Description
Institute for Writers presents our IFW Romantasy Novel First Pages Contest.
For this contest, we want to see your first pages of 1,000 words or less in the romantasy genre.
Our judge will be grading entries based on these criteria:
- An equal balance of romance and fantasy elements.
- A strong, likeable heroine because the main character in romantasy is usually female. A tough cookie, but fun at parties if you like a girl who dances with a dagger in her boot.
- A hero who always looks for the girl with a dagger in a boot. An equal match for the heroine in all things, though it’s okay if they have an edge in a sword fight.
- Show me the world you’ve created for your couple. Does magic rule or is it forbidden? Is there a dark power threatening their world? The fun part of fantasy is imagining a world where anything is possible.
- Follow the “rules” for the contest in terms of word count and genre.
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- A Court of Thrones and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas
- Restoree by Anne McCaffrey
Your entry should be aimed at an adult audience.
Deadline: July 31, 2025
Entrants are eligible to win up to $650!
Lynne Smith, aka Lynn Michaels, is the author of two novellas and sixteen novels, three of which were nominated for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA award, the Oscar of romance writing. She won two awards from Romantic Times Magazine, for best romantic suspense and best contemporary romance. Her only complaint about writing is that it really cuts into her reading time.
She lives in Missouri with her husband, two sons, three grandsons, and one granddaughter, born on Lynne’s birthday.
Lynne is also an IFW instructor. She teaches Breaking into Print and Shape, Write and Sell Your Novel.
