Shaman Writer's Competition

Cancellation!!

With a heavy heart we have decided to cancel the Shaman Writer's Contest. The reasons are simple. Interest in the contest has been disappointing and I've become very involved in issues surrounding Fremont County's comprehensive plan and development code updates. Even if there was a last minute surge in the contest, we just don't have the time or resources to do the contest justice. Depending on how the year goes, we may take another run at it next year.

In the meantime, if anyone cares to comment, we would be glad to hear from you.

Contest Fee Payment

Just a Reminder. We are rapidly approaching the end of 2006. As we usher in the beginning of a New Year, please take note that entries fees to the Shaman Writer's Contest for all non-member entrants after January 1, 2007 is $150 per manuscript entered. Joining the Club after that date will not enable you to take advantage of the reduced entry fee for the 2007 contest. For your convenience we've added a PayPal button to this blog site for that amount. If you use this method of payment, just include a copy of your payment receipt with your manuscript. In other words, joining the Shaman Writer's Club after January 1, 2007 will entitle you to a reduction in the entry fee in 2008 or later.

All Shaman Club Members with membership dates prior to January 1, 2008 may pay through PayPal by logging in to the "Members Only" blog site and using the PayPal button there.

Don't forget, the 2007 Shaman Writer's contest closes June 1, 2007. Don't get caught in the last minute rush.

The Shaman Writer's Club

For those of you who may be contemplating joining the Shaman Writer's Club, please tak notice of an important change. The Shaman Members Only blog site is still a place for members to get writing support, and find information that might be useful to them. However, if the desired information isn't posted on the site, members will need to ask appropriate questions. Postings addressing those questions will come from myself, guest authors, or from other members. The intent, is to respond to the memberships needs. Help us help you!!

Preserving Family History

After considerable debate and soul searching we have made an important revision to the Shaman Writer's Contest Rules. Manuscripts dealing with autobiographies, biographies, memoirs and family histories will now be accepted. In other words, anything that is about the telling of a family's history whether it be individual or about an extended family will be elgible to enter the contest.

Logically, this is how it should have been set up from the very beginning. After all, it really doesn't matter from what perspective a story is told. Our interest as Shamans is to preserve family history regardless of whether it is about a single individual or many individuals. You may download a copy of the revised rules by clicking here Download shaman_rules_regs.pdf

To all of you who have inquired about the contest and have a story to tell about yourselves or your families, I hope this will stimulate your interest and renew your committment to write and enter the contest.

Good Luck!

Accepting Manuscripts

Yes, contrary to a website I visited this morning, we have decided to start accepting manuscripts immediately. After reviewing our plans, we decided that accepting manuscripts through a longer period of time would enable us to give everyone's manuscript a better evaluation. The cut-off date remains the same - June 1 of next year. But, if your manuscript is ready, avoid the rush and send it in early.

How do I know if my manuscript is ready for the contest?

As I pointed out in We, The Shamans, try to find someone, preferably not a good friend, to read your manuscript and give you an honest appraisal.  You might even consider joining a writers group where you can get others to evaluate portions of your work.  But, be careful.  In some cases this may be very much like the "blind leading the blind."

Another service that we have been thinking about is to include some type of manuscript evaluation in conjunction to the writer's conference that is the subject of a sister blog site.  If you are interested, go there and give us your comments.

In the end, manuscripts are often like Judith's paintings.  They are never finished until they go out the door!  Writers, at least if you are like me, never quit tinkering with the prose until it is boxed up for shipment.  You will never know if it is good enough to win the contest until you send it in.  Even if it isn't best seller material, you could still win the contest!  The winner is for the best manuscript entered.  It just might be yours!

Complete Manuscript

To keep all of the Questions and Answers about the Shaman Writer's Competition in one place I'm going to place them all in the Q&A Category.  Periodically, I'll consolidate all of them into one file so that it will be easier to sort through them.  This one is in response to a two part question submitted by Jaime Martinez-Tolentino:

1)  Sorry!  We can only accept completed manuscripts that are deemed ready to publish.  This means that the manuscript must be complete, edited, proofed and ready for publication as spelled out in We, The Shamans.  Once we receive a submission, it will go to the judges who will then read and evaluate it.  That is only possible with a completed manuscript.

