Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Countdown to the Contest (and Super Secret Bonus Prize) by MB Partlow


When I took on the job of Contest Coordinator for Pikes Peak Writers, I thought I would wave my arms a lot, wear a small but tasteful tiara and generally make Great Things happen with little to no effort on my part.

Then I woke up, no longer in Oz. Or Panem or Barryar or Jamie and Claire’s Scotland or the futuristic New York that belongs to Eve Dallas. I’m in the here and now, dancing as fast as I can as the opening of PPW’s Fiction Contest draws near.

The Contest will officially open on September 15th and close on November 15th.  The details are all laid out on the website, but we’re also hosting a WriteBrain on September 20th that’s all about the contest. And guess what? There’s a super secret bonus prize being offered for people who enter in the first month of the contest! We’ll be announcing all the details at the WriteBrain, and on the website the next day.

Speaking of the website, have you visited lately? The Contest has its own tab now, thanks to the magical machinations of Ron Cree. You can find the rules, FAQs and a handy checklist there, all designed to make the Contest experience a rewarding one for everyone involved. (Translation: Follow the rules and you won’t piss off the judges.) We even have a document telling you how to keep your Contest Coordinator happy—although they wouldn’t let me say anything about foot rubs or my favorite kinds of tea or chocolate.

This website, already the embodiment of awesomeness, is not a static instrument. We’ll be adding updates, interviews, tips from Contest winners and Contest judges, and the all important VIP judges who rank the top scoring entries in each category. For anyone who struggles with the synopsis (and who doesn’t?), we’ll be adding a winning synopsis from a previous year’s Contest. (Why, yes, the entry went on to become a published novel. Thanks for asking.)

If you have any questions or comments about the Contest, please feel free to email me at pgcontest@gmail.com. I hope to see a lot of you at the WriteBrain on the 20th (held in the Celebration Place at Citadel Mall, 6:30-8:30 p.m.). If you haven’t already met me, I’ll be the one in the front of the room, sans tiara, waving my arms as I talk.

MB Partlow
2012 PPW Contest Coordinator

About the Writer:  MB Partlow abandoned a promising career as a toenail model to pursue writing fiction. She believes fiction is currently hiding behind an incorrigible Siberian Elm in her backyard, but might be lured out with the proper application of P.G. Tipps and chocolate cookies. She's an active member of PPW, and believes that the Conference every year is like a brief but necessary trip back to her home planet. This is her first year as Contest Coordinator for PPW, so treat her kindly and avoid sudden moves and loud noises. You can read her blog at http://partlowspool.wordpress.com.

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