Comments Beth Langston says: Here is a contest judging question. I am puzzling over an entry. The MCs have qualities that would prevent me from picking up the book under normal circumstances. (kinda like it’s a vampire book and I don’t read vampire books.) The writing is very good–clear promise and maturity. But the plot? Jarring and harsh with an ending (as described by the synopsis) that is not really optimistic. So, is my distaste because this is the kind of book I would naturally avoid? Or is there really something wrong? Do any of you have words of wisdom to help me clarify in my own mind which it is? Beth I have a really good example to go with this. Last year I judged the paranormal category of a contest and ended up with an entry that was Sci Fi. Now, I don’t read Sci Fi, even if my favorite authors start writing it. It just doesn’t interest me at all. So I started into the story with much trepidation. By the time I finished reading, I gave the entry a perfect score. Despite the fact that it wasn’t my genre, the author MADE me like it. Her motivation and characterization were flawless. The story was interesting with just enough backstory, romance, and world building. By the end, I wanted to read the rest of the book. I didn’t even so much as find a typo through the thing (which makes me wonder why it didn’t final!). Anyway, I think even if we dislike the idea of a book, we can still see good writing. I would give higher points for the writing mechanics, maybe a lower score for the plotting issues. I had a similar experience with a historical. I’m just not a historical reader. Hadn’t read any in years. But needed to judge one in a contest. I ended up giving it a perfect score as well and was quite sad that I didn’t have the rest of it to finish!  Elise Hayes says: With this type of entry, you focus on the craft. You clearly see the strengths in the writing at the level of style (I’m assuming you were focusing on style when you mentioned the writing’s “maturity”?). You also see some flaws at the level of plot. If something feels “jarring,” then it might not be well motivated, or it might not feel true to a particular character, or it may simply not be believable (based on a sting of implausible coincidences), etc. And, finally, the level of optimism at the end is a question of genre. If the contest is for romance, then that’s potentially a deal-breaker. If the contest is for a different genre, then a darker ending can be appropriate. NOTE: Even within romance, there are different levels of optimism–but if you feel that the level of optimism isn’t appropriate for this book’s category/genre, then I think that is something to pay attention to in the judging. He Beth. just my thoughts today. Is the plot jarring and harsh because it isn’t developed well or is the plot itself jarring and harsh by topic nature? Some contests the synopsis is just there for reference. You couldn’t say, judge the end of the book based on the synopsis. You could only judge the pages in front of you that constitute the particular entry. I had a friend judging a contest that did make a comment to the submitter that the contest entry didn’t seem to reflect the plot of he rest of the book based on what was presented in the synopsis. However, she couldn’t really count off for that. Going back to what someone else said, and I agree, you have to judge the craft presented in the entry. Romance genre generally requires a happy ending or at least happy for now ending. If the synopsis seems to lead to a different conclusion it might be worth noting. Urban fiction doesn’t always have a clear happy ending, for example. I would expect in the futuristic, paranormal, divisions that you would get to that happy ending (happy for now). Otherwise you might consider the piece a Sci Fi with romantic elements. Does my rambling make sense? I agree. Check your contest rules to make sure you are supposed to be judging the synopsis or is it just there for “reference”? Tough question! One person’s “jarring and harsh” may be another person’s “gritty realism.” You clearly aren’t in this author’s target audience, but I think you have a few choices. 1) Can you hand the entry off to someone else? I know this sucks for the coordinator, but sometimes it’s the only fair thing to do. You can also ask for a second opinion. 2) Try very hard to imagine yourself NOT feeling jarred and assaulted by the plot. Even if you don’t like it, does it make sense? Do the characters’ actions stem from believable, sympathetic motivations? Do things occur just because the author wants to shock or disgust you, or are the rules of the novel’s world consistent and natural, even when harsh? It may depend on what the scoresheet says regarding synopsis, but I usually don’t make a judgment about the quality of the plot as I know there’s plots I don’t like. I really judge for completeness and coherence of plot. So in the case where I didn’t like the ending detailed in the plot or even the black moment, etc. I don’t take away any points. If the plot is vague or the conflict doesn’t hold up, then I might be more inclined to mark off points. In this situation, I agree with the rest. I’d weight it on craft and I tend to overlook the synopsis anyway.  rita says: Does anyone have any hints for those attending Nationals as a first timer? 1. Wear comfortable, but cute shoes. 