This week: Winning Edited by: Annette More Newsletters By This Editor
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"Winning doesn't always mean being first. Winning means you're doing better than you've ever done before."
-Bonnie Blair. (American speed skater)
"Winning takes precedence over all. There's no gray area. No almosts."
-Kobe Bryant. (American basketball player) |
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Winning
On any given day, there are several contests here on the site that want you to write for a specific prompt or for a broad topic. Each person has a chance to be the winner in a contest if they meet certain benchmarks.
The first is to write something at all. Not too hard yet.
The second is to make sure the submitted writing fits the prompt or topic of the contest. This one is important.
The third is to make sure the writing is the best it can be. This means, the text should be edited and proofed to the writer's best abilities. Most contest hosts will be generous with certain phrases or some spelling mistakes if they can tell that the writer's first language is not English. However, no contest host or judge will slog through a text that is incomprehensible due to excessive spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes.
Once a piece is submitted to a contest, all there is left to do is wait until the deadline for everyone to enter is over and then hope for quick judging and a declaration of the winner or winners.
As you can tell by the two quotes by Bonnie Blair and Kobe Bryant, winning means different things to different people. Some are perfectly happy to do better than they did the last time. In sports, this is somewhat easily measured by times or points. In writing, it's not that easy. However, if a writer gets to have their work read and critiqued by the same person, they can easily see where they are doing better and where they need more work.
There may be no gray area when it comes to winning. That one is kind of true. You either had the most points, were the fastest, or convinced the judges that your writing was the best.
But there is one more bit of advice when it comes to winning. "There is no try, just do." - Yoda (Green guy from Star Wars). This last quote means that writers who want to win writing contests have to write and submit. Write and submit. Those are the "do."
Go ahead, win some contests!
What does winning mean to you and what would you do to win? |
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I received these replies to my last Contests & Activities newsletter "Be Like April" that asked: Have you ever allowed yourself to be as spontaneous as April weather? Sunny one minute and rainy the next?
Sand Castles Shopgirl 739 wrote: Oh, I can be spontaneous alright. Sometimes, I think I have ADHD when it comes to writing, lol! I will be working on one item and then, "Oh! Look! Another shiny new prompt or contest to enter!" Sometimes, I think I need help just focusing on one thing at time. I will admit that once I get the shiny, new stuff out of my system, I tend to have fresh eyes for some of my older creations. So, maybe being spontaneous is not such a bad thing after all!
Your approach sounds as if you get more writing done by letting your creativity jump on whatever feels good at the moment.
Elfin Dragon-finally published wrote: Sunny one minute and rainy the next? Sounds like my whole life. Having Bi-Polar Disorder I've had to learn how to manage several opposite emotions.
I wonder which one of your moods is best for your creativity? |
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