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Happy Just to be Nominated…Well, Not yet

by Maggie Van Well 6 November 2009 9 Comments

Well, I did it. After years of tossing it back and forth: Should I, shouldn’t I? What’s the point? Is it worth it? I finally decided.

I entered the Golden Heart.

For those of you who may not know, the Golden Heart is the creme de la creme for an unpublished author. It’s the Oscars of RWA , a very prestigious contest in the romance writing community. Just finaling can get you places (one of my fabulous CPs can attest to that:). So why was I so hesitant?

Is it the money? No. The fifty dollars plus postage won’t break me. Is it fear of criticism? No way. I have wonderfully blunt CPs. Plus I’ve entered other contests where the judges either loved me or hated me and I survived.

For me, unless you final, there really are no benefits. This is not a contest you enter for feedback. There is none. You enter to win. Period.

So, I asked myself recently. Why this year? And I really liked my conclusion. I have more faith in my writing…or at least int he book I entered, The Chase is On.

I’ve judged the Golden Heart. There is some awesome talent out there waiting to be discovered. The chances of finaling are slim, especially for someone with my voice (I write humorous contemporary) but I think at this juncture in my writing journey,I need to reach for that brass ring. Who knows? I might actually grab it.

So wish me luck and happy endings, cause I’m reaching.

Anyone have a contest story they want to share? A Golden Heart experience? A bone to pick with me about my conclusion on the Golden Heart? Or even what you consider to be your brass ring? Share!

~Maggie

9 Comments »

Laurie Ryan said:

I thought about entering this year, but my wip is really women’s fiction and just didn’t fit the categories. I agree with you that it’s not a contest to enter for feedback. But it is worth it if you final. At least, that’s what I’ve heard. One of these years, I’ll have the perfect story ready in time. In the meantime, best of luck to you, Maggie!

# 6 November 2009 at 10:15 am

Jeannie Ruesch said:

Keeping my fingers crossed for you, Maggie! The Golden Heart is a great motivator, and I’m so proud of you for entering!

# 6 November 2009 at 10:32 am

Emma Lai said:

Good luck, Maggie! My general gripe with contests is the entry fee, but maybe I’m just cheap? My brass ring is a contract for my young adult fantasy.

# 6 November 2009 at 12:42 pm

Lavada Dee said:

Wishing you a final Maggie. But the entry itself makes you a winner.

# 6 November 2009 at 12:45 pm

Ashley Ludwig said:

Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!

Be proud of yourself. You deserve it.

~Ash

# 6 November 2009 at 12:51 pm

Silver James said:

Congratulations, Maggie! Here’s wishing you much luck with this. I hope to see you “up in lights” in Nashville next summer.

I was published with Wild Rose before I ever thought about entering contests so I don’t really qualify for Golden Heart. One of these days, I hope to enter the National Readers Choice Award contest with one or more of my books.

My brass ring at the moment? An agent! Anybody have one to spare? LOL

# 6 November 2009 at 1:42 pm

JK Coi said:

Good luck! I wish you all the best!

# 6 November 2009 at 6:28 pm

Maggie (author) said:

Thanks so much for all the well wishes!

Here’s to all of us grabbing our brass rings

~Maggie

# 6 November 2009 at 6:30 pm

Stacey Joy Netzel said:

Maggie, I agree with your conclusions on the GH, you enter to final, and hopefully, win. I wish you the best of luck with your ms, The Chase Is On. Congratulations on reaching!

# 6 November 2009 at 7:19 pm