Entering writing contests...

Thought for today - Don't wait for your ship to come in, swim out to it!

For the most part, I write romantic suspense. Perhaps my tales are more to the "cozy" side than the "graphic" side, but none the less, there is suspense. And sometimes, after working with a story over a long period of time, the suspense starts to lose some of its excitement - for me. I know what's going to happen next, you know?

So, one good way to "see" your own writing is through the eyes of another person, specifically, through various writing contests. And as a romantic suspense writer, one very important contest is the RWA Mystery and Suspense Chapter (commonly known as the Kiss of Death) annual Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence. There is both a published and an unpublished division for the contest. This will be my first year entering the contest.

In preparation for entering, I am polishing my first fifteen pages one more time, checking the opening hook, purging extraneous adverb usage, polishing point of view, and all the other things writers do to try to make their entry the best it can be. And I'm taking it one step further. I'm imposing on two close writing colleagues to actually use the score sheet for my category (available on the KOD website) and "score" my entry.

It means a lot to me that these two writers would do this. At first glance, it seems like its just taking a few minutes of their busy days, but really, it is much more. They are willing to share with me that awkward dance that writers need - someone to be painfully blunt so that improvements can be made, all the while giving those warm, so needed hugs of support after that help a writer once again face his or her keyboard.

Wish me luck!

Carpe diem,

Kellie