Contests are fabulous ways for writers (particularly new ones like me) to receive feedback from others more experienced in the industry. Some contest judges even provide deep evaluations – things like plot, pace, character development, dialogue, setting, etc. are assessed and rated. In case you are thinking about writing creatively too, I recommend checking out contests as a way to obtain constructive criticism – it’s like …getting a report card 😊 It is important of course to ensure the organizer is reputable and legit. (That helps lol).

The Word Guild – whom its many volunteers spend hours of time reading countless novels – recently published their 2022 winners list, ‘Honouring the Best of Canadian Christian Writing from 2021.’ The Gatekeeper’s Descendants took a finalist position in two categories: Young Adult Fiction (in the General market) and Speculative Fiction (in the Christian market). Pretty happy about that. I applaud all the winners; we have some awesome writing talent across this great country.

Cheers!