Finding Writing Contests

When I was entering manuscript contests, I had many choices of places to enter since I thought my book was a romance and I was a member of Romance Writers of America which has many local chapters hosting contests. I also entered contests in my home state, my city and several others recommended by friends and my writing instructor, Bonnie Hearn Hill.

Do you know where to find contests? If not, you'll find there are many links to contests by doing an Internet search. However, you must be careful with some of these. The true benefits of entering contests is to get feedback that will help improve your writing. Other benefits are to make contact with publishers and agents. Study how the contest can help you. Some of the contests you find on the Internet are more interested in selling you something. There is often a fee for entering a contest to cover costs, but the cost should be minimal.

You'll be more successful going through organizations you know and the ones who are reputable. I mentioned Romance Writers of America. You may want to also look at American Christian Fiction Writers. ACFW has national and chapter contests, too. Not all the chapters shown below have contests, but most offer support for beginning writers. Most require membership in both national and chapter organizations to reap the benefits, however. Check these chapter websites for more information:

ACFW Great Lakes Chapter: http://greatlakeschapter.blogspot.com/

Indiana Chapter of ACFW: http://hoosierink.blogspot.com/

ACFW Ohio: http://www.acfwohio.com/

His Writers: Heavenly Inspired Story Writers: http://www.hiswriters.acfwcolorado.com/

Mile High Scribes: http://www.milehighscribes.acfwcolorado.com/

WWW Worship Write Witness: http://www.worshipwritewitness.acfwcolorado.com/

ACFW Arkansas: http://acfwarkansas.com/

CenTex Chapter: http://www.centexacfw.com/

DFW Ready Writers: http://dfwreadywriters.blogspot.com/

OKC Christian Fiction Writers: http://okcchristianfictionwriters.blogspot.com/

WIN: Writers of Inspirational Novels: http://www.win-acfw.com/Writers_of_Inspirational_Novels/Welcome.html

Writers On the Storm: http://acfwwritersonthestorm.blogspot.com/

ACFW SF Bay Area Chapter: http://sites.google.com/site/acfwsfbaywriters/

CWOW: Christian Writers of the West: http://christianwritersofthewest.weebly.com/

Find the right contest for your manuscript and you may find just the help you need to get your book published.

Entering Writing Contests Helps

I've mentioned several times how I honed my writing skills by entering manuscript contests. When Where Love Once Lived was nearing completion, everyone thought it was a romance novel. I didn't know any better, so I went along with what I was hearing from my writing friends. That worked to my advantage since there are probably more contests in the romance genre than any other. Also, I had the advantage of a having a story in the subgenre of inspirational where there was less competition.

I joined the Romance Writers of America and entered manuscript contests in chapters all across the United States. There was a fee for each entry and back then, many of them required multiple copies of printed manuscripts prepared and mailed in specific ways. I also had to provide return postage if I wanted to get the results. Later, when the use of emailed submissions became more acceptable, the process was simplified and less expensive.

The results were often worth the time and cost. A synopsis was required by many of the contests along with some limited number of pages from the beginning of the book. Some were based on a number of pages, others by chapter. Frequently, an anonymous judge would add comments about the synopsis as well as the manuscript. Some comments led to changes. One of the most significant changes that resulted from comments from a judge was to change an abortion to a miscarriage. The judge suggested the word abortion was too explosive at this time and that I could build in the same amount of emotion in the character who thought her actions may have caused the miscarriage. I was already having second thoughts about the abortion because of feedback from friends, but the contest judge was the first reader to offer a solution.

Other contest judges suggested specific wording in places to make the story more interesting. But there were some judges who were offended by my description of the bookmobile librarian, Liz Siedo, as being a bit hefty. I toned it down after that, but she's still large and proud of it. Along that line, I learned from a judge that clothing for large women is called plus size, not XXXL like it is for men.

By their comments, contest judges also let me know what wasn't clear. For example, in an earlier version of Where Love Once Lived, I had a reference to Sunset Valley being completely surrounded by Austin. Which it is. However, I guess the judge had never heard of such a thing and assumed it was a mistake. I took it out so as not to be confusing.

Another judge thought my reference to a real community called Travis Country was a misspelling of Travis County since the story was set in Austin, Texas which is in Travis County. I took that out, too. It was important to the story.

Entering contests helped me write the book and helped me make it better. I won two first places, one third place and was a finalist in another contest. Winning usually meant a chance to talk to an editor and or agent, as well as a chance to read your entry to other writers.

Making Dreams Come True – Part 3

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If you haven't read the previous parts, you may want to do so first. See:

·         Making Dreams Come True – Part 1

·         Making Dreams Come True – Part 2

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In the last post, I told you the bookmobile novel idea changed as I learned more about writing. Once I understood the book was about Karen and Brian and how they get back together after thirty years, and Liz the bookmobile librarian was a supporting character, and once I had taken several writing classes, the book began to take shape. It began to look and feel like a novel. In fact, I felt more like all I had to do was write about what the characters were feeling. They took over and told the story.

