How to Win Writing Contests

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 As an unpublished author I entered dozens of writing contests, finaling in a few and hitting pay dirt when I won a Golden Heart in 2005.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.com

Amelia Cassarini ~ aka: My Granny, My Muse...

I remember...

Whole days spent playing imagination games with my grandmother. I used to call her Granny, but not those days.

No, those days she’d be every character to my heroine. It would start from the time we woke up in the morning and become more elaborate as the day wore on.

We acted out classics like The Princess and the Pea and Granny would be the mean Queen and the chamber maid and the king and the subjects and even the prince. Or perhaps I was Gretel and she was Hansel and the witch. Or, I was Goldie Locks and she, all three bears and every other character we added to their stories.

Sometimes, I’d be a waitress and Granny would be all of my customers, nice and irate...hmmm, guess I can thank her for honing my customer service skills too! LOL.

But, most of all, I thank Granny for opening a world of adventure and excitement for me--A world limited only by my imagination.

It may have taken years for me to find my voice as a writer, but in every word I pen, every adventure I spin, my Granny is there, guiding and encouraging as she did so many years ago.

She may be missed in the physical sense, but she’s never far when I’m plotting and writing my next adventure.

Thank you, Granny.

~ Sandy :-)

PS
I’ve also posted at the Otherworld Diner. Stop on by if you have a moment. I share how I started on the path to writing.

And, don’t forget! Time is running out to enter my October 27th drawing. There are some amazing prizes. You can enter by donating as little as $1.00 to the Stark’s Leukemia and Lymphoma Team in Training fund. It’s for a good cause. Let’s see what we can do to get them to the Disney World Marathon!

Dark and Scary Thoughts…

I’m expanding on a paranormal right now. And, I’ve been toying with the idea of including my villain’s POV. The thing is he’s a serial-killer. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit daunted by the prospect of portraying such a character from the inside out. My hero, the heroine, maybe even a secondary character or two, I jump right in their heads. It’s a piece of cake.

But, a serial-killer? It’s not like I am one, so how do I capture the essence of his psychosis? How do I get into his head?

He needs to be vile and yet, people have to kind of “get” him. And, since this particular character has been insisting he’s got thoughts to share, I’ve had to set my insecurities aside and just write.

I’ve completed my first scene from his POV and well, I don’t know if I should be pleased or just creeped out that that was inside MY head! Gahhh! I really like the scene. And, the few people I’ve let read it have loved it, saying it made them a little queasy! Yay! I love when I can invoke such base reactions with my writing.

I’m having fun with this. I can’t wait to see what he’s going to do next!

Now, having stepped out of my comfort zone to write this scene, I started to wonder how I did it. How did I come up with such a…a sick scene? It’s not like I have thoughts like this just floating around in my head. So, how did I capture my villain’s thoughts so well? I think it has a lot to do with empathy. Not for the villain, but for the victims.

When I’m writing a scene like this, I’m kind of in both the villain’s and the victim’s heads. I focus on what I need to accomplish with the scene. In this case, the villain’s extreme anger over missing his opportunity with the heroine. I thought of things that would scare the crap out of me if some psycho killer had reached such a boiling point. Then, I wrote it.

So, I realized something about myself with this project. Well, a couple of things really. First, I can tap into some pretty gruesome ideas. And second, it isn’t really about getting into the serial-killer’s head, but being able to empathize with his victims.

Tell me about the scariest villain you’ve read or written about.

~Sandy :-)

PS
I’ve already posted a link to the fabulous slide show my husband put together, but realized not all of you go to my site before coming here. So, I figured I’d post the link here too.

2007 RWA National Conference ~ Dallas, TX

As usual, my husband did an amazing job with the slide show. I can take an all right picture, but he makes them look like I really know what I’m doing. LOL.

Also, this Thursday marks my first Workshop here at Sandra’s Goings On. Be sure to stop by for World Building with Nalini Singh. It doesn’t matter if you write or not. This should be a very interesting post.

World Building with Nalini Singh - September Workshop at Sandra's Goings On

Hey, Everyone! Today's post can be found at The Otherworld Diner.

Also, I am hosting a "workshop" post on World Building with Nalini Singh right here on Thursday, September 6, 2007. So, whether you're a writer, just toying with the idea of writing, or a reader who wants a little behind-the-scenes-know, stop by on the 6th.

