  Contests & Activities
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As I sit here, coffee mug in hand, contemplating my first Contest & Activities Newsletter, I find that it is difficult to focus on just one subject. I have started many paragraphs of various topics, and erased them all. What hasn't been covered? There is such a vast listing in the Newsletter Archives http://www.writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives that I could spend days reading through them. However, none have been written by me. I am a fresh face, with a different view. Thus, maybe the topics I choose have been covered before, but they won't have my spin on them. So be patient if the material isn't new, I guarentee the journey will be. Thank you for subscribing to this fun newsletter, and please, leave comments and suggestions after reading. I look forward to hearing from you all!
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If you like to write, you have come to the right site to do so. There are many avenues to explore to help you with your writing experience, and on site here, contests are one of them. You may ask yourself how contests help you with writing, well, I am going to shed some light on this.
I like to write and feel that though it may not be the greatest piece out there, the item I am submitting for a contest just might have what it takes to win that prize. Am I competitive, you bet I am. I like to win. Better than that though, I like to submit items to contests, because I know someone is going to review the item, and hopefully give me suggestions and tips as to how I can improve the piece.
Before I submit to a contest, I must first find one that piques my interest. Whether it is the prompt, the prize, or the lack of entries and wishing to help support a host, something has to interest me. I can search out different contests by using the site search, typing in contests , selecting a genre( if I so choose, this part is optional) then selecting forums. I can also try the Activities page.
Perusing the "Activities @ Writing.Com" I see there are several writing contests currently running. With so many different ones to choose from there shouldn't be any problems in selecting one to enter. Why would you want to enter a contest? Well lets take a look at the reasons!
How Contests Improve My Writing:
~Rules/Requirements~
Every contest must have rules and requirements. By following these, we prepare ourselves and writing for the time to come when submitting to publishers. Publishers are very strict when it comes to accepting submissions. Learning to follow directions and guidelines set forth in contests help us to prepare for publication.
~Reviews~
Reviews are mini book reports as well as reader opinion on our writing. Multiple reviews give us a varied perspective of how the readers view our writings. Whether it be poetry, short story or novel, all writing can benefit from readers and reviews. When entering contests, at least one person is guarenteed to review your item, possibly more if there are more than one judge. This is a sure thing.
~Prizes~
Who doesn't like to be rewarded for their hard work? There is always the chance that your writing will win the prize. After all, it is a competition. One of which we are striving to do our best to win. Who enters a contest to lose? Well there are some contests just for that, you win by losing or entering the worst you can, but most contests reward those items that stand above all others. Rewards for our hard work are always greatly appreciated.
~Prompts~
Has your muse taken a vacation? Entering a contest may just be what you need to break your muse free and bring them back early. Flex your creative skills and enter a contest to test that muse of yours and make sure they are awake or paying attention. A contest may be what is needed to break that writer's block.
 These are just some of my views on how contests can improve our writing. The benefits as listed above are some key points on how contests affect us as writers. With practice comes improvement.
 Challenge To All Readers
Enter one contest a week through the month of March. I would love to hear back about which contests you entered, why, and if you won.
 Also, contests can be really fun. The competitive edge in conjunction with cheering on friends and fellow contestants can make the contest experience quite exciting and becomes a party like atmosphere. Enjoy your writing. Celebrate with the winners. We are all winners when entering contests. If you took the time to read the rules/regulations/requirements, wrote an entry, then submitted it, you have gone above and beyond those that simply stood by the wayside and watched. Congratulations! |
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Q: Why do you enter writing contests?
A:PuppyTales  For fun! I also enter because I am competitive and I love contest rewards.
