April, 2010

Chopstick Editing

Aren’t these chopsticks the coolest? Many thanks to Christina Farley. I won them from her Shopping in Korea contest. Ironically enough, I’d already decided to make stir fry the night I discovered these little guys waiting for me in the mailbox. So as I ate with them for the first of many meals, picking up each tiny piece of steak, broccoli or carrot, it occurred to me how they forced me to pay attention to details.

Where’s the best place to pick up that floret? Will the beef slip if I hold it crossways (yes), how many noodles can I handle?

It also occurred to me that the whole reason my current novel took me so @#$! long to write was I edited like this, too.

I’m a Detail-oriented person with a bolded D in the largest size font imaginable. I made a habit of nitpicking through each and every draft because I kept getting entranced by individual LEAVES on the trees, when I needed to see the forest. Don’t do this to yourself. Do NOT consider each word of your ms until you’ve gone through the thing structurally. Several times. There are a hundred tools out there to help you. I used Cheryl Klein’s The Art of Detection.

Once I did that, I realized 1. I cut off probably another decade’s work. 2. Made the book ten thousand times stronger. It went from 120k words to 104 and it’s down from that by a few thousand now. Don’t use chopsticks when you need a butcher’s cleaver or even a filleting knife.

Do you chop at words, but leave pointless scenes standing? What are you working on to improve your career?

Strongest Start Novel Competition

Over $3,300 in Prizes, Feedback, and Exposure.

Submit the first three chapters of your novel. Grand prize award of:

$500 cash.
$2,500 self-publishing solution from CreateSpace.
Feedback on every chapter you submit.
The chance to meet other authors, get motivated, and get noticed.
$100 cash awards for the following sub-categories:

Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
Romance
Memoir and Non-fiction
Everyone who enters receives feedback, motivation, and advice.

Keep Us Reading

We know that writing a compelling start isn’t easy. So, for the fourth year we’ve put together a motivational competition to help you hone your first three chapters to perfection (if you haven’t already). We’re looking for opening chapters that will create a burning need to find out what happens, how the characters turn out, how the novel resolves itself. The kind of start that gets an agent to call back, a publisher to show interest, and a reader to plunk down their hard earned money. Above all, give us three opening chapters that will keep us reading.

Submission deadline: June 8, 2010

Learn more about the Strongest Start Novel Competition

Virginia Romance Writers Fool for Love Contest

I just received this from an historical romance writer friend. Apparently the contest has received an unusually low number of entrants this year. If your novel has a hint of romance and you’ve got the entry fee stuck in your couch, go for it and good luck!

Contest TImeline:
April 30, 2010 – Electronic entries must be received by midnight EST
June 20, 2010 – First-Round Finalists Notification
July 31, 2010 – Final-Round Winners Announced

Awards:
1st Place in each category – $50

Entries:
First chapter (up to 20 pages maximum) and optional synopsis (5 pages maximum). A prologue may be included with the first chapter as long as the entry does not exceed 20 pages.

ENTRIES SHOULD BE E-MAILED TO THE APPROPRIATE CATEGORY COORDINATOR:

Long Contemporary / Romantic Suspense
General Questions
Alleyne Dickens, Contest Coordinator
foolforlove2010@verizon.net

Historical
Beth Trissel
bctrissel@yahoo.com

Inspirational
Judith Kohnen
jgkwriter@verizon.ne

tParanormal
Pam Roller
paranormalpam2010@gmail.com

Short Contemporary
Judy Butler
jb24lion@verizon.net

ENTRY FEE:
Payment for electronic entries may be received either through PayPal or by check made payable to Virginia Romance Writers. Again, all payments must be received by April 30, 2010.

$20 for all current VRW members; $25 for non-members. (Entrants do not have to be members of Romance Writers of America.)

CATEGORIES AND FINAL ROUND JUDGES:

Short Contemporary – Jonathan Clements, Agent, Wheelhouse Literary Group

Long Contemporary – Katelynn Lacopo, Literary Assistant, BookEnds, LLC

Historical – Lucy Gilmour, Harlequin Editor

Paranormal/Futuristic/Fantasy/Time Travel – Amanda Barnett, Senior Editor, The Wild Rose Press

Inspirational – Elizabeth Mazer, Assistant Editor, Steeple Hill

Romantic Suspense – Keyren Gerlach, Associate Editor, Harlequin

For more information, visit www.virginiaromancewriters.com

Contests, Give Aways and Cool Stuff

Check out some of the contest postings! Congratulations to SarahJayne Smith. She is celebrating 150 followers with a contest. Please mention my blog when you get there, as it will enter my name, too. ;D Thanks!

Stina and Steena at are having a happy following contest. Check out the chocolate and other great prizes.

Get Thee to Nathan Bransford’s Site NOW

He’s hosting another query contest. What are you waiting for?