2)  The rules and regulations of the contest that will provide more detail of the contest are currently under review and should be ready for posting on this site by mid-summer.  Until then the information found in the previous two postings should be used as a guide.

Thanks,

Why a Contest

First if you believe a clique, "Truth is stranger than fiction."  Then, why aren't bookstores filled with the lives of the common man?  Currently, only the rich and famous make it into the bookstores.  Where are the really good, compelling stories about the backbone of our great nation?  Mention a family history book and most readers will walk away.  And, they do so with good reason, they are void of anything that makes a really good page turning book.

We at Aspen'd Publishing want to stimulate, challenge if you will, writers of family history to rise above the "sanitized" version afflicting many family histories and tell a really good story while maintaining it's historical integrity.  In other words, tell all of the story so that it doesn't become a misleading fairy tale so boring that few people outside the immediate family will ever read it.

So now the contest!  I'll outline the most important points as briefly and succinctly as possible.  Later, a complete document containing the details of the contest will be posted in pdf format.

Hopefully the winning manuscripts (and I say hopefully because whether the manuscripts are written well enough to have commercial value or not, the best three will receive awards) will be researched and written as spelled out in We, The Shamans.  To qualify however, the manuscripts must be formatted as specified in We, The Shamans, written in English, and have a minimum of 30,000 words (approximately 100 pages) and not more than 160,000 words (approximately 530 pages).  Each manuscript will be read by at least two judges who will provide a written evaluation of the manuscripts.

The contest's Grand Shaman Award will receive $1,000, publication of his or her manuscript with a cover designed by Judith, 50 copies of the published book, and possible royalties from book sales.  The Shaman winner will receive $500, and the Associate Shaman will receive $150 with a chance of also getting their manuscripts published.  With the exception of manuscripts that are published, all other entries may be revised and again entered in a subsequent year.

Entry fees are $125 for members of the Shaman Writer's Club who are members in good standing as of January 1 of each contest year.  All others are $150.  Contestants may reserve a place by registering early, but only manuscripts submitted between March 1, and June 1, 2007 will be accepted. The rules and regulations have not yet been cast in bronze, so your feedback would be appreciated.

Contest Announcement

The sister blog site, Aspen'd Publishing, already has a lot of the initial information concerning the Shaman Writer's Competition.  One of which briefly describes the contest as follows:   

"Write your family history and enter a contest worth several thousand dollars! The winner of the first place, Grand Shaman award will receive a $1,000, get their manuscript published, receive 50 free books of his/her work, and possibly earn royalties. We, at Aspen’d Publishing, feel so strongly about the importance of conserving family history using creative nonfiction writing techniques, that we have decided to not only create a Shaman Writer’s Club to promote writing is this historical genre, but to also sponsor a contest.

To learn more go to the pdf file, Download brochure_contest_1.pdf where you will find a brochure with details of the contest. And, don’t forget to fill out the application form(s) to join the Shaman Writer’s Club and/or enter the contest and send it in."

You may also click on a sister blog site "We, The Shamans" listed at the top left of this site and read some really great book reviews!

"Write your family history and enter a contest worth several thousand dollars! The winner of the first place, Grand Shaman award will receive a $1,000, get their manuscript published, receive 50 free books of his/her work, and possibly earn royalties. We, at Aspen’d Publishing, feel so strongly about the importance of conserving family history using creative nonfiction writing techniques, that we have decided to not only create a Shaman Writer’s Club to promote writing is this historical genre, but to also sponsor a contest.

To learn more go to the pdf file, Download brochure_contest_1.pdf where you will find a brochure with details of the contest. And, don’t forget to fill out the application form(s) to join the Shaman Writer’s Club and/or enter the contest and send it in."

You may also click on a sister blog site "We, The Shamans" listed at the top left of this site and read some really great book reviews!

Shaman Writer's Competition

We are currently in the process of setting up a new Shaman Writing competition blog site.  Stay tuned!!