I heard about the Frasier contest online through a group I belong to. They judge your synopsis with the first 1500 words of your manuscript for all types of attributes that make up a good story. The winner would be announced at the ACFW conference in front of many agents and editors. Score. I figured if I won, I'd have my foot in the door, and if I lost I'd still receive helpful feedback on my submission.
I'd never entered a writing contest before so I figured I'd give it a shot. Which brings me back to the email in my inbox yesterday.
The email explained the process of judging. All of the contestants pieces were reviewed by two different judges. The top 10% were then sent on to the second round of judging. Those 10% were then whittled down to six contestants. Those six were the finalists and the winner will be announced at the conference in September.
They were happy to inform me that although I didn't final, I did make it to the second round of judging, so I am a Frasier Bronze Medal Award Winner. She said my writing showed solid writing craft.
Now, when I first read the news, I wondered if I should be excited or upset. After reading all about this contest and talking to other authors though, I'm excited! Not only will my name be mentioned at the conference awards ceremony, and on the conference pamphlet, but I'll be receiving feedback from the judges. I can't wait for the feedback! No, literally, I can't wait! I've already emailed asking when I get my feedback. :)
I want to be the best writer I can be, and I'd like to know what kept my work from being among the finals so I can fix it. I also realize that not being a finalist doesn't necessarily mean there was much wrong with it. It could just mean the judges didn't prefer first person narrative, etc. Either way, there's always room for improvement and I can't wait to do it!
So, I wanted to announce to everyone in blog land that I placed in my first ever writing contest! WOOHOO!
Congrats! I entered as well and didn't make it as far as you, but did get some awesome feedback! Contests are SO worth it.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree, very worth it! What piece of work did you enter? I appreciated the feedback also, but now I have to decide what to use and what not to use. :)
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