ROSA's 4th annual Strelitzia Awards for unpublished authors

ROSA's annual contest for unpublished authors, the Strelitzia Award, is now open for entries. Entrants receive three months of mentoring as they prepare their entries, and in 2020 this mentorship phase includes a whole lot more features. Not only will entrants receive one-on-one mentoring and personalised feedback on their work, but they will also have access to webinars, lessons on writing craft and private Q&As.

The Strelitzia contest not only offers excellent value for money for aspiring writers, but also the chance to win this fabulous glass trophy.

This year, the contest is open to both ROSA members and non-members, and we are accepting entries in both English and Afrikaans. The deadline for applications is Sunday 24th November, and we have place for only twelve participants, so if you'd like to take advantage of this incredible opportunity, don't delay!

ROSA also has a scholarship program available for those who want to enter but can't afford the fees. Applications for scholarships close on Wednesday, 20th November.

For more information, the contest rules, and the link to the entry form, click on the button below.

Announcing the 2019 Strelitzia Awards

One of the most rewarding aspects of running ROSA is seeing how we learn and grow. Every year we improve upon the last. We learn from our mistakes, we make changes, we push the envelope, and I’m sure those of you who have been here since the beginning will agree that ROSA today is a much better organization than the ROSA of five years ago.
This is why we always welcome feedback – we use it to improve not just the organization but the individuals within it.

Which is my long way of saying: following feedback from entrants, mentors and judges, we are once again making some changes to the Strelitzia Contest for unpublished authors.

What is new in the 2019 contest?

• The deadline for entries is much earlier this year, in order to provide more time for both the mentorship phase and the second round.

• Entrants will need to submit a synopsis and writing sample when entering. This will assist us in allocating appropriate mentors to entrants, and also encourages entrants to start working on their novels before they start working with a mentor.

• Finally, entrance will not be guaranteed in 2019. Sending in an entry form will not guarantee a place in the contest. Once all entries are received, only the ten strongest candidates will be accepted to proceed to the mentorship phase. This might seem cruel, and not in the ROSA spirit of developing beginner writers, but we need to bear in mind that this isn’t solely a mentorship program but also a contest, and as such it is only fair that writers who actually have a shot at winning the award be entered. Part of ROSA’s mission statement is to promote excellence in romance writing, and in order to promote excellence we need to set the bar high.

This last change might upset some prospective entrants, but please bear with me…

I’m not unhappy with my body shape, but if you meet me you’ll know in an instant that I don’t like exercise. I especially dislike running, so the chances of me getting up early to go for a quick 5km run before starting my day are even slimmer than my chances of winning the lottery (at least I buy lottery tickets!)

But I’ve just signed up to run the Comrades Marathon next year. That’s seven months away, so even though I’ve never even so much as run around the block, if I force myself out of bed one morning a week and go for a run, I have a real shot at a gold medal. You know why? Because I hired myself a trainer, and it’s the trainer’s job to get me there.

You’re laughing at me, aren’t you? You think I’m crazy. You’re shaking your head and thinking “Romy needs a serious reality check.”

That’s what these new contest requirements are: a reality check.

No one seriously believes that an unfit novice with no motivation is going to win the Comrades marathon just 7 months after taking up running. No one seriously believes that a beginner violinist will be able to play in a professional orchestra a few months after picking up a bow for the first time. No one believes that a running coach or violin teacher can work miracles.

Yet there are beginner writers who do expect these things. (Not too many, thank heavens, but a few!)

Just as it isn’t a running coach’s job to get me to gold medal status with virtually no effort on my part, it’s also not the Strelitzia mentor’s job to get a beginner writer to award-winning status in a matter of months with virtually no effort on the writer's part. If you want to win, you need to be prepared to do the work. You need to show the Strelitzia organizers and mentors you are serious about doing the work.

The one thing our 2018 Strelitzia finalists have in common is that they were disciplined enough to complete a full manuscript before the deadline. They took the advice of their mentors, they edited to the best of their ability given the very tight time constraints, and they had realistic expectations. They did the work.

And that right there is why we are introducing the new entry requirements - to ensure that more writers with this kind of dedication and motivation get a chance to enter.

