This week: The 10 % Mystery Edited by: Carol St.Ann  
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| Hello. I joined WDC in September of 2006. My name is Carol St.Ann, and and I write for this newsletter once a month. This year, 2025, I plan to focus on the craft with a hard focus toward publication. Please feel free to hit me up with any issues you’d like to see addressed, and I’ll do my best to research it for you. |
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Greetings, everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Valentine’s Day. I know some of you were looking forward to the final installment of my self-publishing trio, but I’m interrupting the flow this month to talk about rules, guidelines, and instructions - and the importance thereof.
Whether you’re looking at self publishing or you plan to go the traditional route, I’m sure the majority of you dream of somehow, someday seeing your work in print.
This past month, I’ve been honored to judge two wonderful writing contests here at our very own WDC, and I have to share a stunning bit of news.
Did you know that in these two contests as well of most of the contests I’m privileged to judge, a whopping 10 percent of entries are disqualified because the writer neglected to follow the rules and instructions for submission?
It’s true.
I did the math.
Last month alone saw a wonderful contest entry that should have taken first prize, disqualified for this very reason. It was heartbreaking.
Okay. Show of hands: Is there anyone here who honestly thinks their writing is ever going to be published by anyone, other than themselves if they failed to follow instructions from a publisher?
Surely we all know instructions matter, and, excluding the occasional child who has issues with authority, we can sensibly conclude no one intentionally disregards rules and instructions. So what can one do to guard against this happening?
One way, I suppose, would be to make a list and check it twice.  I Know. I know, but if it works for Santa. . .
A sticky note  affixed to your screen would be a helpful assist. You can tick the rule list before you hit send.
A method that works well for me is to cut  the rules from the contest page and paste  them atop my entry. This forces me to look at them again because I need to delete them from my entry before I send it. (I also include personal instructions, like: remember to take my item off “private”, make sure it’s rated correctly, spellcheck, & preview item before sending.) I do all this because I’ve made my share of failures to follow rules and scored several DISQUALIFIED notifications.
I bet some of you have a fail safe method that works for you, too. Please write in and share what works for you! Whatever method you choose, do make every effort to conquer this issue.
If you find you suffer from rulefailureitis, make your plan to overcome it today. Then, make it a habit.
When the time comes for you to publish, following rules will be second nature to you and you’ll be more than ready to deal with any publishing house rules and instructions that come your way.
See you next month with the promised “Part 3”
Carol
Remember to nominate great mysteries and great mystery contests and mystery how-tos!
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Was there a time when following rules hurt your chances at something you really wanted?
Conversely, was there a time when following the rules saved you? |
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Mystery: February 19, 2025 Issue [#12988]
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