Writing Contests
I love to enter writing contests. The benefits are manifold: you get immediate feedback, you learn what catches editors’ attention, and the small awards keep you going on the long, lonely trek toward writing and selling a publishable novel.
In 2006 I set a goal to submit at least one short story or to enter at least one contest a year. And if I won a contest or sold a story, I considered the year a success. I believed I was moving forward. This past year I didn’t enter any contests, but I did get an agent. So last year was a great success for me. I am crawling forward in this “pursuit of publication” marathon.
This year, since my agent is responsible for sending out my proposals, I have more time again, and I’m going to spend some of that time entering contests, I think. My goal this year is to complete a first draft of my WIP by April 1 and a revision by June 1, and to enter at least three contests or send out three short story submissions.
Here are the writing contests I’m looking at entering this year:
I also have a short story that I wrote last year for a contest that got lost in cyber space and never got entered. I want to enter it in some picture book contests this year because it has only 500 words and it relies on pictures to carry a lot of weight. Maybe I’ll try it in the SouthernBreeze contest. I want to get it in front of some editors to see what kind of feedback I’ll get on it.
What about you? What contests will you enter?
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Categories: Contests
Interesting. I was just thinking that I want to enter the 24-hour Short Story contest again. It’s a challenge and I like challenges!
I don’t know if I’ll enter any others. Maybe the Writer’s Digest Short, Short Fiction Competition. I didn’t enter this year and it’s the first time in a long time I missed it. Those short story contests make me a better writer, I think.
Rebecca LuElla Miller´s last [type] ..Before Making New Year’s Resolutions
BTW, I like the blog redecoration for New Year’s. Very nice.
Rebecca LuElla Miller´s last [type] ..Before Making New Year’s Resolutions
I haven’t entered writing contests since I was in high school although I coordinated one for our local critique group. But contests started my path to publication (who else can say they won the local Humane Society writing contest three times in elementary school?)
I look with longing sometimes at some of those you’ve mentioned, but deadlines for the business of writing have taken precedence.
I don’t think 2012 is my year for contests, either. But your post has made me wonder. Adding this to my prayer/goal-setting/resolution list!
I’ll try to write between balloons
…. This post came at the perfect time. I just wrote finished a children’s story that’s been brewing this fall (a la Giant Chompchucks); the ideas came together with the time to write! Now I need to edit. It’s been mostly for the fun of it and for my kids, but since you brought up the idea of contests, I might just have to take the plunge. Haven’t entered one in years!
See what you’ve been getting me into, Sally?
Loren Warnemuende´s last [type] ..Understanding the Big Picture
Becky, I think all contests make us better writers. Just preparing submissions and then reading winners and reading the judge’s remarks are helpful. I agree that short story comps, in particular, can make us better, too. They force us to learn how to tell a tight story, for one thing, and they give us room to experiment with new techniques without having to be afraid that we’re going to invest a year into a thing and then have to discard it.
Marti, I have no real deadlines, which is why I like to enter contests. I’d rather have contracts than contests any day of the week!
Loren, I’m so happy that I’m contributing to your delinquen—er, inciting you to be bold in submitting your work. I love to see people writing and submitting and sharing their stories with the world.
And thanks for writing between the balloons. They only went for five seconds. I hesitated to put them on at all, because I know that people don’t like a lot of animation on blogs, but I figured if a person can’t take balloons for five minutes he can just go read somewhere else.
Love the balloons. They definitely brighten up foul-weather days like today in MI (read gray, pouring rain). Now if I could only make those emoticons from below work….
Loren Warnemuende´s last [type] ..Understanding the Big Picture
Hmmm…I have some YA short stories mouldering in a drawer somewhere. You are the second person in the past 24 hours to bring those old stories to mind. Maybe it’s a sign? Of course I already have too long of a list of goals for 2012. Zoinks!
Trisha Slay´s last [type] ..Saving Boo Radley