A:Leger~ . I enter writing contests when I see a prompt or a challenge I would like to try. Prize sizes really don't have an affect whether I would enter or not, it's more of a personal writing challenge. I wouldn't enter a contest that looks disorganized or has unclear rules
A:Dawn Embers  I enter contests for a number of reasons. The main one is that it gets me to write and not put it off because of the deadline. Have to get entries done before the contests close and that means I can get myself to focus on that piece of writing in order to enter it. There has also been times I enter a contest in order to help another person out. I know how it feels to have a contest with little to no entries, so if I can help someone get an entry in their contest then I will certainly try. Friend's contests are ones I enter for similar reasons. So that they have entries and because they're my friend but I expect that to have no influence on the judging.
A:Ben Langhinrichs  I like the inspiration of a prompt or challenge. I am not terribly concerned about winning, but I want to rise to the challenge of writing the form or genre or style wanted by the contest holders.
A:Lonewolf  I enter contests as a challenge to see if I can write no matter what is thrown at me.
A:Just an Ordinary Boo! For the stretching of personal limits and to set a benchmark for my writing skills.
Q: How does entering a contest affect your writing?
A:PuppyTales I'm not sure it does. Sometimes it encourages me to write when I normally wouldn't. A good prompt might inspire me.And there's always the competitiveness that gets me going. But I'm not sure if that always effects my writing, makes it better or not
A:Leger~ Entering a contest affects my writing in a good way. It gives me a break from the larger projects I'm working on, plus I have fun interacting with the contest host and contestants. That would also be true of hosting a contest.
A:Dawn Embers Entering can have positive and negative affects on my writing. It's writing and that is better than procrastinating on twitter or wdc chat. But at the same time, none of the contests are for novels and so it can be a form of procrastination. For example: the second half of february I wrote 15 flash fiction stories. That's a lot of writing, however, it wasn't on my novels I am working on. So, it took me away from the writing that should have my focus. The contests could limit my writing if I were to write to a judge, to try to do what they want even if that's something that I don't care to write, but luckily I've managed to avoid that so far.
A:Ben Langhinrichs It gives me a deadline and a structure, which both tend to motivate me. Whether the contest involves a picture prompt or a phrase or a style of poetry, it triggers a different sort of reaction than just sitting down and thinking, "I guess I'll write a story."
A:Lonewolf Entering contests helps me write with many different voices that allow me to expand my ways to write.
A:Just an Ordinary Boo! If I am writing to a prompt then it is already a test, if there's a time limit, especially if it is short, then it is pushing me to do my extempore best. If it is something like the 'Cram[' and has both, why that's just great.
Q: How can entering a contest benefit you as a writer?
A:PuppyTales The more I write, the better I write. So if contests encourage me to write, I suppose that's beneficial.Contests also make writing fun.
A:Leger~ I think it benefits me as a writer because I'm always challenging myself to stretch and grow. It's fun to come up with something creative that will stand out against other contestants. A writer can come up with good descriptions when they have no timeline to write. But with a deadline, and a parameter within which to write, a person has to dig deep and work hard. I find that fun!
A:Dawn Embers Entering contests get me to write and that is a huge benefit. I sometimes even use short story and flash fiction contests to write scenes in my novels. It helps me to get things done. And it's a learning experience. The old adage of practice making perfect come to mind, because the contests can be practice. Not only is it practice in writing but also in submitting. Have to pay attention to the different contests, their rules and what they are looking for, much like publishers and agents.
A:Ben Langhinrichs It helps me write more, and more varied, work. It has also been good for my publishing hopes, since I have had several of my stories and poems that won contests on WDC go on to be published one place or another. Actually, that has been true of stories and poems that didn't win as well. Contests are a great motivator.
One additional way contests benefit me as a writer is that somebody agrees ahead of time to review and critique my work. That can be invaluable, no matter how the contest turns out.
A:Lonewolf Entering contests allows me to not only gain extra GPs but also gives me a break from the norm depending on what the contest wants
A:Just an Ordinary Boo! I can read and learn from other writer's takes and responses to one and the same prompt or limits. It is sometimes humbling to see how much more innovative other entries are!!
I learn how my writing is viewed and I get useful feedback. I also make a lot of friends, always a plus!!!
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Contests & Activities: March 17, 2010 Issue [#3595]
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