Short story contests

[HollyB]

I have a question for all you wise writing gurus: What is the value of entering short story contests targeted at new writers (such as L Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future, and Glimmer Train). Should I just concentrate on submitting to mags instead?

Thanks to everyone for all the advice and patience with newbies such as myself!

[MissKathyClarke]

Well, I think entering in contests in general isn't always the best thing to do. Especially if it costs money. After all, I'm sure there are many writers entering the contests you are interested in and what are you chances of winning? The contests won't show your true abilities and talent, so I suggest submitting to publishers or agents instead.

[RichMar]

A writing contest has a larger purse than a standard submittal, but the odds of winning a contest are more against you compared to a standard submittal. If you're a prolific writer go both ways. If you're not I'd make my choice based on what you feel would best serve your interest. A contest winner (that is, assuming your talking about GT or other reputable pubs) would get more attention when you send a cover letter to other pubs--although a GT or a Rosebud acceptance of any kind would be nice to have in a cover letter.

[veingloree]

If you were to win a prestige competition it would be a huge boost -- but I think it is only worth entering if that is a realistic prospect. i.e. if a major writer or editor 'rates' the story.

[Maryn]

Another good purpose served by contests is that for some genres, the paying markets are so few in number that you can't turn it around and submit it somewhere else--there isn't anywhere else.

However, you can still enter it in a contest. The best writer in our critique group (not me!) won a trip for two to Los Angeles, two nights in a posh hotel there, a case of champagne worth over $500, use of a limo, and tickets to a Johnny Depp premier (although the cad failed to notice her). There was no cash option for the prize, but our guess was somewhere around $4000 - $5000--way, way more than she's ever been paid when she sold a story.

Good for her, huh?:clap

Maryn, who won less than $100 and a book she hasn't read

[Jamesaritchie]

Most writing contests are a complete waste of time and energy, even if you win. But there are some good ones, and the two you named are very near the top. Winners of these two quite often go on to bigger and better things, and some very good professional writers have emerged from winning them.

You just have to pick and choose carefully. If you've never heard of the sponsor or the judges, then editors and agents haven't, either, and just won't care. Mention a win in one of these no name contests can't hurt a writer more than it helps.

[NickolausPacione]

Here is one for horror Reality Check (http://www.bonechills.com). I wrote a story for this one.

[reph]

Pay attention to the ratio between entry fee and prize money. A small entry fee is common, but if the fee is $10 and the winner will get $50, the contest is a scam. I didn't make up those dollar amounts. I saw them on a Web page promoting a "contest."

[dannyboy121070]

Notice how the page mis-spells the word "Sponsoring".....Scam. :grr

[MissKathyClarke]

I doubt that they are good. They made some typos and I've never heard about them and there is no information about their past.

[HollyB]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. There seem to be so many scams out there targeted at new writers (why are us newbies such a naive, desperate bunch?) that I'm trying to be cautious. You all are helping tremendously in that regard!

[Jamesaritchie]

There are a great many scam contests, but even honest contests are seldom worth entering, often detrimental, and nearly always take far more time and energy that they're worth. Just because a contest is honest doesn't mean it will do a writer any good if he wins it, and migght, in fact, do him considerable harm.

[Fresie]

Just because a contest is honest doesn't mean it will do a writer any good if he wins it, and migght, in fact, do him considerable harm.

What sort of harm do you mean, please? Just being plain curious.

[Jamesaritchie]

When a writer wins a contest, even a no-name, meaningless contest an agent or editor has never heard of and doesn't care about, the writer has a tendency to stick the fact that he won in cover letters and query letters. Not only do such wins not impress agents and editors, they can actually harm the writer's chances with an agent or editor. This is a bad idea.

[Betty W01]

I seldom enter them, especially if they have an entry fee - I'd rather submit it for money - but I have entered a few, just for fun. I won a journaling book once, and I won 2nd place in a poetry contest ran by an on-line group I belong to (I then sent the poem to a writer's magazine, where it sold for cash). IF I wrote fiction and wanted to start up the ladder to publication, I'd go for a Glimmer Train or Rosebud or Writer's Digest contest, because those are big deals to put in your resume. But I don't, and my poetry tends to be too down-to-earth to appeal to most literary-type poetry contests.

