Writers Write
The First Rule
If you like entering writing contests, you need to know that the first rule of writing contests is to follow the rules of the writing contest. (Well, that was fun – seeing how many times I could use the words `contest’ and `writing’ in one sentence).
I once attended an all-ages talent show for singers where one 9-year old participant introduced as Katrina stood out above all the rest with her exquisite vocal ability. She sang “Beautiful” written by Linda Perry and recorded by Christine Aguilera (among various others).
Katrina hit every note perfectly, and her tone was excellent. Despite her age, Katrina managed to sing with the exact right amount of emotion, too, expertly alternating her belting and her crooning. She was the only contestant that day whose song rendition met with a standing ovation that lasted so long that the emcee had to tell us to sit down so the show could continue. Everyone in the audience knew from the moment Katrina sang her first note that she was going to win the Grand Prize.
Except she didn’t. In fact, Katrina did not even win 1st place in her 8 to 10-year old category. Neither did she win 2nd or 3rd place. She won nothing, and none of us present could make sense of this.
Katrina’s shocked mom, who knew how talented her daughter was, questioned the producers of the show. She learned that Katrina’s on-stage rendition of “Beautiful” was four minutes long, while the contest rules clearly specified that the time limit for each entry was no longer than three minutes. That infraction amount to the disqualification of Katrina.
Katrina’s mom blamed herself for this. She had not read the rules closely on behalf of her daughter, and she had encouraged Katrina to sing the full rendition of the chosen song. This was a mistake that could have been easily avoided.
Although I have always been careful to study and follow the rules of the writing contests I enter, I was disqualified once. The unpublished novel category required no more than 25 pages of an unpublished novel, as well as a two-page synopsis.
I actually sent exactly 25 pages, plus the two-page synopsis, which equaled a total amount of 27 pages. I put all of this into one document. After the contest had ended and winners were announced, I was surprised to read on a note I received from the Contest Chair that my entry had been disqualified and never submitted to the judges.
I went back to re-read the contest rules. My mistake was combining the two-page synopsis and the 25 pages of the novel as one document. The rules stated that these were to be created as two separate documents. I missed this distinction. I had put in a lot of hard work, but got no credit at all. Zero. Nil. Zippo. Nada. Zilch.
I’m not saying that I was the Katrina, talent-wise, of submitting an unpublished novel, but perhaps I would have had a chance if I had followed the rules. I had no one to blame but myself.
Ironically, in the exact same writing contest where I was disqualified, another entrant, a friend of mine, told me that she had received a call from the Contest Chair shortly after the deadline had passed. The Contest Chair told my friend that her entry was excellent, but then suggested that the entry would have a better chance of winning if submitted in a different category. The Contest Chair was willing to accept a late entry for this purpose, with the category contest form and category headers changed for the entry. For the record, my friend declined to have the category switched. She did not decline on moral grounds, but only because she was too busy to mess with making the category change.
My friend was offered a second chance, but I was not. This caused me to think that the Contest Chair did not see much promise in my work. Ouch!
Of course, I have no idea what the Contest Chair actually thought, other than that my unpublished novel did not qualify. Human nature, however, dictates that we often think the worst in any situation. I am a human; a priori, my ego was deflated by viewing the disqualification as a comment on the quality (or lack of quality) of my work, especially in light of the second chance given for my friend but not for me.
That’s fine, though. So what? I’m still a writer. (Cue the song lyrics written in “So What” by Pink, Max Martin, and Shellback: So, so what? I’m still a rock star). It’s difficult to be a writer if you get discouraged by other people’s opinions, so I will not be defeated, no matter what they say (just like one of the lyrics in “Beautiful”). Likewise, you cannot let a rejection letter stop you from writing. Never!
Besides, even the Bible tells us at Matthew 6:27, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?” Obviously, the answer is nobody. Thus, there’s no need to worry about harsh critiques and rejections. Trust me, it happens to every writer.
Famous writers who received rejections include George Orwell, Kenneth Grahame, H.G. Wells, Joseph Heller, Kurt Vonnegut, Rudyard Kipling, John LeCarre, Stephen King, Emily Dickinson, John Grisham, Judy Blume, Gertrude Stein, Madeline L’Engle, Dick Wimmer, Ursula K. Le Guin, Tim Burton, Jack Kerouac, J.K. Rowling, Louis L’Amour, Richard Adams, Norman Mailer, Alex Haley, Tony Hillerman, Jack London, William Faulker, Mary Higgins Clark, Marcel Proust, Mario Puzo, Pearl S. Buck, Nicholas Sparks, James Patterson, Dr. Seuss, Zane Grey, C.S. Lewis, J.D. Salinger, Beatrix Potter, Jacqueline Susann, Margaret Mitchell, Stephanie Meyers, William Golding, Meg Cabot, L. Frank Baum, and Alice Walker.
Whether you like or do not like the writing of some of these authors, they all have written best-sellers. And there are so many more famous authors who were rejected that could be named (but the list used here is long enough already). If you want to check out even more rejections of works by famous authors, just google the italicized terms.
Sure, rejection letters and/or discouraging notes from a judge in a writing contest will sting a little. But, stick an imaginary band-aid on the ego wound and keep writing and submitting. That’s what we writers do. Writers are the toughest people I know. I applaud all my fellow writers for their dedication to the craft, despite whatever the circumstances may be. We are beautiful!
Each writing contest has different rules about formatting, page length, and categories. Some documents want the category named in the header on the left-hand side of the first page; others demand that the category appear in the header on the right-hand side. Some want everything with a ragged right; other contests prefer a justified right. Some insist on Times New Roman, 12-point type. Sometimes, formatting is the most difficult part of entering a writing contest.
If you are interested in ever entering a writing contest of any kind, don’t be like Katrina. Don’t be like Katrina’s mom. Don’t be like Lizzie. Instead, read the rules thoroughly, then follow them precisely. Be like C.S. Be like H.G. Be like J.D. Refuse to quit.
Good luck to all you indomitable writers who freely participate in having your work judged in writing contests! Also, keep submitting. Most of all, keep writing.
