Hi everybody! I'm excited to be blogging here. (Thanks Sandra!)
For anyone who doesn't know me, I'm Gemma Halliday and I write romantic mysteries for Dorchester. As an unpublished author I entered dozens of writing contests, finaling in a few and hitting pay dirt when I won a Golden Heart in 2005. I sold shortly after that and last year my first book, Spying In High Heels, was up for two RITAs. Why am I telling you this? Because I wanted to blog today about how to be successful in writing contests, specifically those for pre-published romance writers.
As a disclaimer, I want to say these tips are not for necessarily making the best, stand-out manuscript ever to cross an editor’s desk, but specifically for winning contests. There are some fabulous manuscripts out there that break every rule and would do terribly in contests, but are fantastic books nonetheless.
Okay, that out of the way, here are some of my best contest tips:
Categories.
This seems like a simple one, but if you enter your manuscript in the wrong category, not only will you get inapplicable feedback, you won't final. So, check the categories carefully and make sure that your manuscript conforms to the specific guidelines of that contest. Just because it fit in 'woman's fiction' in one contest, it may not fit in 'woman's fiction' in another. Don't enter chick lit in the ST category. Don’t enter a paranormal in the Long Contemporary. If a particular contest doesn't have a category that fits your work, move on. If you write erotica, make sure you're entering only contests that specifically mention erotica or that have a 'steamy' section. Your entry may be great, but if it doesn't fit the category, it won't final.
Score sheets.
This is a HUGE factor for me when entering a contest. Judges are bound by score sheets. Even if they love your entry, if it doesn’t conform to the questions on the score sheet they will have to mark it down. So read these carefully. If the contest you want to enter doesn’t have a copy of the score sheet posted on their website, email the coordinator and ask for one. Most will be happy to send you a copy. Once you have the score sheet, make sure that your particular story conforms to the questions. Some score sheets are weighted heavily on hero while others don't even mention him. Some emphasize a good hook, some are more heavily weighted toward the GMC. If you know just by looking at the score sheet that your entry won't do well, don't enter. That contest isn't for you. Reading your entry with the score sheet beside you is the best way to know how you’ll do in that contest, and the best way to tweak your entry into a winner.
Hook.
Does your entry start with a bang? A really unique, attention grabbing first line is a must. Also, make sure your story starts at a point of conflict, tension, or emotion. Throw us right into the middle of the action. And, in most categories, this action better lead directly to the hero and heroine meeting. Don’t ever start with back story. In fact, unless you’re entering a really large chunk of pages, there should be very little to no back story in the entry at all. Judges are busy people, they want an entry that moves quickly. They don’t want to read long paragraphs about the heroines' mother’s second cousins' upbringing. Not going to hook them. Also, always end your entry on a hook. Even if this means having the entry come up shorter than the max allowed pages or switching some scenes around. If it doesn't end on a hook that makes the judge want to read more, you'll loose points.
Heroine.
Is she relatable? Do we know what she wants? Why she wants it? Do we know, or get a hint of, what's stopping her from getting it? All four are major important. In general judges tend not to like heroines that swear too much, drink too much, or have sex too quickly. (I know, no fun at all.) And she better be likable. If she’s too cold, prickly, or too emotionally damaged in the beginning, judges get turned off. It doesn’t matter how wonderful she is on page 50, if she’s cool to the hero when the entry ends on page 30, you’re getting a low score.
Hero.
Same questions, but we also want him to be hot. I mean, smoking. Don't make him super alpha or macho to the point of annoying, but also don't make him too nice, either. Remember, we love the bad boys with a heart of gold.
Conflict.
Why can't the hero and heroine get together? What is the external conflict (i.e., natural disaster, feuding families, distance, different species/classes) and what are the internal conflicts (heroine doesn't trust men because her fiancé cheated on her, hero loses this wife and is afraid to love again, etc.). Both should be apparent or at least hinted at in your entry.
Sexual tension.
Unless it's erotica, we probably don't expect hot and heavy in the first chapters. But, there should be a hint of attraction, some chemistry, and the promise of more. What is it about the hero/heroine that turns the other person on?
Formatting.
Agents and editors aren't sticklers for format – contest judges are. Big time. Every contest is different and most will spell out in their rules of exactly how your manuscript should be formatted. If it doesn't, a good rule of thumb is 12 pt. Courier, 25 lines per page, 1 inch margins all around. Most contests still go by the 250 words/page way of doing word count. I would not suggest fiddling with margins or slightly smaller fonts to get more words in. Judges will notice. Though some contests allow TNR 12pt, I wouldn’t suggest it. Why? It’s more for the judge to read. And they know it the second they see that font. Again, judges are busy people who have volunteered their time. Put them in a good mood right off the bat by making your entry short and sweet.
Spellcheck.
Use it! Some judges do deduct points for every little mistake they find. I've had more than one entry get perfect scores all around, then be marked down for a single typo. So, spellcheck and have someone else read it to proof for typos before entering.
Subject matter.
If your manuscript deals with very controversial subjects, either play them down or leave them out of your entry all together. Not to say eradicate them from your manuscript, but find a way to rearrange chapters or cut scenes that could be offensive to some readers. My manuscript that won the GH had parts of the story about a gay character and his boyfriend – subject matter that might not appeal to everyone. When I entered the manuscript in contests, I cut most of his scenes. I didn’t completely cut the character out, but certainly downplayed his part in the entry pages. While judges are supposed to be objective, they’re human. They have subjects that they like and dislike. For contest purposes, play it safe.
The dreaded synopsis.
I have never heard of an agent or editor turning down a fabulously written manuscript because the synopsis sucked. They just don't care that much, except to know where the story is heading. Contest judges, however, do care. They want a polished, readable, interesting synopsis. Go figure. There are tons of workshops and info out there on how to write a good synopsis, so I'll just go over a few key points.
1. Keep it short. The longer you go on, the better the chance of losing the reader's interest and the more they can mark you down for.
2. Show your voice. If it's romantic comedy, add a joke or two. If it's historical, don't use modern language.
3. Stick to the bare bones. Show us the hero's conflicts, the heroine's conflicts, the major turning points, the black moment, the resolution. We don't need to know every single plot point in the story, just the biggies. Leave out any secondary characters or subplots unless they are catalysts for the black moment or resolution or somehow directly effect the hero/heroine relationship.
4.Weight the synopsis the same way the book is weighted. If it's primarily about the heroine, make sure your synopsis doesn't spend two pages on the hero and one on the heroine. If you're writing romantic suspense, weight the suspense and romance factors the same way they are in the ms.
Questions? Comments? I’m here for ya. :)
I’m in L.A. this weekend pitching a screenplay (wish me luck!) but I’ll be back on Monday to answer all your questions, comments, general thoughts. So, mull, discuss, post, and I’ll see you then!
Gemma
www.gemmahalliday.comLabels: Contest Advice, Gemma Halliday, Guest Blogger, Undercover in High Heels, Writing
