The End of an Era

Yes, my friends, we’re at the end of an era. Or at least, the end of a half-decade.

We started the Launch Pad Contest as an experiment in 2010, back when this blog was called Novel Journey. We had no idea how it would work, or even if we’d have any entrants. But you never know until you try, right?

So we fiddled around with it, tweaking the format here and there. Changes included adding a Nonfiction category in 2013 (and removing it the following year) as well as adding an entry fee. That enabled us to present the Grand Prize winner with that oh-so-fun blown glass rocket trophy. 

The contest was well received for the first few years, and it kept us judges quite busy at times. But when the number of entries dwindled in 2014, it seemed time to re-evaluate. As a result, we’re not conducting the contest this year. 

If you’ve been polishing up a manuscript in anticipation of entering, we apologize! But it ain't over till it's over, and we may not be done with it yet. Depending on the feedback that comes in (combined with other factors), we may start it up again in the future. However, we will not be taking entries in 2015.

Speaking of feedback, I’m keeping the email account open (NovelRocketContest at gmail doc com), so feel free to get in touch with me about your thoughts and suggestions for the future.

I’d like to thank all who have helped keep the contest going for the past five years by entering their

stories, which provided me with the opportunity to meet some new writers – also thanks to those on the Novel Rocket team who helped judge the entries, which enabled me to get to know them a little better, too.

All in all, it’s been fun. So let’s not think of this as Goodbye, but rather, See ya around!

Yvonne Anderson writes fiction that takes you out of this world.

Book a flight through the Gateway to Gannah for some serious sci-fi adventure!

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Sometimes Romance Takes Work

This is true in marriage, of course. But it’s also true in writing.

Novel Rocket’s Launch Pad judges recently finished critiquing the entries in the Contemporary Romance category. But, alas, they deemed none of them quite ready for prime time.

Upon receiving their report, I was curious, so I looked over the entries. I didn’t see any obvious problems – spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, all appeared to be well done. So why did the judges say they couldn’t in good conscience put Novel Rocket’s seal of approval on any of them?

A closer look gave me the answer. The stories were good as far as they went. But they didn’t go quite far enough.

Some of the problems: underdeveloped plot; characters’ goals and purposes absent or obscure; no establishment of setting at the beginning of a scene; and no immediate conflict facing the protagonist.

Other entries had trouble with clarity and/or consistency within the story as well as issues with over-explaining and over-describing.

“Picky, picky!” you might complain. “Didn’t you just say the entries were well written? Those things you mention are no big deal!”

Launch Pad Trophy

Well, I might agree with you except… they are a big deal! For a novel to make it in today’s world, “good enough” is simply not good enough. A successful novel must stand out from the ordinary.

The happy news for this month’s contest entrants is that they’re well on their way; their writing shows mastery of the basic techniques. They simply need to polish their craft. We hope the writers will find the judges’ comments useful toward that end—and we hope they won’t be discouraged, because they’re definitely headed in the right direction.

So where do we go from here? I can’t speak for the writers, but as for us here at the Launch Pad Contest, another panel of judges is immersed in the Speculative Fiction entries. The deadline for that category is this Wednesday (September 10), so if you’d like to take part, please do so soon! Check out the submission requirements on the Launch Pad tab and send your entry to us at NovelRocketContest at gmail dot com. 

The worst that can happen? You’ll get two (2) thorough, professional critiques. At best? You just might end up being our Grand Prize winner. (Wouldn't that glass rocket look stunning on your shelf? Wouldn't you love a personal introduction to an agent or editor who's looking for just the sort of thing you write?)

Questions? Comments? Contact us at the gmail address above. We have a real person standing by (okay, I’m sitting, actually) to respond.

Will we have a winner in the Speculative Fiction category next month? Stop by on October 13 to find out, and to read the winning entry if there is one.

Will you be this year’s Grand Prize winner? I don’t know, but the suspense is killing me!