For every entrant who hasn’t yet started to learn or practice the craft, who is not prepared to dedicate time to their writing, who believes that their writing is already award winning and that the mentor is wrong to suggest it’s not, or who spends the entire mentorship phase writing a first draft and then doesn’t have time to get the mentor’s feedback, it means that another writer who is serious about the craft and who is prepared to do the work, loses out on the chance to enter and receive the benefits of mentorship.

This contest also relies on attracting and retaining good quality mentors, and we can only achieve this if mentors feel that their efforts are valued, and that they are making a difference.

And so in the next Strelitzia contest we ask that entrants both manage their expectations and commit to doing the work. By entering a synopsis and writing sample you will show the organizers and mentors that you are not expecting your mentor to wave a magic wand and provide you with an award-winning entry even though you don’t have the time or dedication to write the book, learn the craft, or polish your work to be the best it possibly can be.

Every single one of our mentors is a published author because they had the dedication, made the time, and did the work. They will expect nothing less from their mentees.

If this blog post hasn't put you off entering, and you are determined to do the work, win the award, and take home the crystal trophy, then check out the entry guidelines and download an entry form from the ROSA website here.

PS: in the interests of full disclosure, I haven’t really signed up to run the Comrades next year. And no, I don’t plan on taking up professional running any time soon. (I’m going to use that time to write my next book instead.)

Announcing the 2018 Strelitzia finalists

The Strelitzia award is a content run by ROSA for unpublished authors. In 2018, we decided to do things a little differently, offering entrants a mentorship phase in the first round. The judges then scored each of the entries against a set of criteria (character development, pace, writing craft etc) and the 3 entrants with the highest scores were then selected to go through to a second round.

In this next round, the three entrants need to submit a completed manuscript, and one of these three aspiring authors will get to take home this beautiful crystal trophy on 22nd September - but which one will it be?

The 3 finalists for the 2018 Strelitzia Award are (in no particular order):

Tracy Wilson - Her Reluctant Protector
Amanda Holly - Master for Life
Sumi Singh - Sydney's Boxer

Well done, ladies, and best of luck for the final round!

Feedback from the 2017 Strelitzia Contest: Part Three

In this first post of 2018, we continue our series offering feedback from the 2017 Strelitzia (and Imbali) contests. To read the prevous posts in the series, click here.

The main feedback we had for entrants was to read the instructions!

In this final part of the series of feedback posts from the Strelitzia contest, I'd like to look at something that was more of an issue in the 2016 Imbali Awards than in the 2017 Strelitzias, however since we are changing the length requirements in 2018, I am including this advice here: manuscript length.

In 2018, Strelitzia entries will be limited to the first three chapters, not to exceed 15,000 words.

It is essential that you check the word counts / number of pages / number of chapters requested for the submission. The reason is simple: our judges (for both the Strelitzia and Imbali awards) are all volunteers. They are giving their own (often very limited) time to read the entries. It is very difficult for us to attract a sufficient number of judges if we have to say to them up front “you may have to read five 120,000 word epic novels.” And if we do not have enough judges signed up to ensure that each entry gets at least three separate reads, then we have to limit the number of entries we can accept.

Why do we want every entry to receive at least three reads? Ideally, we'd like each entry read by at least 4-5 judges! Reading preferences are so incredibly subjective. If one reader hates your hero, for example, but another has no problem with him, your score will be pulled right down. But if one reader hates your hero and two others like him, the negative score has less impact. Of course, if three readers all hate your hero, you may need to take the judges’ advice on board and do some further editing!

My final piece of advice has nothing to do with reading instructions or following the rules, but should just be basic, common sense: ensure that the work you submit is the highest quality possible.

• Study the craft of writing and ensure you understand the basic requirements of a romance novel.
• Read your submission through thoroughly before you submit.
• Edit it to the best of your ability - and then edit it again.
• Get a beta reader to read through it to catch any typos, grammatical errors, misspelt or misused words, before you submit.

