TOPIC: Contest Feedback

With the new contest season gearing up I thought it rather appropriate to re-post an piece I wrote a while back called "The Tough World of Contest Feedback" (there were some great comments made by others if you want to take a look).

Here's the article:


ADD+DA

No, this is not some strange chemical formula or a new classification for attention deficit disorder. It's the acronym for the emotional fallout we all experience from contest feedback (and the same can be said of rejection letters if truth be known - ask me how I know!).

So, you've entered a writing contest with your work. You've put your baby out there and spent the last few months eagerly awaiting the results and feedback from the judges. You get it. You read it.

Some of it's positive. Some of it's mediocre. Some of it rips the rug out from under your feet - cuts you off at the knees and leaves you bleeding - makes you want to crawl under the bed and chew on your knuckles for the next hundred years.

The myriad of emotions sparked by this sort of feedback is what I want to address in this post. Firstly though, what does the acronym stand for?

A - anger.
(And at this point in time, I'm going to share your pain by baring some of the most gut wrenching comments I've received from judges over the last eight years, so you know you're not alone.) Here are some examples, some ranging from inappropriate to "constructive-but-I-felt-the-need-to-disagree-with-them" comments.

Example 1. (judging 3 chapters) "Heroine seems to be a plaster saint. Hero a lout with unreasonable expectations. They don't talk like people. Their names have a real '70's fantasy ring to them. 
Voice: stop using $10 words you don't know how to use well and talk naturally. Get deeper into your characters' heads and your POV problems will clear up. Five spaces begin a paragraph, not two. Don't worry about the premise. Fix the voice. Premises are cheap. Voice is golden. 
I feel this entry has been critiqued to death. You have the basic skills to tell a story and keep it interesting. That is ALL IT TAKES to get published, so screw your critique group!"

Example 2. (judging 3 chapters & synopsis) "The hook is pretty generic."

Example 3. (judging a synopsis) "To be honest, you can probably cut most of the first three paragraphs. I can see you're trying to hook the reader with the first para, but character introductions and action can do that as well as or better than a tag line. I'd recommend you get your world-building/setting out there, and then get straight to the characters."

OK, now that you've read them, can you imagine feeling angry? With maybe all three in varying degrees? Hmm-mm. I did.

So, there I am brewing with anger. The next stage of this cycle:
D&D - disbelief & denial, and these comes in varying forms as well.

• After reading the first judge's comment I was spitting chips and hurling the score sheets across the room.
• The second made me wonder how the judge got past judge training school - where was the follow up advice? What suggestions could they have offered to improve a "generic" hook?
• The last one drew out a knee-jerk reaction. I was attached to that synopsis beginning, do you know how much time I spent slaving over them, how dare they suggest I cut out the opening paragraphs! etc.etc.etc.

Moving on to:
D - despair.
Admittedly the first two comment examples came at a stage in my contest career when I'd developed a pretty thick-skin, and after the initial shocking read I could relegate these judges comments to the "Disregard" file.
Very little of what they had to say was going to help me develop my skills as a writer other than to infuriate me on behalf of the beginning writer who did take their comments to heart and decided never to write again.

All that aside, there have been times I've read comments and begun to doubt my abilities as a writer. Am I good enough? Why do I bother to put myself through this? Will I ever reach a standard acceptable to be published? I thought I had this entry pretty well nailed, where did I go wrong? You ask yourself all these sorts of questions in this stage. You've got to push through, analyse your feedback objectively - see the gold amidst the debris - and come out more analytical & tougher on the other side.

And the last stage is:
A - acceptance.
The good thing about the last comment example is that the judge offered constructive advice. And once I'd cooled off and gone back to look I could see the value in what they'd suggested.

I reworked the synopsis, wrote a couple of alternate beginnings, used the advice and came up with something that incorporated some of what the judge said and something I could live with.

Some of those knee-jerk reactions you have to the judges comments are probably the ones that strike a resonating chord within you and subconsciously you know they're right. Also if more than one judge point out the same thing then you need to look seriously at that feedback with a view to editing your work.

