Contests & Activities: February 04, 2009 Issue [#2874]
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Contests & Activities


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  Edited by: Fyn Author IconMail Icon
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Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

“We improve ourselves by victories over ourselves. There must be contest, and we must win.”~~~Edward Gibbon

“When you are in any contest, you should work as if there were - to the very last minute - a chance to lose it. This is battle, this is politics, this is anything.”~~~Dwight David Eisenhower

“The real contest is always between what you've done and what you're capable of doing. You measure yourself against yourself and nobody else.”~~~Geoffrey Gaberino

“It is odd but agitation or contest of any kind gives a rebound to my spirits and sets me up for a time.”~~~Lord Byron


Word from our sponsor

ASIN: B004PICKDS
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Letter from the editor

There are a host of reasons to enter writing contests. Recognition, exposure, prestige, and prizes (money, gps, merit badges, or awardicons--depending upon the contest and whether or not it is on site or perhaps in one of the varying writing magazines) being just a few of the reasons.

Here, at WDC, at any given time, are a great many contests that reach across the genres. They are an excellent way for a newbie to gain exposure and get noticed. Winning contests is a super way to raise gps for rewarding other writers or using to keep an upgrade. For the longest time, I funded my upgrade by entering contests and doing a lot of reviewing.

Along the way, I discovered another benefit of entering contests. People started to recognize my handle. To this day, one of the nicest compliments I've received here was by Mark Author Icon. He told me that seeing my handle in the entry list of a contest pushed him to try harder. Recognition is such a positive feeling.

I've also learned something far more important. It outweighs any merit badge or awardicon. One of the best things about contests is that it affords you the opportunity to push yourself as a writer. A contest prompt can give that muse of yours a wake up call! When a prompt sets your mind racing and gets your fingers itching to translate that whirl of activity in your mind into a short story or poem, it is one of the best feelings a writer can have. *smile*

I have found this to be especially true when I have been working on something else and I've come to a dead end (so to speak.) Switching gears (and usually genres) to respond to a prompt sidetracks the mind from problem 1, kick starts my muse's salivary glands, gets me thinking in different directions and the new idea pours out, spilling onto the page, and sometimes pulls with it a words or two that propels me back to that supposed dead end.

But the best thing about a contest is that when you work on an entry, polish it up all bright and shiny, and submit it, you have created something where,before, there was nothing. You have given birth through your words, pushed a new metaphor into being, and ventilated a thought in a way never before aired. That makes you a winner long before the deadline hits.


Editor's Picks

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#1232797 by Not Available.


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#1364200 by Not Available.


 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#1364200 by Not Available.


What if...? (Closed) Open in new Window. (13+)
The contest that asks the big question - what if...? September Round - Judging
#1511228 by Dawn Embers Author IconMail Icon


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This item number is not valid.
#1517429 by Not Available.


The Elementalist Contest Open in new Window. (ASR)
Come and test your wits against the elements. Sorry/Closed for Revamp! Come back in July!
#1495092 by LdyPhoenix Author IconMail Icon


The Elementalist Contest Open in new Window. (ASR)
Come and test your wits against the elements. Sorry/Closed for Revamp! Come back in July!
#1495092 by LdyPhoenix Author IconMail Icon


 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#598590 by Not Available.


 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
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#1519949 by Not Available.

 
Submit an item for consideration in this newsletter!
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Word from Writing.Com

Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
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Don't forget to support our sponsor!

ASIN: B07B63CTKX
Amazon's Price: $ 6.99


Ask & Answer

Guest editing this week, so no feedback to offer...have some fun, push yourself a bit and enter a contest! Remember, you are already a winner...just for writing something new!

*Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet* Don't Be Shy! Write Into This Newsletter! *Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet*

This form allows you to submit an item on Writing.Com and feedback, comments or questions to the Writing.Com Newsletter Editors. In some cases, due to the volume of submissions we receive, please understand that all feedback and submissions may not be responded to or listed in a newsletter. Thank you, in advance, for any feedback you can provide!
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Word from our sponsor
ASIN: 0997970618
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