This is an award for excellence. In the event that the entries do not achieve excellence, the trophy will not be awarded. ROSA’s own reputation is on the line, and if we were to award the trophy to entries that are riddled with errors, contain plot holes, under-developed characters and conflicts, and are not yet ready to submit to an agent or editor, the entire organisation's credibility will suffer.

We know you can do it. We know you can follow the guidelines, write a synopsis and submit great work. We know you have excellence within you. We just need a little help from you to ensure that the judges see it and reward it

And as we move into 2018, we'll be giving you a little help to get there too!

Feedback from the 2017 Strelitzia Contest: Part Two

Following our highly successful first Strelitzia contest, the organisers and judges have some valuable tips to share with those considering entering in 2018. In my previous post, I shared the most important feedback we received: read the instructions!

In Part One of this series, I discussed our file formatting requirements, and why we have those specific guidelines for the Strelitzia contest. In this post, I'd like to look at the other requirement a lot of our contest entrants struggled with: the dreaded synopsis.

In 2017 a synopsis was only required for those only submitting the first few chapters rather than a completed novel. Believe it or not, that was us letting you off easy! Since many entrants would not have had time between the announcement of our contest and the closing date for entries to complete an entire manuscript, we figured we'd open up the contest to more entrants if they only had to write a 2 page synopsis, rather than another 200+ pages of book.

However, several entrants queried this, asking if they could submit their first few chapters only, but not submit a synopsis. One even opted not to enter at all because of the synopsis requirement!

The synopsis was a non-negotiable requirement of entry, and from next year will be mandatory for all entries.

While it is of course your prerogative not to enter due to the synopsis requirement, the only person you are harming is yourself. Yes, writing synopses is hard. But it is also an essential part of being an author. If you ever plan to become a professional author, you will need to learn to write synopses. Agents and editors require them, and you can’t query them and say “oh, but I don’t like writing synopses, so I haven’t sent you one.” (Well, of course you could do that, but you would be ending your career right there!) Even bestselling, multi-published authors still write synopses - this is how they sell their as-yet-unwritten books to publishers.

Agents and editors require synopses for exactly the same reason we do: to see if the author has a grasp on character development, to see if the characters’ conflicts are sustainable, to see whether the story will be satisfactorily resolved.

No matter how brilliant the prose of your opening chapters, if you do not have a handle on plot or character arcs, you may not yet be publishable, and you certainly should not yet be winning awards. Harsh, but true.

But the converse also applies. If you have a gripping plot, the characters have growth arcs, and the ending is sufficiently satisfying, many editors and agents will overlook a few mistakes and writing that still needs polishing, because they can work with you on polishing the writing to publishable standard.

So do yourself a favour, and write a synopsis. I can promise you, our judges at ROSA are a lot less critical and much easier to please than most agents and editors!

For those who struggle with writing synopses, bookmark this blog, as we'll be posting some helpful tips on how to construct a short 1-2 page synopsis in January 2018.

Feedback from the 2017 Strelitzia Contest: Part One

Following our highly successful first Strelitzia contest, the organisers and judges have some valuable tips to share with those considering entering in 2018.

The first bit of feedback might arguably be the most important: read the instructions! 

The contest rules are not arbitrary. They are there for specific reasons, either to help you, to protect you, or to ensure that the contest is manageable and sustainable.

The requirement of this year's contest which was most frequently broken was the file format requirement. We asked that entries be submitted in Word format. At least half submitted in PDF format, which is a locked and uneditable format. We let it go in 2017, but going forward any entry not received in the requested format will be automatically disqualified, and the entry fee will NOT be refunded.

There are very two very valid reasons why we asked entrants to submit their entries in Word format. It is so that we can cut and paste the entries in order to:

1. Protect the entrants’ anonymity. We are a small organisation. It is entirely possible that the judges and the entrants may know each other. Therefore, in order to ensure the judging is completely fair and impartial, we cut and paste the entry into a new document, stripping out the author’s name, before sending it to the judges.
2. Correct the formatting. As your work has not yet been professionally formatted, as the Imbali entries have been, when transferred to another device (eg. to a Kindle or other eReader) some of your formatting may either be irreversibly stuck in place, or become strangely formatted (for example, words cut in half, lines of odd lengths, lines too tightly spaced for comfortable reading). We had two entries this year that suffered this fate. Do you really want your entry to receive a low score from a judge because the formatting affected their reading or understanding of your entry? No? Then trust us to format your work correctly so that your work can be judged on its merits, not on its layout on the page.