Most judges volunteer to help you improve your skills and craft. They're not in it to belittle your ability or scoff at your plot or characters. If you take anything away from this post, and listen to some hard learned wisdom from a contest diva, remember this...you WILL go through every stage of the process I've outlined. Many, many, many, many times and at difference points in your career as a writer.

A last word on the issue - get used to it or (as one of my more shoot-straight-from-the-hip writing buddies says) get out of the game. Harsh advice. Yep. This business is tough.

But if you manage to stick it, develop that tough-skin and improve your craft, then the rewards will outweigh the hard times. Guaranteed. :-)

Who's That Girl? interview with Tina Marie Clark

Strapped into my blog hotseat is a fellow Romance Writer of Australia member. Please welcome, Tina Marie!

 

Name? Tina Marie Clark.

Tina Marie Clark is the coordinator for the CYA Conference, held annually in Brisbane, Australia. She began CYA Conference in 2006 and CYA Conference has grown to be one of the premier events on the Children’s Young Adult Writing and Illustrating calendar, and will be held on 10th & 11th September 2011. 

Where do you live?

Beautiful Bribie Island, Queensland, Australia.

How long have you been a member of our organisation?

RWAustralia Since 2004, RWAmerica only since 2009. 

What genre/s do you write in?

Children’s (published) , YA, Women’s fiction, Series romance. 

What's your current writing project?

Besides coordinating the CYA Conference, I am completing an edit on a women’s fiction. Its one of those books that have taken forever, and gone on a l-o-n-g journey on its way to the end.

I pitched it in Washington in 2009, then after learning so much at that conference I held onto it, didn’t send ‘fulls’ as requested. I felt it needed more work…and I like to believe I was right.

I did RWA 5DI 2010 (Five Days Intensive), and had the wonderful Fiona Brand as my mentor. The edits and rearrangement of the book are almost completed. So it's a tad late for the request that I got back in ‘09 – but hopefully the editors and agents will forgive the delay… 

Basically the story line is: Ashley, an Australian woman, falls in love with a Zimbabwean rancher, and the book is her journey to understanding how the lives of the white Decker family intertwine with the black Ndhlovu family, and their co-dependents on each other. 

Have you entered any writing competitions? Have you found them to be helpful?

I was entering the RWAustralia competitions, and found the feedback very useful and the comments always encouraging.

I did get into the second round of the RWA:Emerald a few years back, which was exciting, but I never made the finals. I entered one or two American competitions, because they were online submissions, and didn’t place or anything there.

From previous competitions comments, I found that this particular book I’m working on doesn’t fit into the typical RWA mold, so it was no use using the competition to gauge how it was coming along as I did when I was writing category books previously. My aim is to get it finished before 5DI in July this year…only a short time left to achieve that one. 

Apple, PC, longhand or other?

Definitely Apple. Mini on the desk, Pro in the laptop case, iphone4 in the hand bag and use of ipad whenever I can ‘steal’ it from hubby and the kids..oh and of course, another ipod in the car just for music and listening to podcasts. 

Name your top 5 authors you like to meet, have lunch with and ask questions of about writing.
Mmm, you didn’t say they had to still be alive so...Dr. Seuss & David Eddings.

Tina (in white) meeting J.D.Robb

The living but unobtainable:  J.K. Rowling.

Those I have met but would love to have more time with to talk to: Nora Roberts, & Janet Evanovich.

I know a wide and varied bunch, but that's my reading style too, any and everything gets read, from comics to epic fantasy series. 

Do you have any routines or things you do to keep motivated when writing?
Routines and I are so not friends. If it wasn’t for my boys having to be at school, we probably wouldn’t have much of a routine at all. But because my life is busy, I have to find  time to write or it doesn’t happen. I have found that the term ‘have lap top will travel’ best fits me as I can work wherever. I sit in the library, at school, at maccas, in the car, anywhere there is room for my laptop and write while I wait for the kids… this ‘free’ time away from my desk is wonderful as I don’t get bogged down in administration items for CYA Conference, its just me and my keyboard.

Keeping motivated, well this book has been a WIP for probably around 8 years now, and I’m still trying to get it right, so I think that I am naturally motivated to finish something that I start. Do I want the book done and dusted? Of course.

Am I still interested in writing the book? No. The writing for me was the fun part, the editing part kills me and takes longer than the writing ever did. But I know I need both done to get a publishable novel.

