One of my writing goals for this year is to not only write more but to get my writing out into the world. Put my words into action. To be relevant. To be heard. To tell my stories. With this new goal, I started taking some chances by entering contests that interested me. But I wanted to be careful to avoid any scams.
So far, the most interesting contest I have entered was the Writers Playground, LLC. For this contest you have to register by a certain date. Yes, there is a minimum entry fee of $28. As long as you pay the entry fee before their deadline, you will receive an email from the organization on a certain date and time. All entrants will receive the email that is the start of the contest. In the email there are five different settings and five different characters that you are to choose one from each list to write your short story about. In addition to these different settings and different characters, there is also a key item that you HAVE to include in your story. Which you may use as a minor point, or it can be a major plot point, but you have to use it. Once you chose one setting from the list and one character from the list, you have ten days to write your story. Yes, ten days only! You can write about anything, any genre, but you must include those three perimeters. You also only have a maximum of 3100 words to do it in! Next, email them your story and wait.
My experience with this particular organization was excellent! They kept all participants fully advised of their
progress. And amazingly enough they gave
us a date for the week that they would have the results, along with notifying
everyone, and they kept to it! But the
most significant thing about this particular contest was that they gave EVERY participant
invaluable feedback on their submission!
The feedback they gave was very useful but also was encouraging. As a newer writer, that was absolutely
priceless. Now when I say that they gave
feedback to everyone who entered, you may thing, big deal, right? No way! They had 497 submissions in the last contest
and they gave EVERYONE wonderful feedback!
(Whew! I bet they were tired!).
In conclusion, if you are looking for not only
valuable feedback on your writing but if you want to push your writing to the next
level, enter this contest! I found that
$28 was a very fair amount for just the invaluable feedback I received. However the encouragement I received to
continue my writing was absolutely priceless!
The next contest is coming up fast, and you have to
register before the email goes out to participates on Thursday, July 14, 2022
at 8pm EST. Then you have from July 14, 2022
to July 27, 2022 at 11:59pm EST to write, finish and send in your story. So, get to writing and good luck!
So, what's your story?
6 comments:
What an interesting contest. I'll check it out! Good luck on your next try.
Great Blog, Kim! Feedback is a gift, even when you have to pay for it. So the contest you describe seems valuable if all you get is meaningful feedback. I'll be interested to learn your thoughts on how this method has improved your writing. And kudos to you for being able to write as much as 3,100 word in ten days. Is there a prize (beyond the feedback)?
Great article!! Love the coffee distinction. I could say the same for wine! Awesome!
Sounds like fun! Thinking about checking it out! —Yvonne
This is awesome! Feedback is valuable to developing writing craft! Thanks for sharing the contest information!
Editors who provide feedback are so valuable. I totally agree! Some of the best letters from editors I've ever received have been rejection letters that offered helpful comments and encouragement. A great rejection letter can still make your day! And speaking of finding inspiration for a story...your post really struck a chord because I also like finding anthologies that seek submissions on a specific theme with a specific word count. If it's a topic that interests me, exploring the ideas in a story is fun whether I get in or not, and the deadline helps motivate me to finish.
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