Benefits of a Writing Contest

My first published piece of fiction was written as a contest entry. In 1999, AOL invited members of its fiction writers’ group to submit a Western flash fiction story (no more than 1,000 words) on a weekend writing contest. A free year’s membership was the prize. I won first place with a story titled, “Riders of the Midnight Moon.” That early bit of encouragement kept me going.

Perhaps you’ve competed in NaNoWriMo or one of ACFW’s competitions. If you’re mulling over that idea, consider some benefits of participating in a fiction writers’ contest:

Firm Deadline. Authors have to maintain a consistent work schedule to meet their publisher’s schedule. A contest deadline imposes that kind of discipline before you sign a publishing contract.

Reader Awareness. Some authors believe they can write for their own satisfaction and disregard the needs of other readers. That belief soon fades when you’re writing for a contest. You become conscious of your story’s pacing, character arcs, and other factors that will capture and hold your readers’ interest.

Peer Review. Most contests involve several rounds of evaluation, so your book will be scrutinized by agents, editors, and publishers as well as established authors. In most cases, you’ll receive some feedback from them.

Marketing Leverage. If you do win a prize, it will open doors to agents and publishers who don’t yet recognize your name.  The same is true of the general reading public. Like an Oscar or Golden Globe draws attention to a rising cinema star, a book prize focuses the spotlight on a new author.

A writing contest requires discipline and hard work, like any other aspect of a professional author’s work. Why not enter a contest? It may help you begin writing like a pro.

Joe Allison writes both fiction and nonfiction, and has been a member of the Indiana chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers since 2010. He lives in Anderson, IN, with his wife Maribeth and daughter Heather.