  Contests & Activities
This week: Cabin Fever Edited by: spidey  
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Welcome to the Contests & Activities Newsletter. I'm spidey , and I'm your Editor this week!
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Cabin Fever
It is freezing on the East Coast of the U.S., folks! 
I don't even want to think about being outside with wind-chills under -10 degrees Fahrenheit! I get antsy, though. I want to do something. Maybe it's the time of year to start thinking about Spring Cleaning? It comes at an appropriate time. At the start of the new year, we're usually making goals and resolutions.
Now is a great time to take stock of where we're at and do some house-keeping!
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What's New? - Take a look at newly created items, like forums, polls, surveys, etc., and give a new item a look! Enter a new contest (one positive side to newer contests attracting fewer participants is that it means there's more of a chance you'll win!) Take a look at "Site News & Announcements" [ASR] for the latest exciting news on WDC!
Get Social - Check out WDC's IM Console (from Writing.Com Tools in the tool bar on the left), visit "Writing.Com General Discussion" [13+] and "Noticing Newbies" [13+] to welcome a newbie or join in a conversation with your fellow writers and WDC members.
Review - Check out the Top Reviewers and Active Reviewers lists. Every so often, I'll challenge myself to get on those lists, and then to climb my way up through the rankings.
If you're feeling stuck or shut in for whatever reason (As I'm writing this, it's -6 degrees F outside with a windchill of -23F!), one of the best things to pass the time is to create a goal and work toward it. I know many of you spend your free time on this awesome website, so find a goal or a friend here! I guarantee it will help!
I want to thank everyone for the awesome feedback on my last newsletter about the dreaded Writer's Block. I got some awesome ideas! Look at the feedback below to read about them! 
As always, keep on writing!
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My last newsletter, ("Contests & Activities Newsletter (January 21, 2015)" ), discussed writer's block.
I read in an article last week where an author would write from headlines in the news. Great idea she has! That's how most of the cop shows get their ideas. Just make it unique enough to grab attention and not make it a non-fiction.
~ S Ferguson~ Prepping for Prep 
Great advice! I can't believe I didn't think of that before. I've seen crime shows do this, too, and with trending topics and headlines everywhere now, it's easy to find inspiration. Thanks for the idea! 
One of the best things I've found to do when I have writer's block is to step back and write a summary of the scene I want to write. It doesn't have to be complicated, just a basic guideline for what I'm writing that day. 9 times out of 10, I'll figure out that the scene either doesn't belong in the story or that it has some kind of structural issue. ~ len_gray
Good thinking! I like that idea!
Some good advice. I particularly enjoy word wars. Thanks for featuring my contest! ~ ohsoquiet
Word Wars saved me during NaNoWriMo! And you're quite welcome!
When I have lots of ideas dancing in my head,I just have to weed them out and concentrate on one spark. Once I have an outline drawn up in my invisible notepad,I sit down and hit the keyboard. If I get stuck in the middle of my story and there's no way to move forward, I get up and do other things away from writing. This allows my brain to get unblocked and I go back to the keyboard and click away! The bottom line is: I do not sit down and think of what to write about; I organize my thoughts first, then, I sit down and write. It works for me. ~ QueenOwl ~ A New Day Dawns 
Great advice!!
Just write something. You did just write something, even if it's not a fictional piece or poetry. You just wrote an article of sorts. I write or have been writing when I don't want to anyway. Even if it is just a paragraph. I know in the end, it will add up. Cause not writing is not an option for a writer. So my advice is just write. Hope that helps someone. ~ alysia
I like that! I write reports for my job, and I tend to forget that counts as writing! Any writing (and reading, I think) can help us hone our craft!
Questions to think about:
How do you keep cabin fever away? What's your favorite thing to do on WDC? |
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Contests & Activities: February 18, 2015 Issue [#6835]
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