Polish Up Your Manuscript ~ It’s Rudy Time!

Chesapeake Romance Writers

It is the first of August as I write this, and today marks the opening of my local RWA chapter’s annual writing contest. For the past three years it’s been called “Finish the Damn Book” in honor of Judi McCoy, a best-selling romance author and one of our chapter’s founding members who used to say that to us all the time.

This year, however, we’ve had to change the name of the contest and by unanimous vote we have changed it to “The Rudy,” in honor of Judi’s beloved bichon frise, named Rudy. We are still, however, staying with the spirit of “Finish the Damn Book” by requiring authors to submit a first and last chapter of their work, plus a synopsis (that will not be judged). This way the contest will be an added incentive for you to finish that manuscript that’s been sitting around for a while waiting for that push to complete it.

Let us be that push you need.

Details for the contest can be found on the Chesapeake Romance Writers website.

We have six categories: Contemporary, YA/NA, Historical, Paranormal, Mainstream with Romantic Elements, and Erotic. Each entry will have two judges for the preliminary round and scoresheets will be returned after the contest closes in order for authors to get as much feedback as possible. There will be three Finalists for each category whose work will be forwarded to the Finals judges. All Finals judges are either agents or acquiring editors. Final judges are still being confirmed and will be disclosed in the next week or so.

Prizes for The Rudy are medallions: gold, silver, and bronze medals with “Rudy” embossed on them along with a certificate.

Entry fee is $15.00 for RWA members and $20.00 for non-RWA members.

Deadline for the contest is midnight, September 30, 2015. All entries must be submitted electronically in Rich Text Format, the total amount of pages not to exceed 40 pages, including a two page synopsis.

We are looking forward to seeing your book in the contest this year!

Filed under: Contests, Jenna Jaxon, Writer's life