Exciting news this week. I received a call from the contest coordinator at Pikes Peak Writers,  letting me know that I placed second in the young adult category of their writing contest. It's funny that I almost didn't even enter. Being the self-conscious writer most of us are, I had serious doubts about my entry, which was a brand new project. Only the encouragement of my critique group got me to enter. That's another reason everyone should be in a critique group!

When the conference rolls around in late April, I'll have the opportunity to sit down with one of three agents: Kristin Nelson, Weronika Janczuk, and Taylor Martindale. I'll be using the next two months to polish my current manuscript in case I need to send some pages to an agent.

So the moral of the story is to join a critique group, and overcome your hesitancy to enter a writing contest. You never know what will happen!

I'd love to hear some of your experiences with writing contests!

22 comments:

  1. Congratulations! That is so exciting! I look forward to seeing you announced and praised at the conference. :)

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  2. I'm so excited for you Debbie! Looks like this conference is going to be stellar for you.

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  3. Congratulations, that is great! I hope you get to meet with Kristin, I follow her Pub Rants blog and she seems like a very reputable agent. I've not yet submitted for a paid writing contest and do agree, I need to join a critique group.

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  4. Awesome news. I'm glad your critique group had you send it!

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  5. Wow, congratulations :-) That's great news. Cheering you on as you prepare to meet with an agent!

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  6. Congratulations! You'll have to let us know how the agent meeting goes... ;)

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  7. Thanks everyone. It'll be nerve-wracking (as usual), but one of these days I'll perfect the pitch. Time to get back to polishing.

    ~Debbie

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  8. I am so so so proud of you - and excited!!! YES!

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  9. Thanks Angela. It'll be fun to be conference buddies again!

    ~Debbie

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  10. This is such exciting news! I'm happy for you Debbie.

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  11. Congratulations, Debbie! Happy Dancing for you, friend!

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  12. Woohoo! Congrats, Debbie! You so deserve it. You write well, devote so much time to the craft, and you give so much to the writing community. So happy for you! :-)

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  13. Thank you Beth and Teresa! I'm hoping to get my daughter to enter next year. The feedback is so helpful!

    ~Debbie

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  14. Yes it will - and I'm going to pitch this year! :D

    Matt was bragging on you last night. Thought you should know. He's so sweet!

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  15. Congratulations! I was just catching up on the PPW loop and saw your name, so wanted to come by. Very exciting!

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  16. Angela, I'm thrilled you're pitching! Do you know who it might be?

    Thanks you so much, Shannon! I hope I see you there!

    ~Debbie

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  17. Congratulations! That is so exciting!

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  18. That's fantastic! A massive congrats!! I'm doing a small happy dance in my chair for you!

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  19. Debbie:

    Congratulations! Fantastic news. You are a dedicated writer who goes out of her way to provide other writers with tips and guidance. I heart you for that. Good luck to you!!

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  20. Thanks so much, Janette. I've definitely got my work cut out for me. Thankfully, I got the opportunity to attend a three-hour pitch workshop last Saturday.

    ~Debbie

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