Happy Thursday!
Hey, unpublished writers, check out Indiana RWA's IGO Contest! Submit up to 55 pages (including synopsis) and get detailed constructive feedback from trained first-round judges. Our four-page score sheets are category specific. Second-round judging offers TWO acquiring editors for each of our seven categories (contemporary romance, erotic romance, historical romance, inspirational romance, paranormal romance, romantic suspense, and young adult romance).
Ten of our 21 finalists from the 2013 IGO Contest received requests for full manuscripts from our editor judges! Four of last year's finalists are finalists in RWA's 2014 Golden Heart Contest! Many of our previous entrants are now published authors!!!
Deadline to enter is July 1, 2014!
For complete rules go to http://www.rwa.org/p/cm/ld/fid=1180.
Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With A Kick!
Showing posts with label Contests. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Contests. Show all posts
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Thursday, June 6, 2013
A Golden Opportunity
I'm very active in my local chapter of Romance Writers of America (RWA). Yes, a professional organization for romance writers exists; no, you do NOT have to be published to join.
Each year, we hold a contest for unpublished writers, The Indiana Golden Opportunity Contest. Our trained first-round judges will give you detailed feedback on the opening chapters and synopsis of your story (a combined total of 55 pages). I'm one of the trainers and a judge. :) You'll get constructive and supportive comments to help you improve your story, and the top three entries in each category will move to the second round of judging--one acquiring editor from a traditional publisher AND one acquiring editor from an e-publisher. Many of our past finalists have gone on to final or win RWA's Golden Heart Contest (which has the same page requirement for entry), receive requests for full submissions from our second-round judges, and/or sell their manuscripts. Our score sheets are available for viewing prior to entry by following the contest link above. See below for more details!
Indiana' s 2013 Golden Opportunity Contest - ONLY 4 WEEKS LEFT TO ENTER!
Several of our past entrants have gone on to final in the Golden Heart Contest, sell their manuscripts, or become RITA winners.
NEW IN 2013
* TWO Editor Judges for each category (1 traditional print & 1 e-pub)
* Updated rules & score sheets
Contest Opens: May 1, 2013
Contest Deadline: July 1, 2013
Entry Fee: $35.00 US
Entry: Entry consists of the first section of the manuscript beginning with Chapter One (or the Prologue, if you have one), and the Synopsis. The total length of the entry (partial manuscript and synopsis) must be no more than 55 double-spaced pages. Entry must be a .doc format.
The first round of all categories will be judged by IRWA members that are either published authors or trained judges.
Final Judges: Offering TWO editor judges (One Traditional and One ePub) for all category finalists.
Contemporary Romance :
(T) Latoya Smith - Grand Central Publishing (E) Rhonda Helms – Carina Press
Erotic Romance :
(T) Leis Pederson – Berkley Publishing Group (E) Michele Paulin - Resplendence Publishing
Historical Romance :
(T) Laura Fazio – NAL at Penguin Group (E) Erin Molta - Entangled Publishing
Inspirational Romance :
(T) Shana Smith – Harlequin Love Inspired (E) Becky Philpott - HarperCollins Christian Publishing
Paranormal Romance :
(T) Kristine Swartz – Berkley Publishing Group (E) Heather Howland - Entangled Publishing
Romantic Suspense :
(T) Patience Bloom – Harlequin Books (E) Deb Nemeth – Carina Press
Young Adult Romance :
(T) Leah Hultenschmidt - Sourcebooks Casablanca (E) Stephanie Taylor - Astraea Press
Best of the Best : Katherine Pelz - Berkley Publishing Group
Prizes: 1st Place Finalist in each Category: $50 and certificate
2nd Place: Certificate
3rd Place: Certificate
The Best of the Best Award: A special keepsake award and certificate.
Further information, rules, and a sample of our score sheets are available at IRWA website: http://www.indianarwa.com/
Please share this information, and good luck to those who enter!
Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With A Kick!
Each year, we hold a contest for unpublished writers, The Indiana Golden Opportunity Contest. Our trained first-round judges will give you detailed feedback on the opening chapters and synopsis of your story (a combined total of 55 pages). I'm one of the trainers and a judge. :) You'll get constructive and supportive comments to help you improve your story, and the top three entries in each category will move to the second round of judging--one acquiring editor from a traditional publisher AND one acquiring editor from an e-publisher. Many of our past finalists have gone on to final or win RWA's Golden Heart Contest (which has the same page requirement for entry), receive requests for full submissions from our second-round judges, and/or sell their manuscripts. Our score sheets are available for viewing prior to entry by following the contest link above. See below for more details!
Indiana' s 2013 Golden Opportunity Contest - ONLY 4 WEEKS LEFT TO ENTER!
