Photo credit: jake-ingle-w_78KOJiih4-unsplash

A big welcome to Desiree Villena for this amazing guest post!

5 Tips to Help You Win a Writing Contest

For the past year, I’ve had the pleasure of judging a weekly writing contest. This involves reading dozens of short stories all written to themed prompts, culling the good from the bad, and agonizing over which of my favorites is truly the best.

Some days I’m overwhelmed with quality submissions — which is honestly the best kind of torture. I could easily see a number of our participants going on to publish their own books. But while we’re blessed to get so many amazing stories every week, I’ve also seen plenty that is, well… less than stellar.

Today, I’m going to take you behind the curtain and show the kinds of things I watch for while judging. To be sure, while there’s no “one weird trick” to guarantee you’ve penned a winning story in either my contest or any other. However, these tips will at least make your story a much more solid and compelling entry — no matter where you’re submitting.

Tip #1: Keep your copy clean

Nothing will drag me out of a story faster than dumb mistakes.

By this, I don’t mean you’re not allowed a single typo — though you should be sure to edit your story as best as you can before submitting. But when I open a story and immediately see a wall of text with no paragraph breaks, misplaced quotation marks, and half the sentences beginning with lowercase letters, I know I’m not dealing with a professional writer.

Tip #2: Punch up your dialogue

I judge short fiction, so every sentence has to count. This goes double for dialogue. There’s not much time for me to get to know a character, and the worst sin you can commit is writing conversations just to fill space.

It’s true that real people rarely talk in deeply revealing, meaningful exchanges or pithy quips that tell the reader everything about the speaker. If we’re honest, we often don’t speak in complete sentences, at least not around the people to whom we’re close. But, fair or not, characters get held to a higher standard — each line they speak should not only carry the story forward, but also provide insight into who they are.

Tip #3: Understand your form

This may seem self-evident, but if you’re submitting to a short story contest, be sure that you’ve written a short story — not the opening chapter of a novel, and not a summary of a larger work!

Different formats can be tricky to understand, especially if you’re not used to writing in them. But it’s important to wrap your head around the fact that a short story is fundamentally different from a novel: not just in pacing, but in structure, tone, and where the crux of the story lies.

Similarly, poems, flash fiction, and novellas all have their own rules. Be conscious of what you’re writing — and what you’re not writing — when you submit to a contest.

Tip #4: Know the rules

Much like writing clean copy, this is another “quality signal” that judges watch for, whether they realize it or not.

I don’t mean to say there’s no room for creativity — quite the contrary, as we’ll get to in my next tip! But there’s a difference between purposefully breaking convention for artistic reasons and just… not understanding the basic rules of storytelling and grammar.

Before you submit to a contest, make sure your story follows these basics: use strong verbs, show don’t tell, and avoid “purple prose,” among others. Not sure if your work is up to snuff? Before you submit, you could always run it by a professional editor.

Tip #5: But don’t be afraid to experiment!

The best short stories I’ve read in our contest — the stories I still think about months later — are the ones that surprise me. Whether that’s a perfectly spun second-person narrative about the fear women face when confronted by strange men, or a love story about a pill bug, I love to read something I’ve never seen before.

Taking this approach does run the risk that your experimental prose will rub people the wrong way. Still, I don’t think I’ve ever voted for a winner who played it safe. So long as you know what you’re doing, feel free to let your imagination run wild and your prose spool out in thrilling new directions.

So go ahead — take that big swing. And good luck!

 

Desiree Villena is a writer with Reedsy, a marketplace that connects self-publishing authors with the world's best editors, designers, and marketers. In her spare time, Desiree enjoys reading fiction, writing short stories, and giving (mostly) solicited advice to her fellow writers.

How to make your contest entry the best it can be

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With the new year still shiny, one of your goals might be entering a writing contest. Why, you say, would you subject yourself to all that potential rejection?

Feedback
Yes, you get feedback from your critique group. And your relatives stand in awe of your prose. But it's time to develop your rhino skin and hear from someone to whom you're not near and dear. Someone who will point out what could be wrong, but also what's working. What better way to re-energize yourself on a project that might make you feel weary.

Analysis
A contest entry forces you to analyze your manuscript in new ways. I once wrote about five ways a contest entry can hone your novel. And if you're having trouble with motivation, there's nothing like a deadline to get things moving. I'm planning to enter a February contest just to get myself in gear.

 Exposure
 If you make it to the final rounds, many contests use agents and editors as judges. It's not uncommon for entrants to field requests for their manuscripts from contest judges. And it's a lot quicker than the query process!

If you've decided to enter a contest, the first order of business is finding the right one for you and your genre. I've got you covered there, with six ways to find writing contests.

