Writing Contests – Romance is Dead (Or Not)

Okay, so that title is probably sour grapes. The sourest, in fact.

Like so many other aspiring romance authors (822 in total), I entered last year’s Romance is Not Dead writing contest, part of the New Voices campaign from Mills & Boon. My entry, At the Desert King’s Pleasure, ended up in the middle of the pack, according to the user votes, and wasn’t short listed for the ultimate prize.

Here’s the link: see for yourself:

my contest entry

I was devastated.

In fact, I haven’t posted on the Harlequin/ Mills & Boon forums since, although I was active before and during the contest and received (and gave, I hope) a lot of support from my fellow writers in the community. Not a word. Not even a “J”. I was too upset. And I sincerely thought that I was done with

My problem? Aside from presumably terrible writing (or worse, mediocre writing – blech), I mean. It’s that I have an eternally optimistic disposition. I honestly believe that every query I send out, every contest entry I submit, every step I take in my writing journey, will be accepted, winning, or ultimately successful. I’ve thought about it a lot and I also believe that I have a more realistic view of my own writing. So, no, I don’t think every word I put down on the page is gold. Heaven forbid.

So, end result?

Next contest, you will find me there. Front of the line, clutching my potentially prize-winning entry in hand. I can’t say I won’t be devastated if I lose but I can tell you that I won’t be checking out for half a year afterwards. Next time, it might only take me five months to recover.

Photo courtesy of healingdream at freeditigalphotos.net