2. Don’t schedule a workshop for every hour. You’ll burn out quick. 3. Don’t be afraid to sit next to people at lunch you don’t know or to strike up conversations on the elevator or in workshops. 1. Comfortable shoes!!! 2. Don’t overschedule yourself. It is just as important to meet with friends in the coffee shop as it is to attend a class. 3. Take a notebook for notes. You never know when you’ll need one, and not just in classes. Walking away from a lunch or a meeting, you might want to remember something someone said, a website they mentioned, or even just their name. Nice to have something to jot it down on. 4. Arrive by Wednesday at the latest and stay until Sunday if you can. Rushing in at the last minute doesn’t give you time to settle in and, trust me, you’ll need some extra sleeping time on Sunday. 5. Don’t take family with you, unless you have no choice. Otherwise, you’ll feel pulled between conference going’s on and entertaining them. 6. Bring some mix and match clothes. Say, a pair of black pants that several shirts can go with. And pack an extra shirt! I’m always spilling something on mine. 7. Make arrangements to ship all your extra books home. It is usually cheaper than paying for the extra luggage fees. Ditto on #4. I stayed just three nights last year, b/c I’d never been away from my four-year-old even one night before (I know, I know….). It felt rushed, and I missed things I wish I’d been there for. If I go for 2010, I’ll go for the whole ride. Hey, Ladies. I’m thinking of throwing my hat into a few contests this year. I entered two books into the GH and was wondering what you all might recommend for maybe 2 others. Contests, how I love them so! I try to pick contests with 3 or more judges. The ones that have really been helpful for me are The Golden Pen, the Marlene, The Gateway to the Best. That’s based on feedback and organization. Great Expectations is pretty good too. If you’re a contest junkie like me and your manuscript is striking out with agents, enter every contest you can afford to enter where an editor or agent you’re interested in is judging. Hey Andrea! One I highly recommend is the Golden Rose. I think it’s usually later in the year but I’ve entered a couple times and gotten excellent feedback! Also, if you can handle not getting a score, I think you get excellent feedback from The Maggies. I think they are all judged by published authors (could be wrong there), and instead of the typical scoresheet it’s pretty much a one page critique, with possibly other comments throughout the manuscript. Good luck!  CJ Chase says: I think the most important aspect you have to consider is your reason for entering contests. Do you need feedback? When I first started writing (and had a critique group as green as I), I needed good, solid feedback more than anything. Check the website for copies of the scoresheets before you enter. And look for contests that require judges to write comments for scores below a ‘3′. Number of pages really won’t matter, but a judged synopsis is probably also good. (So you get feedback on the synopsis, too.) Do you want credentials? Some contest finals carry more weight on a query letter than the Sandusky Sex Scene Contest. (The GH, of course, is the ultimate contest credential. Not sure what the others are since I haven’t entered contests much recently. Maggies, I think, used to be ranked near the GH in prestige.) Do you want to be seen by specific editors? Perhaps there’s an editor you think might be a good fit — a contest is a way of having her see your work without it being an “official” submission. (So if she hates your writing, you can try someone else at that house!) And then there are the houses that only take submissions from agents — a contest final will let you circumvent that requirement and get your work in front of one of their editors. Smaller contests (without so many entries) are ideal in that case. (Personally, I tended to avoid contests with agents for final round judges. I mean, if you want your work seen by an agent, postage is cheaper — and email is free.) I agree with the other suggestions here. My critieria for contests are: 1. At least 3 judges in the first round (otherwise, one always hates me and the other loves me) 2. Who is the final round judge? Is it someone I want to see my work? I’m not big on the feedback anymore, and I don’t think you need to be either (I happen to know Andrea and have read her writing — so this advice is for her particular situation, not necessarily everyone’s). I’ll read over it for recurring themes, but that’s about it. I’m not rewriting my book for someone who can’t buy it, unless several judges mention the same problem. That being said, I deeply appreciate judges who take the time to give me positive, constructive criticism. Keeping that in mind, I recommend the Emily, the Maggies, the Golden Pen, Daphne DuMarier (sp?, for suspense). There is also a yahoo group titled rwacontests that will send out contest information, so you can see all those final judges. One other thing to consider about contests are the perks of finaling. Some are associated with conferences and give you a private pitch session with an editor or agent if you final – like the Maggie, Put Your Heart in a Book, and Emerald City Opener. I got the most helpful feedback from the Maggie & PYHIAB. Really “ah-ha!” type stuff. (And they have fun awards