I believe writing contests are one of the best ways to grow as a writer.
Writing contests are practice. They provide focus, accountability, and feedback, all of which you need to become a better writer.
But from personal experience and from talking to hundreds of writers, I also realize writing contests can be intimidating at their best and completely frustrating at their worst. Why do judges choose one story over another one? Why doesn't a great story win? What can you do to make yours stand out?
In this post, I want to share a secret I've learned to winning writing contests, plus give you access to a new book we just released that will help you go deeper into writing process.
When Writing Contests Go Wrong
I used to avoid writing contests. Writing friends would tell me all about the different contests they were entering and I would smile, encourage them, and then do my best to ignore their invitation to join them.
Why did I hate writing contests?
Because I was afraid.
I was afraid that if I lost it would prove that I wasn't that good of a writer. I was afraid that someone with different tastes than I had would judge my stories and not understand what I was trying to do. I was afraid of failing.
And so I kept my stories to myself, safe in my delusion of my own talent.
The problem was that I wasn't getting better. I wasn't growing as a writer.
Here's How to Win a Writing Contest
As the founder of The Write Practice, I've participated in, hosted, and judged dozens of writing contests. I've seen a lot of stories win, and a lot more stories, well, not win.
In that time, I've learned a lot about what goes into writing a winning story. I've also seen a lot of writers make some critical mistakes.
The biggest mistake is having the wrong mindset. Because the only guaranteed way to win a writing contest is to follow the guidelines,write your best piece, submit it, and then do it again and again until you win.
Unfortunately, the only secret to winning a writing contest is your determination and grit.
As Ray Bradbury said, “Write a short story every week. It's not possible to write fifty-two bad short stories in a row.”
Don't overthink it. Don't take yourself too seriously. Just write. Submit. Repeat. If you do it, I promise you won't just win a writing contest, you'll become a much better writer.
It's The Write Practice's 5th Anniversary!
In just a few weeks, The Write Practice will celebrate our fifth anniversary.
Five years of sharing our best writing wisdom, tips, and tricks. Five years of creating the best online writing resources we can. Five years of getting to know an incredible community of writers (you!).
This is a really big occasion, and we want to celebrate it well. In the next few weeks, you'll be seeing a lot of awesome things rolling out.
And here's the first one: today, I'm so excited to announce the release of our newest book, How to Win a Writing Contest!
I've shared a lot of my writing contest wisdom on this site over the years. Now, I've gathered together some of my best resources, as well as some all-new material based on my years of writing contest experience.
I can't wait to share with you what I've learned and hear how this helps you to write a story you're proud of, enter it in a contest, and, hopefully, win!
There's no catch. No trick. Just a free book.
The book is available on Amazon for $9.99. But for now, as The Write Practice's fifth anniversary gift to you and as a giant thanks for being part of this community, it's free for you to download.
Click here to get your free copy.
Enjoy the book!
Do you ever feel intimidated or frustrated when you enter a writing contest? Let me know in the comments section.
PRACTICE
Find a writing contest, read their guidelines, and write a new story to submit to it. Remember: this is practice! Don't take it too seriously!
You can find a list of writing contests I put together here. You can also find out when we launch new writing contests at The Write Practice by signing up for our waiting list here.
Good luck and let me know how it goes!
Hello Joe, Many thanks for your free book, which I’ve downloaded and started reading.
There’s everything I need to know, and I’ll try to retain the tips, though I know I’ll hearken back to pages for information.
I love writing for contests, but I realise that my writing is not quite up to the mark. More than a feeling of frustration, it’s a feeling of inadequency.
I’m going to do as you suggested, that is to find a contest and write. I’ll choose one that’s for three hundred words. If it’s short, I can edit until it seems satisfactory and post on TWP for feedback.
Well I don’t think you’re inadequate, Lillian. You’re doing great!
Thanks for the article, Joe. I’ve been looking into writing contests more recently, and I have to agree with you. I’m waiting to hear back on a contest at the moment, and even without knowing if I even placed, I think it was an amazing learning experience that helped me grow. I look forward to reading the book, thanks for sharing 🙂
Agreed, Andrew. The practice alone is worth it. Thanks for getting the book!
Hi, I have actually entered a few writing contests this year. When the results were announced I knew of course, I had to work harder and that was how I found your site. Entering writing contests actually keep me motivated and helps me with practice. Thanks a lot 🙂
Wow. Very cool, Rashida. Thank you for reading, and I hope we’ve helped!
What I learned form the last contest? Proof read and then proof read it again. Convert it to the proper format and then proof read it again. Read it aloud to yourself. Read it aloud to your dog. Did I mention proof read it?
I think the key point there is to read it to your dog, Gary. Dogs are excellent editors. 🙂
I agree.
I entered two writing contests this year with the same story. I received fair reviews from the judges in the first contest but lost, and I won the second one after using their criticisms to fix it. Losing has its benefits.
WOW! That’s amazing, Lauren. Can you tell us more about the changes you made to your story that helped it get accepted?
Sure! One of the judges mentioned he’d like to see more imagery in the exposition, so I added that in. Another mentioned they would like to see the darker parts of my story be brought out and played with, so I took my villain and gave him some more dimension and made him a little more twisted than he was in the beginning. I also gave the setting the villain and my main character were in a more gothic, creepy feel to enhance it.
I’m going to sound the sour note in the chorus here. With reading fees of $15 – $25 or more for each entry, you can shell out a lot of money entering writing contests you never win — and you may not get any helpful feedback about your writing, either. I think a writing critique group is better for giving helpful feedback.
