Showing posts with label contest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contest. Show all posts

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Pacific Northwest Writer's Association 2010



This year I attended the PNWA Writer's Conference as a guest of Pam Stanek who was a finalist in the Adult Short Topic category of their annual writing contest. All of the finalists, and their guests, met outside the banquet hall for the awards dinner. We were escorted in first, before all the other conference attendees and seated at tables in the front. The banquet was great, as was the British C. C. Humphreys, the guest speaker. If you ever get a chance to experience him as a guest speaker, I advise you to do so. He is great entertainment.

Pam Stanek is in my critique group. Although she has written a fabulous book, she entered a short memoir into the contest. It is a powerful story. When she read it to our critique group she had us all in tears by the end.

"You're going to win," I insisted.

"Oh don't be ridiculous. I'm not going to win," she scoffed.

Below, please see her picture as the third place winner in her category. There were over 1,200 entries in this year's PNWA contest. Being third is an outstanding feat. Right now, as I write this, she is locked in a small room with a gaggle of agents, pitching her book. And they are paying attention to her because now she is an award winning writer. The evening with the agents is only available to the first, second and third place winners.

Congratulations to the award winning Pam Stanek. I hope to see your book in print soon.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

First Sentence Contest

SV Fair Jeanne under full canvas in Lake Ontario, Canada.
Bytown Brigantine, Inc.
Photo by A. Soens


In meandering through my bloglists, I came across this fun contest over at RaShelle Workman's blog, A No.2 pencil stat! She is giving away a few treasured items for the best "first line" from a work in progress. Since I enjoy her blog, I decided I'd enter. So here is my first line.

"My two cousins towered over me in the cramped storeroom with their knives inches from my head."

Pop on over to A No. 2 pencil and check the comments section of her blog for other first liners.

Editor's Note: First line is subject to change during revisions.