ceremonies!) That’s right! Don’t some finalists for the online-chapter contests get in for free at the parties at Nationals at which the winners are announced? Like the FF&P party, the historical party, and the Death by Chocolate? I can’t remember. It’s like $10 to $15 you might save, though, and makes for EXCELLENT mingling opportunities. Like, at the Daphne awards party, the finalists were the only writers (I think) who were allowed to sit with the editors and agents. Great advice already here. I absolutely echo the points concerning final judges. I see it as a “free pass” to an editor or agent’s desk, providing I final, and they have to reply by a certain date! It’s far better than slush-pile submitting and waiting months on end for a response. On the other hand, I also like a good specialty contest. If you’re wondering how sensual your book is, consider the “Reveal Your Inner Vixen” contest. Yes, it’s my chapter’s contest, but I’d love it anyway. You can enter any section of your manuscript (doesn’t have to be the beginning!) as long as it showcases sensual tension. Also, even the FINAL JUDGES give personalized feedback on this contest. The winner’s benefits go on and on — $50 cash prize, a “foxy” pin you can add to your nationals badge, a big listing in the RWR… Good luck! Just make sure that whatever contests you enter, you understand A) what you will be judged on (look at the scoresheet to know for sure) Smarty Pants – Oh how I love a contest. I’d enter as many as you can. But if you’re being selective…What do you want? I always wanted to final and get my pages in front of an agent or editor. If that’s what you want, figure out who your dream agent and editor are and find a contest they are judging. I like the Golden Rose, too. Put Your Heart in a Book, Melody of Love, Fool For Love. I’m not sure I’ve met a contest I didn’t like. I like the most page count I can get, the more first round judges the better. If they’ll throw out your lowest score – great. Figure out your strengths and weaknesses. Show off your strengths and work on your weaknesses. Go for it! QUESTIONS: How do you know when you’re writing in the right genre or subgenre? …er, “question.” Singular. I had written several others, but then deleted them, thinking that I’d just keep it simple. Oh, Jamie, why don’t you just ask me to describe a complicated physics concept?!?! Well, the main thing that comes to my mind here is, when you plot new stories, do they always have certain elements in them that fall into a particular genre or subgenre? Story time! My plotting partners and I have a little inside joke. We each bring something unique to the table at plotting parties. Smarty Pants goes for the cooky characters and smart-aleck remarks. Instigator’s answer to plot holes is to “add more sex!”. I want to give character’s a dead mother, father, baby, etc. or battered childhood. Anything to add the angst. Problem Child’s characters need to be able to fit their emotional baggage in a carry on case, not a steamer trunk. She’s the cool, chic kid. Playground Monitor is usually watching out for the practical logistics of the story and whether or not it could actually happen. So in this case, I see that my books are usually dark and angsty! I write spicy contemporary romance, with a hint of suspense. Instigator writes for Blaze. Problem Child for Modern Heat. Smarty Pants writes paranormal with quirky, adorable characters. Playground Monitor writes straight contemporary love stories. So if every time you plot a book, your first idea is to put a ghost in it, you probably lean toward paranormal. Doesn’t mean you can’t write something else, just means your personal voice lends itself to those. If you always picture the villian first, suspense is probably your thing. Now, please take into account I’m trying (probably not very well) to explain how your natural voice lends itself to a natural genre or subgenre. Not what the business side of writing might work best for you. Okay, now that I have totally bungled that, maybe someone else will have a better answer. Love your answer, Danniele. I can’t write a book without horses in it. Tried but didn’t get very far. I guess we all have elements we prefer, and I know my writing goes much faster and smoother when I’m happy. Danniele, I’ve never heard this explanation of how to find one’s voice or genre before, and I’m grateful for it! Now I just have to THINK about it. Regarding contests to enter. Rachelle Chase & Leigh Michael’s Chase the Dream contest. It’s free. It’s the first 1000 words and the editors in the final panel give feedback to all the finalists. It’s happening now and you can re-enter every week if you don’t final. It goes for 8 weeks and they’re on week 2. Last year I received an agent and an editor full request off of it. http://chasethedreamcontest.wordpress.com/ You’re brave to have done it, Jeannie!! I find it scary enough to enter contests anonymously, and have just 2 or 3 readers critique me. To have it up there on the web for all the world to see….EEP!!!! Not all entries are posted up there. Only the finalists. So if you get posted, you’ve already “won” in a sense. Winner of today’s prize is Eden Glenn. Email me your snail mail address to angel@writingplayground.com to claim!!! Thanks to all the sisters who joined me in answering questions today and all those brave enough to ask!