Several of our past entrants have gone on to final in the Golden Heart Contest, sell their manuscripts, or become RITA winners.
NEW IN 2013
* TWO Editor Judges for each category (1 traditional print & 1 e-pub)
* Updated rules & score sheets
Contest Opens: May 1, 2013
Contest Deadline: July 1, 2013
Entry Fee: $35.00 US
Entry: Entry consists of the first section of the manuscript beginning with Chapter One (or the Prologue, if you have one), and the Synopsis. The total length of the entry (partial manuscript and synopsis) must be no more than 55 double-spaced pages. Entry must be a .doc format.
The first round of all categories will be judged by IRWA members that are either published authors or trained judges.
Final Judges: Offering TWO editor judges (One Traditional and One ePub) for all category finalists.
Contemporary Romance :
(T) Latoya Smith - Grand Central Publishing (E) Rhonda Helms – Carina Press
Erotic Romance :
(T) Leis Pederson – Berkley Publishing Group (E) Michele Paulin - Resplendence Publishing
Historical Romance :
(T) Laura Fazio – NAL at Penguin Group (E) Erin Molta - Entangled Publishing
Inspirational Romance :
(T) Shana Smith – Harlequin Love Inspired (E) Becky Philpott - HarperCollins Christian Publishing
Paranormal Romance :
(T) Kristine Swartz – Berkley Publishing Group (E) Heather Howland - Entangled Publishing
Romantic Suspense :
(T) Patience Bloom – Harlequin Books (E) Deb Nemeth – Carina Press
Young Adult Romance :
(T) Leah Hultenschmidt - Sourcebooks Casablanca (E) Stephanie Taylor - Astraea Press
Best of the Best : Katherine Pelz - Berkley Publishing Group
Prizes: 1st Place Finalist in each Category: $50 and certificate
2nd Place: Certificate
3rd Place: Certificate
The Best of the Best Award: A special keepsake award and certificate.
Further information, rules, and a sample of our score sheets are available at IRWA website: http://www.indianarwa.com/
Please share this information, and good luck to those who enter!
Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With A Kick!
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Writing Tip Wednesday--Identifying Genre
With my local RWA chapter's writing contest opening for entries on May 1st, I'm reminded of a problem area for many writers--identifying the proper genre for their stories.
IRWA's Indiana Golden Opportunity Contest (IGO) is modeled after the Golden Heart Contest run by Romance Writers of America, our parent organization, and uses the same category definitions for genre. Other than the erotic romance category we've added, our contests have the same basic rules. We've also combined all contemporary categories.
Within the romance genre, you'll find many sub-genres. These seven don't begin to include them all, but you should see a pattern in the definitions.
Contemporary Romance--Romance that focuses primarily on the romantic relationship and has a contemporary setting. The love story is the main focus, and the resolution of the romance should be satisfying and optimistic.
Erotic Romance--Romance in which the sexual relationship plays an integral part in the love story. The sexual relationship is blended with the love story, which is the main focus, and the resolution of the romance is satisfying and optimistic.
Historical Romance--Romance set in any historical time period. Again, the love story is the main focus, and the resolution of the romance should be satisfying and optimistic.
Inspirational Romance--Romance in which religious or spiritual beliefs (in the context of any religious or spiritual belief system) play a major role in the romantic relationship. The love story is the main focus, with religious or spiritual beliefs as a significant part of the love story, and the resolution of the romance should be satisfying and optimistic.
Paranormal Romance--Romance in which the future, fantasy, or paranormal elements are an integral part of the plot. The futuristic, fantasy, or paranormal elements are blended with the love story, which is the main focus, and the resolution of the romance should be satisfying and optimistic.
Romantic Suspense--Suspense, mystery, or thriller elements constitute an integral part of the plot. These elements are blended with the love story, which is the main focus, and the resolution of the romance is satisfying and optimistic.
Young Adult--Romance geared toward young adult readers. The love story is the main focus, and the resolution of the romance should be emotionally satisfying and optimistic.
With those definitions out of the way, I'd like to address some of the issues I've encountered in judging.
Q: How would you define the genre of a story with a contemporary and/or historical setting containing paranormal elements that are vital to the plot?
A: If the paranormal elements are taken out, does the story still work? If yes, contemporary or historical. If no, paranormal. If the story involves both a contemporary setting and a historical setting with the same set of characters, then some sort of time travel, reincarnation, etc. has happened. Therefore, the story is paranormal.
Q: What if my erotic story doesn't end with a happily ever after?
A: Happy for now is acceptable as long as the resolution is optimistic. However, if the characters go their separate ways in the end, the genre is erotica rather than erotic romance. The addition of the word "romance" means the sexual relationship has evolved into a loving one as well.
Q: How much suspense can I put in my romantic suspense?