I did just send off a poetry contest entry with a $5 check this week, though, just to prove I'm not always logical. It's being run by a newspaper in a nearby big city and would bring me some local attention if I won, which I need in order to get a few projects going. And since people entering it are more apt to write down-to-earth stuff than literary-style verse, I think I have a good chance. And it seems worth the $5 gamble, even though the only prize is an intangible one.

Actually, I've worked with this paper before for other articles, too, and if my poetry catches the editor's attention, maybe he'd use some of it from time to time. That would be cool!

Bottom line: If a contest is free and the prize appeals to me (especially if I already have something written that is perfect for it), I'll enter (i.e. a Chicken Soup book, where the prize is $$$$ and publication in a CS book.)

If the contest has a small (less than $10) fee and a big or impressive prize or outcome ($$, a trip, publication in a prestigeous magazine or book, or so on), I'll enter.

Otherwise, I'll spend my time submitting queries and writing stories for which I am guaranteed money. (Or posts in here... <sigh> Too bad that doesn't pay... I'd be in Aruba right now!)

[Fresie]

I only entered once, a yearly contest organised by Writers Bureau, a British writing school. I mistakenly assumed if it was a school (and the judge was a guy I learned short story writing from once), it wasn't as serious. Also, it's not at all popular -- I don't think anyone's heard about it. The prize was small, the entry fee rather high, so I was upset I didn't get anything but only until I saw the winning entry. Gosh, that was a flamin' masterpiece. The other winning entries were just as good -- not good, plain brilliant. There had been no way my pig ear of a story could have gotten anything.

Which raises another question: okay, the contest was unknown, the prize not big, but the judge was excellent and the winning entries every year were truly brilliant. If it was meant to be the face of the writing school, nothing could be better publicity. I would consider entering it again, but definitely not now... I still have a lot to learn before I can compete with their winning intries. How about this kind of contest?

[Jamesaritchie]

If the agent or editor has never heard of the contest, or has never heard of teh jduges in the contest, or has never heard of the sponsor of the contest, they have no way of knowing that the winning stories are brilliant.

But if the stories really are of this quality, odds are high that the agent or editor does know the sponsor or the judges, in which case such a win is a real plus.

[Jamesaritchie]

Just a note, The kind of contests you really don't want to mention are those sponsored by writing groups to raise money, etc. But if the sponsor or the judges are relatively well known, it's a plus to mention a win.

[Betty W01]

I would never mention the contests I've won in any bio or cover letter (maybe to my mom, but...) since they were no big deal and the competition wasn't too intense. Winning was fun, but not a big deal at all. I do list them on my web site, but I list EVERYTHING on there, so...

[DeborahLC]

I've never won a contest. The two short stories I entered into national contests didn't even make the finals, but I did eventually sell them. Contest money is always more than paying markets, but all I want is to have people read my stories. You really have to decide whether the fee is worth it.

Deborah

[Jamesaritchie]

Actually, very, very few contests pay as much as the national magazines pay for short stories.

[pdr]

There is one good thing about a short story competition. It gives a new writer a goal and a deadline.

It takes a long time to learn about which markets to aim for so often a beginner needs that carrot on the stick -a specific goal - to keep them writing. A competition can do that. And if you make the short list you know you've written something publishable. That's quite a bit of reassurance for a nervous newbie.

[Jamesaritchie]

"It takes a long time to learn about which markets to aim for so often a beginner needs that carrot on the stick -a specific goal - to keep them writing. A competition can do that. And if you make the short list you know you've written something publishable."

I don't know. If you need a carrot on a stick or a goal to keep writing, you're probably writing for the wrong reasons.
The reason to write is because it's the most enjoyable way of spending your time.

As for writing something publishable, even the winners of many, probably most, contests, aren't publishable in very many magazines.

It shouldn't take a beginner long to learn the markets. It's faster and easier than finding contests that are worth entering.