Then, it's time to work on your entry. I've lined up a few posts to help you make it as good as it can get.
Staging your manuscript. This post give tips on contest entries, depending on what the rules ask for.
Pimp your prose. Understand why adjusting your sample pages can lead to a contest win--and sometimes a contract.
Pimp your contest entry. A fantastic post with specific advice on how to tweak the formatting of your sample pages, while still keeping within the rules.
Six ways to win with writing contests. Advice from setting your goal, to debriefing after the contest is over.

What has your contest experience been like? Even if you didn't place, was it worth it? If you've never entered, would you consider it?

Calling all nosy writers!

 I'm a nosy writer. Are you? I love to hear more about what other people are writing, how they got their ideas, and what inspires them. I don't generally do memes, but I haven't really written much about my own WIP, so I figure it's time to share (Plus, it's a snowy day here in the mountains!). And I hope some of you share back with the link at the bottom.

I was tagged by Australian Trisha, and Canadian S.M. Carriere. Check out their contemporary and fantasy books. It's so interesting (and encouraging) to see the vast differences in the time frame different writers take in their creative process. 

 1. What is the name of your book?
SpindleWish

2. Where did the idea for your book come from?
Believe it or not, from a contest prompt (more details in question 9). But I love the idea of imagining "the rest of the story". In this Sleeping Beauty retelling, the princess is not so nice. Think about it. Growing up with a curse on your head isn't ideal, but it hasn’t done much for the princess' personality. Just ask her long-suffering chambermaid.

3. In what genre would you classify your book?
SpindleWish is young adult historical fantasy. It's set in medieval Croatia. If you're curious as to how this came about (and you want to see some amazing pictures), I wrote about my journey to this setting, and how it did wonders for my plot.

4. If you had to pick actors to play your characters in a movie rendition, who would you choose?
My characters are drawn from people I've met, or photos I find online. For this book, one of my daughters (see photo) and my sister's daughter play two of the main roles. Another character, a fascinating peddler, was put together through internet research. I shared some great links to where I found him in this post about describing characters.

5. Give us a one-sentence synopsis of your book.
Waking after a century, Sleeping Beauty’s chambermaid vows to find the powerful blood-tipped spindle before it can be used to destroy the remaining faeries. 

6. Is your book already published? Self-published or traditional?
Nope. I'm finishing the last of it, then I'll work on querying agents. I'm not ruling out self-publishing, but I really believe the querying process can help motivate me to make my writing stronger. 

7. How long did it take you to write your book?
I began in late 2009, but I've taken some long breaks! Probably a year, total.
 
8. What other books within your genre would you compare it to? Or, readers of which books would enjoy yours?
I love the stories of Shannon Hale, Donna Jo Napoli, Juliet Marillier and Robin McKinley.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
The Enchanted Conversation was holding a submission contest. The topic was Sleeping Beauty, but writers had to imagine what life would be like once the palace woke up from 100 years of sleep. Once I came up with the idea that the blood on the spindle was the critical issue, plot ideas started popping up and away I went. I never did submit to that contest.

10. Tell us anything that might pique our interest in your book.        

 I loved exploring the theme of discovering inner strength through this book.

Now it's your turn to inspire the rest of us. Write a post with answers to the same (or similar) questions. Then come back here and share the link. I'll leave the link open for a week (till midnight on Nov. 2nd). I'm looking forward to finding out more about your stories.
 

A collection of writing contests

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Today I'm highlighting a few contests you might be interested in. These are for YA, mystery, and speculative fiction. Sometimes when you're dealing with writer's block, or manuscript fatigue, writing for a contest is just the thing to revive your flagging creativity. My current novel was inspired by a short story contest. You never know where it will take you.

Poisoned Pen has begun a new YA mystery imprint (The Poisoned Pencil) and is looking for manuscripts.

Carolrhoda Books is accepting unagented submissions of YA manuscripts for a limited time.

Do you write mystery, but not YA?  Criminal Element is putting together an e-anthology, The Malfeasance Occasional, and it pays $350. The theme is "girl trouble".

And finally, the StoneThread Publishing Speculative Fiction Contest II. They're looking for short stories in science fiction, fantasy, magical realism, psychological horror or suspense, ghost stories, urban fantasy, or paranormal romance, and can be set in any time frame.

Our first contest was such a huge success that we've decided to do it again! We're seeking speculative fiction short stories. For our contests, speculative fiction is defined as any story in any genre that responds to the question "What if?" in a way that depends on science or on any fantastic elements. The genres might include science fiction (hard or sociological), fantasy, magic realism, psychological horror or suspense (no slash and gash please), ghost stories, urban fantasy, paranormal romance (no erotica please), etc. They may be based in the past, present or future. With that in mind, send us your best effort. There are twenty-two monetary prizes.


And if those aren't enough, Carla Jansen has a few more in her contest blog post.


             Has a contest ever inspired you in a new direction?

Exciting news this week. I received a call from the contest coordinator at Pikes Peak Writers,  letting me know that I placed second in the young adult category of their writing contest. It's funny that I almost didn't even enter. Being the self-conscious writer most of us are, I had serious doubts about my entry, which was a brand new project. Only the encouragement of my critique group got me to enter. That's another reason everyone should be in a critique group!

