WEbook Contest Update « Contest

WEbook Contest Update

Posted on February 14th, 2010 jean 7 comments

Whew, what a week! I love it when weeks streak by, and that one certainly did. Let’s see, we bought a larger second-hand vehicle this week, I started a new job, did a hefty pile of good things for friends and acquaintances (working on my sainthood here), and we put my beloved Dodge Shadow up for sale. (sniff, sniff) I even almost destroyed my computer this week. And then I discovered, it wasn’t actually me or the computer, it was Windows and a bad update. Whew! I thought I had lost everything. That would have really sucked bo-bo. In a big way.

Speaking of updates, I remembered to check on my WEbook Page to Fame submissions today. I tell ya, I’ve gotten a lot of entertainment out of those $5 submissions.

Anyway, here’s a screen shot of how I’m doing at the moment:

I’m doing much better since they’ve removed all the ‘bad’ votes. It turns out some folks were going on there and lowballing submissions that weren’t theirs. I had kind of wondered why I had the almost exact same crappy marks for two very different projects–one that had been very much edited and one that hadn’t (at all, really). Now, there is a variety in marks which is relieving and expected. The edited project is doing 4% better (it’s the 2nd one in the above image). Interesting, isn’t it?

I may have already mentioned this, but I love the fact that this contest (which allows you to submit the first page–about 250 words if I recall correctly) has opened my eyes to things I need to improve. Looking at my first page and looking at the marks that were coming in, I quickly realized my story was not showing how it was different right up front. It was, well, kind of average in its topic, if you know what I mean? Thanks to this contest, combined with a few bits of agent feedback, I have since improved my opening with a few tweaks to let the reader see that this might not be your typical girl-getting-married-and-having-second-thoughts kind of story.

I sure do love it when feedback helps me see what I need to do to push my writing to the next level.

How about you? Have you gotten a tidbit somewhere lately that’s opened your eyes to what you need to do to make your work better or make it stand out?

P.S. I’ve blacked out the contest submission titles as I don’t want folks I know inflating my marks out of the kindness of their dear little hearts. Just in case they might be tempted….
contest Page to Fame contest, skill development, the next level, WEbook, writing contests, writing feedback, writing improvement
7 responses to “WEbook Contest Update”
- Jemi Fraser February 14th, 2010 at 17:27
  
  I didn’t enter the WEbook contest, but it sure created a buzz of interest! I did read through a TON of entries and learned a lot that way. I quit reading after a couple of sentences on probably half the ones I read. If I made it to the end, I rated it pretty high. Definitely worth the $5!
- jean February 14th, 2010 at 20:18
  
  That’s true, Jemi, you can learn a lot by judging the others. It’s not long after you’ve read a pile that you figure out what grabs and reader and what doesn’t.
- TK Richardson February 14th, 2010 at 22:56
  
  WEBook does sound like fun, and I’m glad you’re doing so well. You deserve it. And I wanted to touch on something you said– “I did a hefty pile of good things for friends and acquaintances (working on my sainthood here).” Jean, I think you’re already there. I can’t think of anyone else who goes above and beyond for other writers like you do. (okay, enough gushing) I just thought you should know.
- jean February 15th, 2010 at 17:21
  
  Thanks, TK. You made me say, ‘Aw shucks.’
  
  I am doing okay in the WEbook contest. I’m not totally sure what I need in terms of marks to make it to the next level, and it is driving me a little bit nutso knowing that my ‘best’ version is sitting on my laptop and not online! Oh well. It’s been worth it, even if I don’t make it to the next level.
- Jean February 15th, 2010 at 17:30
  
  P.S. My beloved Shadow was sold yesterday! Within 2 1/2 hours of posting the ad on Kijiji.ca, I had two great offers! Wow! Anyway, ‘Millie’ has moved on to a nice gal–it’ll be her first car. Exciting times!
- Cat Woods February 16th, 2010 at 07:17
  
  Jean, it sounds like you’ve had a busy and satisfying week. Congrats on the WeBook contest. It is always helpful to know what others think of your writing. I have made some great changes to my work by listening–even when it was hard to do so.
- jean February 16th, 2010 at 09:25
  
  It was a busy and exciting week. Sometimes, it is hard to listen, but it sure can pay off!
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Welcome to my Website and Blog

I am an aspiring fiction writer (children's, women's and commercial) and a represented nonfiction writer. I am also a member, critiquer and site moderator over on AgentQueryConnect.com. Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to jump in the conversation and leave your thoughts in the comment section.

Enjoy!