I can only imagine that the entrants who submitted in PDF either (a) did not read the submission guidelines, (b) were afraid that ROSA and its judges would otherwise steal the entrants’ work. I'd like to address both concerns.

(a) Not reading submission guidelines is a serious career faux pas. Through your career you will no doubt be submitting your manuscripts many times over to agents, editors and contests. If you do not read and exactly follow their guidelines, you are putting yourself at a serious disadvantage. Most agents will not even consider a submission that hasn’t followed their guidelines.

(b) On the second point, we are a professional organisation, and our judges are career professionals who are already successfully writing their own books. They do not need to steal your work. Furthermore, all our judges sign a contract before they are sent any entries, which clearly states that the copyright belongs to the original author (there is a similar clause in the Ts & Cs for entrants). We have a record of every entry we receive, and we keep track of who is sent what, so in the unlikely event that any judge is unprofessional enough to steal your words, you (and ROSA) would be able to prove plagiarism very easily, which would end that published author’s career. However, if you are still of the belief that the published authors within ROSA are potential plagiarists, then I suggest you do not submit your entry to our contest. In fact, to be truly safe, don’t submit your work anywhere, ever! (Since it's way more likely that you'll be plagiarised after you're published!)

In my next post, I'll look at another contest requirement that appeared to be a stumbling block for many of our entrants: the dreaded synopsis.
 

ROSA's 2017 Award Winners

On the evening of Saturday 21 October, at the ROSA gala dinner in Johannesburg, winners were announced for the various contests run by ROSA this year.

Conference Scene Contest

The first prizes awarded were for the Conference Scene Contest. This is a contest open exclusively to delegates attending the annual conference, and this year's theme was That One Night. We received seven entries. One entry, a scene from Rae Rivers' book Declan, received an honorable mention for its excellent and engaging writing, however since this book has been professionally edited, I decided to take that out of the running.

Which left three entries that were not only well written, but also matched the theme requirement. The prize was therefore split two ways, and a third prize, donated by Tule Publishing, was also awarded. The winners, in no particular order, were Elaine Dodge, Cliffordene Norton and Gene Mathey.

Strelitzia Award

We then announced the winner of the inaugural Strelitzia Award. This contest, open to unpublished authors, received seven entries. One entry stood out head and shoulders above the rest, and the judges were unanimous in their decision.

The winner was announced as Melissa Volker, for her complete novel Shadow Flicker. As Melissa was unable to be present, the award was accepted on her behalf by last year's winner, Suzanne Jefferies. We wish Melissa the best of luck and hope she has great success with Shadow Flicker.

In the coming weeks, ROSA will be announcing the revised guidelines for next year's Strelitzia Award, as well as feedback from this year's judges to help aspiring authors prepare their entries - so watch this space!

Imbali Award - Afrikaans

The other award making its debut this year, was the Imbali Award for best Afrikaans romance novel by a South African author, published between January and December 2016. We received eight entries for this category, all of which were of a very high standard.

The winners were announced as:
Winner - Sophia Kapp for her novel Moelikheid met 'n Meermin
Runner-up - Dina Botha for her novel Vind Mekaar

As Sophia Kapp was unable to be present, the award was accepted on her behalf by ROSA's outgoing Deputy Chairperson, Rebecca Crowley.

We were also very honoured to have several of the Afrikaans Imbali judges present at the gala dinner and prize giving. The Afrikaans judges' support was incredible!

Imbali Award - English

The final award to be presented was the Imbali Award for best English romance novel by a South African author, published between January and December 2016. We received nine entries in this category, some traditionally published and some self-published.

The winners were announced as:
Winner - Rae Rivers for her novel Ethan
Runner-up - Natasha Anders for her novel A Ruthless Proposition

Rae accepted her award and made a short but heartfelt acceptance speech.

Check back here on this blog in coming weeks for tips from the judges as well as the announcement of next year's contests.