Actually, I have small ritual that I do when I am writing all over the countryside…I have my themed music on my ipod so I can listen to it and block out the world. But strangely enough, when I work at my desk at home, its often in silence, just me and my story.

I am also motivated to keep writing because of CYA Conference.  I see so many people getting published because of some small way that CYA Conference touched their lives, and I have so many beautiful book babies on my shelf from those people, that its hard not to keep the dream of another book with your name on it on the shelf  alive and well.

Name one hobby you love doing and would be unlikely to ever give up (writing not included).
Gardening. I adore my garden, and growing flowers, propagating plants and spreading the love of it by sharing plants with neighbours. There is something so satisfying about looking out your window, and seeing a beautiful garden, and knowing that you have nurtured those plants from sticks or seeds to the magnificent plants they are now. 

Tina & Cimarron

And lastly, finish these statements...
The actor I would most like to see play one of my heroes is... Morgan Freeman.
My favourite childhood toy was...  my horse Cimarron.
The worst thing about writing is... it takes so much time to serve your apprenticeship before seeing results.
Two things I would pack if I were going to an isolated holiday destination... my hubby and my laptop, in that order!
Three goals I've set myself for this year... 1. Finish this edit by July’s 5DI. 2. Finish another category book 3. Make more time for writing.


You can find Tina on her website, her CYA Conference website, her personal Facebook page and Facebook - CYA Conference page.

TOPIC: The tough world of contest feedback...

ADD+DA

No, this is not some strange chemical formula or a new classification for attention deficit disorder. It's the acronym for the emotional fallout we all experience from contest feedback (and the same can be said of rejection letters if truth be known - ask me how I know!).

So, you've entered a writing contest with your work. You've put your baby out there and spent the last few months eagerly awaiting the results and feedback from the judges. You get it. You read it.

Some of it's positive. Some of it's mediocre. Some of it rips the rug out from under your feet - cuts you off at the knees and leaves you bleeding - makes you want to crawl under the bed and chew on your knuckles for the next hundred years.

The myriad of emotions sparked by this sort of feedback is what I want to address in this post. Firstly though, what does the acronym stand for?

A - anger.
(And at this point in time, I'm going to share your pain by baring some of the most gut wrenching comments I've received from judges over the last eight years, so you know you're not alone.) Here are some examples, some ranging from inappropriate to "constructive-but-I-felt-the-need-to-disagree-with-them" comments.

Example 1. (judging 3 chapters) "Heroine seems to be a plaster saint. Hero a lout with unreasonable expectations. They don't talk like people. Their names have a real '70's fantasy ring to them. 
Voice: stop using $10 words you don't know how to use well and talk naturally. Get deeper into your characters' heads and your POV problems will clear up. Five spaces begin a paragraph, not two. Don't worry about the premise. Fix the voice. Premises are cheap. Voice is golden. 
I feel this entry has been critiqued to death. You have the basic skills to tell a story and keep it interesting. That is ALL IT TAKES to get published, so screw your critique group!"

Example 2. (judging 3 chapters & synopsis) "The hook is pretty generic."

Example 3. (judging a synopsis) "To be honest, you can probably cut most of the first three paragraphs. I can see you're trying to hook the reader with the first para, but character introductions and action can do that as well as or better than a tag line. I'd recommend you get your world-building/setting out there, and then get straight to the characters."

OK, now that you've read them, can you imagine feeling angry? With maybe all three in varying degrees? Hmm-mm. I did.

So, there I am brewing with anger. The next stage of this cycle:
D&D - disbelief & denial, and these comes in varying forms as well.

• After reading the first judge's comment I was spitting chips and hurling the score sheets across the room.
• The second made me wonder how the judge got past judge training school - where was the follow up advice? What suggestions could they have offered to improve a "generic" hook?
• The last one drew out a knee-jerk reaction. I was attached to that synopsis beginning, do you know how much time I spent slaving over them, how dare they suggest I cut out the opening paragraphs! etc.etc.etc.

