5 Great Reasons to Join Writing Contests

In the last few years I have discovered a plethora of writing contests, some offering exciting prizes and others that are just plain fun to enter. As a writer, joining a contest is a great way to show the writing community who you are. Remember, every writer is unique in his or her creativity and way of expression, with much to offer the world of varied literature.

Choose the contest that suits what you like to write. They vary in submission guidelines and content requested. Some require you to send in a specific piece of literature, such as only short stories. Others will supply you with a prompt from which to base your writing. If you have yet to join a contest, read on.

Here are five great reasons to join writing contests:

1. There is the chance that you will actually win one of the contest prizes.

If you don’t enter, you don’t stand a chance. You have nothing to lose by entering a contest and running the chance of getting a monetary or equally valued reward. Some contests range from a hundred dollars for first prize to several thousands of dollars. Write the best piece you can, submit it, remain humble in your expectations, and never give up. Once you’ve joined your first contest, you’ll want to join others. By all means, do.

2. There’s nothing like a deadline to get you sitting and writing.

When you know you have to produce a quality piece of work within a short period of time, you get to work by sitting down and starting to write. You may have noticed that the most creative writing comes from doing it quickly without thinking, without pausing to edit, but just letting the words flow. You’ve decided to enter the contest so now you’ve got to get the work done. Let the fun begin!

3. You’ll produce a great piece of literature when you know others will analyze it.

The poem, short story, essay, memoir or novel you will send in must be the best work you can produce at this point in time because it will be judged. Don’t linger on this thought too long, though. Write with your own unique style, passion and voice. You want your work to catch the judges’ attention, strike a feeling, or touch their heart because you wrote the best you could.

4. Winning a contest gives you credentials.

Some contests allot prestigious awards. You can spot the book with an award stamped on its jacket right away. Does it influence your buying decision? Most probably. Does it tell the world you’re a good writer? Definitely. Does it open up new doors to the writing business? Sure does. You can never lose if you win a contest. Your name will gain recognition and respect.

5. Even if you don’t win, you may still have written publishable material.

You may not win, but you could be a finalist. You could be short listed. What does that say? Your work is good. Your work is publishable. And even if you don’t end up in any of these categories, you still have a piece of work that you can submit for publishing.

What are you waiting for? Join a contest today!

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