. :) I haven't yet entered any contests, but I plan on doing so sometime this year. Just need to find the guts!

    I read on your sidebar that you're part of Maryland Romance Writers. I used to write romance and have been thinking of getting back into it... maybe I should join that. Hello from another writer in your state! ;)

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    1. Hi! Just find a contest that you're interested in and have some material for, and jump in! You'll get some great feedback.

      Yes, I'm a member of the MRW, but I've never lived in Maryland. My critique partner is from there, and I met her and a lot of the MRW members at last summer's RWA conference in NYC. They're a lovely bunch of ladies, so I'd highly recommend joining if you want to write romance again. You do need to be an RWA member first, though. Good luck!

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  4. Hi Sarah! I've actually never entered a writing contest before. It does sound fun and nerve-wracking. Good luck to you!

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    1. Thank you! I hope I get my entry ready in time. AHHHHH!!

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  5. Hi! This is an interesting post! I've never really entered a contest before, but you've sort of encouraged me to try :) Maybe I'll find one that suits me for this year :)

    I'm following you now, great post and lovely blog!

    Nikki – inspire nordic

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    1. Thank you so much! Just find a contest that interests you and you have the material for, and give it a shot. Whether you place or not, you'll likely get some good feedback. :-)

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  6. Good luck! This is the first challenge I have entered. I haven't done a contest yet. I keep thinking about it, but I'm not sure what my writing style falls under. My blog is sarcastic humor. One book is nonfiction. Another is fiction/ humor/self-help/aerospace time continuum (ok, I made that last one up).

    Please keep us posted on your secret Mid-April contest and again good luck!

    BTW, found you on A-Z:)

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    1. You sound like a Jill-of-all-trades! I'll bet there's a contest out there for you, though. I'll definitely keep you all posted. I loved your sarcastic humor...it gave me a good smile earlier today. :-)

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  7. Hi - I just found your blog from sifting through the A to Z challenge (omg SO many blogs...)

    I've only entered a couple contests because thus far, I haven't finished anything and most contests require a finished piece of work. Oh, since you're part of RWA, it was an RWA contest, and I got back the feedback form you mentioned which was immensely helpful. I knew I was on the right track with my writing since what they pointed out wasn't a surprise, and what they praised was what I put the most effort into.

    I'm not an RWA member but I'm going to a conference at the end of the month in the northern Chicago burbs nearish to where I live.

    I look forward to keeping up with your blog!

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    1. Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying the blog so far. It's great that you had such a good experience with the contest you entered. It's always scary trying out material with an audience that's never read your work before. Enjoy your conference! They're a lot of fun, too.

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  8. Generally speaking, I don't have time to write up something new for a contest, so, unless I just happen to have something that fits, I pass them over.

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    1. Me, either...thankfully, I have something that fits for the one I'm trying to enter. But I could use a time machine nevertheless. :-)

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  9. Go Sarah!

    There have been a lot of good contests out there lately. As always, if you need anything at all, please let me know. And love the Lindsay pic. Blogging is work. I'm right there witchu. ;0)

    See you tomorrow - day four, here we come...

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    1. Don't worry, I will. Hopefully I'll have something readied. We'll see!

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  10. I have not entered any contests, but I only write blog posts and screenplays, and there aren't too many contests for those.

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    1. True...I'm surprised that there aren't more contests for screenplays, though. I learn something new every day!

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