The Contest Is Now Open!!!

As some of you already know, I hosted a critique group contest not too long ago. From that, my small crit group of three expanded to six. However, one of the original members is now too busy to critique and has pulled out of the group, leaving an opening.

So, here I go again with another contest.

The details:

• This contest is only for romance writers of adult fiction who are seeking a critique group (all sub-genres are accepted including genres with romantic elements).

• All entrants must be 18 years or older.

• Entries should be 2-3 pages from an unpublished manuscript, double spaced, 12 pt. font., Times New Roman. Anything beyond 3 pages will NOT be read.

• This is a two part contest. The first part is the sample writing page open to all contestants and the second part is only for the finalists. That’ll be a bio/questionnaire to fill out because our group wants to know we’re compatible both in our writing styles and personalities. Specific questions will be sent to the finalists.

• Entries will be judged on the quality of the writing, but we aren’t expecting perfection. Please send us your best work without external help. We want to see how well YOU write, not your critique partner or professional editor.

• All entries are due by midnight Wednesday, August 19, 2009

• One entry per person, unpublished work only.

• Send your entry in the body of an e-mail (I will NOT open anything with an attachment) to: lynnette_labelle@hotmail.com

• You should expect an e-mail from me confirming I received your entry. If you haven't gotten one within 24 hours, double check the e-mail address. Note: my name is spelled with two n's. LyNNette. If you don't spell it correctly in my e-mail address, I won't get the message.

• Finalists will be announced and notified by e-mail some time during the week of August 17.

The PRIZE:

• Membership for 1 lucky writer to a small (online) critique group for romance writers *

• Note: Rumored Romantics is looking for someone who is willing to critique at least ONE chapter a week. Chapters are no longer than 20 pages double spaced. So, the most your minimum required critique would be is 20 pages. To be clear, you’d only have to critique one chapter a week, not one per member. However, everyone is encouraged to participate as much as they can.


If you have any questions about the contest or Rumored Romantics, ask away.

*We reserve the right to not choose anyone if we don't feel a good fit for our critique group.


Hint #1:
You must write romance or a genre with romantic elements, BUT we don’t actually want to read the sex scenes or romance scenes in your story (at least not for the contest). You’ll have better results if you show us a piece that represents how different your work is from everyone else’s. Get it?

Hint #2:
When you submit your entry, it doesn’t have to be a complete scene. Don’t stress yourself out trying to find a 2-3 page scene in your manuscript and don’t cut important parts of a scene to make it fit. In fact, if you cut the end of the scene, I might be intrigued enough to want to read more. Hook me and you’ll have a great chance of winning.

Hint #3:
Here’s how I’m going to read the entries. I’ll copy and paste from the e-mail into Microsoft Word. If the font isn’t Times New Roman, 12 pt, I’ll change it to that. If it’s not double spaced, I’ll modify it. Once the entry is formatted correctly, anything beyond three pages will NOT be read.

Good luck!