This week: Backing It Up Edited by: Leger~  
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The purpose of this newsletter is 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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Backing It Up!
Whether you are new to Writing.com or a long time member, there is something important to remember.
Back up your stuff!
I was looking through some of the things I've written for contests the other day and realized I didn't have everything on a back up drive. Yes, WDC is very safe. BUT...is your computer? I've moved house and bought a laptop, and then realized I needed to have a central storage for all my writing. We all know it is important, but do we save on a regular basis?
External storage can be an answer. I have an external storage drive that I hook up to my computer and copy photos and documents. And honestly, it goes in the closet after that. Probably not the best option but it's something. Perhaps a thumb drive can be a starting point.
Cloud storage is a good thing but people who are not technically savvy might save things to storages all over the net. Where is that "cloud" anyway?
Print and store. Nice if you like to share your work and want a copy to hold and read, or photocopy and send. Be sure to make the font large enough to read 
Helpful Links ▼
It is that time of the year when we're prepping for taxes, storing old documents and tossing stuff you really don't need. So start saving your work, even unfinished stuff you'll come back to, old character and scene sketches and writing that needs an edit. You never know when something might serve a good purpose later on. Gather all your inspiration photos and put them in one place. I had them all over my computer! Don't forget the entries you have on WDC, not only what is in your portfolio, but perhaps the writing you posted in contest forums and such.
World Backup Day is March 31st! Mark it on your calendar! That's five month's notice to get your plan in action.
This month's question: Do you back up your work? How and where? Send in your answer below!  Editors love feedback!
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Prompt: Write a story about a character that desperately needs to convey an important message,
but lacks the required communication skills for the recipient to understand..
I pick the winners each week and send them gps.
I pick the best prompt of the month from the four top weekly winners.
The monthly winner will be awarded this contest's exclusive MB!!!
A Horror Flash Fiction must be more than 500 words, but fewer than 1,000 words in length.
I accept old or new Horror Flash Fiction.
What classifies as supernatural?
Supernatural ~ A manifestation or event attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature; magical, mystical, occul
Each Monthly Round begins on the first day at midnight WdC time and ends the last day of the month at 11:59 PM WdC time.
Use one (or a combination) of the following prompts to inspire a story. Once 3 stories have been inspired you win a Merit Badge.
A place to answer a daily question and spark conversations.
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One of the best ways to make it as a self-publishing author is to have people who will interact with the writing. The best way to do that is to invite friends to read, like, and interact with the published materials.
This isn't a contest, but rather, a place to share your poetic expressions!
As you are inspired, add an 8 line, titled poem to this collection. (The poem's title doesn't count as one of the 8 lines.)
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Some crossword fun!
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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: Do you back up your work? How and where? Send in your answer below! Editors love feedback!
Last month's "Contests & Activities Newsletter (September 29, 2021)" question: Are you scheduling time for activities outside NaNoWriMo?
: The seasons matter not because I have a homestead that is keeping me busy. WDC and I get together as much as possible. Some days I am able to spend a lot of time being active and working on WDC activities and projects. Other days I hardly am able to log in and read a little bit of email. Most of the time no matter what the season is I do my best to be as active on WDC.
Patrece ~  : I am always much busier during the nicer months here in the US. Thus, having less time on WDC in general. But I often think of my friends here and look forward to getting more involved, once again, the I can't enjoy being outdoors any longer or my garden begins to make it clear that fall is absolutely in the air. But until being outdoors for different jobs in the yard or just enjoying the warmer weather forces me back indoors, I try not to commit to too much on WDC. It's all about a manageable balance!
Annette  : I actually end up less active after summer. I have gone back to college. The beginning of September means I am pulling triple duty. I work for 30 hours a week. I attend college for 12 units, which can easily translate to 15-25 hours of studying, traveling, doing, etc. And I also have a five-people family. My husband commutes to another country, so I am in charge of shopping, making sure the 3 sons get to work, school, other places, get everyone egged on to do their part in the household ... After all of that, I can spend time on Writing.Com. Because I am usually tired, I end up hanging out on the newsfeed instead of writing. So, I really end up doing less on Writing.Com after summer. However, this year I want to change up WHAT I do here on the site. I started this group: "Invalid Item" and will spend most of my time there in a few days. Writers should write and review, not just socialize in pointless games. Although games are fun, but that can't be all that I do here.
bryanmchunter: I have no idea what "NaNoWriMo" is, but I'm sure it's something on this website. Anyway, for this month, I have a special Halloween video planned for my YouTube account. It involves me reviewing a rare piece of merchandise featuring an obscure advertising mascot; the 1990 Crayola Haunted Halloween Party coloring book featuring Count Duracula, the Duracell Vampire. This video will also feature BGM from the Vampire: Master of Darkness video game.
Schnujo's NOT Doing NaNoWriMo  : bryanmchunter NaNoWriMo (or NaNo for short) stands for National Novel Writing Month. It's in November, but during October, people are doing a lot of prepping. One of the prepping activities is here--"October Novel Prep Challenge" . NaNo isn't actually a WdC thing, though many people here participate, of course. The official website is https://www.nanowrimo.org.
The goal of NaNo is to write 50k words towards your novel. That's really more novella sized, so your work isn't intended to be completed in November. For that matter, you are not supposed to edit, proofread, revise, or anything else in November. That's what December and January are for. *Wink* The main point is to GET STARTED! So many people never write their novel because they don't even get started. But there have been many NaNo novels that have been published and I've even met people on there who write series, publishing one book per year, and use NaNo as their jumpstart for the next one every year.
It's not for everyone, but it's fun. Even if you don't reach the 50k mark, you're still ahead of where you were.  There's no punishment for missing, but if you do hit 50k, there are some sponsors who offer rewards. Additionally, during NaNo, there are some companies such as Dabble, Scrivener, and 4TheWords that let you have a free trial to test things out and generally offer a discounted purchase afterward, especially if you "win" NaNo. If nothing else, it's a great way to test out some products. 
I hope this answers some questions and even helps you decide you want to participate, at least eventually, if not this year.
Kåre เลียม Enga  : I'm purposely avoiding NaNo so I get some things done. I want to reread and revise efforts from previous years, but without deadlines other than reassessing on January 1st.
I realize many writers here are 'focused' and 'scheduled'. I'm a 'pantser' and a 'daydreamer'. Go with what works for you, bryanmchunter.
Mikel Bardsdale  : If the contest is Chess, okay.
Thanks to everyone for your responses!
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Contests & Activities: October 27, 2021 Issue [#11050]
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