Wordcraft -- The contest issue

Since Kristen Lamb, author of We Are Not Alone, gave me a lesson in blogging last year, I’ve tried to figure out what you, my reader, wants from this site. You’ve taught me, partly through comments, but most of all through the posts you look at, that you want to know 1) how to improve your writing, 2) how to network with other writers, and 3) how to market your work. So raise a glass -- or a pen -- to yourselves for prompting this post on contests. (You can see Kristen’s blog at http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ ).

A writing friend, understandably, recently questioned the point of fees for writing contests. So before you dive in, read “The Economics of Competition: A Look at Contest Budgets,” in the current issue of Poets & Writers magazine (www.pw.org/ ). And consider what the fees you pay to enter contests actually accomplish.

I feel comfortable listing contests vetted either by P&W’s staff, or that I’ve entered personally, but I’m including some others I’ve gleaned from various sources. They’re focused on fiction writing, since that’s my specialty. As always, read the fine print.

The May/June 2012 issue of Poets & Writers lists dozens of upcoming deadlines, mostly for literary fiction and poetry. Read carefully -- all have specific requirements. Also take a look at the lists of craft-building and resume-building residency programs and workshops.

P&W listed Writer’s Digest’s annual writing competition in its listing. But although the early bird deadline for this contest is May 1, the absolute deadline isn’t until May 15 for a variety of genre writing. See www.writersdigest.com/competitions for information. Check out the magazine’s current issue to see what judges have liked in the past.

You know I love Duotrope Digest’s listings (www.duotrope.com/ ). But although it’s added fee-paid sites, its search engine doesn’t differentiate between contests and regular submissions. So check out www.ralan.com/. This science fiction/fantasy/horror (aka speculative fiction) site lists contests, even by literary publications, if they also accept its genres.

Speaking of genre fiction, take a look at the Abandoned Towers 2012 Writing Contest. The newly restarted site, like many ezines, asks for donations to support its projects. It accepts any genre of short fiction or poetry for consideration, provided the concept of “abandoned towers” is incorporated. See http//abandonedtowers.com/contest/ for specifics.

Feminist writers (not necessarily female) will want to check out www.mzbworks.com/ for specifics on the Sword and Sorceresses anthology based on the work on Marion Zimmer Bradley. Free -- but deadline is May 12, 2012.

And if you plan to attend any writing conference, check its site to see if it offers low-cost contest add-ons, such as those for the Writers League of Texas, www.writersleague.org/, and FenCon (www.fencon.org/).

(Beginning today, April 30, “Wordcraft” moves to Mondays. “Adventure classics” moves to Wednesdays on May 2, for a quick, fun read to get you over the work week hump. “Totally Texas” moves to Fridays on May 4, to help you plan your weekend.)

Wordcraft -- Character: The likeability factor

I''ve lost the likeable character lottery -- again, after being turned down for the Sword & Sorceress anthology with a rejection letter from editor Elisabeth Waters that said, "This is a perfectly good story, but. . . "

Hey, wait!  She didn't actually say the characters were unlikeable, did she?  But I'd better turn to those who can write with more authority on the magic that makes a character -- specifically the main character, the protagonist -- someone readers (and that includes editors) will want to spend their valuable time with.

One of my favorite books adddressing this subject is the late Blake Snyder's "Save the Cat!"  Not least because it makes me laugh.  Although it's aimed at screenwriters, his discussion of story structure and character can apply to other forms of writing.  As he describes the concept, the "save the cat" scene is "the scene where we meet the hero and the hero does something -- like saving a cat -- that defines who he is and makes us, the audience, like him. . . . You must take the time to frame the hero's situation in a way that makes us root for him, no matter who he is or what he does."

Or as writer and agent Donald Maass puts it in his "Fire in Fiction," our job as writers is to create a bond between our readers and our protagonist.  And that's an immediate bond, on the first page if possible, not the last page or hidden in the depths of the story.  To do this, he said, we must give the readers a reason to care.

I love and care about all my characters, as you love and care for yours.  They're the children of our imagination.  And like good parents, we love our children no matter how weird or naughtly or -- let's be frank -- how unloveable they can sometimes be.  But passing out snapshots of our kids at their unloveable moments isn't going to make random strangers care about them.  We need to show pictures of the kids at their best, remembering that their best may be when they're soaked in sweat and mud.

Show the picture of her standing up for a bullied friend.  Or the one of him hugging his brother instead of hitting him.

In Maass's words, "Demonstrating a character trait that is inspiring does cause readers to open their hearts."

(While pondering editor Waters's words, I read fellow blogger Deborah Walker's wickedly funny post "Rejectomancy," about finding meaning in rejections.  See her post at http://deborahwalkersbibliography.blogspot.com/  Next Wednesday:  "The Passage" author Justin Cronin tells us what it's like to get a multimillion dollar advance for a novel -- and what happens next.)