The Joy of Comfort Eating by Suzanne Jefferies scoops Imbali Award at ROSACon 2016

Suzanne Jefferies with her Imbali Award for her book The Joy of Comfort Eating

Anthony Ehlers chatted to Suzanne shortly after she won ROSA's Imbali Writing Competition. Her entry The Joy of Comfort Eating swooped the trophy at a gala dinner held in Johannesburg 17 September 2016. Joanne Mcgregor with her book Scarred was the runner up.

Congratulations on your win! Your novel, The Joy of Comfort Eating, scooped the first-ever Imabli Award at ROSACon 2016.  Describe the experience in five words.

SJ: “High-fives all round. Yeah.”

At your book launch last week, you mentioned that Joy was part of a trilogy? Can you tell us a bit about that?

SJ “The Joy trilogy focuses on three contemporary Jo’burg heroines – each one sassy and fabulous, but totally useless when it comes to love. The next in the series focuses on Charlie’s sister Madge.”

We love that your heroine, Charlie Everson, is so sassy and so real. How important is it to have a character readers can relate to, especially from a South African point of view?

SJ: “Readers want to be able to identify with the heroine. We all want some version of happy-ever-after, and we want to feel that if she could climb Everest/land that multinational deal/bring that billionaire playboy to his knees, then so could we. For South Africans, I love reading something that’s set somewhere I can actually visit without having to dust off my passport.”

Your novel explores the trope of ‘shared pasts’ in that Brian ‘Bad Ass’ Tendai was Charlie’s teen crush and first love. Did you have any embarrassing celeb teen crushes you can admit to?

SJ: “Timothy Dalton. Age thirteen, we had to watch the BBC version of Jane Eyre, and he was Rochester in all of his vain, proud glory. That voice, those eyes, that dimple in his chin. Drool. Drool. I’d have watched Penny Dreadful a whole lot sooner if someone had mentioned he was in it.”

Charlie works in media, PR, and communications – much like you. What other characteristics does she share with you?

SJ: “Indecent love of cake. That stuff is legalised crack!”

What gets you through a writing day? Any set rituals?

SJ: “Switching on the laptop is usually a good start. Good cup of tea. Radio on in the background.”

In closing, what do you think the Imbali Award means for the broader SA romance writing community?

SJ: “A wonderful opportunity to be acknowledged and recognised for your writing by the community. I hope it encourages more people to enter, and more importantly, more people to write romance.”

Suzanne's book The Joy of Comfort Eating is published by Fire Quill Publishing (currently open for submissions at the time of this post) and is available on Amazon here  ($3.99 for the kindle edition).

If you are a romance writer looking for a sense of community, why not become a member of ROSA? Click here 

3 weeks left to enter ROSA's first Imbali Award contest

We at ROSA are delighted to announce the launch of the Imbali Award, an award that recognises and rewards excellence in romance writing. Imbali is the Zulu word for flower, reflecting ROSA's floral acronym and logo, as well its African origins.

A first in Africa, the award is open to all African romance authors who have published a romance novel between July 2014 and December 2015.

In this first year of the contest, the Award will be limited to fifteen entries only, and entries close on Friday 13 May.

The entries will be judged by a panel of book bloggers and reviewers, including Lu-Marie Fraser of the Sugar and Snark book blog, blogger and editor Lia Marus, Laurynne Gouws of romance book blog Book Review Bay, and blogger & reviewer Nandita Baard.

The winner will be announced at the gala dinner of ROSA's third annual Romance Writing conference to be held in Johannesburg on 24th September 2016.

Details of the contest as well as entry forms can be found on the ROSA website www.romancewriters.co.za.

Winners!

Congratulations to the winners of the two contests that were held exclusively for #ROSACon delegates.

The winner of the Gina Rossi Scene Contest, on the theme of 'The first time ever I saw your face', was Kirsty Macfie, with honourable mentions to Alissa Baxter and Kristien Wolmarans.

The winner of the Sharon Pickrel editor mentorship, chosen randomly out of a bag of entries by my competely impartial eldest daughter, was Tanya de Ponte.

