Bronwyn Jameson ~ Romance Author

Contests: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly

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:

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)
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.
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.
If you aim to learn from entering contests you must have an open mind -- learning is an active process.

Kathie DeNosky’s 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.