 Contests & Activities: October 23, 2024 Issue [#12808] |
This week: Making Deadlines Edited by: Leger~  
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This newsletter aims to highlight some of the current contests and activities on the site, help educate members on how to host contests and activities, and provide clues to submit quality entries to contests. Write to me if you'd like something in particular covered.
This week's Contests and Activities Editor
Leger~ |
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Making Deadlines
Most contests have deadlines. The question is, how do you handle your deadlines? You definitely want to have your entries in by the due date. As a contest owner, you want your entries in on time and within the rules set in the contest. As an entrant, you want your entry to be in on time so it is not disqualified.
Is it good or bad to enter early? I feel it's good to enter early, but only if your entry has been edited to perfection. Contest judges often start reading entries early, especially if a lot of people enter. The advantage is a judge most likely takes a little more time reading an early entry. After twenty or so, it is hard to focus on the story if many of them are common themes.
How do you make your story stand out from the others? The first would be to think outside the box. In other words, if the prompt is a picture of a train or the text is "train", use the prompt in a unique way. Don't take the picture and merely have your character on a train, or looking at a picture of a train. If the genre is open for interpretation, you could write a science fiction story with time travel. All the story requires is a train, don't make it all about the train.
The other thing to consider is the contest itself. Are you linking the contest in your item? Are you helping promote the contest for more exposure? It's good etiquette to congratulate the winners when the judging is complete. If you're in a contest that is held regularly, it's nice to welcome them to the contest by email or IM. (Some forums don't want OT or off-topic messages.)
The last thing I want to mention is our smartphones and all the different apps available to us. Use your calendar, use your reminders. With the busy holiday seasons coming up, they can be an invaluable tool when business and family distract your mind from your writing. As always, Write On!
This month's question: What are your suggestions for helping members meet deadlines? Send in your answer below!  Editors love feedback!
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WDC October Site Contest
The task is simple: Write a short story using the image prompt as inspiration!/i}
Week 5: Oct. 27 - Nov. 2:  Include the word HANDPRINT (two sentence limit)
October Prompt - Costume Party
It's Halloween! Singles at a Costume Party work to gain each other's attention.
Who's hot? Who's not? Mingle. Make it Sexy, Flirty, Fun! Good Luck!
There are no Horror Photo Prompt and no Horror Subgenre Prompt this October.
I can't wait to read your creepy, spooky, unsettling Horror Flash Fiction!
Welcome to the October edition of the Science Fiction Short Story Contest! In honor of the coming Holiday of Halloween, I'm asking for scary stories of when technology goes wrong. Whether it's as down-to-earth as a virus in your computer replacing the words in your Final Exam Essay with lyrics from Taylor Swift, or as gruesome as Stephen King's "Maximum Overdrive," I'm looking to hear your stories of trusted technology gone wrong. Any entry from the painfully comical to the deadly serious will be accepted, so long as it roughly fits the theme and falls between about 500 and 2000 words.
And that's your challenge: write the most engaging opening line(s) of a story inspired by the picture prompt shown.
OCTOBER PROMPT: What does it mean to you to say that God exists or does not exist?
Who doesn't love Stephen King?
Welcome to the 16th Annual NaNoWriMo Write-A-Thon, the activity where you can compete in NaNoWriMo and raise GPs for some great Writing.com causes at the same time!
Here's a place to share CONCISE, INSIGHTFUL, ENTERTAINING impressions!
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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This month's question: What are your suggestions for helping members meet deadlines? Send in your answer below! Editors love feedback!
Last month's "Contests & Activities Newsletter (September 25, 2024)" question: What is your go-to activity when you only have a little time?
Massive Friendly Derg  : Depends on how little the time is. Sometimes I daydream being a massive derg and sometimes if I feel inspired I write a WDC item or post on the Newsfeed.
ruwth  : "The Prompt Me Contest" [13+]
THANKFUL SONALI back on Jan 4  : 1. Sticking stamps or address labels
2. WDC (because I usually need a lot of time here)
Stargazer ~ DavidtheDreamer  : "Haiku 0112" [E]
JMariah  : I answer emails.
The only problem with that is that some challenge catches my eye. And before I know it the hands of the clock have spun several times; I'm late for an appointment, or food is burning.
jeanbiche: Finding the cheapest movie on PPV On Demand and fast-forwarding to the scene I want to watch most.
It's what I like to refer to as "Transcendental Vegetation." TV, for short. 
TheBusmanPoet  : Chilling out listening to music.
S  : On WdC? Small Talk "SMALL TALK " [13+]
In life? I write.
ruwth : This is my go-to activity when I am short on time or energy: "The Prompt Me Contest" [13+]
"Trinkets" [E]
Kile Johnson : Writing.
Jaycin Alexis  : It kind of depends on where I am and how little my time is. But probably it'd be doomscrolling.
HollisFrances :
exercise! I love those endorphins.
What are endorphins? Endorphins are chemicals (hormones) your body releases when it feels pain or stress. They're released during pleasurable activities such as exercise, massage, eating and sex too. Endorphins help relieve pain, reduce stress and improve your sense of well-being.
Tannus : I am digging a hole in my back yard. I'm down about 700 feet. Do you known how hard it is to get dirt up to the top when I'm down there? Thankfully, I haven't hit any water. Found some interesting creatures. Moles aren't to bad, but it's the bigger ones at 550 feet! 
jackson : Relaxing
Bob : For old men like myself it's usually prayer. |
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