[mammamaia]

no more need be said... m

[pdr]

No more to be said...except perhaps you and JR sound just a tad dogmatic? Isn't there room for another opinion?

[Betty W01]

Contests can be inspiring. And, despite Maia's and JR's rather sweeping statements, sometimes even people who love to write need a carrot to get them going or make them finish something. And in my opinion, although I rarely enter contests, it's not a bad way to spice up your writing, as long as you're careful about which ones you enter and how much you spend on them. Do what works for you.

[LiamJackson]

pdr, there's always room for another opinion. However, it's been my experience that much of the dogma on this site is generally backed by many, many years of accumulated experience. And yes, there are always exceptions to every rule, but it's that very lack of frequency that make them notable exceptions.

I think James and Maia have a solid grasp on the realities of the current subject matter. More power to the exceptions, if and when they arise, but generally speaking, people could do much worse than listening to the advice offered by either Maia or James R..

Just take what is useful and let the rest go.

[Jamesaritchie]

If you need a carrot to keep you writing, it should at least be an edible carrot. At best, 90% of the writing contests out there are worthless. They almost always delay getting published by actual magazines, and winning such a contest can mean the writer thinks his or her writing is up to quality when it isn't.

There are some good contests that can be legitimate carrots, but most of the writers I know who enter contests routinely enter far more bad ones than good ones, and often delay getting puboished by years.

But it always strikes me as odd that no one seems to need a carrot to watch TV, play video games, or to do anything else they really enjoy.

It may be a sweeping statement, but needing a carrot to write usually means the writing is writing because he or she wants to get published and make money and see a byline on a book. It's awfully tough to succeed when this is the goal and writing is a chore that demands a carrot.

There are always exceptions, but writers who do find success are nearly always those who write because it's the way they most enjoy spending their time. They can't wait to start writing each day, and hate to stop. They're the ones who would still be writing every spare minute even if there were no contests, no magazines, and no book publishers.

For these writers, writing IS the carrot they give themselves for spending the rest of their time doing necessary but unpleasant chores such as day jobs, mowing the yard, etc.

There are always exceptions, but it's unwise to count yourself as one until it's been proven.

[mammamaia]

...yes, it's more 'dogmatic' than candy-coated examples of exceptions to the rule... but we're both dealing with the reality of the big, cold 'n cruel world that waits out there, beyond the aspiring writer's keyboard...

...and i still say i have to agree with everything james has said on this subject... because he's right!... not popular or hopeful or encompassing all possibilities, no matter how slim, but just 'right'...

...there's a big difference between 'wanting to write' and 'having to write' that most folks don't see... and that's what's at the heart of james' input here...

...as many here know, i'm a mother of 7 and, when raising those kids, i didn't think i'd be doing a good job, if i didn't tell them the facts of life about life itself... its pitfalls as well as its pleasures... so, i do the same with my mentee 'children' and with all who ask for advice of any kind

...as liam sorta said, you can take it or leave it...

love and hugs, maia

[pdr]

Liam, Holly B asked about the value of entering short story contests targeted at new writers. The answers she received were perhaps a tad dogmatic and a little sweeping. I felt there needed to be a little more balance. I was not doubting the sincerity of the comments from JR and MM.

Of course Holly should be marketing her work but some editors do like to see a new writer with a reputable competition short list or prize list mentioned in their bio. I realize that in America there are some real rip off competitions. I'm always having to point out to my students that infamous group of USA so called poetry comps. However there are international competitions worth entering.

In my home country there is one short story comp a short story writer always enters plus two more they usually enter. Winning these competitions almost always give the winner the right to publish an anthology or novel, plus the right to gain a govt. writer's grant that allows them to write for up to twelve months without having to worry about paying bills or buying food! In my small country where it is almost impossible to earn your living as a writer these grants are a writer's life saver. Being in the prize list or short list for any of these three competitions also carries a great deal of prestige for a writer's C.V.

In the UK and Australia and Canada where I also publish a lot of my work the literary magazines I publish with usually run an annual short story and poetry competition. These competitions are fund raisers for the magazine, a way of keeping it going and being able to pay the fees it does pay to its writers.
Supporting one of these competitions is a way of supporting the markets that publish me.