Sandy :-)

*August 25, 2007 at Sandra's Goings On - Guest Blogger, Betty Hanawa ~ More Than She Wished For

The Fine Art of Chat Challenges

Andromeda’s tear first round revisions are DONE!

Yes, everyone, it’s been a while. Four months, to be exact. But, I think it’s been worth every moment. When I got that request for revisions, I was very excited. I wanted to make sure I did this right. So, I took my time. I brainstormed and mulled my ideas over. Shaping and testing until I found just the right blend of tension and action and emotion. I wanted to make these changes POP!

So, after a couple of months of chewing over my ideas and…erm, talking my poor husband’s ear off and, well anyone else who would listen, I finally had a solid picture of what I needed to do.

At this point, I thought, Hey! This should be a breeze! I know what I want to accomplish. I know how I want to make my hero squirm. (hehehe You might want to check out my post on The Art of Hero Torture at The Otherworld Diner.) And, I know how I’m going to really ramp up the external tension. So, let’s write!

But, it wasn’t that easy. You see, this was my first experience with requested rewrites. I’d never gone back to a completed work and had to make, what turned out to be MAJOR plot changes. I had all these words in front of me and every time I went to change them, I froze! It was like hitting a mental road block. I knew what I had to do. I knew what I wanted to say. I just couldn’t get past all those words that were already there. I most certainly couldn’t delete them. Ack!

Yet, they had to go. They weren’t allowing me to make these new changes. And, believe me, the new stuff? Way better and HOTTER than the original. I just needed to get past my block. How did I do it? Chat Challenges!

What are Chat Challenges, you ask? Well, let me tell you, they are the best thing since sliced bread. But, first, let me tell you how I got around all those pre-existing words. NO! I didn’t delete them! I get shudders just thinking about that. I moved them. To a scratch pad in the word-processing program I use (I don’t use Word. But, that’s a post for another day).

Ok, now that I had moved all those pre-existing words, I needed to replace them. But, for some reason I had a hard time getting past the fact that, although I couldn’t see the old stuff, my brain knew it was there. I just couldn’t get past staring at my newly blank screen. Gah! How frustrating! I had all these great ideas on the changes I wanted to make. I even had dialogue and entire scenes worked out like a movie in my head, but I just couldn’t make it flow to my fingers. I couldn’t disconnect the part of my brain (Hey! I heard that!) that knew I’d already written stuff here.

And, that’s where the Chat Challenges come in. I am a member of Romance Divas. They have a live chat. A bunch of us will go into the chat room at the same time and choose a time keeper. That person wields the *whip*. Ok, so it isn’t a real whip. Just the sound of one cracking. Once we hear it, we all go to our respective works-in-progress and write our hearts out until we hear the whip crack once more. Usually after 20 minutes, hence the need for a time keeper. Here’s the fun part, we all come back to the chat room and post how many words we were able to write in that 20 minutes.

And, therein lies the pure genius of the Chat Challenge. With only 20 minutes to write as many words as possible and with several people going to see your numbers, you tend to forget about everything but getting the words down. MY INTERNAL EDITOR KIND OF SLOWED DOWN! I say kind of, because I can’t shut the freaking thing off. It really sucks sometimes. Also a post for another time, but did you ever notice, the more you know about the craft of writing, the harder it is to write?

Anyway, through these Chat Challenges, I was able to get past what used to be on those pages and just write my new vision. And, when I read through my completed revisions for the first time the other day, I was shocked to see they weren’t as rough as I thought they were going to be! I’m polishing now, but this puppy is going out soon. I am very happy with the new path my characters have taken to get to the end. The basic plot’s the same, but the middle is completely new. As in it doesn’t even resemble the original. And, boy oh boy, am I happy with the outcome.

Ok, so I’m off to polish my revisions. Happy reading and/or writing, everyone!

Sandy :-)


*August 25, 2007 at Sandra's Goings On - Guest Blogger, Betty Hanawa ~ More Than She Wished For

Doin' a Little Dance :-)

Wooooo Hoooooo! Round 8 has been posted at Karin Tabke's Blog and we're still in it, baby! Great job, Sharon!

Here's my entry with the next line added:

Elizabeth squeezed her eyes tight and turned her face away from the wicked-looking blade. She’d seen what it could do. Knew first hand the destruction it could bring.