When she's not overseeing the Launch Pad Contest, Yvonne Anderson writes fiction that takes you out of this world. 

The Last Toqeph, the fourth (and final) title in her Gateway to Gannah sci-fi series, releases next month. If you’ve never visited Gannah, you’re missing an amazing experience. But never fear! You can remedy that sad state of affairs by booking your flight to the first stop on the itinerary with The Story in the Stars.

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Pssst... Have you Heard?

It's no secret! Novel Rocket's LAUNCH PAD Contest: Boosting You Out of the Slush Pile is well under way!

"So what?" you might say. "Do I care?"

If you're an unpublished novelist, you should, indeed, care, because this contest is all about YOU! 

(In case you were wondering, "unpublished novelist" means a writer who has completed one or more works of full-length fiction but has never had a novel contracted with a traditional publisher.)

The only problem is if you write Suspense/Crime/Mystery/Thriller novels. 

What's the matter with that? Nothing -- we love them! But that category is already closed for this year. The judges have read all the entries and made their decision, and the winner will be announced on May 12. If that's your thing, unfortunately, you'll have to wait for Launch Pad 2015.

However, we're still taking submissions in all the other genres, so there's still time for most of you. A little time, at least: the second category (General Fiction) closes on MAY 10 -- that's THIS COMING SATURDAY. So if that's your genre, grab your gear and get aboard! 

Check out the submission requirements at the Launch Pad tab and join the many writers who have found this contest to be a valuable boost to their writing careers.

When she's not overseeing the Launch Pad contest, Yvonne Anderson writes fiction that takes you out of this world.

Ransom in the Rock, the long-awaited third title in the Gateway to Gannah series, is now orbiting on Kindle, and the the print version launches May 15.

Fly through the Gateway to Gannah for some serious sci-fi adventure!

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We're Off and Running!

Hooves are pounding the track (and fingers are pounding the computer keys) in Novel Rocket's LAUNCH PAD Contest: Boosting You Out of the Slush Pile event.

Last Thursday was the submission deadline for our first category, Suspense/Crime/Mystery/Thriller, and the judges are reading, critiquing, and enjoying a nice field of entries, even as we speak. You'll want to stop by next month (May 12) to check out the winner of this first heat. The funnest part for the spectators? You'll be able to read the actual entry, so even if you don't know the writer, you'll get a good view of what's going on.

Entrants are reaching for the prize of a unique trophy individually made of blown glass and personalized for the winner. As if that's not cool enough, the Grand Prize winner also gets to jump over the slush pile by having his or her manuscript presented to a hand-chosen agent or editor.

 

If you're a writer with a novel sitting on your computer all dressed up with nowhere to go--and if you've never had a novel contracted with a traditional publisher--this might be the opportunity you've been looking for. The first category is closed, but we're still taking entries in five genres:

General Fiction (submission deadline is MAY 10)
Historical (deadline is JUNE 10)
Middle Grade/Young Adult (deadline is JULY 10)
Contemporary Romance (deadline is AUGUST 10)
Speculative Fiction (deadline is SEPTEMBER 10)

You'll find all the details, including the definitions of each of these categories, the submission requirements, and the entry form, at the Launch Pad tab. So check it out. Then saddle up and come join us!

When she's not overseeing the Launch Pad contest, Yvonne Anderson writes fiction that takes you out of this world. 

Make sure to book your flight on the third voyage in her Gateway to Gannah series, Ransom in the Rock, lifting off this spring!

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The Times are Changing, But You Still Have Time

by Yvonne Anderson

For the first time ever, I forgot to change my clocks Saturday night for the time change Sunday.

The only consequence, fortunately, was getting up with my cell phone alarm at 6:00, staggering into the kitchen to turn on the coffee, seeing the clock on the microwave saying 5:00, and thinking Huh? Then I remembered: It's Daylight Savings Time.

It was disappointing to realize the microwave clock lied to me and I couldn’t go back to sleep for another hour. But I’m thankful for my self-adjusting cell phone alarm. Without it, my whole morning would have been thrown out of whack.

