  Contests & Activities
This week: Edited by: Elisa: Snowman Stik  
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| Contrary to popular belief, writing contests on this site are not dead. The new challenge with writing contests is to make them stand out on the site. Whether you're new to running site contests or an old hand at it, I'd like to offer you some suggestions to make your contest unique and less likely to get lost in contests that seem a little too similar. |
| ASIN: B00KN0JEYA |
Product Type: Kindle Store
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Amazon's Price: $ 4.99
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Wow! It's been quite a while since I've been here. It's been kind of busy for me, what with having wrapped up the fifth annual run of Troublesome Musings. If Troublesome Musings sounds familiar, that's a contest I run every year for pieces that are not all sunshine, rainbows and fluffy kittens. It's not genre restricted, has no prompt and runs once a year. The structure of that very contest made me think about the contests I've seen around here.
From what I've observed, many contests tend to be either weekly or monthly, and a good number of those contests have prompts. While those contests certainly help people create new pieces, I've noticed it leaves others hungry for different types of contests. Writing.com is a creative place, and that goes for the types of contests run by members as well as the pieces that are entered. I have seen things as unorthodox as writing Truth or Dare (which was actually a RAOK fundraiser a few years back), but if you're not up for going in that direction with your writing contest, her are some ideas to make it unqiue without being too deviant from more familiar contest parameters.
When I run my contest, I have at least one person every year thank me for not having a prompt. Sure, prompts have their purpose, but after a while, people get tired of them. Not having prompts also allows people to enter pieces they've already written. Many people with limited portfolio space appreciate being able to enter contests with pieces they already have. That way, it saves them some work of rotating out items so they have the space for a piece written for a contest that might not showcase their best writing efforts. Other people just don't prefer to jump through the hoops, or sometimes coming up with something that fits the prompt takes too long. In these ways, prompts can be limiting to potential entrants, especially if there are other specific parameters, which I will cover in a minute.
Sometimes, even a genre can feel overdone. I've seen more erotica contests lately. Given how many people actually own up to writing in that genre (and are active in it), it seems like a lot of prizes get split up among a small group of people. Likewise, a new member might think this site is exclusively for horror writers with all the horror contests that are around. So, it might be a gamble, but perhaps this might spur a potential contest host to trumpet a less common genre. How about sports? Why not mystery? If you're feeling really ambitious, medical dramas or political pieces could be the focus of a contest. There might be smaller audiences for such genres, but it will provide writers with a challenge.
Another way to try something outside of the typical contest realm is to have entrants write different types of items. Tired of short story contests? Perhaps a novel or novella contest would float your boat. If you're tired of fiction, maybe you could try hosting an essay and/or article contest (which, with one exception, I have never seen). You could also deviate from static items altogether and have entrants create madlibs. With so many static item subtypes and even item types available, who says they're off limits for contests? I'm pretty sure people around the site would enjoy a break from the poetry/short story rut. 
One potential trend in hosting contests is keeping the number of entrants small, as in a dozen or less. This is useful for contests that involve longer items, multiple writings and/or a prolonged schedule. Such a setup also helps the host and judges, as it does keep the amount of reading to a reasonable level. Likewise, it can build camaraderie among the entrants, which can be beneficial socially and even for writing (as you might find a good reviewer that is interested in looking at your work after the contest ends). The downside to this is it can get time intensive if you set up overly ambitious parameters for your contest. Likewise, if you like to feel a little distanced from the contestants, this setup can create an air of social intimacy that might make you uncomfortable. A small group of entrants can work, but keep in mind it's not the easiest setup to manage. If you're running a contest for the first time, this might not be the way to start.
If none of these alternatives float your boat, there is one more thing I would like to suggest: choosing a unique timeframe. What do I mean by that? I'm referring to when you hold each round. As it is, weekly and monthly contests are very popular. That's not to say those timeframes are suitable for everyone. Likewise, some contest ideas are not made to run on a weekly or monthly basis. With larger, more ambitious concepts, holding only one round a year will probably be enough. Other types of contests might be suitable for a fortnightly run or staggered every other month. You could even go for a one round only contest, which I've seen in the past for contests where offsite publication is the big prize. So if you're looking to host a contest with a prompt or in a popular genre, a different schedule of rounds can help you stand out. Likewise, deviating from the weekly and monthly formats can be beneficial to those who are running particularly large contests.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to creating writing contests. If you're thinking about running one, maybe this primer will help you create one that will entice even the most jaded participant. So get off your duff and get going! Run some contests that turn Writing.com contest canon on its ear. The site members will thank you.
Until next time,
(sig by me) |
Not sure where to find contests that break the traditional contest mold? I did a little digging for you and found some you might like. Yes, some are currently inactive, but I list them so you can add them to your favorites for when future rounds open.
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| ASIN: 0995498113 |
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Amazon's Price: $ 19.95
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It's been a long time since I last helmed this newsletter. Add on the fact that my last newsletter came out immediately after the holidays, and it's surprising that anyone sent me feedback!
From April Sunday  : hAPPY 2008, Stix! You're so right about getting about the site. Even on a busy day, twenty minutes turns into hours of fun in these enjoyable onsite tours especially when finding WC members' creativity.
Well, 2008 has been busy, but happy? ...Let me get back to you on that one. In any case, a little site wandering does everyone some good. You never know when you'll find something unique or doable for you. I have found some interesting stories with the most random searches, and while prices are going up, there are still bargains out there when you search spots like "The Marketplace" [13+]. Meandering the site also helped me find the contests plugged this week. And yep, twenty minutes on the site can turn into an hour very quickly if you're not careful. 
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| ASIN: 0995498113 |
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Amazon's Price: $ 19.95
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Contests & Activities: September 03, 2008 Issue [#2586]
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