Writing Contests

So, I've talked to a lot of people at conferences about contests. At Storymakers each year, there's a big First Chapter contest I've entered a few times, I've entered a book contest, etc. None have panned out. Why not? Well, here's why: judges want your best, and they can tell when you've given your best. I didn't do that.

First off, let's establish some terms:

• Flash fiction: A complete story of fewer than 1,500 words. Shorter is usually better, but make sure it's not so short that you're leaving important things out. 

•  Short story: Between 1,500 words to about 30,000 words. Again, don't leave anything out for the sake of brevity, but if you're submitting for a short story contest, make sure you're paring down as many unneeded characters and events as possible. 

•  Novella: 30,000 to 50,000 words. These contests aren't going to be as common, for the simple fact that higher word counts aren't going to fit into an anthology as easily. For example, Writers of the Future probably won't take a novella because they're trying to put out a quarterly magazine and a yearly anthology so they can stay as current as they can. They don't have time to sift through a 45,000 word novella. Instead, they're going to go through two 23,000 word short stories, and take some time to reject a few others. Similarly, in a writing contest, judges generally don't have a whole lot of time on their hands, especially since they're often professional writers and editors themselves. They are going to want to feel really compelled by your writing, otherwise they're probably going to eviscerate you—figuratively speaking. Mostly. 

• Novel: 50,000+ words. These are rare, but usually only entail submitting your first chapter or two—much like submitting to an agent when you're trying to publish the book.

 I should mention that when writing for a contest, make sure that your piece is as finished as you can possibly make it. Not a draft. Finished with alpha readers. Pass it through at least a few beta readers. The more the better. Polish it as much as you possibly can. I like to think of writing as sculpture. Your first draft gives you a pretty close, but vague form. You give it to a couple alpha readers and chisel away the roughest parts and get close to what you want. A few more, and you get fine detail. Beta readers are your finest tools and sandpaper to finish your polishing, which make the whole thing shine.
Let your writing shine in a contest. Maybe you'll make a little cash while you're at it?
Thanks for wreading!
Jeff