Saturday, February 16, 2008

Contests

I'll be the first to admit, I'm not a huge fan of contests. I've entered a few, and found the whole experience rather stressful.
This year I said I wouldn't be entering the Genesis contest, put on by American Christian Fiction Writers.
Okay, I might have lied.
I truly had not intended to enter. I was fully focussed on my re-write, and I didn't know how long that
was going to take. But, once I finished that, I found I had some extra time on my hands, and I got to thinking about the whole contest thing.
Really, what do I have to lose by entering? Well, I might get some negative criticism. Nothing new there.
As a writer, I've finally learned this is a necessary evil. And, if you're really honest with yourself, a lot of the criticism is
accurate, and you can use it to improve your writing.
I could get a variance of scores, like last year. One judge gave me 100%. Nice, but a little unrealistic. But I didn't complain.
The other two scores were mid to high range, with very helpful comments.
Again, nothing to lose there.
So, since I have nothing to lose, and can afford the entrance fee, I entered two manuscripts.
After all, if I'm thinking positively and believing in myself, hey, this could be my last chance to enter the Genesis, right?
Published authors are not eligible.
And maybe, if God wills, this time next year, I won't be eligible.
You never know.
Ultimately my decision to enter came as a result of thinking about the feedback I will get on my work. I don't care if I place, or even final and win. Sure, that would be nice. I've been working really hard this year. It would be great.
But a lot of other people have been working hard too. So really for me, I'm not really looking at it as a competition that I hope to win.
It's more a tool I can use to help improve my craft. I'm not at all freaked out by it like I have been before.
Maybe I'm maturing, oh yes, at last!
But hey, when you really have nothing to lose, there's no reason not to do it.
Nothing like last minute decisions!
Now, back to organizing...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Cathy,

I'm glad you took the step to enter Genesis again. You're right...it's a bargain when you look at the feedback.

Best wishes on this writing journey for Him,
Jennifer