5 Writing Contest Strategies to Improve Your Winning Chances

5 Writing Contest Strategies to Improve Your Winning Chances

Fear, anticipation, and self-doubt are just a few emotions I felt during my first writing contest. Maybe you’re in the same place now. Wondering if you have a chance among the many entrants. Uncertain if it’s worth the time and effort.

Short answer—it is. And that holds true whether you win or lose.

But I also want to reveal five tips for improving your winning chances in a writing contest. See, I won the Short Fiction Break 2020 Summer Writing Contest with my story Dark Time. Here’s how.

10 Writing Jobs You Can Do for a Living

10 Writing Jobs You Can Do for a Living

You love to write. People have told you you’re good at it, and you sense they’re right.

But writing is one thing. Writing for a living is another. How do you know the time is right, or whether you really have what it takes?

You’d better be certain you know what you’re getting yourself into before you take the leap. Full-time writing is no hobby. And it’s not easy. But if you’re called to it—oh, the rewards.

The Script Polish: How to Maximize Your Screenplay’s Impact and Minimize Risk of Rejection

The Script Polish: How to Maximize Your Screenplay’s Impact and Minimize Risk of Rejection

Polishing a screenplay, or doing a polish on a script, is a part of the screenwriting process that few screenwriters ever go into detail about when asked. Even when plied with liquor. Sure, we’ve all heard writers and producers use terms like “tighten it up” or “give it some polish” or “tweak it for production,” but what do any of those terms really mean?

Let’s break “the script polish” process down into two general goals a screenwriter needs to focus on when sitting down to polish her script. Those two general goals are maximizing impact and minimizing risk.