This week: Getting Ready to Enter Edited by: Dawn Embers  
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Contests & Activities Newsletter by Dawn
An odd little ramble about how the construction process, inspired by setting up for the Grand Prix car race, related to writing items to enter in contests on WDC. |
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Currently, I live in Long Beach close to bridges that cross over to San Pedro. In this area there are many events that happen with the convention center blocked away and multiple activities using the nearby Shoreline Dr for a variety of events. The Long Beach Marathon/Half-Marathon uses Shoreline for the start and finish of the race, for example. The big event coming up in the early part of spring, this year around April 11th is the Grand Prix. This is a car race that many people come over to this area to watch. The prep work for the event started at the end of February. They spend about a month getting the grand stands up, places for people to walk prepared, areas for vendors and the layout for the actual race. It is a lot of prep work and a minor nuisance for anyone that lives in the area because we have to drive through the mess every day as things get put together.
What does this have to do with writing and/or WDC? Good question. This is probably a stretch but the construction stage for the race, since I don't really care about car racing and just hear the zoom sounds from the comfort of my own apartment, is where I'm getting the topic for this newsletter. When getting ready to write an entry for a contest, whether it's a story or a poem, one could view it as a construction that is done in different stages.
Big stretch but let's go with it. Once you have picked a contest to enter, do you just write it out at once then enter? Or are there steps you take and certain procedures that help you get to something you can enter that fits within the contest requirements?
Not everyone will have the same approach but it also doesn't hurt to consider trying out different methods. So, let's consider some possible stages for constructing a contest entry. The first step depends on how you view the beginning. It could be the one where you pick out which contest to enter. You could have to pick the prompt that you are going to use for ones that have choices. Or you could view the first action as picking the idea you're going to use. Then there is the getting the speedway, document, ready for words. Have you ever tried writing in a notebook first? That might be a different starting venue and if you haven't tried, it's worth seeing how it feels or how the words flow in comparison to writing on a computer. Online there are a few options because you could use a writing document available on your computer. If you are like me, you might write directly onto the site in the static item created for the entry.
The main part is the general writing, creating the story or poem in order to have something to enter. This is where you could consider doing prep work, plotting things out before writing the actual text of the item. You could also just start writing and see what comes out. This is the part where people will vary depending if they prepare (outline, etc) or write by the seat of their pants. Whatever way works best for you, take that and use it to construct the item.
Once it is ready, there is the tidy up and double check to make sure the area is picture perfect or ready for larger audience viewing. If you have the time, editing would be a good option here. This is particularly helpful if you can take a little time away from the item before reading it with the intention to edit. That way you will have a better chance at seeing where things need fixed. I also recommend checking the rules of the contest and the requirements to make sure you have everything in place and don't get disqualified for a minor error. Put necessary notes at the bottom if you have any including information like word counts. As a reader, I appreciate it when I'm given information after experiencing the poem or story that share details like the source of inspiration and contest entered. It's not a requirement but a nice bonus that adds curb appeal.
After everything is painted and shiny, before the deadline, enter the contest. You worked hard to construct the item so once it's posted in the contest, breathe a sigh of relief. Now you can relax or move on to something else because the results are not up to you. After entering, you can either take a break or move on to writing something else. It all depends on what you want to do. Hopefully this ramble makes sense and you are having fun entering contests here on the site. And sometimes, even when you don't finish the construction stage in time to enter, at least you can create something that you appreciate.
How do you approach entering a contest here? Let us know and have fun creating your next contest entry.
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How do you approach getting ready to enter a contest? Have you considered working in stages to construct your item?
Last month, for this newsletter, I discussed communication and places one can connect with other people on WDC. Ironically, no comments were sent in for the topic on communication.
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Contests & Activities: March 26, 2025 Issue [#13045]
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