On the subject of entering competitions, here is exhibit A, the latest book by Highland Noir writer Margaret Kirk, who won a Good Housekeeping New Novel Award back in 2016. This is her third book, which I fully expect to be as page-turning as the other two.
So, don’t dismiss writing competitions. They are well worth entering – and could be the the start of a career as a professional writer.
And, not wanting to brag, there is also my own book, The Servant, published because I won a competition run by the Historical Writers’ Association in 2020 to find a new writer of historical fiction.
ninevoices 
And, not wanting to brag, there is also my own book, The Servant, published because I won a competition run by the Historical Writers’ Association in 2020 to find a new writer of historical fiction.