Invaluable Resources
While I do make every effort to revolve blog posts around one topic there are two things going on in my writing life right now. Since they share a common theme I chose to write about both here. Perhaps this will be a good place to begin a general helpful resources page and I may add to this posting at a later date but for now there are two *points to title* that I’d like to hop on the soapbox about! One: When I was in eleventh grade I had one of the craziest and most lovable English teachers that I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. Her name was Nancy Bair and she was rather zany to say the least. (Nicknaming a classmate “Axel” because he reminded her in some way of the lead singer of Guns n’ Roses and pretending to infect students with scabies when she had an itch on her arm spring to mind. Don’t ask!)
Miss Bair had an enormous amount of faith in my writing and fostered and encouraged my passion during my high school years. When I graduated she gifted me with her year 2000 edition of Writer’s Market, which to this day, though very outdated, I still hold onto with great affection. It is probably one of the greatest gifts anyone has ever given me. I’ve obtained a wealth of information reading updated editions and right around this time every year is when the latest edition becomes available at my local library.
I’m not kidding when I say I literally put everything on hold to read this book cover to cover and I take notes! It's jam-packed with helpful articles and tips on everything under the sun regarding writing and includes a free list of ACTIVELY SEEKING agents and editors. If you are a writer and have never picked one of these up, I strongly urge you to do so! Writer’s Market led to the creation of this website (as alluded to on the homepage. This book is what brought my lack of platform and its ultimate necessity to my startled attention.) It also led me to the second invaluable resource I’m about to sing the praises of. Two: In the 2016 edition there was included a section for contests pertaining to different styles of writing. Many of these are for short stories and as many people will tell you, entering and ideally winning contests is a great way to boost your writing credentials. While I did create my own master list from the offerings that were more geared to my own style and genres of writing, there is one that stands elite and I will enter it faithfully for the rest of my life.
Ink & Insights is a contest not for short stories but for NOVELS. And this isn’t just any ordinary competition folks. Even if you don’t win the contest itself, every writer who enters comes out a winner. Why? Because a paltry $40 fee gets you an incredibly detailed critique of the first 10,000 words of your novel by not just one but FOUR judges assigned based on your specific genre! The feedback I’ve received by entering this contest the past two years has helped my writing immensely and has taken my novel to a whole new level.
I’ve heard it said that a manuscript is never truly finished and this contest opened my eyes to why. Even when we think our manuscripts are the best they can possibly be, there are always new facets to be discovered or things about our writing style we are not aware of when at the stage of being the only person who’s seen the manuscript. Your judges give both the pros and cons of your submission through a numerical scale as well as personalized comments. I simply cannot sing the praises of this contest enough. Use the link if you're interested in entering or learning more.
The contest generally opens for submissions beginning in March (with a smaller fee for early-bird entrants) and closes in June (larger fee for entering late.) I was actually gifted with the privilege of entering my submission in February with a further discount on the fee this year for being a repeat entrant the past two years. Final placement is announced in September. I can’t wait to hear what the judges have to say this year!