I have never suggested that Holly should spend her whole time writing for competitions but surely saying that entering one or two good ones a year won't hurt her isn't wrong either?

Oh and re carrots for writers. I interview 'name' writers for various writing magazines. It has always amused me that they have, when asked, without exception talked about the difficulty of the writer's daily isolated work. Fay Weldon made me laugh with her description of how she treated herself to a cup of tea and two chocolate digestives when she had completed her first page each morning. I think she was the writer who mentioned carrots for donkeys! Being disciplined, dedicated and setting goals are something that new writers want to do but they can find it isn't easy to achieve. Sometimes a competition helps them do that.
It is as Betty said: 'do what works for you' and maybe entering one competition a year for Holly is right for her.

[Euan Harvey]

>There are always exceptions, but writers who do find success are nearly always those who write because it's the way they most enjoy spending their time. They can't wait to start writing each day, and hate to stop.

To be perfectly honest, most of the times I have read a professional writer talking about how they work, they have mentioned a specific goal they work to each day. Stephen King says he works to produce 2,000 words a day. Other targets I've seen include 1,000 words, five pages, ten pages, two pages, whatever. I don't think I can remember reading an interview where a writer said they write continually for as long as they are able.

As for myself, I love having written, I like revising, and I enjoy the writing itself *BUT* only after I have started for the day. Before starting to write, a whole lotta things look more attractive. Setting a goal for myself for new words written each day serves to get me started. Once I've begun, I usually go over my goal.

Anyway, my 2c,

Euan

[Edited to correct a typo]

[Jamesaritchie]

First, editors love good contest wins. The problem is 90% of the contests are no good and editors simply aren't going to be impressed by them.


Second, daily word goals have nothing to do with carrots. Most often they have to do with the fact that the writer has a family and obligations, and simply knows how much time he can put in without forgetting what his kids look like. Stephen King has such a goal, but most years he actually publishes far more than 2,000 words per day.

I love writing more than anything else I can do with my time, but I also have a daily goal of 2,500 words, and never put in more than five hours per day writing.

But I know just as many pro writers who put in sixty and seventy hours weeks, including Dean Koontz, and even know a couple of page a day writers who put in almost twice the hours I do.

Full-time pros can't write every minute or nothing would get done outside of writng. I was speaking of wannabe writers, and more specifically of pro writers back when they were wannabe writers. As I said, there are always exceptions, but I don't personally know a single pro writer who had to have a carrot to write during those years, no matter how hard life was, or how much outside forces tried to cut in on writing time. They couldn't wait to get to the keyboard, the pad and paper, etc.

Daily goals are also for those times when you desperately want to write, but you have the flu, or you haven't slept in twenty hours, etc. But they'e prtty useless as carrots, or for those who don't really want to sit down and write.

If publishing is the goal, and you really don't enjoy the writing process, you'd better have more natural talent than any one person deserves. It's awfully tough getting rid of the million words of garbage most of us have covering the golden words unless you put in a bunch of writing time.

And, really, what's the point? Life is short. If there's anything you rather be doing with the time, you should do it.

[mlvalent]

Hi,

I feel that a good contest is one in which the writer has the chance of having their work published. Then, instead of announcing to publishers that "they won a contest" the writer may use the work as a writing credit.

There are some reputable contests out there. I've seen the well-respected contests posted through the Creative Writing department at universities, colleges.

While performing some online searches, I've seen several contests that have reading fees in upwards of $25.00 or higher. Unless you have the money to pay for such things, you're better off building your portfolio by publishing your fiction as an unpaid author in e-zines, etc. than to survive on Ramen noodles.

Sincerely,

Monica Valentinelli
www.flamesrising.com (http://www.flamesrising.com)
What are you afraid of?

[Fresie]

I realize that in America there are some real rip off competitions.

I'm not sure if "rip-off" applies here, but when I received this in my mailbox this morning, I thought I had to share it with you:

(a short story contest)

First Prize: $25.00 (U.S. Dollars) and a featured spot in our e-zine, with your bio and links. Thousands of people will read your work and it’s a great opportunity to get your name out there!