A: Romance should be at least 50% of any story labeled romance, whether it's romantic suspense, young adult romance, paranormal romance, etc. The main focus in romance is the romantic relationship. That's why genres such as suspense, thriller, mystery, etc. exist. A love story isn't the main focus, or even a minor part sometimes. Romantic Suspense has a good balance of romance and suspense.
Q: Can one story fit into more than one category?
A: Yes. An erotic romance can be contemporary, historical, paranormal, or romantic suspense. In most other cases, choose the genre that most closely fits your story. Sure, an inspirational can be contemporary, historical, or romantic suspense, but the religious/spiritual factor is usually a defining element for a publisher.
Q: Where do steampunk, sci-fi, and urban fantasy romances fit in?
A: If you've read any of these sub-genres, you know that paranormal-type elements are an integral part of the stories. They contain futuristic and fantasy world-building. They're paranormal in the case of the IGO.
Whether you're entering contests or submitting to editors and agents, know your genre. Not knowing--or choosing the wrong one--could mean a disqualification or a rejection.
How about we discuss the dreaded Homophones next week?!?!
Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With A Kick!
IRWA's Indiana Golden Opportunity Contest (IGO) is modeled after the Golden Heart Contest run by Romance Writers of America, our parent organization, and uses the same category definitions for genre. Other than the erotic romance category we've added, our contests have the same basic rules. We've also combined all contemporary categories.
Within the romance genre, you'll find many sub-genres. These seven don't begin to include them all, but you should see a pattern in the definitions.
Contemporary Romance--Romance that focuses primarily on the romantic relationship and has a contemporary setting. The love story is the main focus, and the resolution of the romance should be satisfying and optimistic.
Erotic Romance--Romance in which the sexual relationship plays an integral part in the love story. The sexual relationship is blended with the love story, which is the main focus, and the resolution of the romance is satisfying and optimistic.
Historical Romance--Romance set in any historical time period. Again, the love story is the main focus, and the resolution of the romance should be satisfying and optimistic.
Inspirational Romance--Romance in which religious or spiritual beliefs (in the context of any religious or spiritual belief system) play a major role in the romantic relationship. The love story is the main focus, with religious or spiritual beliefs as a significant part of the love story, and the resolution of the romance should be satisfying and optimistic.
Paranormal Romance--Romance in which the future, fantasy, or paranormal elements are an integral part of the plot. The futuristic, fantasy, or paranormal elements are blended with the love story, which is the main focus, and the resolution of the romance should be satisfying and optimistic.
Romantic Suspense--Suspense, mystery, or thriller elements constitute an integral part of the plot. These elements are blended with the love story, which is the main focus, and the resolution of the romance is satisfying and optimistic.
Young Adult--Romance geared toward young adult readers. The love story is the main focus, and the resolution of the romance should be emotionally satisfying and optimistic.
With those definitions out of the way, I'd like to address some of the issues I've encountered in judging.
Q: How would you define the genre of a story with a contemporary and/or historical setting containing paranormal elements that are vital to the plot?
A: If the paranormal elements are taken out, does the story still work? If yes, contemporary or historical. If no, paranormal. If the story involves both a contemporary setting and a historical setting with the same set of characters, then some sort of time travel, reincarnation, etc. has happened. Therefore, the story is paranormal.
Q: What if my erotic story doesn't end with a happily ever after?
A: Happy for now is acceptable as long as the resolution is optimistic. However, if the characters go their separate ways in the end, the genre is erotica rather than erotic romance. The addition of the word "romance" means the sexual relationship has evolved into a loving one as well.
Q: How much suspense can I put in my romantic suspense?
A: Romance should be at least 50% of any story labeled romance, whether it's romantic suspense, young adult romance, paranormal romance, etc. The main focus in romance is the romantic relationship. That's why genres such as suspense, thriller, mystery, etc. exist. A love story isn't the main focus, or even a minor part sometimes. Romantic Suspense has a good balance of romance and suspense.
Q: Can one story fit into more than one category?
A: Yes. An erotic romance can be contemporary, historical, paranormal, or romantic suspense. In most other cases, choose the genre that most closely fits your story. Sure, an inspirational can be contemporary, historical, or romantic suspense, but the religious/spiritual factor is usually a defining element for a publisher.
Q: Where do steampunk, sci-fi, and urban fantasy romances fit in?
A: If you've read any of these sub-genres, you know that paranormal-type elements are an integral part of the stories. They contain futuristic and fantasy world-building. They're paranormal in the case of the IGO.
Whether you're entering contests or submitting to editors and agents, know your genre. Not knowing--or choosing the wrong one--could mean a disqualification or a rejection.
How about we discuss the dreaded Homophones next week?!?!
Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With A Kick!
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