Moving on to:
D - despair.
Admittedly the first two comment examples came at a stage in my contest career when I'd developed a pretty thick-skin, and after the initial shocking read I could relegate these judges comments to the "Disregard" file.
Very little of what they had to say was going to help me develop my skills as a writer other than to infuriate me on behalf of the beginning writer who did take their comments to heart and decided never to write again.

All that aside, there have been times I've read comments and begun to doubt my abilities as a writer. Am I good enough? Why do I bother to put myself through this? Will I ever reach a standard acceptable to be published? I thought I had this entry pretty well nailed, where did I go wrong? You ask yourself all these sorts of questions in this stage. You've got to push through, analyse your feedback objectively - see the gold amidst the debris - and come out more analytical & tougher on the other side.

And the last stage is:
A - acceptance.

The good thing about the last comment example is that the judge offered constructive advice. And once I'd cooled off and gone back to look I could see the value in what they'd suggested.

I reworked the synopsis, wrote a couple of alternate beginnings, used the advice and came up with something that incorporated some of what the judge said and something I could live with.

Some of those knee-jerk reactions you have to the judges comments are probably the ones that strike a resonating chord within you and subconsciously you know they're right. Also if more than one judge point out the same thing then you need to look seriously at that feedback with a view to editing your work.

Most judges volunteer to help you improve your skills and craft. They're not in it to belittle your ability or scoff at your plot or characters. If you take anything away from this post, and listen to some hard learned wisdom from a contest diva, remember this...you WILL go through every stage of the process I've outlined. Many, many, many, many times and at difference points in your career as a writer.

A last word on the issue - get used to it or (as one of my more shoot-straight-from-the-hip writing buddies says) get out of the game. Harsh advice. Yep. This business is tough.

But if you manage to stick it, develop that tough-skin and improve your craft, then the rewards will outweigh the hard times. Guaranteed. :-)

INDUSTRY: Helpful Links

Thought these writing links might come in handy. Most are my genre orientated (f/f/p romance) but there are a smattering of general sites.

Agents/Editors (for researching information)
Agent Query - http://www.agentquery.com/default.aspx
AuthorAdvance - http://www.authoradvance.com/
Literary Agent Verification - http://www.agentresearch.com/agent_ver.html
Preditors and Editors - http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pubagent.htm

Blogs (advice, opinions, industry news)
Alien Romances - http://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/
All Things Urban Fantasy - http://allthingsurbanfantasy.blogspot.com/
Bitten By Books:Paranormal Review Site with Bite - http://bittenbybooks.com/
Dirty Sexy Books - http://www.dirtysexybooks.com/Dirty_Sexy_Books/Home/Home.html
Literary Escapism:Fantasy and Paranormal Book Reviews - http://www.literaryescapism.com/
Romance Writers of Australia Blog - http://romanceaustralia.wordpress.com/
Ripping Ozzie Reads:Australian Speculative Fiction Authors site - http://ripping-ozzie-reads.blogspot.com/2010/01/some-useful-industry-links-for-spec-fic.html
SciFiGuy:UF/PR/SF/F book reviews - http://www.scifiguy.ca/
The Galaxy Express - http://www.thegalaxyexpress.net/
Vampire Wire:PR/UF books and tv/movie news -  http://vampirewire.blogspot.com/

Miscellaneous Sites
Time and Date.com - http://www.timeanddate.com/
Australian War Memorial:Military Organisation and Structure - http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/structure/rank_comparative.asp
IRS:Tax Identification Numbers for the USA information - http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/international/article/0,,id=96696,00.html


Organisations
Australian Romance Readers Association - http://www.australianromancereaders.com.au/
Romance Writers of America - http://www.rwanational.org/
RWA:Fantasy/Futuristic/Paranormal Chapter - http://www.romance-ffp.com/
Romance Writers of Australia - http://www.romanceaustralia.com/
Romance Writers of  New Zealand - http://www.romancewriters.co.nz/
ParaNormal Romance - http://www.paranormalromance.org/
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America - http://www.sfwa.org/