Honorable mentions: We’ll also publish two additional stories of honorable mention in our e-zine.

Entry fee: $5.00. (U.S.) [...] You may enter more than once, but each entry must be SENT separately with the fee.

Are they so short of writers, or of readers? :shrug

[aka eraser]

They're not short of gall.

[mammamaia]

what a hoot!

[Apryl]

My first success as a new writer was entering a somewhat informal writing board contest for ghost stories. That one didn't cost me anything, and the prize was getting the gavel for a week in our chat room, but the biggest gain for me was having my story "voted" first place by a board of writers I respected. It was the impetus I needed for forge ahead and hone my skills.

Flash fiction contests followed (on the same board), which helped me TREMENDOUSLY, and I entered another contest, perhaps not so well-known, but the first prize was $5,000 and the entry fee about $15.00, with a limited number of entrants. Much to my surprise, I won 2nd place, and a not-too-shabby check for $1,000, plus a month of coaching from the outfit that ran the contest. Not bad for a 500 word piece.

I also entered another flash fiction contest, didn't win, but received a contract to publish the piece in an anthology of other contest winners/runners up.

These little successes not only boosted my morale, but gave me the right to say "Award Winning Writer of Short Fiction" in my bio and website--so I wouldn't say that all contests are a waste of time. You just have to be careful which ones you choose to enter, and not go nuts (or broke) entering every contest that comes along. If the judges critique your work, it can be a good learning tool--especially exercising in flash fiction, which is a great way to learn to edit-till-it-hurts on a deadline.

Apryl Parcher, Freelance Writing Services LLC
www.aparcher.com

[wwwatcher]

I use contest ideas and deadlines for motivation sometimes. I find I work better if I give myself and idea and a deadline. I don't usually don't submit the finished story to the contest though. I find other magazines to sub it to.

Take Care,
Faye

[HollyB]

The subject of the Writers of the Future contest came up over in the SF/F board, so I'm trying to resurrect this thread.

[veingloree]

I have recently entered a few contests. The reason is that some are just for fun and do not result in publications -- so it is just a way of writing something I will then send to markets. Another contest had no fee, a cash prize and if you lose they don't publish it -- so once again the entry can then be sent to markets. This sort of no-fee no publication contest can help with motivation and doesn't cost anything.

[Redwriter]

I personally like short story contests even though I think they have very little value to a writer. I've won a few and there is a nice warm squishy feeling involved. When I haven't won, I look at the winning entry and think, "what were those judges thinking?" I never think that when I win. Also, ever done the math on a contest? 6,000 entries times $20 entry fee minus $3000 in prizes = growth industry.
Anyway ... They have little value because there is never (rarely?) any feedback involved. (It's like those photo contests where the top prize is a camera. If you won the contest, why would you need a new camera? The losers should get the new camera.) I would love to see a contest where the losing manuscripts are returned with a note pinned on them saying, "Better character development would have helped" or "Tenses flopped from past to present" or "there's is not the same as theirs."
So how can you make contest entering more valuable? Damned if I know. I have some friends who will vet my entries and make suggestions; I find that a help (although not enough to share the prize money with them.)

Cheers

Spitfire

[triceretops]

You'll never know unless you enter. I entered the L.Ron Hubbard Writers of the future just on a whim. I truly expected nothing, then I received notification that I was a quarter finalist. Didn't win, but the notification floored me.
When you visit celebrity authors on their private websites, you'll always see that they have voluminous bios. And in these bios you'll notice they have an awards heading.
So I guess it might add/beef up your credits, even when you're sending your credit history' to a publisher--a little more icing on the cake, wot? But I wouldn't go nuts hammering every contest on books. The important thing for you is to catch a byline--ink in your name. Even if that means starting off in the small press, which is a perfect place to learn and perfect your craft.

Triceratops

[stormie267]

I'll enter a writing contest if it's free to enter and noteworthy. (I'd never, ever, bother with anything along the lines of poetry.com).

