The Value of Contests

Not to brag or anything, but... I won an award this year (well, technically the production of my script won the award) for a script I didn't even know would be entered into competition.  Every year the Mark Time Awards are given for the best audio theater productions in the world (yes indeed, it's an international award).  The Golden Ogle Award is given for the best horror or fantasy production of the year.  Pocket Universe's production of my adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's Masque of the Red Death won the Golden Ogle this year (If you'd like to listen to it, just click on the link you'll find to the right under "Audio Drama's I've Written," and you can listen for free!)

I received my crystal trophy commemorating the event in the mail the other day.  The producer, Bill Dufris, took home the trophy given at the awards ceremony (how dare he!), but I got one a month later with my name on it.

It's my first writing award, and I'm very grateful for it.  Right now I'm keeping the award packed away in its beautiful case until I have an appropriate shelf or mantle or whatever to properly display it.

But this post isn't really about awards; it's about contests.

I entered a novella-writing contest about three years ago, and created a "world" populated with characters I liked.

I didn't win the contest.

But I was left with these intriguing characters, and this well-developed world.  Those creations of my imagination were the trophies I won in that contest.

Earlier this year, I entered a contest sponsored by James Patterson to become his newest co-author.  It was an interesting contest, because in order to enter, I had to take an online class taught by James Patterson.  I learned an amazing amount of stuff about commercial fiction writing (especially about outlining).

I didn't win that contest either.

But I took the characters and fictional world from my novella, and turned them into an extensive outline for a novel.  The knowledge I gained from the world's most popular novelist, and the outline I created for the contest, were my trophies from that adventure in writing.

And now, I'm turning that outline into an actual novel -- a novel you will be able to read on this blog, chapter at a time.

I'm toying with the idea of entering the finished book into the 2017 Mystery Writers of America Best First Crime Novel Contest.  The winner gets a nice advance, and a book deal with St. Martin's Press!

But that wonderful prize isn't necessarily the reason for entering the contest.   Because I know...

even if I don't win the contest...

I'll collect a lot of trophies.