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Thứ Bảy, 26 tháng 7, 2014

Submit Your Work To A Free Monthly Writing Contest

By Paulette Mason


Entering contests offers writers an opportunity to gain experience and recognition. Winning prizes is another advantage. There are many such contests available and a quick internet search provides numerous options. Many of them require no entry fees. Entering a free monthly writing contest will cost a writer nothing but time.

As there are so many contests, one has to be selective when choosing which one to apply for. The genres covered vary from mystery, science fiction and romance to non-fiction, travel writing, stories for children and memoirs. You need to find the best fit for you. If you are a newbie, it may be preferable to start small and progress on to larger contests as you acquire more confidence. Reading past winning submissions can be helpful in making a decision.

Many writers tend to skim over the rules and conditions when applying and this is not a good idea. You need to fully understand what is required from you as the writer to stand the best chance. You also need to understand what will happen to your work once it has been submitted and what kind of rights the sponsors have over it.

Certain guidelines are given as to what your manuscript should look like. There is a deadline for submission and you are given the maximum number of words required. If you ignore the maximum word count or other stipulations like double spacing, your submission could be rejected even if your actual content is superb.

Another consideration is editing. It is essential to do a spell check and edit your work before submission. This will ensure that judges have a favorable first impression. A manuscript full of unnecessary errors can put them off before they even begin judging the content.

Other important factors that help your submission to stand out are your creativity, originality and the way you use language. However, no matter how creative and original your content may be, you have to make sure you stick to the theme. A brilliant entry that completely digresses from the theme will obviously not be in the running.

There are many smaller contests with prizes like an annual subscription to a magazine if your submission is published. It is often best for new writers to start with something like this to gain some confidence. Some of these contests have really good prizes, including large amounts of money and there are many experienced writers who enter these. Remember that everyone has to start somewhere and even a T-shirt as a prize means that someone else appreciates your work.

As long as you understand what the sponsor requires of you and what they are able to do with your submission, there is no risk involved in entering such contests. Submissions can often be emailed to the sponsors together with a name, address and telephone number. The fact that no entry fee is required means you do not have anything to lose and much to gain. Even experienced writers enter such competitions for the worthwhile prizes and recognition offered.




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