[Eddie French]

Why not go for it anyway! A lot of these things you should maybe consider as a 'throwaway' shot - it costs you nothing -
I entered the SLO 55 word global contest...and won! Ok, not much, but they did send me a copy of the print publication. (The SLO Times) I spent a pleasant half hour seeing how the residents of SLO live, house prices, where to eat out.....8)
How many copies of the SLO Times do you think there are in Cheshire, UK?
I also found someone who liked what I had written.
It made a dull day bright.
Ed

[veingloree]

I think the issue is that the majority of these contest charge $5-$20 an entry -- in fact they are often used as fund-raising vehicles. I do enter those with no entry fee even if the prize is just a free copy -- as you say, why not?

[Eddie French]

So true. I would never pay to enter a competition!

[Mike Oppenheim]

Whenever writers debate contests with ten or twenty or thirty dollar entry fees, there are always some who think it's reasonable. Twenty dollars isn't that much.

But if you'd pay $20 to enter one contest, would you pay $1000 to enter fifty? Remember contests may get 10,000 submissions, so your chance of winning is still minuscule. Of course, you wouldn't. Paying money to enters contests is deeply unwise.

[Nairtaigh]

I can call myself 'an award-winning short story writer', because I've won or placed in several different contests, including Writers of the Future. I don't, though, because placing in WotF isn't that tough (winning is another question), and the others were either paltry or local.

That said, I have to agree and disagree with a few things said in this thread.

First... yeah. So what if you've won the local con's short story contest three times running? That just makes you a big fish in a little pond, and says nothing about what size fish you really are. This is the point I believe others have made regarding why editors may not care about a win in a contest they've never heard of.

Also, you have no idea what size pond you're in, so you can't tell your fish size from that, either. I'm a pre-judge (translation: slush reader) for the local con's new writers' short story contest (having won my way out of qualifying for it. Drat.) We *have* to award the five prizes each year--even when the list of stories doesn't actually have five deserving winners. Take last year (please): we had 22 entries. One, maybe two of those was at or near publishable quality; the others ... were not. Nevertheless, we ended up with five happy people in the end (well, three, and two who are still cat-fighting about a comment one of the final judges made.) I know that at least one of the unpublishable 'winning' stories was promptly sent out to a major market, which just as promptly rejected it.

Re: fees. Yes, the local con's contest has a fee--$10 CDN if you don't attend, nothing if you do. Yes, the fees go toward the prizes in the contest and to the cost of printing up the separate booklet the winners are published in, but do the math: the prizes are 250/200/150/50/50 for first, second, third, and two honorable mentions. The entry fees last year didn't cover even the cost of first prize--even if all of the entrants had paid the fee, which not all did, since this is a contest heavily salted with locals who attended the convention and who therefore didn't have to pay a fee.

Everyone who entered, whether they won or not, got a copy of the booklet and at least three critiques. Some were checklists; I wrote one page rambles focusing on the things--good or bad--that I noticed most in the pieces.

What's my point? Do your research on any contest you might enter, just like you would research a magazine market, an agent, or a publishing house. If there's a fee, weigh it against the prize money, the prestige, the inconvenience, or any other measure that you consider important.

You may trust my word for it, or someone else's, but face it: there's no substitute for doing your own homework.

If anyone is interested in the contest I mentioned, you can read up on it at www.writtenword.org/in_places_between

(Here's hoping I have to work harder this year than I did last year.)

0]

[Al1801]

Okay! I'm anti-contest and always have been, especially after following a friend's advice and submitted a goshawful poem to a so-called prestigious poetry contest. Back came the standard reply and my invitation to publish said poem - pay for the book of course - and attend the awards night, where to the thundnerous applause of my peers, I could accept my prize - right! - Wrong!

I've spoken to ther writers who have succumbed to this and have been sorely bitten. Not getting what they expected or paid for.

This has dampened my enthusiasm to enter contests unless the author or company is well known and respected.

Now! in deference to some competitions. Even if you don't win, you would have had the opportunity to have had it read and if the entries are open for voting by peer group, then a cross section of readers would have had access to your work That is good.

Nonetheless, remember the adage: Caveat Emptor and be on your guard for scam and spamsters.

ME! I'm for submitting to the real editors.