The title says it all. There are contests on pitching, your first 300 words, your first line, you last line, your first chapter, your logline, your synopsis.
Contests are a great way of getting feedback from industry professionals--editors who are buying and publishing books every day. They'll tell you what works with your story, and what doesn't, and give you good ideas you can use when revising.
Not all contests are worthwhile, however. And pursuing all of the good ones is not worthwhile either. Don't spend all your time worrying the first few words of your story by submitting them into contest after contest.
What you do want to do is find a contest or two with judges that you admire--people you want to read your work.
When selecting contests:
-Look at who the final judges are. All reputable contests will list their final judges. If they don't, don't bother.
-Look at the fees they are charging. Some contests are expensive, others aren't. In the case of writing contests, the price is not related to quality. Many contests are just $15-$25 to enter. Anything more than that is a little pricey.
-Read Writer Beware notices. There's a nice summary of what to look for and what to avoid here: http://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/contests/
Some resources for finding contests:
-SubItClub has a good monthly roundup of upcoming contests: http://subitclub.wordpress.com/
-Writer's Market has a searchable database of contests: http://www.writersmarket.com/
-Poets & Writers keeps a searchable list of contests: http://www.pw.org/grants
Remember, when getting feedback from anyone--whether they are editors from New York, critique partners, or Wattpad readers--take everything with a grain of salt. No one knows your story or your characters like you do.
CITEȘTI
Writing Well
Non-ficțiuneTips on the craft of writing, becoming an author, getting readers, and getting published.
