Inspired by Contests!
A weekly blog hop where writers share their inspirations. Please join us!
Late last summer, after beginning to query my third book, I decided to figure out Social Media Platforms. Seemed like a good distraction from the horror of an empty inbox. My Twitter feed was soon clogged with tweets about writing contests. My first foray into the contest world was WriteOnCon. Though I had no idea what the hell I was doing, in addition to getting some feedback on my query and first few hundred words, I met some wonderful people. One of them was Kristina Perez.
We exchanged manuscripts. Out of our CP relationship, a true friendship was born. We supported each other through the ups and downs of other contests, querying, revising, etc. Thursday’s Children is our first “baby” and we’re very proud of how it’s grown into a fabulous community for writers to share ideas and cheer each other on. Both Kristina and I are inspired by writers who give back (Heather Webb, Brenda Drake, Deana Barnhart, to name just a few) and we promised each other that if we EVER, FINALLY got agents, we’d do a contest too.
Well, that day has come! Here’s our second “child”! Hop along to Kristina’s TC post for more details and a link to the contest website! We hope you’ll enter if you’re eligible and we’re counting on your help to spread the word!
Have you ever participated in a writing contest? What was the best thing about it? What was the worst?
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Rhiann Wynn-Nolet 
Link to the post?
Never mind. I found a way to the blog through the image in the right-hand margin.
What a fabulous idea and I love the badge. Writing contests can be fantastic – a few years back I entered author Kate Mosse’s Baton Stories competition, which was inspired by her novel, Labyrinth, where she invited writers to continue the opening line of a story in six different time frames (both the past and the future). She then chose the best extracts to publish and continue each of the stories. I was one of the eventual winners but what I gained the most from it was to experiment writing in different styles that I never would have normally and I learnt so much. So what you and Kristina are doing is a really great thing!
Thanks Kate! All credit for the badge goes to Kristina, whose tech skills far outshine mine 🙂 We’re certainly hoping our contest offers something to everyone who participates in terms of learning experiences.
How fun are you? Writing contests are a wonderful opportunity for writers to connect and network. The upside? I’ve made awesome friends (you, TJ/GUTGAA), gained exposure to other perspectives through feedback (always enlightening), and learned the negative ones won’t kill me. 😛
Let me know if I can help in anyway. 😀
I’m more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Actually almost anything is more fun than that. Monkeys are terrifying. Yes, you can definitely help by RTing and sharing as we get closer to the sub window. Thanks! Can you believe GUTGAA was only 9ms ago? I feel I’ve known you forever…maybe a past life?
Woot!! I’ll be singing along to Madonna all through June 🙂 AND FINISHING MY MS.
YES!!!
Woo-hoo! So excited about this one! I *personally* have had a tumultuous relationship with contests, BUT they’ve been mostly positive experiences. I AM super excited to be on the flip side this time around with the chance to give back – thanks to you and Kristina for the opportunity ❤
So glad to have you on board 😀 Contests didn’t get me an agent, but they got me closer and they got me great new writer-friends,
Ditto that!
Cool! Never been in a writing contest before. I’ll have to go see what’s what…
Yes, you will. Let us know what you think!
Sounds like a great contest! Thanks for helping the writerly community out by hosting! You’re awesome for doing it. 🙂
We have some great role models and we think it’s going to be tons o’ fun too 😀
I think, like you, it was the great people that I met. It was awesome to connect with the other finalists. And of course I finally had something to put on my writing resume that turned a few heads.
I’m having my first judging experience with Agent Query Kombat and I expect it to be both more and less fun than being a contestant. Not sure if that makes sense…but I empathize with anyone putting their work out there for judgement in a public forum.
Funny – I’m blogging about a great writing friend this week too. So cool you guys are doing a contest. I’m gonna hop over and check it out!
Yes, a good CP is worth his/her weight in diamonds, eh?
It’ll be grand! You made it through the wilderness, somehow you made it through-ooh-ooh. 🙂
We’re putting you in charge of the LAV2013 soundtrack, ‘kay?
Oh, kudos to you both on running a contest! It’s on my to-do list for after I’ve seen some success myself. I won’t be able to participate in this one, but I’ll definitely help you promote it and wish you and the entrants the best of luck!
Thanks, Kip! There’s going to be a special edition TC closer to the contest, hope you’ll be able to participate in that 🙂
So awesome that you two are doing this. I can’t wait to see the entries!
I’m pretty excited about seeing them too!
Sounds like a great contest! I don’t think I’ll be able to enter, but I’ll be happy to participate or help out if you need me! My best contest experiences were The Writer’s Voice 2012 (the 2013 version is actually taking place this week) and Pitch Wars. In both cases, what made these contests great was not the agent requests (I hardly got any) but the great contacts I made in the online writing community.
Yes, we’re hoping that people will learn some craft-related things and make new friends even if they don’t make it into the final round. We’re keeping this first contest small since we’ll be learning as we go, but if it goes well hopefully it will be bigger in 2014 🙂
Wow, you guys are all grown-up, real agented writers and contest creators. I’m feeling important just knowing you. 🙂 Thanks for your friendship and your encouragement and your example. I’ll hop on over to Kristina’s site
Snort. I’m not sure that creating a Madonna-themed contest where cherries will be doled out qualifies us as all THAT grown up, lol.
After having read and commented on contests for years, I have to say I think the virgin idea is brilliant! And long overdue.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed that there are enough virgins in Writerland to enter LAV…And of course we want their “first time” to be a good experience. If I could just get Veronica to put her whip down…
That’s a great idea Rhiann. I will check it out…
😀
I did a whole post about blog contests a couple months ago (which I mentioned in today’s post, actually.) Brainshare! I think they’re so important to building community and learning about yourself as a writer. For me I learn more in the contests where I don’t win than when I do.
~Dannie @ Left to Write
I know! I had to laugh when I got to your post. Now I want to hear about learning more from “losing” than winning – because you’re apparently not sharing that part of your brain with me.
As I said on Twitter, this is an awesome idea and I’m thinking of entering Lily In The Shadows… 🙂
*squeals, claps hands* I’m SO curious about Lily…
Oh fun! I’ll have to go read all about it so I can spread the word. 🙂 I’ve entered lots of writing contests. Mostly online. The best part was meeting other writers. Also, at one online contest a judge who did not put me through to the next round emailed me to explain that is was simply because the query lacked stakes and then she gushed over my first 250 words.
The worst part was that I RARELY made it to the next round. At the time I thought it was because my writing/story sucked. Later I learned getting to the next round was often up to the judge’s reading preferences, the topics they preferred.
Yes, this whole writing with the idea of publication has so many levels of subjectivity to it (betas/CPs, agents, editors, critics, “the public”). Sometimes I scratch my head and ask myself what the hell I was thinking…
How great that you found a friend like Kristina through a contest! I’m loving my online writing buddies too.
I’ve only entered two writing competitions – one was when I was a child and I won a box of pick a path books. The other was a national (literary) competition (don’t know what I was thinking) – and my Mum rang me up (slightly disappointed) to tell me I hadn’t won… The winner was front page news.
Maybe, somewhere in the middle will be something to suit me… *rushes off to Kristina’s blog*!
We’d love to have you enter!
Great contest idea… Will have to work out what to enter:)
Excellent!
Awesome! Contests are definitely one of the keys to bringing people together 🙂
Congrats on your new “baby”!
Indeed! Didn’t we meet during GUTGAA? And thank you! *beams like a new mom*