Sunday, February 23, 2014

Writer's Contests and other Wastes of Time

To keep my goals fresh in the light of a gazillion rejections from agents, my husband suggested I enter as many writing contests as possible.  In addition to following his advice, I shared it with an online Writer's Group.  The reaction was mixed, from "That's fantastic!  Let's do it!"  to "Waste of time -- too many big publishers competing..."

Huh.

Once questioned, it turned out that the most negative responders had entered the contests and lost.  A close acquaintance entered a contest and won the grand prize.  $700 and one-on-one with numerous agents.  She's young and a recent college graduate; to her, the money was a fortune.  But she also recognizes the real prize was rising above the crowd and being presented to the agents.   She's now signed and is on track to realizing a publishing contract.  Very, very cool.

Much like a lottery ticket, if you don't play, you can't win.  And somebody does win.

So I'll continue entering and see what falls out.  I've listed a couple below - there are many more out there...  Google 'em!

Wish me luck!

Writer's Digest, Writing Competition

Association of Writers & Writing Programs - Contests

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