Monday, November 21, 2011

First Contest

Good morning. Okay, so I ran off to my computer to look up RWA and discovered a wonderful world of other romance authors. Who knew there were so many of us out there? And just as quickly, I also discovered RWA writers contests. So I picked out one and entered. When the scores came back, they confirmed what the editors (and now agents, too!) were saying. My book was no where near ready for publication. I had so much to learn.

Here are some of the judge P-9's comments:

Opening is good
Premise is diluted with too much thinking about background.
Needs tightening
I could get excited when it focuses!  
(Score 23/40 points)


Judge U-7 said this:

I did not get hooked until page 5 when the rifle shot is heard
Both characters were very well described
Point of view is sometimes confusing
(Score 26/40 points)

Though I'm sure I grumbled a bit during this time, I knew if I was serious about writing as a career, I needed to keep going forward. I consider this book a first try in the learning process. So Catherine's Choice went into a file and I moved on.

**By the way, while going through my rejection letters, I realized I've been literally rejected by almost everyone in publishing at one time or another! More rejection letters to come!
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6 comments:

  1. ella quinnNovember 21, 2011 at 11:28 AM

    Cheryl,

    LOL. Loved your post. I've either gotten high or low scores, nothing in between. For the same contest I've received. "Just needs polishing" to "needs to take classes."

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  2. Susan MacateeNovember 21, 2011 at 1:00 PM

    I went through the same thing with my first romance novel, a Civil War time travel. Those contests really helped me shape up the story and I ultimately found a publisher. The best part was, a year after publication, the book was a finalist in a published book contest. I really believe those RWA chapter contests are worth the time and expense if you're serious about publishing your stories.

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  3. Cheryl Ann SmithNovember 21, 2011 at 1:32 PM

    Thanks Ella. I did final in several contests over the years, but not with that first sold book. I agree that contests can be both valuable, and frustrating. It's hard to know what the comment mean sometimes!

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  4. Cheryl Ann SmithNovember 21, 2011 at 1:35 PM

    Hi Susan,

    I think contests(and workshops)really helped me too. It can be a long haul to publication. Anything that teaches is a good thing. Thanks for posting!

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  5. Gillian LayneNovember 22, 2011 at 4:37 AM

    Those judges comments can be interesting, can't they? It's good of you to share your journey. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Cheryl Ann SmithNovember 22, 2011 at 8:59 AM

    Thanks Gillian!

    I hope my journey would shows how I've made mistakes, gotten kicked in the teeth, and kept going. Stumbles are part of writing!

    ReplyDelete

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