What keeps you going?

Where are you in the writing process? Drafting your first novel? Finished with one or more, and trying to write the next one? Querying and unagented? Agented but on submission? Got one book deal, hoping to get another? Got a book deal that's still ongoing and trying to meet your deadlines? I know each of these stages is exciting yet filled with anxiety, doubt, and stress. So.

WHAT KEEPS YOU GOING?

You Tell Me: Fee-Based Contests

Photo from 2008 Faith & Family Writing Contest

(I think "write, pray" covers more than just religious contests!)

How do you decide when to pay a fee to enter a legitimate writing contest? And, how do you decide which contest(s) to enter? (Please note that I am only talking about legit contests here -- I recognize that there are many scams out there, but let's all assume we've done our basic homework.)

I've been mulling this over for a while, as I am very risk-adverse (lawyers often are), and I tend think of paying to enter a contest as throwing money away. Take, for example, the Writer's Digest Annual Writing Competition. This is clearly a legitimate enterprise, and the entry cost is not prohibitive ($20 for the first short story manuscript, $15 for all additional). But nearly 14,000 people entered last year. Let's do some math. Even if you're in the top 1% of all writers, that still leaves 140 people in that top 1% competing against you. The top 10 entries in each category get a minimum of $25 in prize money (grand prize is $3,000 plus other perks). There are 10 categories. So, only 100 people will make back their money from a single entry fee. How many top-one-percent entries were there again? Yup, 140. You like those odds? I don't.

Now, I like some competition quite a bit. I have recently discovered the joys of submitting short stories to certain very exclusive fiction markets -- one magazine recently wrote back to say "this one's not for us, but please send more", and the research I've done tells me that only 2% of all submissions are accepted, and only 10% get a request to resubmit, so I am thrilled to have found out that this magazine thinks I'm top 12%. But I didn't have to pay any money to find that out.

I can understand paying to enter a contest that guarantees some professional editorial feedback, because you'd usually have to pay for that anyway. But what else makes you decide to pay to enter a contest? Which contests, if any, have you entered, how did you choose, and what did you learn?

Don't forget to enter my contest!

You Tell Me: Writer's Conferences

In the fine tradition of Nathan Bransford, I am having my first "you tell me" blog post.

I have never been to a writer's conference. I didn't really see the point; so many people seemed to treat it as an opportunity to pitch agents, but by the time I started learning about conferences I had already sent out queries to everyone I thought was a good fit, which seemed to mean that if I did attend one of these things and got the chance to talk to an agent, I'd end up pitching someone who (1) already rejected me, (2) got my query but had not yet rejected me, which would make me feel like a stalker ("have you read it yet? how about now?") or (3) is not a fit for my book.

These did not seem like good choices.

However, I am now a Grubbie. And Boston's Grub Street hosts a conference every year called The Muse and The Marketplace, with classes and keynote speakers and all that good stuff. We know how I like the Grub Street seminars, and the fees for the conference include attendance at up to eight seminars, which adds up to a quite inexpensive price per class... yes, they're likely going to be more lecture-style and not be the nice small classes I've been attending with no more than 12 people, but the content will surely still be excellent. And, the bloggers I know who have been to these events all seem to rave about them.

So, should I go? For one day or both days? I normally wouldn't sign up for anything that took me away from Serious Girl for two whole days in a row, but I don't have to travel overnight or anything. I love the Grub Street community, so I know I'll enjoy the company (rather than feeling like I'm just there to "network" in an awkward way). And, assuming that I do decide to go, should I sign up for any of the extras?

• Manuscript Mart ($130). Spend 20 minutes discussing your work with a prominent literary agent or editor, who will have read your [20-page] manuscript in advance. This fee is in addition to package registration fees.
• Preferred Lunch Seating ($50). Enjoy your lunch on Saturday at a "Five-Star Table" with a combination of 5 guest authors, editors and agents. Fee is in addition to other registration fees.

Have you been to a conference like this? What did you like best? What did you like least? What do you wish they had that was missing? What should I know before I go?