Congratulations to all these ladies!

ROSA 2012 Writing Contest - Results

Congratulations to the winners  of  ROSA's  first writing competition.

Unpublished Entrants’ Category

 

Winner: 
“Accounting for Lust” by Ylette Pearson

1st Runner Up:  
“Dream Doctor” by Amanda Holly

2nd Runner Up: 
“Resisting the Enemy” by M-F Morrison

Published Entrants’ Category

Winner: 
 “The Untouchable” by Gina Rossi

1st Runner Up: 
“When September Ends” by Romy Sommer

2nd Runner Up: 
“Love in the Newsroom” by Pamela Kauffman

The ROSA contest closes at midnight tonight!

Happy Workers' Day to everyone in South Africa. I hope you've had a blissful long weekend!

The 2012 ROSA contest closes for submissions at midnight tonight, so if you haven't already entered, I hope you're spending the day working hard on polishing your submissions.

Just a few reminders:

• The contest is open to South African citizens and residents of South Africa only
• Only one entry per person please, as we don't want to overwhelm the judges
• Check here to confirm whether you should enter the Published or Unpublished category
• Entries should NOT have the entrant's name anywhere on the actual entry. Your cover email should contain the following information: full name/pseudonym, daytime contact number, email address, ID number and title of your entry.
• Entries should be formatted in Word or RTF format, ideally double-spaced and professionally presented.
• Full terms and conditions are available here
• Send your entries to contest@romancewriters.co.za

Thank you very much to our Contest Administrator, Clare Loffler, who is no doubt going to be very busy these next few days!

Good luck, everyone!

ROSA Contest Clarification

With just six days to go to the contest deadline, we'd like to clarify the one part of the contest Ts & Cs that sadly never got loaded onto the website.

You should enter the Published category if you have a novel or novella of more than 15,000 words contracted to a traditional publisher in either eBook or print format.

All other entrants should enter the Unpublished category. This includes authors who have self-published, or been published in short story form only.

One entry per author only please.

For formatting guidelines and all other Terms & Conditions, please click here, and if you still have a question that isn't answered here, feel free to leave your question in the comments section below.

Good luck to all entrants!

Opening scene checklist: what to do, and what not to do

The opening scene of any book is the most important.

Though you need to write a story that grips the reader to the very end, providing sufficient conflict and pace to keep the reader turning the pages, and an ending satisfying enough to make the reader want to read your next book, if you haven’t hooked that reader in the first few pages, all the rest will be wasted effort.

Your opening needs to accomplish several things:
• Introduce the main characters - this is perhaps the most important aspect of all, as readers need to care, and the only way they will care is if they identify with your central characters.
• What’s at stake? Hint at the central conflict and theme of the novel. Every scene, every page, must have conflict (Note: arguments are not conflict. Conflict is wanting something and not being able to get it). This opening scene needs to give the reader an idea of what the novel’s overall conflict will be.
• Set the tone of the story - is this a light and fluffy comedy, dark humour, intense and emotional? Let your natural voice shine through.
• Set the scene - where in the world is your story located? Give your reader enough description to picture the background, but don’t dwell on it. This is the moment to capture the reader with action and dialogue, not with lavish descriptions.
• Start the scene at a point of change. This is not the moment to have your hero or heroine in introspective mode, re-living the past, or waking up, getting dressed, brushing her teeth, making a cup of tea ... start with the moment she sits down in the chair across from her boss and gets told she’s fired.

What not to do:
• Do not bore the reader to tears with your character’s entire back story. That is for you to know and the reader to find out. Slowly, and in bite-size chunks.
• Do not start at such a high point that you cannot top it again for the rest of the novel. You’ll only leave your reader dissatisfied.
• Similarly, don't start in a dramatic style purely to capture the reader's interest, unless you intend to carry that style throughout the novel.
• Avoid stereo-typical beginnings: the alarm clock waking your main character, the car accident between hero and heroine. Aim for a unique and memorable opening.
• Do not forget to polish your scene to within an inch of its life, without losing your voice and uniqueness. Spelling, punctuation, and clear POV are important if you want to be taken seriously.

