Nic McPhee 'Editing a paper' Flickr CC (BY SA 2.0) I received some great news today: my YA paranormal romance, LOVE'S MORTAL COIL, is a finalist in the Utah Romance Writers of America annual Heart of the West (HOW) contest. Earlier this year, the manuscript won the Romance Writer's of Australia First Kiss competition with - you guessed it - a scene depicting the first kiss. But I had yet to see if the beginning of the story could hook readers as much as the first smooch did. Making it to round two in the HOW contest gives me quiet confidence I'm on the right path.

Don't get me wrong, competitions are scary. Putting your writing our there to be critiqued by total strangers is not for the faint of heart. But if your hope is to be published, it's one of the best ways to grow a thick skin, garner constructive feedback and, most importantly, learn, learn, learn.

2012 was the year I first entered LOVE'S MORTAL COIL in a RWA competition. The manuscript wasn't complete but I had the required ten thousand words, so I took the plunge. It ranked 25th out of almost 100 entries. Not bad for a first timer, I thought. Two of the three judges even gave glowing feedback, with scores of 104 and 101 out of a possible 105. But it was the third judge whose critique took my writing to the next level. A published romance author, this judge's score was the lowest of the three. Although still positive, she pointed out weaknesses in my writing and provided strategies for improvement. Her comments were unpublished writer gold (Thank you judge No. 58!). I used her advice to re-write what I had and guide the tone of the rest of the manuscript. That is the real value of entering competitions. Placing, or even winning, is the icing on the cake.
If you haven't taken the leap yet, I strongly urge you to enter a writing competition. There are many that provide feedback - RWA competitions are excellent for this. And those that don't provide feedback still give writers an opportunity to write to a deadline, a word limit, and a theme, all crucial skills for anyone wanting to hone their writing skills.

If you're in Oz and you're looking for upcoming writing competitions, bookmark the Australian Writers Resource website. It lists all national writing contests, as well as some international ones. Go on, take the plunge. Enter!