  Contests & Activities
This week: Edited by: Sarah Rae  
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The contests and activities on this site are constantly changing! Almost every day there is something new and exciting to view and participate in. The ideas are endless. Some succeed, some manage to get along, while others, unfortunately, are left behind and forgotten. My goal as your Contest & Activity newsletter editor is to provide each of you with the tools it takes to create a great success.
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WritingML - Friend or Foe?
I was at a loss as to what to discuss in my first Contest & Activities Newsletter. I browsed old editions, I ran through memories of contests and activities I have hosted or participated in. But my muse is so focused on my novel's rewrite that she hasn't given any thought to my debut editorial. In desperation, I began browsing the many contest and activity listings on this site. That was when my muse decided to look up and see what I was doing that had taken my attention away from my rewrite. I had just opened a contest, and my muse spoke up: "Well, that looks pretty boring".
I had to agree with her. The host of the contest had given no thought to using WritingML to spice up the header of the forum:
It was two lines describing the main idea of the contest and why they were hosting such a contest.
-three
-dashed
-lines to share the brief rules
And another space telling me when the contest closed.
It had three posts, one of them was the host's opening "entries are being accepted" post. However, my muse found my browsing too boring and quickly left. With a sigh, I continued trudging through contest after contest, noticing a few that I had seen plugged here and there, some that looked worth entering, others that I moved on from within moments.
      And then my screen lit up     
   with dozens of shimmering colors.
Oh wait, it was just another contest. It was the complete opposite of the last contest my muse had commented on. It was flooded with WritingML, constantly changing colors, every emoticon ever made. Apparently, the colors distracted my muse from her work, because she decided to join me finally and help me write this editorial.
There is a line you must walk between "Too Much ML" and "Not Enough ML". Luckily, it is a very thick line. Several contests look presentable with just a couple well placed {center} and {e:bullet} tags. Nice, clean, but it looks as if they had put thought into the presentation of the piece. Sometimes, they'll get a little daring and throw in a color tag. A little bit of red to show off the romance theme they've selected for their contest. Other people are a pro at using several different emoticons, a handful of colors, the {indent}, {center}, {u}, {i}, and all the other tags the WritingML provides. But there is a limit. I encourage each of you to try out different ways of using the WritingML, and find the balance that works best for you. Not sure where to start? Try a few "rule of thumbs":
 Use only 2 colors. One for "Headers" (the Title, "Rules", "Prompt:") and one for the main text (the actual rules, the prompt, any other narrative you wish to include). Make sure the colors go together (green and purple very rarely go nicely together) and make sure they are readable (light khaki is hard on the eyes)
Choose ONE emoticon and use it regularly, not frequently but regularly. The difference? Frequently means you use it at every line break. Regularly means you use it to frame your headers, or you use it as a "bullet" (like I am doing for these rules) for your rules. Once you have mastered the "art of emoticons", or if you just feel like it, try using a second or third emoticon, but do so sparingly.
Buy or make a banner. If you are upgraded, find a sig-maker and request a banner made. Make the color of your text match the main colors of the sig. It gives your contest or activity a unique look.
The {center} tag can be your best friend. Just by centering your headers, or the whole thing, it gives the look of some effort into the entire thing.
Be wary of the {b} tag. Use it to emphasize not make the whole description of your contest or activity jump out at you. When used correctly, the bold tag can be very useful.
You don't have live by these rules. There is always a presentable contest that has 4 or more colors, but it is done so very tastefully. Other contests will include several different emoticons. Just be wary of using too much WritingML, but don't be so scared you ignore it completely.
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In choosing these items, I have tried to find items that use a nice balance of WritingML. They don't follow all my "rules of thumb", but they are all neatly done. Plus, they're all worthwhile contests and activities to check out and participate in!
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Contests & Activities: November 23, 2005 Issue [#729]
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