This gives you. the loyal readers, new content everyday, but it gives our member bloggers a bit more of a break between posts. We'll try this format out and see whether it works or not--please feel free to post your opinions as the new changes unfold!
So, as exciting as it is, a post just about blog changes would be b-o-r-i-n-g, and a bit of a downer following the always amazing Alice. Never fear! I have more to talk about!
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In the latest issue of RWR, there's a great article about contests. The article has great tips for picking contests, what to expect from them, and how to run them. However, the article only briefly touches on one of my contest pet-peeves--First Chapter Overload. Nearly every contest focuses on the first few pages or first chapter(s). Now, I understand the reasoning behind this--it's hard to read something out of order, editors and agents typically look at the first chapters, and you need to hook your reader quickly. However, this type of contest tends to reward the meet-cute and/or the dead body in the middle of the room type of formulaic openings. Which is great--I LOVE to read this type of book, and I love a good meet-cute and/or obvious danger as well as any other romance lover, BUT it's not the only opening style.
Of course, I can be prickly about this point because my books typically take a little bit more to establish the true meat of the romance. I'm working on improving my hooks (all Danita's great hook posts helped!) but I still long for more variety among contests. So imagine my delight when I scanned the list of contests in the back of RWR and discovered several non-traditional contests lurking out there!
- 14th Annual Ignite the Flame Contest--First Meeting of Hero and Heroine (big plus for those who don't have them meet in the first 10 pages!).
- Enter, Win, and Sell--Another First Meeting Contest
- Happily Ever After--Last Chapter of the Manuscript! Yay! A contest that rewards great endings.
- Write Hook Contest--A contest for Query Letters
But, I think the deeper issue this raises for me, is how we each have our own strengths and weaknesses. Every author has the part of the book that she feels the most confident. For me, that part comes some where around Chapter Six-through the middle of the book. (Now whether that says that my first six chapters should be axed is a whole different post). I feel that my strength is in dialog, and it takes a few chapters to get the characters and plot underway so that the individual scenes take on a life of their own. I'm also pretty confident about my love scenes and my endings--I enjoy writing these, so that increases my faith in these sections.
What would your IDEAL contest showcase? What part of your books are you the most confident about? What parts do you love to write? What parts make you the most nervous? Do traditional contests show your book in its best light? Share your thoughts!
22 comments:
Contests- for a while I wouldn't miss a one! LOL But I've learned to save my money and send to where it counts - editors and agents.
The first RWA contest I entered was the love scene (from the first romance I wrote) and I finaled! The rest of the book was crap (still is) but from the beginning I've had strong love scenes. No matter what the contest is I either final or have polar opposite scores. And I found, I did more finaling early on than I did before I quit doing contests. Like I lost the story telling when I began to write the book according to industry standards - but I digress.
I love writing the beginnings and the ends because I know for the idea stage of a book how those are going to play out. But the middle is fun to write because you never know what twists and turns the story and characters are going to take.
To me the love scenes are the epitome of the connection the H/H have made. I don't just throw those in when there's a lull. They have a time and a place.
I tried the last chapter contest with my Spirit book. One judge totally got it said it made her cry, another judge said I cheated by having the Creator help in the end. If she had read the whole book she would have known, he'd stepped in a couple of times already when called upon! So it wasn't cheating it went with the story! Anyway that was the last contest I entered and the scores were high and low and in the middle.
I think there should be a pick your best scene contest! The writer would have to do a two page set up to the scene (which would be judged) after all if they were writing a synopsis it would be like the setup. And then a 5 page scene, what ever they thought was their best work.
Now that would be fun! It would make the writer really think about their whole story and find the right thing and then make them have to really think about their story to do the set up.
Great Blog, Wavy!
I'm anxious to see how the new formatting goes!
Thanks so much for taking on the Tues./Thurs. changes, Wavy. :)
As for contests...the fact your middles are your strong points is a good thing. Means no sagging middles. :) I hate the judges who score down for the h/H not meeting in the first ten pages. So many know they're not supposed to, yet they do it anyway. I was just looking at last year's Daphne comments I got. One judge gave me 1's because the Hero and heroine didn't meet in the first fifteen pages, even though IN THE SCORE SHEET it says not mark down if they don't meet (that's me rolling my eyes).
As far as what I think I write well? Black moment. Not necessarily the action ones, but the emotional black moment where either the H or h are sure this relationship is in the toilet. I love writing those and think (hope) I do them well.
Great post!
I'm totally seeing the need for a pick-your-best scene contest :) AND a black moment contest.
Eli--I like writing black moments too. Well except when I can't decide WHAT the black moment should be exactly . . . . but that's another story :)
Wavy-- Thanks for taking on the Tuesday, Thursday gig... and thanks also for the compliment.
I entered my first contest this year. They've never appealed to me. Eli talked me into this one so if I go down in flames, guess who I'm planning on blaming? I asked not to be sent judging sheets. I don't want to hear negative remarks in my head every time I sit down to write.
It was a contest that judges an entire published book. I guess that is the kind of contest I am interested in if interested in all. Meets are relatively easy, love making carries heavy duty emotion, endings can be rousing. But they are all only parts of a whole and if the other parts don't carry the same weight, there's no book.
