my first writing contest

So here's the skinny:

As mentioned previously, I am attending a Romance Writers of America conference in Arizona.  See here. 

A few days after registering, there was a small glitch in the process, and I wasn't receiving any confirmation emails.  Destiny was receiving them.  She started forwarding everything, including information about the contest and how I was now eligible to enter as a registered attendee of the conference.  As I read over the rules and requirements, suddenly standing in the light of "What in the heck am I doing?"  I tried not to panic.

With encouragement, I decided that ready or not, this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.

I had just a few days to get my 10 pages ready, and to write a 3 page synopsis. Under a magnitude of stress I had never felt before, I felt very under-qualified, and wished desperately I could take a crash course on writing, editing, and how to make a great first impression on an editor. 

Does that class exist? 

I should teach it, once I am qualified to, any how. Every sentence underwent major construction and scrutiny.  Nothing was good enough.  I wasn't allotted enough pages to express what I had originally written in 16 pages and not enough guts to cut what I felt was important.  Each time I thought I had it just right, I would have to make changes due to good editing my friends were doing.

In the 12th hour, when I thought I had it nailed, I asked my brother who has a degree in English, read it. He informed me I had a bunch of things I needed to improve on, but that he did like it a lot.  {Which I took as a major compliment.}

For example, I had too many passive verbs.  He instructed me to get rid of my "to be" verbs.  These include: be-being-been-is-am-are-was-were.  I also needed to watch the over usage of: that-get-got-has-have-seem-seemed.

Thankfully, I only had 3 IS's, 7 BE's, 10 WERE's, 1 GET, 1 GOT, 1 HAVE, and 3 SEEMED's. 

BUT I had 35 THAT's and I had 57 WAS's. Yikes.

However, now-

I have 9 THAT's

I have 26 WAS's

So I didn't bother with those.  After cutting my WAS's in half, and destroying my THAT's down to 9, I felt pretty good.

I sent it in and received confirmation it was accepted and entered into the contest.

Then the second guessing began, and my new mantra was "What was I thinkin'!"

Do you know that country song?  It's a good one.  If you don't, it's one of the last songs on my Country Music playlist there on the left.

So, with that, would you like to read some, and I MEAN some of what I sent in?

Thought so.

PROLOGUE

The lead arrows of hate, which are seldom mentioned in the human world, are the favored arrows of Eros. Not the golden arrows of love which he also owns. He only keeps them because those are the arrows that cause the people to worship Eros and his mother, Aphrodite.  So the Greeks beg the Goddess to send her son to them, that they might feel love’s prick, but the rogue Eros only uses lead.  And the human son of Eros, Legend, desired the power to stop him.

That's all ya get.  The first sentence, the first paragraph of the prologue, the beginning of the story of Forerunners; sorry it isn't more. 

It was the synopsis that changed everything for me.  I thought I was writing a story about Rozlyn, but it turns out, I'm not. The more I wrote and worked on the synopsis, the more I realized, I was writing Lenox's story, and hers mixes in.  I didn't see that coming, but I do now.  And I love it.

So, anyway, on April 27th, I will find out the results of the contest, and receive my score sheet from the editor or agent who read my first ten pages and synopsis.  And I'm holding out hope that it's D*&% good.  The top 5 get a face to face appointment with the editor or agent of their choice. 

CONFERENCE:

April 27, 28, and 29
Chaparral Suites

Scottsdale, Arizona

Our Keynote Speakers:

* NY Times Best Selling Author Allison Brennan

* Martha Alderson, AKA The Plot Whisperer

* NY Times Best Selling Author Bob Mayer

Desert Dreams Writers’ Conference provides authors of all skill levels – from beginner to multi-published – with the tools necessary to take their writing to the next level. Sessions will include general writing, career development, genre-specific, agent/publisher spotlights, as well as an agent/editor panel. There will also be one-on-one appointments with editors or agents, a book signing, and keynote addresses. Check out our roster of acquiring editors and agents along with our keynote speakers and workshops. Did you miss the 2010, 2008, or 2006 conferences? Order workshop conference CDs and MP3s.

Conference registration includes:

• Workshops Friday afternoon and all day Saturday
• Two-hour workshop Sunday morning
• One-on-one appointment with editor/agent (based on time of registration and availability)
• Friday evening mixer
• Dinner and keynote address on Friday

 CONTEST:

The Phoenix Desert Rose Chapter of RWA® offers the Realizing the Dream Contest prior to our Desert Dreams conferences, which is offered biannually.  Winners are announced and receive their awards at the conference itself.  Unpublished and non-contracted materials may be submitted only.

The contest is open to both published and unpublished authors who are registered for the 2012 Desert Dreams Conference.

The judging is done by agents and editors attending the Desert Dreams Conference. All entrants will receive a score sheet from the judging agent or editor. The five highest scoring entries (regardless of the category entered) will receive a face-to-face meeting with the agent or editor of his/her choice during the agent/editor meeting time at the conference. All submissions will remain anonymous to the judges and only the finalists will be announced prior to the conference. The overall winner will be announced at the conference. This is the perfect opportunity to avoid the slush pile, get your work critiqued by an editor or agent, and talk to them about your work in a face-to-face meeting at the conference.

2012 Realizing the Dream Contest Rules

• Contest runs November 1, 2011 – January 31, 2012.
• The contest is limited to the first 50 entries.
• The contest is open to both published and unpublished authors who are registered for the 2012 Desert Dreams Conference.
• One entry per attendee.
• Entry Fee: Desert Rose members $25.00. All others $30.00.

• Entries: Consist of the first ten manuscript pages and a 3-page synopsis. The entry must be in standard manuscript format. Courier 12 point font or similar with 1 inch margins. The genre and category must be listed on the first page of the entry.
• Please save in rich text format (.rtf) or Word document file (.doc)
• Headers on manuscript and synopsis must contain only the title of the book, category entered, and page number. The author’s name may not appear anywhere on the manuscript or synopsis.
• A cover sheet with the following information must accompany each entry listing:
• the title
• first line of manuscript
• author’s name
• address
• phone number
• e-mail
• category for submission and
• approximate word count for the completed book.
• The entire submission needs to be sent via email, to arrive between November 1, 2011 and January 31, 2012, to Linda Style, Realizing The Dream Contest Coordinator. All entries MUST use “REALIZING THE DREAM CONTEST” in the subject line.
• Score sheets will be available at the conference Friday evening after the Winner is announced. The judges are instructed to destroy all entries they judge.
• Please note that wide variations in scores are possible. One of the purposes of this contest is to get the candid opinions of the judges, (editors and agents) whether those opinions are good or bad. If wide variations in scoring occur, there will be no additional judging. By signing the entry form, entrants acknowledge acceptance of these rules.

• Editor/Agent panel
• Saturday luncheon
• Participation in Saturday book signing
• Saturday evening dinner and brainstorming session

Editors	Agents
Brenda Chin - Editor, Harlequin	Jill Corcoran - Agent, The Herman Agency
Deni Dietz - Senior Editor, Five Star	Michele Grajkowski - Agent, 3 Seas Literary
Rose Hilliard - Editor, St. Martin’s Press	Holly Root - Agent, Waxman Literary
	Jennifer Schober - Agent, Spencerhill Associates
	Rebecca Strauss - Agent, McIntosh & Otis
	Cherry Weiner - Agent, Cherry Weiner Literary