Hello readers! You probably amount to about 3 at this point, but that's neither here nor there. When I completely take over the blogosphere someday, we'll look back at my meek and feeble origins in disbelief! (hah...riiight)
So I mentioned a while back I was participating in this contest called The Novelist, where 20 writers were pitted against each other in a competition (kind of like the American Idol of writing without the fanfare and pomp!). Every week one person with the least votes was removed from the competition until there were only 2 remaining. I was lucky enough to make the top 2 with fellow author Stuart Howorth (great writer in his own right), and in a huge twist, the authors who were removed from the competition weeks and months earlier voted for the winner (along with votes from the public). Not entirely sure how much clout they had in deciding the winner, but I am proud and honoured to say that I came out on top in voting, and I've won The Novelist Season 3!
With that, I receive a publishing deal, and I hope to have my novel The Tournament of Hearts: The Librarian Gladiator completed this upcoming Spring (March-April). After editing and once cover art is completed, it should be published in time for next summer, when Season 4 of the Novelist gets underway. I encourage all three of you reading this to join the competition, or at least throw your name in the hat by going to www.gayrightssite.com/Novelist or downloading the app on iTunes (just search "The Novelist" and you'll find it). I'll be paying attention, so if you do get into the contest, comment on my blog and I'll be sure to vote for ya!
After I talk with the publishing house, I'm going to find out if I'm allowed to post excerpts from my novel here on my blog. In the meantime, you can read my first two chapters on the above website as a teaser. It's received pretty good reviews so far, and I'm so excited to share the rest with the public!
So keep reading. I'll be updating this much more often now that the competition is completed.
Saturday 23 November 2013
Monday 4 November 2013
The Novelist Contest
Well took me a little while to fire off my first real blog post, but here goes nothing!
So over the past three months I have been participating in an incredible contest called the Novelist. I stumbled upon the app on the iTunes store when I was super bored one day, and decided to give it a download just to check it out. Initially I thought it was a free writing guide, and I was looking for some guidance for writing my first novel to fill the void I felt after finishing my post-secondary education. But I quickly found out that it wasn't an app to help your writing, but instead it was actually promoting a contest for writers, where anyone could send in a synopsis of their book with a chance to be entered into this contest. So I did one day, and then I forgot about it.
Four months later I received an e-mail, telling me that I made the cut into the top 20 and that I would have to send in a picture and an updated synopsis for the first round of the contest. I was pumped, but a little afraid as well. First because I was scared that this was some dating site and they were trying to steal a sexy selfie of yours truly, and second because I had never shared my writing with the public. I wasn't sure how people would respond to my writing since I am an amateur in every sense of the word, plus I was never quite great at taking sexy selfies! *gasp!*
You see, in order to get further into the contest, the public had to vote for their favourite short stories every week, so that meant the contestants had to write a brand spankin' new short story every week (varying in topic and between 2000-8000 words long). This in itself was incredibly nerve-racking, both having to write something new every week, and then having family, friends and the random public all judge your work On top of that, each of the contestants still left in the Novelist competition sent you comments regarding your work every week. I'm a pretty self-conscious person, and taking strong criticism isn't my strong suit, so you can imagine my trepidation.
But I stuck with it, and lo and behold I've made it into the top 3! I suppose I should have mentioned earlier that the winner receives a publishing deal. I think I have a pretty decent shot to at least make it into the top 2, because I feel quite strongly about my short story this week. But I invite anyone who reads this to go to the site and judge for themselves. If you like the story, chuck me a vote! If not, go suck a lemon! (kiddin'...hahaha) But seriously, give the other contestants a look too. Especially Stuart Howorth. Guys got some skill!
And if you are interested in writing yourself, I recommend you go and check it out, maybe send in your own entry and take a trip down this exciting road. You won't regret it!
The website is: www.gayrightssite.com/Novelist
Click on "Newest Issue"
Voila!
I know the web address seems suspicious. The people who put on this contest have rights to that domain name, so they chose to piggy back the ".com" they owned already, just by adding an extension. Trust me. I'm a stranger. It's safe!
Until next time! Don't be afraid to check back now and then, because trust me.. I'll be busy writing nothing as usual :)
Dustin
So over the past three months I have been participating in an incredible contest called the Novelist. I stumbled upon the app on the iTunes store when I was super bored one day, and decided to give it a download just to check it out. Initially I thought it was a free writing guide, and I was looking for some guidance for writing my first novel to fill the void I felt after finishing my post-secondary education. But I quickly found out that it wasn't an app to help your writing, but instead it was actually promoting a contest for writers, where anyone could send in a synopsis of their book with a chance to be entered into this contest. So I did one day, and then I forgot about it.
Four months later I received an e-mail, telling me that I made the cut into the top 20 and that I would have to send in a picture and an updated synopsis for the first round of the contest. I was pumped, but a little afraid as well. First because I was scared that this was some dating site and they were trying to steal a sexy selfie of yours truly, and second because I had never shared my writing with the public. I wasn't sure how people would respond to my writing since I am an amateur in every sense of the word, plus I was never quite great at taking sexy selfies! *gasp!*
You see, in order to get further into the contest, the public had to vote for their favourite short stories every week, so that meant the contestants had to write a brand spankin' new short story every week (varying in topic and between 2000-8000 words long). This in itself was incredibly nerve-racking, both having to write something new every week, and then having family, friends and the random public all judge your work On top of that, each of the contestants still left in the Novelist competition sent you comments regarding your work every week. I'm a pretty self-conscious person, and taking strong criticism isn't my strong suit, so you can imagine my trepidation.
But I stuck with it, and lo and behold I've made it into the top 3! I suppose I should have mentioned earlier that the winner receives a publishing deal. I think I have a pretty decent shot to at least make it into the top 2, because I feel quite strongly about my short story this week. But I invite anyone who reads this to go to the site and judge for themselves. If you like the story, chuck me a vote! If not, go suck a lemon! (kiddin'...hahaha) But seriously, give the other contestants a look too. Especially Stuart Howorth. Guys got some skill!
And if you are interested in writing yourself, I recommend you go and check it out, maybe send in your own entry and take a trip down this exciting road. You won't regret it!
The website is: www.gayrightssite.com/Novelist
Click on "Newest Issue"
Voila!
I know the web address seems suspicious. The people who put on this contest have rights to that domain name, so they chose to piggy back the ".com" they owned already, just by adding an extension. Trust me. I'm a stranger. It's safe!
Until next time! Don't be afraid to check back now and then, because trust me.. I'll be busy writing nothing as usual :)
Dustin
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)