That said, I have entered several poetry contests and placed in a couple of them. Even an “Honorable mention” gives you a great feeling. Contests &/or judges may have their leanings, though. If you can do so, it pays to look back and read the stories or poems that have won in the past. It’ll give you some idea of the “flavor” they’re looking for.
That’s understandable, Christine. There are some free contests, but you’re right, most cost a reading fee. How cool that you’ve placed, though! That must have felt great.
You can look upon contests, when you are starting out, as class assignments. Classes can be very expensive and sometimes are not taught by writers much more accomplished than their students. If you pick contests carefully, you can access industry professionals. You are right, especially with poetry, though. Contests can be merely fundraisers for the sponsoring group. Why not just submit your work to appropriate quarterlies, journals, and legit online publications (see Poets and Writers)? You build your resume and see your work in print. Critique groups are the best for building skill, but you have to find the right one.
Hi Joe, thanks for the free copy ! Before reading the articles here and in your books, “let’s write a short story” and companion book, 15 days to write and submit”, I WAS hesitant about submitting. I read the encouragement to submit so often, how it’s only practice, to just do it, i decided to try it. The Workshop Forum feels like a contest each week: submit and the prize: see if you get feedback. I win every week! So far I’ve gotten feedback, Helpful feedback every week. Onward! I pursue! I will write!
And submit.
That’s so cool, Bernadette. We love having you in Becoming Writer.
HI Joe
Thanks for the support of this group. I discovered this site, oh! 4.5 years ago and it’s been a constant support. And yes, I totally agree; writing contests are one of the best ways to hone our writing. I’m still busily writing, still submitting, and getting shortlisted for some of the bigger ones and winning a few little ones. So one day… . Until then, yes, we keep on writing and submitting.
Hugs
Thank you, Oddznns. I’ve loved getting to know you over these years. Thank you for reading and for being part of our inner circle.
I have my free copy! Thank you!
Great! Let me know what you think LaCresha.
I’ve so enjoyed your blog for the last few years. In honor of all you’ve given us and all the inspiration you’ve given me, and because I believe writer’s should be paid for their work, I bought my copy on Amazon. Happy Anniversay!
Thank you so much, Diane, for reading and for buying the book. I truly appreciate it. I hope you enjoy it!
In all honesty, the reason I do not enter competitions at the moment is because I can’t find them. I don’t know how to submit my work in the competitions here and I don’t really know deadlines. My confidence is also quite a big issue for entering. So yeah, I’ll try to figure it out, but I don’t know how. Help anyone?
Good Grief Georgia! Where have you been looking? “Poets and Writers” lists dozens of writing contests every month in their Classified section. “Writers’ Digest” has a contest every month. “The Writer” has contests listed in their Markets section, along with opportunities for publishing in any number of genres. And it looks as though Joe himself offers suggestions as well. If you don’t subscribe to any of the industry magazines (gasp!) you may want to go to some of their websites and see if there is a link for contests and take it from there. Good Luck.
Mary
Thank you very much. I’ll see what I can find. Do you know any free sites? That’d be great!
Hi again,
I’m not sure about the “free” part. I would have assumed that a magazine would list its contests without your having to pay. But maybe not. But here is something definitely free and worthwhile. “The Sun” has a department every month called “Readers Write”. You get a prompt of a few words and submit your entry by the deadline. Here’s an example: The prompt is “Leaps of Faith”, deadline is September 1 of this year and publication date is March 2017. They don’t give a word count, but the average seems to be about 500. Some much shorter; a few are longer. Guidelines are listed in each issue. Readers are asked to address subjects on which they are the only authority, and told that writing style is not as important as thoughtfulness and sincerity. Although this is not a contest per se, about twenty or twenty-five responses are published every month. And believe me it is no small thing to have a credit from “The Sun” in your bio. I submit one each month in hope of striking gold one of these days. As you’ve probably figured out, I subscribe to a lot of literary magazines. “The Sun” is often the only one I read from cover to cover every month. The writing is outstanding. A lot of words here. Hope some of them addressed your questions.
Mary
Awesome, I’ll be sure to have a good look around. Thanks
Hey Georgia. As Mary said, there’s a great list at Poets & Writers. But we also put a short list of handpicked contests in the book, and in this very post we linked to a page we keep updated with new lists here: http://letswriteashortstory.com/writing-contests
Good luck!
Thanks for the free book! I like to think I’d give you money if I had any. 🙂
Practice! Yeah! If you want to be a writer, you have to write (we know this). The fastest way to learn is by doing (or so I say). One short story a week sound pretty good about now. One writing contest a week sounds better. *mixed emotions* I mean…one a month.
Ha thanks Zerelda. I hope you find it helpful.
I don’t enter many writing contests, because they always ask for entry fees.
I’m not rich and don’t like to spend money on entering contests. Are there contests that don’t require entry fees?
Hey Elizabeth. There are a few free contests, but you’re right, most charge a reading fee. Check our list here to find a few free ones: letswriteashortstory.com/writing-contests. Also Poets & Writers has a very thorough list: http://www.pw.org/grants. Let me know if you find any that look promising.
That’s What I love about the contests on the Write Practice; lots of feedback. You learn the in and outs of how to write a good story. Short stories are hard to write, but contests help to hone the skills of the writer. I for one will continue to enter contests and submit stories. Eventually one will be selected. In the meantime I feel I’m growing as a writer each time I enter one.
Many thanks for the book. I have never entered a contest before. I now have a reason to. You have got me thinking.