I have friends who use critiques as learning tools. It seems that since the judging is so all over the place in quality, expertise and opinion, depending too heavily on it could be a mistake.
Has anyone else ever noticed how polished the first three chapters of some books seem compared to what comes next? Almost glib, sometimes. I think that's because of contests and also because a lot of writers sell on the basis of the first three chapters. They spend a lot of time polishing those first 50-60 pages. The rest of the book gets half that attention.
Somewhere in the latest RWR, a Harlequin Super Romance editor (I believe) mentioned not relying too heavily on contests. She also said that she's still waiting for manuscripts she requested years before. She urged people to keep their eye on completing their books and getting them out there. Sorry, if I am slightly misquoting her on this, but I'm too lazy to go find the magazine. I think she made some very valid points.
All that said, I need to get to work. Thanks again, Wavy...
Alice
I like the ideas for the blog changes, Wavy. Thanks for being one of the spearheaders.
As for contests, interesting post. I haven't read this month's RWA issue yet. I have a burning, seething feeling about contests. Judges either score me really high or really low, which as I understand it, indicates a "strong" voice. But it makes it next to impossible to win because the high scorers and the low scorers are always there, judging each $#@$% contest.
Breathe, Danita. Breathe.
Also I've had some really ignorant comments made -- like "this would read better in present tense."
Hello...it's written in present tense.
All that said, I've also had some really great feedback from contest judges and if I enter the same ms. in several contests and get several similar comments, I know I need to heed the advice.
Actually, I'm such a glutton for punishment, I'm thinking about entering my WIP in a contest.
What do you think, Paty? Do you think it has a shot? Or am I just being silly?
Go for it Danita! I love it! But you already know that! And I think it will do well, but you know there are always those judges that will judge it low because they don't get it. ~sigh~
My CP, Friend, and co-editor are doing a online workshop to the Historical loop I'm on about "Chapter 4 and beyond". As editors we see a lot of great first three chapters and then the whole thing goes to pot in chapter 4. You're right people polish, polish, polish the first three in all the contests they send to, then don't follow through with all those suggestions into the rest of the book!
Good luck on the contest you entered, Alice! I sent MIP to two published contests. We'll see what happens there!
Eli you and Wavy need to get together since you are the ones interested in putting together a chapter contest! LOL I still like the idea of a Black moment contest at Halloween!
Um. Yeah. Black moment contest in October. I'll judge entries during 2 a.m. feedings. And babies in my family tend to come LATE (like due on Halloween, born on Dec. 4 LATE), so heck, I might still be pregnant. Contest October 2008 sounds like a FABULOUS chapter goal though.
Danita, I say to go ahead an enter contests. Pick wisely, choose contests that throw out the low score, that use multiple judges, and that use trained judges. But, it should be part of your overall plan to get things out there. I used the GH deadline as a concurrent personal deadline for mailing a bunch of queries--and I'm really glad I did that.
Alice--I like what you say about each part really being part of whole that can't be judged separately. I think this is what I was getting at. A good book BUILDS, and this doesn't always translate in the first 20-25 pages.
Eli? Eli who???? Wait. Alice. Did she twist your arm? Hold a gun behind your head? No, wait. I know. She held your crazy dog for ransome and said "enter or the pooch gets it." Man, what a meanie.
You know why I pushed you to enter, right? I want someone else to embarress themselves at the KOD death by chocolate party this year. ;) BTW...I entered the Daphne too (shoot me now) with the same book that finaled in the GH. Wanna bet it scores low? The unpub Daphne is only the first 15 pgs and my H/h do not meet in the first 15 pgs.
Danita, I tend to score high and low too. Published judges usually to score me high, unpubs tend to tear my entries to shreds. Just what is up with that?
And FWIW...Allison Brennan once said she was a contest slut - entered some insane amount of contests with a multitude of manuscripts (many that were never finished), placed in a few but never won a single one. And look at her now. NYT Bestseller and a rising star.
Paty. Bite your tongue.
Eli--I want my crazy dog back. Unharmed.
Also, if anyone out there sees my muse walking around on her own, would they please shove her in a box and mail her Fed Ex to me RIGHT NOW. I just heard I need to keep things on the short side.
The short side came and went two sub plots ago.
Alice,
Who will not make a fool of herself at the KOD contest because, hello, if that book finals, I'll eat my hat. I don't wear hats. Okay, I'll eat my shoe.
Paty, good luck on the contests! Fingers crossed...
Wavy, are you saying babies in your family can come 5 weeks late? Yikes! My son was 11 days late and that seemed like a year.
I got clarification, so the short side thing is a non issue. If you see that blasted muse, leave her alone, maybe she needs some time away from home.
I've judged contests before and would be happy to help if we do a contest in our chapter as long as the reading/judging thing doesn't involve really long passages (i.e. outrageous outlays of time). But I need someone to explain how we judge a black moment when the whole thing depends so very much on what came in the 300 pages before.
Thanks,
Alice
(Okay, no one tell Wavy all my kids were early. Like, three weeks early on average. My best friend tells me I have no idea what it's like to be miserably pregnant - I beg to differ.)
