 Noticing Newbies: February 09, 2022 Issue [#11206] |
This week: The Quill Awards Edited by: Jeff  
More Newsletters By This Editor 
 
1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions
"You never know what you can do until you try,
and very few try unless they have to."
-- C.S. Lewis
About The Editor: Greetings! My name is Jeff and I'm one of your regular editors for the Noticing Newbies Official Newsletter! I've been a member of Writing.com since 2003, and have edited more than 350 newsletters across the site during that time. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via email or the handy feedback field at the bottom of this newsletter! 
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The Quill Awards
Did you know Writing.com has its own (unofficial) version of the Oscars?  For more than ten years, "The Quills" has promoted excellence among community members and their works. The nominations for 2021 just closed, and JayNaNoOhNo  is taking the reins for 2022 and beyond. She's already revamped the activity and is working hard to make it a more consistent fixture of the site.
Why am I bringing this up now, you ask? Nominations for 2022 don't close for eleven whole months!
I'd like to make a couple arguments in favor for why The Quills Awards are worth taking into consideration, both as a reader and a writer, throughout the entire year.
But first, a little data.  Did you know that, of the 300+ nominations received in 2021, over 130 of them came in during the final week of the nomination period? That means 40% of the nominations for the entire year were done over the course of a handful of days at the end of the year.  Don't get me wrong, the people who go through and submit all those nominations are much appreciated. But that's a lot of work for everyone involved, and there are a lot of eligible items created every year!
What if we made it a priority to nominate items throughout the year instead of waiting until the very end?
For the readers/reviewers and activity participants, consider nominating excellent items as you find them. Are you a judge for a contest and were you blown away by how great a particular entry was? If it's eligible in a Quills category (and chances are, it probably qualifies for at least one), considering nominating it as well as giving it a prize in your contest. Are you a contest entrant who was really impressed with a competitor's entry? Same thing. Did you just complete a review for something? Same thing. Bookmark the " Quill Nomination Form 2024" and keep it at the ready if you come across an item that you think deserves to be recognized. You don't have to wait until December to nominate something!
For the authors, consider writing items that qualify for Quills Awards. Sure, there are the popular awards for different types of poetry and different lengths of fiction and nonfiction, but did you know there are also awards for different types of collections (poetry, fiction, mixed types)? Did you know there are awards for blogging, and campfires, and newsletter writing? Maybe there's a new writing challenge in there for you somewhere!
For contest organizers, consider creating activities that meet the needs of some of the harder-to-nominate categories. There are a dozen different short story contests and poetry contests out there. Have you considered a challenge to write a poetry collection? Or an activity that involves creating a campfire or interactive?
None of this is to say that you must or even should take the Quill Awards into consideration while you're spending time on Writing.com. However, many of us do cater our experience to the available activities on the site. We write entries for contests with prizes we find appealing. We participate in writing challenges that interest us. We often review in connection with incentives being offered. If you take those kinds of things into consideration, the annual awards to recognize excellence in the community are as good a motivation as any.
And if you're not motivated by those things, I'd encourage you to still keep The Quill Awards at the top of mind throughout the year because even if they're not that important to you personally, it might just make someone's else's day or week or year to find out that someone thought their work was worthy of recognition.
Please take a moment to bookmark the "Quill Nomination Form 2024" and keep it handy throughout the year anytime you discover something on the site you think deserves recognition.
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations"
"New & Noteworthy Things"
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This month's official Writing.com writing contest is:
I also encourage you to check out the following items:
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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
Don't forget to support our sponsor!
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Feedback from "Noticing Newbies Newsletter (January 12, 2022)" about settings for success:
G. B. Williams  writes:
I enjoyed reading "Settings for Success." Even though I have been a WDC member and once a newbie, U sometimes forget the why of some of the categories when posting. Thank you for the reminder, and especially the significance of selecting the right genre. Write on. WRITE ON!
Nobody’s Home  writes:
Thank you, Jeff! Reading your newsletters is so effortless. I love how you use such beautiful formatting in this one to "show and tell." Perfect!
Tornado Dodger  writes:
Brilliant editorial piece with solid suggestions for success. I hope writers take this to heart and use your guide.
ThisKobold  writes:
Is my story, People Are Strange. It's the first part so far, and I want to get as much feedback as I can. Thank you, and have a great day.
Submitted item: "People Are Strange - Chapter 1" [13+]
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