I have been
involved in contests in three distinct
capacities: as a coordinator, as a reader/judge,
and as an entrant. In each capacity I
have experienced a lot of good, a little
bad, and a dash of unfortunate ugly.
In order to help you get more of the
good and less of the bad -- and to avoid
the ugly wherever possible -- I’m
going to share my experiences from each
perspective.
The contest coordinator’s perspective:
What turns a coordinator ugly? Entrants
who don’t comply with the stated
conditions of entry. If the conditions
state 20 pages, do not send 22. If the
conditions specify a non-proportional
font, don’t decide that Courier
New looks ugly and go ahead and use Times
New Roman anyway.
So, okay, you may think that all those
conditions are excessively anal. It’s
the story that matters, right, not the
font used or the formatting. True, but
part of the contest coordinator’s
job is providing a level playing field
for all entrants. In contests of restricted
length – in other words, most contests – all
entrants should submit the same amount
of writing. If some entrants are using
computer word count and some entrants
are using white space count to calculate
their 5000 words, they will not be submitting
the same amount of writing. If a contest
asks for 20 pages, then an entrant using
TNR 12 pt will cram in one heck of a
lot more words than the entrant using
Courier 12 pt.
If the entry form asks which sub-genre
or series line your ms is targeting,
be specific. This information may be
used to assign entries to readers/judges.
Better that your entry is assigned to
someone who knows and loves your sub-genre
or line, yes?
Enclose a SASE with sufficient postage
attached. Think about it. Most contests
offer several readings, even in the first
round. You could be receiving anything
from 6 to 20 or more pages of score-sheets.
Make sure your envelope size and postage
covers it.
Okay, enough of what you can do for
the coordinator, let’s look at
what she can do to make the contest a
good experience for you. It is the coordinator’s
job to find readers/judges who are suitably
qualified and enthusiastic, then to assign
them entries and guidelines for reading/judging.
Unfortunately, what comes back from all
those readers is not always as positive
and helpful as you, as an entrant, should
expect. Disparity judging will eliminate
out-there scores from the results in
many contests.
I would like to think that cruel or
unnecessarily harsh comments are also
screened and not sent back. However,
that is not always the case. Coordinating
is a big job. Returned score-sheets cannot
always be read word for word, and sometimes
things are missed in the scramble to
get everything wrapped up by a promised
announcement date.
If you do suffer at the hands of a catty
or cruel judge, let the coordinator know.
You may save other entrants the same
fate if that judge isn’t asked
back again next year.
My final point from the coordinator’s
viewpoint: never forget that coordinators
are human ... and always volunteers,
usually as busy (or busier) than you.
Try to be tolerant, try to be understanding,
try to be gracious. And they really do
appreciate your thank-you’s.
The reader’s/judge’s perspective:
I have been a preliminary round reader/judge
for a lot of contests over the years,
and I have to say that this comes under
The Good heading pretty much all the
time. I love reading the diversity of
entries. I get incredibly excited by
a fresh and distinctive voice, and I
get a real buzz if I hear that an entry
I loved has won a prize at the business
end of the judging.
What do I look for as a contest reader/judge?
I want to feel a connection with the
characters, and I want to feel emotion.
That doesn’t necessarily mean angst
and tears. It may be feel-good, it may
be laugh-out-loud, it may be hot, hot,
hot ... but the writing has to make me
feel something. Oh, and when I get to
the end of the extract, I should howl
with frustration because I long to read
the rest of the story. That’s definitely
the sign of a good entry!
However, I will add that a sloppily
presented entry, or an entry that contains
numerous typos and spelling errors --
or where the hero’s name changes
mid-extract -- can make me a little ugly. Treat
contests as a dry run for submission
to a publisher. Do not send in your work
if it’s rushed or last minute,
if you don’t have time to edit,
polish, and proof-read it.
That said, we are talking about a contest
and therefore a method of scoring is
required to arrive at a winner (or winners.)
Hence the score-sheet. And I have to
say that some score-sheets are better
thought out, better devised, and better
suited to the contest purpose than others.
You will also find, with experience,
that some contests and some score-sheets
do not suit your writing or the sub-genre
you are writing for.
If you can get a copy of the score-sheet
before entering, do so. Then, for example,
you will know beforehand that there are
ten points for setting and that your
setting-light romantic comedy will not
score highly in that area. Or that there’s
fifty possible points for the hero and
the attraction and the sexual tension
between hero and heroine, and your chick
lit ms doesn’t introduce the hero
in chapter one.
Do yourself a favour and check out the
score-sheet before entering.
A reader has given up many hours – even
days – of valuable writing time
to undertake this task. Why make it thankless?
If you’ve received good feedback
from a contest, send your thanks to the
reader/judge via the contest coordinator.
If you include postage she’ll be
happy to address it and send it on. Thank
the coordinator, too. She’s done
more work than anyone.
The Entrant’s Perspective:
Why enter contests? (And, please, don’t
set yourself up for disappointment – know
your expectations before you enter.)
What is the ultimate reward? There is
a long list of writers whose work has
been picked up by an editor who read
it in a contest final. That is not an
unrealistic goal. My first sale was to
the editor who judged the RWNZ Clendon
Award when I had never submitted to Silhouette
Desire.
Some advise from other contest veterans
who sold to editor-judges of RWAmerica
chapter contests:
1) Use contests, don't let them use
you. Don't let a low score or a bad comment
from a judge keep you from going after
your dream. Use them to toughen up that
skin, use them to dedicate yourself to
deadlines, use them to set goals, to
keep you going. It's a crazy, subjective
business. Never forget that "S" word.
Subjective. One judge's "this stinks" opinion
is another's "this is wonderful!". We
don’t all agree on what makes a
good book or movie, and all readers won’t
agree on what’s good and bad about
your writing. (Roxann Delaney) (www.roxanndelaney.com)
2) Know why you are entering, and make
that reason realistic. If you are entering
your first contest with the aim to win,
then you may be setting yourself up for
disappointment. Enter to learn, enter
as a reward, enter for fun, enter to
see if you’re on the right track
with your story, for feedback, for affirmation.
Just one positive comment, one “I
really liked the way you...” can
make it all worthwhile.
3) As an entrant you must realize that
once the work is out of your hands it
is out of your control -- what is in
your control is the quality of work you
send out. Make it your best effort.
4) If you aim to learn from entering
contests you must have an open mind --
learning is an active process.
Kathie DeNosky’s (www.kathiedenosky.com)
best advice to entrants is an old Arabic
proverb:
“If one man calls you an ass,
that's just his opinion.
If two men call you an ass, consider
the opinion.
If three men call you an ass, get measured
for a saddle.”
Analyze what the judges have to say,
take a consensus of opinions and if there
seems to be an area where they all agree
you could improve, give it some serious
thought.
Are you ready to handle someone not
liking your work? Are you ready to handle
criticism? If you think you’re
up for it, then maybe it’s time
to enter a contest.
But remember it’s not life or
death, and contests are only a small
part of the whole, a tool to help you
towards the ultimate prize. Relying too
heavily on the results of one contest
is setting yourself up for failure, the
same as if you rely on one submission,
or the reply to one submission. |
