This week: Be A Good Contestant Edited by: Leger~  
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The purpose of this newsletter is to highlight some of the current contests and activities on the site, help educate members on how to host contests and activities, and provide clues to submit quality entries to contests. Write to me if you'd like something in particular covered.
This week's Contests and Activities Editor
Leger~
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Be a Good Contestant!
In this newsletter I'll cover a few suggestions on how to be a good contestant. You probably found the contest on the "Writing Contests @ Writing.Com" page or plugged somewhere on the site. You wrote a fabulous item and entered it in the contest, but didn't win.
Did I win?
When entering, note the closing date and stop in the contest to see! I've been guilty of entering a contest and then promptly forgetting about it. It's a courtesy, even if you didn't win, to stop in and congratulate the winners and thank the contest host for running the contest.
Why didn't I win?
Some contest entries are reviewed by the contest host, some are not. If there are a lot of entries, don't expect the contest host to give you a three page in-depth review. But, they may comment on what it was that didn't make it a winner. Or, if you're really curious, you could email the contest host and ask.
My entry post was deleted, why?
Did you post your entry according to directions? Learning the bitem link can make or break your entry. Did you just paste your poem in the forum anyway? Reading the directions and following them to the letter is important. If the contest says it closes at midnight, your 12:01 am entry shouldn't be considered. If one minute late is okay, should one hour, one day?
My story was 'kind of like' the prompt!
That could be. Often members enter an item they've already written into a contest that has a similar prompt. Should that be the winner when another member wrote an item specifically for that contest? If both stories are equally well written, I would probably choose the second item. Also, if my contest has three prompts and only two are covered in the story, it is disqualified.
Why do I have to follow the rating guidelines anyway?
Some judges don't like to read harsher stories. Not everyone has the same taste in content. If the contest rating only allows items rated up to [18+], entering an erotica story will earn an express elimination. Be sure your item is properly rated and fits within the contest guidelines. Rating content guidelines are important to know everywhere on this site.
I forgot what contest I entered this in!
There are a few things you can do to remember. Jot the contest closing on your calendar. As mentioned above, a courtesy post at the contest closing goes a long way. I also plug the contest it was entered in at the bottom of the item. This way a random visitor to your portfolio can better understand why your item was written the way it is. The item might not even make sense without knowing what the contest prompt was! If you didn't take notes but vaguely remember entering, you can check your My Account > My Activity - Forum Posts in the site navigation panel on the left side of your page. Most contests are held in forums and this listing records all your forum posts.
Woot! I won! Now what?
It certainly is nice to have your item sport an awardicon showing you've written a winner! If your item won GPs, note the contest and your placement in the bottom of your item. Visitors might find it and enter subsequent rounds, which helps the contest longevity. It's also a very nice reminder that your work was acknowledged. Again, visit the forum and thank the host and other contestants with grace and dignity.
Overall, the best advice I can give is to read the instructions carefully. As a judge, I'm always sad to see a fantastic entry eliminated because the contestant just didn't take the time to read the instructions. Good luck and write on!
This month's question: What do you see as a common problem with contest entries?
Send in your answer below!  Editors love feedback!
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The prompt: From terraformed paradises to Dyson spheres, from Pern to the Dying Worlds of Dr. Who, from the steel caves of The Fifth Element to the exploited planet of Pandora, Science Fiction has often explored what humanity would do its planets if it only could. Will we sink in Waterworld, burn in the hellscape of Mad Max, or will we found a new garden of Eden? What's your vision?
Excerpt: Come on in and enter your funny poem! Write about a humorous situation and exaggerate. Try a rhyming poem, a Limerick, Lyrics, or even pen something absurd.
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Excerpt: Write your own version, but with a twist... Eighteen Ways of Looking At...!
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Excerpt: Special Contest from September 1st to the midnight the 7th
Fantastic prizes during birthday week, check it out!
The quote: "You are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely." -- Ogden Nash
Don't forget to review your fellow members!
Keep yourself motivated!
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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!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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This month's question: What do you see as a common problem with contest entries?
Send in your answer below! Editors love feedback!
Last month's "Contests & Activities Newsletter (August 8, 2018)" question: Where do you surf for giggles and ideas?
Kimbug  replied: I don't have a Twitter account, but Facebook is a good place for finding stuff you just can't make up sometimes. Pinterest is also a good one. I use it to post unusual words, quotes, and writing ideas/tips.
Wicahpi Iyozaza sent: Honestly, I do not surf to much for giggles and such. I do, however, visit the Alaska Bear Cam @ Katmai State Park, Brooks Falls, Alaska. If you cannot be inspired by the activity there, then maybe nature isn't your thing. The antics of the young sub adults, or the baby coy and even the adults are truly worth many giggles and inspiration. I've been watching that cam for three summers. Also, Simon's Cat comics. Oh my gosh, I love those! I am a movie buff, so I can get a lot of inspiration from a movie I just watched. On occasion, a song will inspire me, but in all fairness, life itself is inspiration enough! Simply put, life offers all the drama that FB or Twitter has, but one thing is for sure, it's real!
the Wordy Jay responded: Where I surf for giggles and ideas?
YouTube!!! Have you seen some of the videos up there?! 
When I'm on WDC, I read contest entries to steal borrow creative ideas or troll the Community Newsfeed for comic relief (we've got quite a few resident comedians here!). 
taknemeyer admits: Well, I am still thinking about that, although I know where my wife finds her giggles. Yep, it's me. Oh no. I am definitely not a cleaver comedian. I wish that was the case. Rather, it is my klutzy tendencies. Unfortunately, since I am the klutz, I am always stuck in the first person point of view so I can't really see what she sees, or see the humor in what I have done. I am going to have to try one of those out-of-body experiences to get into the third person point of view. Maybe then I can experience the humor. Until then, I guess I will have to search elsewhere for my giggle opportunities.
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Contests & Activities: September 05, 2018 Issue [#9112]
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