I set the story in Austin, Texas, because that's where I grew up. While a student at the University of Texas, I worked as a bookmobile driver part-time for the Austin Public Library. Brian, who had sold his business in California before returning to Austin to pursue Karen, bought a bookmobile to impress her. As it turns out, it does the opposite. I used the bookmobile in a third of the scenes to make the setting smaller and more manageable. Supporting characters come aboard the bookmobile as needed.

Is it a romance?

The story is told by the two main characters, Brian and Karen, alternating from one to the other so that the reader can see what's going on in their minds without one character knowing what the other is thinking. With two protagonists and the points of view alternating between male and female, plus the title of the book (Where Love Once Lived), early readers thought the book was a romance. Not knowing any better, I went along with that belief. I joined the Romance Writers Association and, in 2007, the manuscript won several contests. It took first place in the romance division at the Writers League of Texas contest and first place in the inspiration division in New Mexico. Plus a third place in Houston and finalist in California.

The book talks about going back to where Brian was last happy. He sells his company, moves from California to Texas, buys land and builds a house at the same location where he and Karen had once been happy together, he buys a bookmobile because that's where they had been together so many times. The title, Where Love Once Lived, seems to be describing these actions. However, I soon learned the story is really about where the love of God had once lived in Brian's heart and his struggle to regain his faith.

In the next post, I'll tell you about trying to find a publisher.

Where Love Once Lived is NOT a Romance

I didn't set out to write a romance, and was surprised when everyone who read Where Love Once Lived thought it was one. Perhaps the title mislead them. Thinking my writing classmates might be right, I moved my story closer and closer to a romance as it developed. I joined the Romance Writers of America (RWA) and submitted the manuscript to romance contests. It won first place in the romance division of the Writers' League of Texas manuscript contest and third place in an RWA chapter contest in Houston. I queried White Rose Publishing and, after they read the first three chapters, I was asked to send the whole manuscript to them for consideration. After a short time, the editor suggested deleting some of the subplots. It sounded as if that was all it would take to get a contract, so I made the changes and resubmitted it. Here is what I received next:

Thank you for submitting to White Rose Publishing. I still enjoy your story, Where Love Once Lived, and it’s always wonderful to see characters get a second chance at love. I sincerely regret that I must pass on it.

Your story is well-written and the characters are realistic, but while there is romance in the story, it’s not the main focus. For a story to be considered a romance, the relationship between the hero and heroine should be the main focus and take up a majority of the pages. The hero and heroine should be together as much as possible and thinking about each other when they’re apart. Where Love Once Lived is a story about Brian’s personal growth rather than the relationship between him and Karen. As I said, it’s a wonderful story, it’s just not right for White Rose Publishing. Should you write a romance in the future, I do hope you’ll keep us in mind.

Thanks again for submitting to White Rose Publishing. I wish you all the best in your continued search for the perfect publisher for Where Love Once Lived.

(signed)

So, it's not a romance. But that's okay. I didn't mean for it to be. Here are the words from the end of the book that explain the title and the story:

On the drive back in the bookmobile, with his fiancée beside him, Brian felt a bliss he'd not experienced before. He once thought getting back to the place where he last felt love was all he needed. But now he knew the love he had with Karen was doubly rich and wonderful because God’s love was back in his heart as well. Back where it once lived.

How about you? Do you have the love of God in your heart?

Where Love Once Lived is NOT a Romance

I didn't set out to write a romance, and was surprised when everyone who read Where Love Once Lived thought it was one. Perhaps the title mislead them. Thinking my writing classmates might be right, I moved my story closer and closer to a romance as it developed. I joined the Romance Writers of America (RWA) and submitted the manuscript to romance contests. It won first place in the romance division of the Writers' League of Texas manuscript contest and third place in an RWA chapter contest in Houston. I queried White Rose Publishing and, after they read the first three chapters, I was asked to send the whole manuscript to them for consideration. After a short time, the editor suggested deleting some of the subplots. It sounded as if that was all it would take to get a contract, so I made the changes and resubmitted it. Here is what I received next:

Thank you for submitting to White Rose Publishing. I still enjoy your story, Where Love Once Lived, and it’s always wonderful to see characters get a second chance at love. I sincerely regret that I must pass on it.

Your story is well-written and the characters are realistic, but while there is romance in the story, it’s not the main focus. For a story to be considered a romance, the relationship between the hero and heroine should be the main focus and take up a majority of the pages. The hero and heroine should be together as much as possible and thinking about each other when they’re apart. Where Love Once Lived is a story about Brian’s personal growth rather than the relationship between him and Karen. As I said, it’s a wonderful story, it’s just not right for White Rose Publishing. Should you write a romance in the future, I do hope you’ll keep us in mind.

Thanks again for submitting to White Rose Publishing. I wish you all the best in your continued search for the perfect publisher for Where Love Once Lived.

(signed)

So, it's not a romance. But that's okay. I didn't mean for it to be. Here are the words from the end of the book that explain the title and the story:

On the drive back in the bookmobile, with his fiancée beside him, Brian felt a bliss he'd not experienced before. He once thought getting back to the place where he last felt love was all he needed. But now he knew the love he had with Karen was doubly rich and wonderful because God’s love was back in his heart as well. Back where it once lived.

How about you? Do you have the love of God in your heart?