Our opening scene contest closes on 1st May 2012. For more information, click on the contest logo in the left sidebar.

Start with a bang!

How to get your story off to a great start

If you’re struggling to find a great beginning to your story or novel for the Rosa writing contest, you know how important those opening lines and paragraphs are to your story. Right from the start of the story, you have to capture the reader’s attention and imagination. From the first few words, you know you have to give them an idea of what the story is going to be about, or create a scene or situation that’s so intriguing they will carry on reading. 

One way to help you along is to study just the first few paragraphs of the novels on your bookshelf or Kindle. You’ll notice that there are only so many ways to start a book. Below are some tips and examples of the most popular starting points in a story. Maybe they will help you get your entry off to a winning start.

Start with character’s goal

Kayla De Beer had less than twenty four-hours to find a husband and time was running out. If she didn’t find someone to marry her fast, she thought, she’d be out of her uncle’s inheritance and a chance to save her mother’s company.

Start with physical action

Tamara bolted between the brushed chrome doors just before they slid closed, clutching her portfolio to her chest, ignoring the loud beating of her heart and the curious stares of the middle-aged executives in the plush elevator. She couldn’t be late for this interview....

I slide down into the soapy bubbles of the bath, sighing as I lean my head against the warm enamel. It’s been a long, long day...

Start with the theme of the story

He didn’t believe in jealousy, Jack Sheldon told himself, but he was determined no woman would make a fool of him either.

Sometimes finding the heart to forgive someone who’s hurt you means finding the heart that allowed you to love them in the first place. Of course, I didn’t know this when I got Jack’s email that Monday morning...

Start with the setting

Hamilton Hall stood proud and intimidating on the hill, its wrought iron gates warding off interlopers, its stone walls protecting its secrets. I guess I was part of its secrets...

The table was set with fine bone china plates and expensive crystal glasses. Each name setting was elegantly written in calligraphy. It was going to be the perfect dinner party...

Start with the weather

The sun cast is brilliance across Summer Bay, turning it the ocean into a broken blue mirror...

Start with dialogue

‘I’ll agree to your proposal on one condition,’ she said. ‘You arrange for my sister’s release immediately and make sure all charges are dropped against her.’

Start with a summary of story and characters

The last thing Kelly Smith needed in her life was another difficult client. Months ago, she’d walked away from a successful career as public relations consultant in Sandton for that very reason. So when her friend, Megan Riley, suggested she apply for job as fundraiser for a non-profit children’s home, she’d jumped at the chance. That was until she realised rugby star, Luke Whitcomb, was its patron.

Start with a historical fact or a ‘factual’ document

In 1886, thousands of fortune hunters rushed to the Witwatersrand to find gold, fame, riches and their dreams.  James Walker Stewart was one of the first to arrive at the dusty settlement.

‘Heiress Elopes with Bad Boy of Rock!’ the headline shrieked. ‘Jenna Kruger, Daughter of billionaire businessman Jack Kruger, tied the knot with her rocker boyfriend, Matt McKenzie, in a hush-hush ceremony in Cape Town.’

Start with a physical description of character

Steven Meyer was not handsome in any conventional sense, but his aura of power and his reputation as ruthless lawyer made him irresistible to most women. Except Andrea Morrell, she was immune to his type.

Start with an inanimate object or symbolism

The cracked crystal vase held a dozen dead red roses, now the colour of old bruises.

‘Members Only’ read the discreet plaque outside the club, but the brass obviously needed a good polish.

Hopefully, these examples will help you see that starting your story is not as difficult as you thought. Experiment with the above suggestions – see which one best serves your story.

Essentially, you need to know what your basic plot is, who your main characters are, and get them into the narrative as soon as possible. The quicker you can get to the conflict in the story, the better. So make sure your first sentence is strong, that your character is interesting and is facing a problem of some sort!

ROSA 2012 Contest: 28 Days

The ROSA 2012 contest closes to submissions in just 28 days.

You can find out more about the contest and submission requirements here at http://www.romancewriters.co.za/competitions.html and on our blog you can read more about the judges and the prizes.

Good luck to all entrants!

