The Strongest Start Novel Writing Competition 2009

I got an interesting email in my inbox today. The Strongest Start Novel Competition 2009* is underway. Deadline for entries is May 16, 2009. The First Place prize is sweet with $500 cash and a self-publishing package! The prize provider is BookSurge, an Amazon company. Amazon also sponsors the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest.

I am thinking about entering this competition, as I did not get to enter the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest due to having undiagnosed Celiac disease at the time. I got my diagnosis in February of this year, and I'm just now making significant progress and able to go back to work. Plus the Strongest Start competition is only requiring the first three chapters for submission and not the whole novel. I can do that. Editing the first three chapters in two weeks is a much less overwhelming task than trying to edit a 50k word manuscript in three months. I did not have time to edit my whole novel for the Breakthrough Novel Award contest. Which is a pity, because I think my novel might have had a chance. This year when I compete in NaNoWriMo I will have a better idea of what I'm looking at and what I need to have accomplished by December so that editing won't be such a daunting task.

I'm really blessed that I have a job where I can take my manuscript and edit while I am at work.

*Membership at the site is required. The yearly fee is $49.95. Maybe I can swing that? We'll see. *sigh* Stupid recession.