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Good morning, Danniele. I’ll start with the questions.
I’m currently trying to juggle working on more than one project at a time. This is not natural for me. However, I’m fully aware that when I get published it would be rare (impossible probably) not to have to work on more than one thing at a time, so I’m trying to figure out how to make that work for me.
So, for those of you that are far better at that than I seem to be, how do you juggle working on more than one book at a time? I’m currently trying to revise two different manuscripts. Any tips or suggestions?
I haven’t tackled this issue yet, though I really want to. So I’ve been on the lookout for information on it. Either Delilah Devlin or Elle James (one of those girls from over at Rose Colored Glasses
) works on two projects at once. I remember her saying that she works on one at one time (say, in the morning) and the other in the afternoon. So maybe you can set aside certain times to approach each work separately.
Do you have a playlist for each book? You might can switch gears by listening to the music associated with each particular manuscript — this would tell your psyche that it is time to work with X characters.
Maybe some of the other sisters have actual experience with this.
I sometimes do this, but I don’t divide it out with any sort of schedule. I work on the one I feel like working on. Of course, sometimes I get into one more than the other, but that’s okay. I give myself permission to do that.
I’m trying to learn about going with the flow, rather than standing in the middle of the flow and refusing to move.
Kim, I have the opposit problem I’m trying to resolve. I can work on one project for a day or two, but I get restless and move onto something else. I joined a 70,000 words in 70 days challenge, which sounds like a lot, but it’s not bad. The hard part for me is to stay focused on keeping those 70,000 words in one project without dumping it and moving on to something new. I’m feeling the itch to start something fresh. I’m plotting it out in my head when I should be thinking about the old story. I have sooooooo many half finished manuscripts laying around in need of an ending. How do I do I work on multiple projects? How can I stop?
Kelly, if you want to finish a given manuscript, you simply have to refuse to be distracted by shinier objects along the road to completion. I don’t think that means you need to ONLY work on that one manuscript, but you may want to pick, say, two or three that you want to finish, and work on them all at the same time.
That way, if you get bored/annoyed/angry with the one you’re working on one day, you can switch to another ms without feeling the guilt you seem to express in your post.
I like Jamie’s advice here.
When I’m working on one project, others tend to start developing in my mind. I think this is a natural by-product of being creative. You are utilizing your creativity, which just spurs more creativity, and on and on. But I’m a stickler for finishing a project.
When those words and voices for new things start niggling in my ear, I simply write them down. I keep a notebook for each project and use it to keep all my notes for that project in one place. That way I won’t lose the thoughts, even though I can’t work on it right that minute. I tell myself, “I’ll get to that… later.” It may look all bright and shiny and new, but it will have the same struggles that the current story has.
The good thing about this is, by the time I finish one project, I have enough plotting/characterization notes to start the new project (I’m a plotter).
I’ve been having that problem, too. Now that I finished the rough draft of my first single-title-length story, I’m at a loss. Some days I write on one partly finished MS, other days I try to edit or write on something else. I can’t seem to settle on one thing.
Help!
Me, too… I have little blank books, and jot down ideas, dialogue, plotlines, whatever comes to me. It’s a blast to go back through them, and find ways to incorporate little bits into the current project.
It’s a serious hedge against “dry spells,” too.
Me, too… I have little blank books, and jot down ideas, dialogue, plotlines, whatever comes to me. It’s a blast to go back through them, and find ways to incorporate little bits into the current project.
It’s a serious hedge against “dry spells,” too.