dat dat DUN: Submission Guidelines!

Fresh from the eloquent Windermuse Submission Guidelines Committee comes the 2009 Windermuse Submission Guidelines. Be sure to read these closely and to send us questions (windermuse (at) gmail (dot) com) if you have any. Also see previous posts for Free Workshops and Bad Examples.

Sound fun? Oh, it is. Feel like another pump-up video? Oh, very well. Now read those guidelines!

Windermuse 2009 Essay Contest Guidelines

Eligibility

To be eligible to submit, essayists must have been involved in some way with the Windermere Marathon on May 16, 2009. Runners, spectators, volunteers, and supporters are all welcome to submit essays. Essays must be 500-1000 words and must be submitted via email as .rtf or .doc attachments to Windermuse@gmail.com by high noon on June 1, 2009. Please include contact info (name, mailing address, email address, and phone number) in the body of your email. Your name and other information should not appear on your submission attachment. Faculty and graduate students affiliated with Eastern Washington University’s Inland Northwest Center for Writers are ineligible.

Submission Guidelines

Making it across the finish line means much more than just showing up on race day. Being involved with a race – as a runner, spectator, supporter, or volunteer – leads to new experiences and usually a lot of time to think about life beyond running shoes and mile markers. What about this marathon experience struck you as particularly stimulating? What resonates with other aspects of your life? What do you want your story to tell others? Share your Windermere Marathon or Half Marathon experiences in a 500-1000 word nonfiction essay. Essays should appeal to an audience that extends beyond the racing community. Essays should also be full of fresh ideas and clear, original prose. Please do not submit a mile-by-mile account of your race experience.

Judging Criteria

Essays submitted to the Windermuse essay contest will be judged by a committee of creative writing graduate students from the MFA program at Eastern Washington University. Winners will be selected based on the fulfillment of the criteria described below. All decisions are final. Winners will be announced on June 12, 2009 here on our blog. The winning essayist will receive free entry to next year’s Windermere Marathon. The winning essay will also be published on the Windermere Marathon website, www.windermeremarathon.com.

Essays will be judged based on these criteria:

Focus: Examines your essay’s subject. Our idea of an excellent essay is one that transcends the act of running. We want to know how your marathon experience relates to or resonates with some other aspect of life.

Originality: Looks for creativity in writing. Does your essay develop fresh ideas? The excellent essay will get at those ideas through the selection of examples, analysis and insightful reflection. Additionally, the writing will engage the reader.

Organization: Looks at the structure of your essay and the strength of the focus. Does the essay have a solid structure? Are discussion points coherently presented? The winning essay will have a clear and logical presentation of ideas and will be smoothly organized so the reader does not stumble or hesitate over their sequence.

Development and Support: Considers how well the essay’s subject progresses. The stunning essay will use relevant information, specific details, and carefully selected examples. It will not rely on narrative alone; rather, the essay will balance anecdote with thoughtful reflection.

Style and Mechanics: Examines how well the essay is written in terms of grammar, spelling and punctuation, as well as word choice and sentence construction. The excellent essay will use standard writing conventions correctly, with well-constructed sentences and no word choice errors.

Writing Protips!

Welcome to Wednesday. We here at Windermuse are sure you're using your time today prepping possible essay subjects and completing your daily writing exercises in spandex. Well done. To aid you, here are a few paragraphs detailing common mistakes and reasons to avoid them in your Windermuse contest entry. Be sure to check out our FREE writing workshops (post below) as well as our stunning submission guidelines (post above).

Paragraph #1:

"I think this race is going to be a PB for me. I can feel it; that is if I don't bonk out first. I've built up my lactate threshold over a series of months of training, and I feel strong in the May sunshine. Just another run. When I get to mile 9 and that hill I'll probably regret my decision to avoid the port-o-potties provided by the race at the starting line, but I'm not afraid to just go while I'm running if I have to. I've done it before.

"I think it's about time to pop an energy gel; wouldn't do to lose my edge. Too bad Pheidippes didn't have some of this. I like the Apple Cinnamon flavor best."

These paragraphs are full of unexplained jargon that will confuse or frustrate a non-runner. They are also completely couched in the present tense, which works well for scenes of action but doesn't allow for any insight, reflection or analysis, the qualities that will make the winning essay so beautiful.

Paragraph #2:

"Mile 1: 'I'm nervous...always nervous before a race...I tweaked my left ACL a few weeks ago training for the marathon. It sucked. I love running b/c it's a great way to keep in shape...marathons are just a goal, like how some people go skydiving, or rock climbing. I tried to establish my pace--too fast, and I'd burn out too soon--too slow and my time would suck.'

"Mile 2: 'Feeling great. My left ACL feeling pretty good. There are too many people in the way. I should have been positioned closer to the front...the hot asphalt glimmers like onyx...I find my rhythm. I'm already thirsty, but I need to wait a few miles before I dare drink anything. Lots of people turned out today for the race...I hope my times good.'"

This is a glorified race report. This isn't an essay because it is trapped in the moment, devoid of reflection. It is poorly organized and the mechanics are sloppy.

So now you know what not to do. And knowing is half the battle.

Need some practice writing?

If you’re thinking about entering the Windermuse Essay Contest, but haven’t written anything lately, EWU’s Writers in the Community is offering free writing forums for adult writers.

Saturdays in May from 2-4 PM will see workshops hosted by Writers in the Community, focusing on the use of voice in writing. May 2nd is an all comers workshop, while May 23rd is a non-fiction-oriented workshop. Workshops are free, and will be held at EWU’s Inland Northwest Center For Writers, located at 501 N. Riverpoint Boulevard, suite 435.

For directions and sigh-up information, please contact WITC Director Ross Carper at witc@ewu.edu or (509) 359-7437.

Welcome to Windermuse!

We're so glad you could make it. This site is the center of all things Windermuse, the first ever Windermere Spokane Marathon Essay Contest. On this blog you'll find everything from submission guidelines to judging rubrics to prizes. As you read this a team of undernourished and over-dedicated Eastern Washington University graduate students are slapping together the final drafts of all the info you're here to see. Check up on us soon!

Want to shoot us an email? Write whatever you like to windermuse (at) gmail (dot) com, and friendly and literary people will get back to you shortly.

Want to know more about the undernourished graduate students? Check out our hyperlinks on the right-hand side of this page for information on EWU's Master of Fine Arts program and also on Writers in the Community, the EWU internship that gets to throw things like this together.

Need a good pump-up video to get you training today? Look no further, friend. We've got that covered too.

Thanks for stopping by!