The Yellow Room Spring Short Story Competition

The Yellow Room Short Story Competition closes on 31st March 2012.
Email entries only this time.

You can pay online via Paypal or send a cheque to cover the entry fee. Open to men and women writers! http://www.theyellowroom-magazine.co.uk/www.theyellowroom-magazine.co.uk/Competitions.html

FOR SHORT STORIES OF UP TO 2,500 WORDS

Closing date: 31st March 2012

1st Prize - £80
2nd Prize - £45
3rd Prize - £20

The winning story will be published in The Yellow Room Magazine.

Entry Fee: £4 (or £10 for 3 stories)
Facilities are available on the website for online payments.

All entries should emailed to: jo.derrick@ntlworld.com

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY
1. Entries should be no more than 2,500 words, in any style or genre, on any theme.
2. Entries should be the original, unpublished work of the author including unpaid publication in competition anthologies, internet or small press), and should not have won a prize in any previous competitions.
3. Entries should be in English, typed, double-spaced.
4. All entries must be emailed as an attachment in WORD.
5. Closing date is 31st March 2012
6. The author’s name should not appear on the manuscript, only the title.
7. Send a title page with name, address, email address and telephone number of author with word count as a separate Word document or in the body of the email.
8. Entrants may submit as many entries as they wish, as long as each is covered by the correct entry fee.
9. Entry fees can be paid for by cheque made payable to J. M. Derrick, 1 Blake Close, Bilton, Rugby CV22 7LJ, if entrants prefer not to use the online payment method.
10. A list of results will appear on the website or on the blog. www.theyellowroomeditor.blogspot.com) as soon as they are available (before June 2012).
11. Please DO NOT send entries by post.

Entries which fail to conform to any of these requirements will be disqualified and entry fees will not be returned.

All prize winners will be notified before June 1st, 2012.

Copyright remains with the authors; but permission will be requested to include the winning entries in the The Yellow Room Magazine.

You can find out more about The Yellow Room on their website.

Update to our Contest page

Please note that the Contest page on our website has been updated to include formatting requirements for all entries. Please check them out, and make sure you are familiar with the Ts and Cs, as entries that do not follow the guidelines will unfortunately be disqualified.

ROSA 2012 Contest - The Judges

Today we introduce to you the judges for the ROSA 2012 Contest.

The unpublished entrants category will be judged by Rhonda Penders, editor-in-chief of The Wild Rose Press. TWRP already publishes three ROSA members and we can can attest to the fact that they are a dynamic, professional and very author-friendly publisher.

TWRP's submission guidelines can be found here.

Since we're expecting quite a few entries in this category, Ceridwen Morris, former editor of Oshun Books (an imprint of Struik Publishers) has agreed to whittle the entries down to a Top 15 which will be forwarded to Rhonda.

The published entrants category will be judged by Helen Breitwieser of the LA-based Cornerstone Literary Agency. Helen is an experienced literary agent, who has managed the careers of (anongst many others) Kayla Perrin, Tessa Dare, Isabel Sharpe and Sophia Nash. She is registered with the AAR.

Thank you very much to all these ladies for donating their time and effort to this contest.

ROSA 2012 Contest - The Prizes

The prizes for the contest are as follows:

Prizes for the Unpublished category

• The winner's prize is a critique of his/her opening chapter by Rhonda Penders of The Wild Rose Press, a bottle of Durbanville Hills Merlot Rosé wine courtesy of Distell, and a 750g box of chocolates
• 2 x runners-up each win a critique of their opening scene by The Fiction Doctor, and a bottle of Durbanville Hills Merlot Rosé wine courtesy of Distell

Prizes for the Published category

• The winner's prize is an online course on Blogging for Brand from author and social media guru Kristen Lamb, a bottle of Durbanville Hills Merlot Rosé wine courtesy of Distell, and a 750g box of chocolates
• 2 x runners-up each win a critique of their opening scene by The Fiction Doctor, and a bottle of Durbanville Hills Merlot Rosé wine courtesy of Distell

* Chocolates available to South African residents only *

Further details of the contest, as well as Terms and Conditions, are available on our website, or click on the link in the left sidebar.