Saturday. Was. Awesome.

I attended the North Texas Two-Step writer's conference, where I learned all kinds of terrific information (more on that this week) and where they announced the results to the Great Expectations contest.

I've been waiting with bated breath for a month to know where I placed. In the initial round I had ended up second with my scores, but once the finalists are sent to the editor for final judging, then your scores are erased and you start fresh, so you can end up anywhere. I kept telling myself that I was just happy to final, that the worse that could happen would be honorable mention (4th place) which would still be a victory. But my perfectionistic/competitive side held out hope for more.

So when Angi Morgan went to the microphone to announce the results, my heart was pounding and I was preparing my I'm-so-happy-no-matter-where-I-placed face. And of course, my category was the last one read, which was tortuous. But then Angi called me up to the podium and started reading out the names in my category. And guess what?

I placed FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Woo-hoo! The editor picked Wanderlust as the best in the Series Contemporary Romance category! She gave me perfect scores on almost every checkpoint AND she requested a partial & synopsis to be sent to the Senior Editor at Harlequin Blaze using her name (the editor of Harlequin Superromance) as a reference. *wide grin* There's nothing like having a publishing professional say "hey, you're actually good at this." So I'm over the moon.

To top it all off, I got a small check for the win, which is officially the first money I've ever made for my writing.

Days like Saturday are ones I need to file away in the memory bank so that when I'm having the I'm a Total Hack Days, I can remember these victories and keep going.

Now, don't miss the rest of this week here at the blog. Beyond the normal Beta Club days, I'll be sharing some of what I learned at the conference, including info from an agent/editor panel.

*Today's Theme Song**

"Beautiful Day" - U2

(player in sidebar--go ahead, take a listen)

*Sorry that this picture only has vague relevance to the topic, but I couldn't resist. By far, the funniest Saved By The Bell episode ever.*

A while back I mentioned that I would be entering a couple of writing contests for the first time and promised to share what my experience was like with y'all. Well, this weekend I got a call from the North TX RWA letting me know that my manuscript, Wanderlust, has finaled in the Contemporary Series Romance category of the Great Expectations contest!

I am so excited! Now I get a day to read through the judges' feedback and revise before the entry gets sent to the final judge--an editor at Harlequin. :) Woo-hoo!

So obviously I'm feeling pretty good about contests right now, but let me share a bit of my experience so far. First, I have to say that these results came back very quickly and the amount of detailed feedback from the three judges (two of whom were published) was awesome. They teased out things me and my crit group had not caught (and we're a picky bunch) and it wasn't just surface feedback--their comments showed they had put a lot of thought into it. This kind of feedback is worth its weight in gold and was a great return on my small contest fee even if I hadn't finaled.

In addition, I can't tell you how nice it is to have people who are either published or are trained as judges tell me such positive things about my writing and that my story is of publishable quality. I'm definitely going to save those files and pull them out when I go through my inevitable "I'm a Total Hack" days. So thank you to those anonymous judges who have given me that gift.

Now, although my experience has been very positive, I do want to give one word of warning about contests. Remember not to freak out if you get feedback you don't like or agree with. Even though these are educated opinions, they are still just opinions. Angi Morgan, who recently sold her first manuscript, wrote a great article on keeping contest feedback in perspective. So go into these things with that in mind.

But all in all, I think the positives outweigh that minor risk. So, if you're looking for some totally outside feedback and a chance to jump the slush pile of an editor or agent, consider entering one. They are especially helpful if you want to "test out" your beginning or hook because contests usually have a page limit (first 15, 25, 50 pages).

Most of the local RWA chapters run these contests and they're open to anyone--you don't have to be a member. And I know a lot of you write YA and may think that these don't apply to you, but almost every contest I've seen has a YA category. (Here's a list of some upcoming contests.) So take a chance and put yourself out there.

Also, totally off subject, but I'd like to give a little shout out to my New Orleans Saints for winning the Super Bowl! Sometimes the underdog really does triumph--okay so it took a few decades to get there, but still, I always believed. :)

Have you entered any contests? Why or why not? What's been your experience?

**Today's Theme Song**

"I'm So Excited" - The Pointer Sisters

(player in sidebar--go ahead, take a listen)