Alice...I think I saw your muse skipping up I-5 all-but naked, wearing only diaphanous robes and singing something about, Free, free, now we are free....or something like that. Now that I think of it, it looked like she was hitching a ride north with a very burly-looking trucker.
And just so you know...I'm holding you to the shoe-eating thing. Pick your favorite pair, dahlin'.
I've entered a few unpubbled contests in the past, but I don't really like them. When I enter, it's usually on impulse. The non-RWA contests I entered were much more satisfying, maybe because the judges seemed more professional? I don't know. But it's certainly different. I'll never forget the one contest I entered that took off points for using "terminal punctuation." WTF?
My scores are all over the place, too. And the comments are rarely helpful. I consider contests a waste of money and like Paty, my money and my time is better spent on sending partials and fulls to editors and agents.
Eli, I remember several years ago when I was a member of KOD and Allison Brennen was going through her contest-slut stage, LOL! 8^) She'd go on and on about the wacky judging, her frustrations, same as all of us. It's such a crap shoot. I even remember when she was writing emails from her hospital bed after having baby #5. I'm so happy for her success! She's worked extremely hard and really deserves her bestseller status. She's an inspiration to us all.
Though I don't like to enter contests, I do enjoy judging them. However, they're real time-sucks. I judge maybe one or two contests a year, and I always judge the non-romance categories for the Colorado Gold. It's such a breath of fresh air, and I've been lucky to find some winners! Getting the privilege of reading new, wonderful work is such a rush! I just love it.
Karen
Eli--And I suppose you just let that slutty muse go off on her own. Thanks a lot.
Actually, Paty sent me a picture of the white elephant I brought two Xmas ago. Apparently my muse has mutated. So good to see him again, thanks Paty, that was a real treat and darn funny, too.
Karen, WTF is "terminal" punctuation? Punctuation at the end of a sentence? I don't get it.
Alice
Yes, all of my mother's pregnancies were a month over due. This was all pre-ultrasound and strigent doctors, so they just assumed that she didn't count right.
3 weeks early is NOT allowed. There will be grounding if Beta feels the need to come before Aug. 18 (last day of teaching).
And Alice, what you would do with the contest is ask for 10 pages max of black moment, or X number of agreed on pages. Then you would ask for 2 pages of set-up/follow-up that isn't judged. Or just ask for the synopsis. Something like that.
Karen--I also like judging way better than editing! But then again, I also like grading. Except when it is grading hell like 2 weeks ago with a crunch deadline.
Wavy, for what it's worth, all my babies were early, too. My first was 2 1/2 weeks early, my second 10 days early, and my third 4 days early. Gee, if I'd had a fourth it would have been right on time! Ugh, perish that thought. Three was plenty.
Alice, I thought the same thing about terminal punctuation. The judge explained it as a complete sentence with a question mark -- that's the terminal part, because it ends or terminates the sentence -- followed by a she or he asked. She was adamant that the tag must come first, as in: She asked, "What the --?" I know, really stupid. But it was a contest and the judges can do whatever the hell they want (even when they're not supposed to).
As for what I'm best at, I don't really know. Maybe action scenes? That would be a cool contest, the best action scene.
Karen
KAREN--This terminal punctuation thing is a good example of a person who has read something, taken it to heart ad nauseam and now uses it as a weapon of honor, heedless of its origins, wielding it like some sort of wobbly sword of righteousness.
There are many editors, mine among them, thank-goodness, who do not do this kind of thing. THIS IS THE DANGER OF UNEDUCATED AND NARROW MINDED JUDGES!!!!!
Alice--thanks for the explanations, Wavy and Karen
I've let other people's comments slow my writing down several times.
On second thought, a contest is probably not the best idea for me.
My first baby was late, Wavy. Ten days. With the second, the doctor promised not to let me go over my due date. He induced that day.
No new post? So apparently, this baby will arrive anywhere between Aug. 18 and Oct. 18 if all goes well. Gee. That's reassurring for a plotter like me. I NEED an outline of the next 5 months.
Karen, I've found the biggest problems with judges who are reading a sub-genre that they never write in or read. I've had YA judges totally dissect how sarcastic my heroine is, noting that she should be "Sweet and loving and a role model" Sweet and loving is FAR from the YA heroine of choice for the last 10 years or longer. The lesson here for me was to trust my own reading of the genre. This same judge had some decent feedback about plot & pacing, so I didn't burn the paper. When I critique for students, I often preface with, "I'm not sure about your field, BUT . . . ."
Hmmm....
I've been out all day, otherwise I'd have put something up today. Sorry all. Today was Genene's day...and I know I sent her the schedule...
Bethany, I agree about the first chapter being tough for contests. Some of my favorite books have taken several chapters to really get going. That doesn't mean there's no action to keep me hooked, just that the romance takes a bit to develop. I've seen some fun ones too like best dialogue, best vampire turning (I'd love to judge that one!), best kiss, best love scene, etc. However, I haven't entered any of them to see how good the feedback is. I can see the benefit to a standard contest as it judges how and editor or agent would looking at your submission.
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