This week: Official Writing Contests Edited by: Jeff  
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"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 400 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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Official Writing Contests
Did you know that Writing.com runs a monthly writing contest open to everyone with a paid membership? Did you know that there are actually six different contests that rotate throughout the year?
If you're ever wondering what the current month's contest is (as well as other current activities you can enter), I'd highly recommend bookmarking "Writing Contests @ Writing.Com" , or navigating to it from the left-hand menu by going to Community > Contests. There are two annual contests, plus a rotating roster of four others that alternate every year. Here's a little info about each of them:
ANNUAL CONTESTS
"Dear Me: Official WDC Contest" - Runs every January. This contest encourages you to write a letter to yourself about your resolutions/goals for the new year.
"Rhythms & Writing: Official WDC Contest" - Runs every July. This contest always posts a song for inspiration, but the challenge changes from year to year. Sometimes you're asked to write a short story, sometimes poetry, and sometimes an essay.
REGULAR CONTESTS
"Journey Through Genres: Official Contest" - This contest features a new genre to write in every round. Sometimes it's a broad genre (mystery, comedy, horror, etc.), and other times a genre is pulled from one of the dozens of genres listed here on Writing.com. This month, the challenge is to write something in a regional genre. 
"Quotation Inspiration: Official Contest" - This content uses a famous or otherwise interesting quotation to inspire your creativity. Over the years, quotes have been pulled from celebrities, athletes, writers, political figures, and even memorable books and stories.
"Short Shots: Official WDC Contest" - This contest uses a picture prompt that changes every round.
"What a Character! : Official WDC Contest" - This contest challenges you to write in response to a character prompt. Common prompts include writing about a certain type of character, or a character that has a particular quality, or a certain dynamic that needs to play out between two characters. The prompts for this contest, like Journey Through Genres, can be broad, very specific, or somewhere in between.
The great thing about these contests (other than having a prompt to write to every month!) is that they all come with great prizes. At minimum, there is a cash prize for the top three winners each month, as determined by our panel of judges, and an exclusive Merit Badge given to each of the three winners.
First Place is 1,000,000 Gift Points.
Second Place is 500,000 Gift Points.
Third Place is 250,000 Gift Points.
If you're able to write a great story that finishes in the top three, that's a lot of Gift Points that can be put toward paying for a membership, or investing in activities of your own. And even if your story doesn't place in the contest and result in you taking home a prize, it's a great way to get regular writing done and be challenged by a variety of prompts. If you're committed to entering the official writing contests every month, you'll at least end every month with a complete <2,000-word short story that you can grow your portfolio with!
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
"New & Noteworthy Things" | "Blogocentric Formulations"
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This month's official Writing.com writing contest is:
I also encourage you to check out the following items:
EXCERPT: Today is a cloudy afternoon. Clouds covering the beautiful and bright sun away from sinners, the feeling here is nostalgic and melancholic, and the wooden house inside a forest, away from cities, gives off a peaceful feeling being here. Hikari is cooking rice with chicken stew. The smell of the food goes even further from the kitchen, going to the living room. Michi is reading a comedy comic just to ease her boredom, since unlike other kids, she doesn't have any modern gadgets to waste her time on. Only a TV, a flip phone and a bunch of other comics Hikari bought for her. As the flavorsome smell slowly enters the living room, Michi smells a whiff from it. It smells wonderful for her, which in turn made her close her comic book and puts it on a table near her. She keeps following it until she enters the kitchen. She sees her master cooking food. Feeling curious, she asks her.
EXCERPT: Tauranga means ‘safe anchorage’ in Maori and is an apt name for this harbour city in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. It was named this long before the Pakeha 1 arrived with their tall ships, missionaries and soldiers.
Our tale begins well after The Treaty had been signed, and the land was becoming divvied up. Daring and optimistic pioneers from England arrived to claim allotments, intent to eke out an existence off the new and favoured land, and one such group were Irish settlers.
EXCERPT: Listen, children, and listen well
For I’ve a tale that I would tell
A tale of the worlds and of a tree,
That holds the nine worlds, even you and me!
In its branches, each world this tree does hold-
This special tree, one most ancient and old
So listen now, and listen well.
EXCERPT: He stepped out of the seance no more in tune with his brother's spirit than when he entered. The sun stung his eyes, and he recoiled under the awning of the shadowy storefront. Inside, the medium had put on a good enough show. The chanting and umming were done, without being overdone. The lighting was soft and glowy like you see on TV. And my God, if it hadn't been as cold as a morgue in there!
| | | We of Volition [E] #2304561
Walking through a forest, a wolf appears. What happens next? An entry for a contest.
by Sunder  |
EXCERPT: I treaded carefully through the pathway. Baler is quite known for its many coconut trees scattered throughout the area, being one of the only places left with forests in Luzon. I know since my professor told me so. Of course, I also know this place like the back of my hand. From my feet to my calves, they itch as a lone breeze gently pushed the wild grass to my form. I breathed a sigh of calm. I miss this. Living in the city really drained me of my soul and being. I continued walking, careful with the mountainous slope as I guided my steps with the makeshift cane of a sturdy stick I picked up somewhere before the excursion.
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Feedback from "Noticing Newbies Newsletter (August 23, 2023)" about roleplaying games:
Thanks Jeff, these newsletters have inspired me. Today I mostly use a computer, but I keep a scratchpad and an ink pen beside it for my notes. Years ago, when my daughters were in school. I Questioned them about their printing and was blown away when they told me that cursive writing was barely even taught anymore. When I went to school we were taught cursive writing was quicker. They challenged me to a race. As I recall it was pretty much a tie but both of them were really impressed with the beauty of my cursive style writing. When I was in school the guys would tease me about my handwriting, saying it looked like a girl's writing . I was always obsessed with having my writing look the best it could and professionally. I think there is a beauty to a well-written cursive style. I do think handwriting helps to connect with your inner-most creativeness. Giving that Personal unique Touch.
Always something crazy.
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Noticing Newbies: September 20, 2023 Issue [#12192]
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