The death.

“Please,” she whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek. “I...I can’t do this.”

Cold steel grazed the skin exposed by her low bodice and she flinched. Her tormentor shifted closer in the confined carriage.

Seeing all these great lines really makes me think about the importance of each and every word. Even if it seems insignificant on its own, a word, a phrasing, can make or break you. Just as an artist must choose the right shade to perfect his or her masterpiece, so too does the writer. The only difference being, our pallet contains words rather than acrylics or oils. But, the concept is the same. We have a vision we wish...no, need to share and we paint it with our words.

Do you have any authors that know how to paint like that? How about some that don't?

Sandy :-)

*March 31, 2007 at Sandra's Goings On - Guest Blogger, Anna Campbell - Claiming the Courtesan

Almost there...

Jordan Summers is giving a talk this month at one of her local RWA chapters. The topic is: “…'living on the edge'. You know that weird time when you're on the cusp of being published, but you haven't quite fallen over the cliff yet…” She’s asked her reader’s if we had any advice for “…‘folks living on the edge’?”

I thought I’d share what I wrote:

Jordan, That is a great topic. I'm living on the edge right now. My full ms has been with Avon since last August. And, although I haven't been told "no", I haven't gotten that call yet either. (You'd think remotely checking your answering machine 450 times a day would make that call come faster. But, oddly, it doesn't *BG*)

Since I've recently watched The Secret and it makes soooooooo much sense to me, my advice is to *FEEL* like it's already happened. Use that fabulous writer's mind you've been granted and imagine what your published book will look like, smell like, feel like, when you are holding it in your hand. Believe it has already happened. Envision the end result rather than dwelling on the journey there.

Also, I suggest marketing yourself early on. Get that blog going. Commission that website. Build a readership. Cause, if you've already got people interested in what you have to say, they might be some of the first people in line when you announce the release of your debut novel.

Above all, write, write, write. Give your heart and soul to your work and it will return to you ten-fold. Wow! I'm just going on and on here. LOL. I'd say good luck to all of us living on the edge, but we don't need it. Our time is here! Believe it!

Sandy :-)

*March 31, 2007 at Sandra's Goings On - Guest Blogger, Anna Campbell - Claiming the Courtesan

SNOW DAY!!!!!

The kids are bundled up and outside playing in the abundant white stuff. Me? I’ll stay inside where it’s nice and toasty. The cool thing about this snow day is that my job also closed! Wooooo Hoooooo! I get a snow day too!

What will I do with this gift, you may ask? Why, WRITE, of course. I’ve got some hot, hot, hot scenes to get typed in my current project. So, after this post is up, I’ll be getting into the zone. (Minds out of the gutter, people. Sheesh!)

First, I’ve got some updates for everyone. Although I haven’t yet heard back on Andromeda’s Tear, I’m grateful for the fact that it seems to still be in the running. My fingers are definitely crossed for this one. Any good vibes you can send are more than welcome.

Next, as you know, my first guest blogger was Jackie Kessler and it was a total success. Thank you to everyone who sent in questions. I am proud to announce that the guest spot idea has really taken off. I’ve only got a few spots open for the year. Here’s the current schedule. (I’m looking for a good event calendar widget, so if anyone knows of one, please send it my way.)

January - Jackie Kessler - Hell's Belles
February - Terri Garey - Dead Girls are Easy
March - Anna Campbell - Claiming the Courtesan
April - Leslie Dicken - Secret Intentions
May - Tawny Weber - Double Dare
June - Elisa Adams - Secrets Volume 19: Timeless Passions
July - Roberta DeCaprio - Coma Coast
August - Betty Hanawa - More Than She Wished For
September - tbd
October - tbd
November - tbd
December - Barbara Pierce - A Gentleman at Heart

Lastly, I’d like to thank all of my faithful blog readers. According to my web host logs, more than 4,300 unique visitors came to www.sandra.barkevich.com in the month of January. And, as of yesterday, February has already seen 2,751 unique visitors. I am amazed and humbled that so many readers have found entertainment here. So, thank you for your continued visits and support. It doesn’t go unnoticed. In honor of that, I am entering the name of anyone who comments to this post, in a random drawing for your chance to win an autographed copy of Jackie Kessler’s debut novel, Hell’s Belles. Get your comments in before Saturday February 24, 2007. (I’ll put up reminders in subsequent posts, cause I know I’m gonna have something to say before the 24th! LOL.)