Submission Guidelines
Avon - http://www.harpercollins.com/imprints/avon/SubmissionGuidelines.aspx
DAW - http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/daw/index.html
Dorchester - http://romanticreads.net/2009/05/07/now-accepting-electronic-submissions/
e-Harlequin - http://www.eharlequin.com/articlepage.html?articleId=538&chapter=0
Hachette Australia - http://www.hha.com.au/about_submissions.html
Orbit - http://www.orbitbooks.net/about-orbit/
PYR - http://www.pyrsf.com/index.html
Tor - http://us.macmillan.com/Content.aspx?publisher=torforge&id=255#ctl00_cphContent_ctl30_lblQuestion

Web Design
Free Images for Websites - http://www.imagehousing.com/
Free Fantasy Design artwork for Websites - http://fantasyartdesign.com/free-wallpapers/best-fantasy-art.php?s=12&np=10&srt=1&best=1
Free Web Counters - http://www.freestatscounter.com/
The Three Bears Method - http://threebearsmethod.com/

Writing Related
Brenda Hiatt's Show Me the Money - http://www.brendahiatt.com/id2.html
Dictionary of Sexual Terms and Expressions - http://www.sex-lexis.com/
Gordian Plot:thesaurus technique for writers - http://gordianplot.com/index.php?title=Main_Page
Great Source iwrite - Grammar - http://www.greatsource.com/iwrite/students/s_grammar_hndbk.html
Kathy Carmichael:Story Pitching Generator - http://www.kathycarmichael.com/generator.html
The Perfect Pitch - http://samhainpublishing.com/blog/2007/04/02/the-perfect-pitch
Publishers Weekly - http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Stephanie Smith's Contest Chart for Writers - http://www.stephiesmith.com/contests.html
When An Agent Offers You Representation - http://www.agentquery.com/writer_or.aspx
Write to Done - http://writetodone.com/

(All links are current as of 22nd Feb.2010)

Help Me Chase the Dream...

Well, the 2010 Chase the Dream competition has drawn to a close and now it's up to readers to vote for their favourite!

There are 8 finalists with entries and they span the gamut of romance genres. I'd like to encourage you to visit the website and place your vote. It's easy to do. (And yes, this is a blatant plug to vote for my entry DARK SHADOWS!)

You can vote anywhere between March 3rd and March 10th. As a huge bonus, the panel of editors and agents invited by Rachelle Chase and Leigh Michaels will be critiquing each of the entries and leaving their comments for all to see.

So, if you haven't voted yet, please do!

The final placings will be announced March 19th.

SHADOWFAE's lucky commenter!

Happy SHADOWGLASS Release Day, Erica!

I hope your book flies off the shelves.

Now for what everyone has been wating for...but first (and yes, this a blatant delaying tactic *grin*), thank you so much to everyone for dropping in to chat with Erica and leaving your comments - there were certainly some interesting questions asked, some more unusual than others! LOL

The free autographed copy of Erica's book, SHADOWFAE, goes to Robyn.

Congratulations, Robyn! You have until the end of the working week (Friday, 5th March) to contact me off-line (at kyliegriffin@clearmail.com.au) with your address so I can post the book to you.

Happy reading!

 *If the book remains unclaimed a runner-up will be announced.

RWAustralia EMERALD Award

Coming up on the RWAustralia contest calendar is the EMERALD Award for unpublished writers.

Why would you enter this competition over others? It's designed to mirror the submission process. The first round involves entering the first 18pgs of your manuscript. If your entry makes it to the second round then you have to submit a full manuscript. Three finalists from both sections then go on to the final judge for placings, usually an editor from a major publishing house.

It's also a dual competition - you can enter the category section or single title section (or both - some have done this). And you can enter multiple entries in each! :-)

So, what makes it really special? Your work is scored and judged by romance readers in the initial two rounds - not a writer in sight - they're your potential readership market.

The benefits? There are several.

The competition is specialized - a category section and single title section. While the genres may differ, you're competing against others who write the same length manuscript.

You're also learning the discipline of the craft; you're training yourself to meet deadlines while honing and practising your skills while learning how to cope with praise, criticism and rejection; there's the multiple judges feedback (invaluable when you compare that entry fee of $38.50/entry to an appraisal service).

If you final, you bypass the slush-pile/query process & your work gets in front of an editor; you add to your writing resume and that looks good in a query letter to prospective agents or editors when you submit.

