 Contests & Activities: August 05, 2015 Issue [#7135] |
  Contests & Activities
This week: Break the Rules! Edited by: spidey  
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Welcome to the Contests & Activities Newsletter. I'm spidey , and I'm your Editor this week!
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Break the Rules!
A little over a year ago, I wrote a newsletter: "Contests & Activities Newsletter (June 11, 2014)" and now I'm going to go against everything I said, because sometimes it might be worth it to break the rules!
Consider the fact that there are countless articles on breaking common writing rules:
http://problogservice.com/2011/06/17/five-writing-rules-youre-allowed-to-break/
http://www.betternovelproject.com/blog/break-writing-rules/
Etc. Just try searching "common writing rules to break" or something similar.
It's very, very important to read and follow rules of a contest or activity, but sometimes it might be worth it to break a rule or two.  What kind of rules are there to break? Rules tend to list restrictions or guidelines such as word count, genre, rating, deadlines, etc.
Why it might be worth it to break a rule:
 It can make you stand out. Particularly in contests and activities that get a lot of attention and entries, going against the grain can help you stand out.
Some judges like creativity and ingenuity in an entry. It can break up the monotony of reading entries that similar.
Yet, you take a risk when you break the rules.
The negative side to breaking rules:
 Some judges are very strict about their rules (and understandably so!) so you take a big risk bending or breaking a rule. You might get disqualified or even banned from participating again. That's a pretty big risk!
Basically, you'd better have a really good reason to break a rule, and be prepared to face the consequences! 
In all seriousness, if you're thinking about breaking a rule, you should definitely contact the judge/host and ask them first.
As always, keep on writing!
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My last newsletter, ("Contests & Activities Newsletter (July 8, 2015)" ), discussed quitting something.
I think sometimes you should have a contest that goes contrary to the genre. I personally get tired of the same thing all the time and am glad when I see something different. I think it's why I often don't enter contests during those specific months because they stick to the genre of the month. It's kind of why I like Alfred Hitchcock's movie "The Trouble With Harry". You think Hitchcock and you think suspense and horror. But this movie, with it's black humor, is simply hilarious. A comedy worth seeing.
~ Gaby ~ Elfin Dragon-finally published 
I totally agree! Great example, too! 
I like focusing on genres at the right time of year. For example, I always try to write a Halloween story in October - it's just an ingrained habit. Bizarrely though, I also like the idea of using contrasting genres - I actually once turned a romance prompt at Valentine's on it's head and wrote about a relationship break up. I received a few very confused reviews over it.
~ Andy~hating university
I think most people follow that line of thought, too, and great use of contrast! I've done that, too.
Questions to think about: Have you ever broken the rules of a contest? What were the results?
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