Good luck, Everyone!
Sandy :-)

It’s not all fluff!!!

I recently began the re-vamp of my current work-in-progress. You know, the one I couldn’t write because the original plot sucked? Well, it doesn’t suck anymore! *bg* And I am way past the writer’s block! Wooooo Hoooo!

So, last night, one of Keith's friends read the small, eleven sentence, prologue I’d recently written, and he gave me this look. The who-is-this-woman-I’ve-known-for-12years look. He was shocked. LOL. He said, "What are you writing here?!" Then he started quoting snippets, shook his head and turned to Keith. "You aren't afraid to sleep at night?" ROFL. He then turned to me and said, "I thought you wrote romance novels." Doubly ROFL! Especially after the look he gave me when I told him this was a romance. *eg*

What do you like in a romance? Besides the guarantee of a happily-ever-after, that is. Do you go for the dark, gritty stuff? Or, are you partial to lighter works? Romantic comedies? Romantic Suspense? Dark paranormals? What's your must-have story?

Sandy :-)

Guest Blogger, Jackie Kessler, Scheduled for Saturday January 27, 2007!

We’ve gotten some great questions so far. If you haven’t sent yours in yet, don’t miss out. Just email it to author [at] Barkevich [dot] com. Unfortunately, you will have to type the address into your email client by hand. My husband tells me there is a way to put a link that will not be stolen by the spam-bandits. Of course, he doesn’t know how to do that. So, I’m afraid you’ll have to enter the email address by hand for now. If there are any techies reading this blog, feel free to comment if you’ve got a solution to this small dilemma. Thanks!

On to other news…

You know how my little directory blurb says something about the Trials, tribulations, and exciting goings on of…Well, I think this next can fall under the trials and tribulations portion of that description. For the last few months, I’ve been stuck. Soul Reavers: Tori has not flowed from my fingertips as is the case with many of my other creations.

Honestly, this has been driving me crazy. I mean, it was fully plotted, right down to the last scene. All I had to do was write the thing. Yet, despite having every scene worked out in my mind, I could not, for the life of me, get past chapter 4. Oh, I sat at the keyboard, all but banging my head against my desk in an effort to move the story forward. I took the advice of my friend to try the scene from a different POV. (This usually works, by the way. It’s what got me past a bout of writer’s block with the manuscript that is currently being reviewed by HarperCollins-Avon.) I even tried some writing exercises. Nothing worked. Nothing! I’d write—uh, drag, kicking and screaming—a couple of words from my writer’s consciousness, then proceed to hit the delete key until I was back at the last sentence I’d typed before the whole block thing happened. Grrrr!

Then, one day it hit me. I hated the current story I was writing. It wasn’t something I would read. The plot, I mean. It was…weak. The hero didn’t have a good enough reason to stay away from the heroin. And, it actually threatened to read something like a soap opera. Gah! Ok, so, nothing against soaps. I just don’t like them. At all. I need a story with some meat. I need true conflict. None of this, if-the-Hero-&-heroine-had-just-communicated-this-whole-mess-could-have-been-avoided-crap. Excuse the language. I just hate, HATE, lame conflicts in a story. And, sorry to say, my current wip had the mother of all lame conflicts.

So, now that I realized the story I was trying to write, was total and utter crapola, I took a long hard look at what should be done to fix it. As much as I tried to avoid the clear-cut solution—who wants to throw away more than 5,000 words—I came to the only conclusion possible. Re-plot the story. As in, start from scratch. As in this story is not working, I-would-not-read-it-therefore-I-cannot-write-it. And, guess what? The flood gates are open, baby! Woooooo Hoooooo! My hero is darker and sexier, no longer the lame-ass who couldn’t see the heroine for the treasure she is just because she doesn’t fit the mold of the future duchess. My heroine is stronger, more self-confident. She has a secret she will guard with her life, and she doesn’t take crap from anyone, least of all darker-sexier-hero. I now have secondary characters that I have already fallen in love with and this story I have going on in my head freakin’ rocks! I can’t wait to get it on paper. Heck! I can’t wait to read it. LOL. That said, I’m off to write a new synopsis and get this story moving. Finally.

Sandy :-)