Have I convinced you to enter yet? I hope so, it's certainly worth it. You can find the entry forms at www.romanceaustralia.com/emerald.html (NOTE: you do need to be a member of Romance Writers of Australia to enter.)

Entries close Novermber 27th 2009, so get your manuscript in - what have you got to lose? But, more importantly, think of all you can gain!

Cross Membership

Had I not joined RWAustralia I would never have discovered RWNZ or RWAmerica. I didn’t join all three organisations at the same time - RWA in 2002, RWNZ in 2005 and RWAmerica in 2008 but now I couldn’t imagine NOT being a part of them.
Financial reasons tend to be the huge hurdle for most people when joining certain organisations. It was certainly the reason why I put off cross-membership, particularly when it came to RWAmerica.
The one thing to ask yourself is - are you aiming for a career as a published author? If the answer is yes, then budgeting membership fees is a must.
It’s an investment in your future career.
For me, cross membership into RWNZ was for access to their writing competitions. RWA & RWNZ have very similar comp’s - for catagory & single title, partials & a synopsis as well as full mss. It gave me double the feedback (something I was looking for not being able to access a crit partner or writing group) and it gave me twice the chance to get in front of an editor or agent if I finalled.
RWA/NZ also have an annual writers conference - how’s that for an adrenalin rush? To anyone who has been to either conference, imagine being able to attend another, consider the potential of accessing twice the knowledge, anticipate the networking and friendships you would establish by going to two?!?! While I haven’t yet been to an RWAmerica conference, the advantages certainly mirror RWA & RWNZ.
Tapping into the huge knowledge base of our published and unpublished, honing your craft through the opportunities made available to members (workshops, monthly newsletters, competitions, on-line courses, crit partner services etc.), networking with industry professionals and meeting possible life-long friends are the distinct pluses of cross membership.
If you’re serious about a career in writing - make it one of your goals - short or long term - doesn’t matter.
For me, the benefits of cross membership have more than offset the cost.
It has been, and will continue to be, worth it.

2009 - The Year of Competitions

After the incredible fortnight of conferences I’m naming this year - 2009 - The Year of Competitions. While the boost to morale and affirmation of faith in my story-telling is great, I can’t claim all the credit. The success of 2009 has been a cumulative process of milestones and events over the last few years.
The honing of my skills as a writer is the direct result of the incredible workshops offered at the annual conferences, the feedback provided by so many judges in the competitions and the support I’ve received from friends on both sides of the Tasman.
My two most amazing “lightbulb” moments came from the wonderful Debbie Macomber and incredible Margie Lawson, both guest speakers at conferences past. Debbie spoke about setting goals - realistic or fanciful - & made us define 5 during her lecture then challenged us to achieve them over the next year. I discovered the dangling carrot scenario works for me.
The second AHA! moment was using the EDITS system and Empowering Emotion lectures presented by Margie Lawson. I’m a visual learner and so the idea of using highlighters to identify dialogue, narrative, conflict, setting and emotion was a powerful tool. It’s one I now use regularly when I edit my work. (Margie’s website offers more information on these tools and I highly recommend you check it out)
The hunger for learning the craft and absorbing the information on offer hasn’t eased and I hope it never does. I love getting my scoresheets back from competitions and the hour after I open the envelope I devour the comments, reading, analysing and assessing how best I can use them to improve my writing.
I do the same the day the Hearts Talk or Heart to Heart magazines arrive in the mail - the contents page gets a quick skim then I dive right in knowing the knowledge contained in the articles will be valuable, like gold. I don’t know how many times I’ve gone back over past issues looking for that certain bit of information or to find an article to pass on to a friend.
Another tool I found valuable in honing my skills was volunteering to be a contest judge. It’s a great way to develop your own writing and critiquing skills and you’ll be helping other writers during the process.
Without the emotional attachment associated with my own work, I found it so much easier to identify what worked well and what needed improvement as I read other people’s stories. As a judge it helped me “get my eye in” and when I edited my own work I was able to identify my own strengths and weaknesses that much easier.
So, if you want to fine tune some of your writing skills, and help our hard working competition coordinators and give back to the organisation that’s helped you then volunteer to judge.
Believe me, you won’t regret it - oh, but a word of warning, you could end up addicted!