Speaking of times and seasons, this seems to be the season for writing contests. I keep seeing reminders from ACFW that the deadlines for submission to the Genesis and Carol Award contests are breathing down our necks.

Like the Genesis contest, Novel Rocket’s Launch Pad Contest: Boosting You Out of the Slush Pile is for writers who have never released a novel through a traditional publisher. It’s a way to gain experience in the submission process, to get some unbiased input on the opening of your book, and, if you’re a winner, to get a little attention for your work.

The contests are similar, but there are two big differences:

1) With the Launch Pad contest, the grand prize is this really cool blown glass rocket trophy,

something no other writing contest can boast, along with the opportunity to bypass the slush pile and get your submission into the hands of an agent.

2) The submission deadline for the Launch Pad contest is still a comfortable distance away. We have different deadlines, depending on the genre, but the first one isn’t until April 10. And that’s only for Suspense/Crime/Mystery/Thriller. If your story is in another genre, you’ve got even more time.

Some unsolicited feedback from people who participated in previous years:

Peter Leavell, author of Gideon's Call, recently volunteered: "I will preach it from the highest pulpit, the two mandatory contests are Novel Rocket and Genesis. I applied the feedback from both and entered Operation First Novel in 2011. Christian Retailing also chose it as the Best First Novel winner for 2013." 

This email came from UK writer Magda Knight, who entered two stories in the Middle Grade/Young Adult category in 2012: “At the risk of burdening your inbox I'd like to voice my appreciation of the incisive and immensely helpful critiques by the judges. I don't think I've ever had such pertinent and useful feedback. Absolutely game-changing. Please accept my thanks for setting up such a great competition. I may not have won, but thanks to those critiques I feel like I won anyway. Huzzah!”

From two other past entrants: “I can't tell you enough how much it has helped me. Just getting my work out has been hard for me, because I usually don't receive any feedback. Both of the judges’ critiques were extremely helpful.”

“The comments were spot on. Some were very encouraging. It's given me new motivation to continue on. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

So how about you? The deadlines aren’t pressing yet, so you can breathe easy and often. Check out the complete rules. (Contest rules, that is, not rules for breathing.) And, if you’ve got a novel manuscript you’d like to share with us, give us a try!

Yvonne Anderson writes fiction that takes you out of this world. Look for Ransom in the Rock, the third book in the Gateway to Gannah sci-fi series, to release this spring!

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Novel Rocket's Launch Pad Contest: Boosting You Out of the Slush Pile -- We Have a Winner!

Okay everybody -- time to let out all those pent-up breaths. We have a winner to announce!

The category winners submitted proposals and complete manuscripts to our final round judges. The judges read and pondered. Then they pondered some more. They discussed. And finally, a decision was made.

Because the judges are all Christians, they view the world through the lens of scripture. But fair is fair: this year's winner is not a Christian story, and the language makes us a bit uncomfortable. But it's a great story, and the writing is top-notch. We're all confident that the best entry won.

Let's all give a hearty congratulations, therefore, to Kerry Ann Morgan of Altamonte Springs, Florida, for her contemporary novel, The Last Resort.

Kerry Ann will receive a handmade engraved crystal rocket much like the one shown here. (This picture is of the trophy we gave to last year's winner, Rachelle Harp -- if you look closely, you can see it's engraved with "2012 Novel Rocket Launch Pad Contest" as well as the winner's name. Pretty cool, huh?) Kerry Ann will also be working with our own Gina Holmes to get her in touch with a suitable literary agent.

Best wishes to you, Kerry Ann, for publishing success!

If you think this sounds like fun, check back January 13, when we plan to announce the 2014 edition of our contest. You won't want to miss it!

When she's not overseeing our Launch Pad Contest, Yvonne Anderson writes fiction that takes you out of this world. If you're looking for a worthwhile get-away, fly through the Gateway to Gannah for some serious sci-fi adventure!

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