This week: Reviews Before and After a Deadline Edited by: Dawn Embers  
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Contests & Activities Newsletter
Talking some about reviews at different times and different ways to help when entering an item in a contest or activity that allows edits before a round ends. |
| ASIN: B07NPKP5BF |
Product Type: Toys & Games
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Amazon's Price: Price N/A
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While reviews can be quite helpful, there is definitely a few different forms of help based on the time they happen when it comes to reviewing an item for a contest or activity. It is great when a contest ends and, whether anyone wins or not, the judge sends a review. For my contests, it is rather common that a round doesn't get enough entries, unfortunately. I am weird as a judge as I don't like rewarding one entry and having one "lose or fail" so I just offer gift points to both and I do reviews.
The thing about the review from the judge or anyone after winners have been announced is that it doesn't help for the actual contest. Will be useful if you plan to keep it on the site to let others read at random. Even more useful if you are going to develop things further or submit to a short fiction publication. I've actually submitted a couple stories so far that were initially written for contests like Writer's Cramp, so it is possible. Which means there are definite benefits. If you can do a review to let the writer know details about the item, even if it's just reminding to fix the font to make it easier for others to read, that can be helpful. I forget to change the font still but want others when they randomly find the item not to have to squint. That means even if it's a simple item like that, a polite comment helps.
Then there are the reviews before a round ends. I'm omitting the time between the round ending and judging because almost all contests will forbid that. If you change anything so the item shows the new time it was opened in an edit window, there is a change your entry will be disqualified. Best not to tempt fate and just leave alone once the round ends.
As I was saying, a review before a round can be great because with short time frames for deadlines, it is hard to get enough space to have a fresh view when doing an edit. In the ideal world, I would finish an item days after prompts are up, for contests open all month long, then get to edit after the half way point of the month. Usually, I am trying to finish on the last few days of the month so even this type of review may not happen. Last minutes reviews are at risk of going in review free.
However, with challenges like I Write, some of us have had the opportunity to write for a contest and get one review from another person in the challenge. After writing an entry for a contest, we have to review the entry of the person who posted in the forum right below our own entry (in I Write). Not all of the reviews will be helpful but there is a chance they will catch little typos and problems we didn't see. Then there are the times where a random reader considering entering the contest, or maybe they did, will offer a review before the round is over. Options.
Anyone reviewing and needing a new place to check out items, I would recommend looking up contests even if you don't enter. Sure, the random review button is helping in getting a variety of different items and authors you many never see otherwise. But giving a review even if it's wether you could connect with the item or not, can be helpful for someone entering a contest or a challenge with a writing component. Plus, you get credit for the review and maybe you might like the contest to consider a future entry. You never know. Don't be afraid to check out the contest list the site has or even the ones we promote in these newsletters and check out some entries too. Have fun and good luck with the read/review process.
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| ASIN: B07YXBT9JT |
Product Type: Kindle Store
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Amazon's Price: $ 4.99
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Do you try to get reviews on specific elements before a contest round ends or just wait and see?
Last month, I wrote a newsletter discussing good intentions, which are nice but don't always help get an entry done for a contest. Here is a comment sent in for that topic:
Comment by Leger~  :
I always have great intentions starting in November, lots of writing for NaNo, getting gifts ready for the holidays and picking indoor projects as the weather cools. December always ends up feeling like I'm swimming with my head barely above water. And January, well...I hide out and recover.
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| ASIN: B00KN0JEYA |
Product Type: Kindle Store
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Amazon's Price: $ 4.99
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Contests & Activities: January 01, 2025 Issue [#12920]
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