When the conference rolls around in late April, I'll have the opportunity to sit down with one of three agents: Kristin Nelson, Weronika Janczuk, and Taylor Martindale. I'll be using the next two months to polish my current manuscript in case I need to send some pages to an agent.

So the moral of the story is to join a critique group, and overcome your hesitancy to enter a writing contest. You never know what will happen!

I'd love to hear some of your experiences with writing contests!

Six Ways To Win With Writing Contests

On the road to publication, it's nice to have some folks cheering you on--besides your friends and family. You may not win the contest, but here's how to win no matter where you place.

Know the Benefits. Entering a writing contest can do several wonderful things for you:

1. Help you meet a deadline.
2. Force you to prepare for submitting to agents by following manuscript guidelines.
3. Give you valuable feedback from publishing professionals.
4. Develop your confidence in letting others read your work.

 Choose a Goal. Is your mission to gain publicity? To get feedback? To interest an agent? Or maybe you just want to force yourself to stretch your writing. Some contests give a prompt, whether written or visual. You might discover the seed of a novel you never would have thought of before. It was through a writing contest prompt that I began my current novel.

Stretch Yourself. If you write romance, don't limit yourself to the hundreds of romance-oriented writing contests available. Try something in another genre or format (like flash fiction, if you're a novelist, or write some sci-fi if you like to write mysteries). Often contests outside your comfort zone can help you uncover a previously unknown ability in a certain genre. 

Uncover the Details. If the contest has a fee, evaluate whether it's worthwhile for you. Many organizations run contests to raise money through contest fees. This is legitimate, but stop to evaluate your chances of winning, and what you'll receive. 

I enter the Pikes Peak Writers Paul Gillette Contest every year. There is a fee, but I receive two in-depth score sheets from professional writers, along with a chance for a cash prize or attendance at their writing conference. 

Make Like a Professional. It's never too early to learn to follow directions. Sure, a contest's directions for entries may seem strange, but consider it your boot camp to becoming a published writer. If you can't follow (seemingly) arcane instructions now, what will you do when the twelve agents you plan on submitting to each have their own do's and don'ts?

Don't Forget to Debrief. After the contest is over, evaluate how it went. If you received score sheets or judges critiques, spend some time reading through the comments. If the opinions hurt, set it aside for awhile, or go over it with a critique partner. 

If you entered an online contest, like one hosted on a blog, you can often read the winning entries. Take the time to go over the stories that placed, and try to determine why they are different. Did they just follow the guidelines better? Are there craft issues you can work on? Think of it as just another learning experience that will hone your skills as a writer.

How have contests helped your writing?

Here’s the Drill: Five Ways a Contest Entry Can Hone a Novel, Part 1

What are contests good for? They often cost money, and might seem like they’re taking time away from writing time. Are they really worthwhile?

Think about it this way. A writing contest is like a fire drill. It’s good practice for the moment an agent or editor says, “Send me the manuscript.” Each contest entry is honing a writer’s professional skills.

Hear are the five ways I’ve found contests help me to be a better writer:

Polishing. The first job is to edit and re-edit the entry (which consists of part or all of the first chapter, and sometimes a synopsis). A critique group can really help here. It’s difficult for writers to view their work objectively.

Formatting. Usually, manuscript samples are formatted with one-inch margins, double-spaced, in 12-point Courier or Times New Roman. Double-check before hitting “send”. Some contests ask for a synopsis to be single-spaced, others prefer double-spacing.

Following. Guidelines, that is. Just like formatting, contest planners ask for entries to be sent a specific way. Usually the writer’s name is kept off the entry, to ensure objective judging. Some submissions are sent via email, while others are requested by snail mail. Physical entries usually mean multiple copies are sent. With email entries, some organizations want the chapter and synopsis in one file. Read the instructions carefully, and get advice if they seem daunting.

Waiting. This is a good skill for all writers to develop, as the publishing process takes even more time than contest judging. During the wait, try to keep writing and learning.

Reacting. When those score sheets arrive, take a deep breath. Just like an author receiving a revision letter, writers won’t like every comment. Realize that these are opinions, but take some time to let the advice sink in. And if it’s allowed, write thank you notes to the judges. Remember that they did this for free.

Choose a contest carefully. Most contests have score sheets that give specific feedback. This is valuable information for writers trying to figure out what they’re doing right and what they need to work on. If I’m going to spend money on a contest, I’d like to know how I’m doing.

On the next three Mondays, I’ll be posting examples of what contest judges are looking for. Part 2 will focus on aspects of the story itself. Part 3 covers the synopsis, and Part 4 examines the overall features that can make or break a novel.

What has been your experience with contests? Good or bad? Let us know in the comments.

Want to Accomplish Some Writing Goals This Month? Try Some March Madness

I know NaNoWriMo seems so far away. And spring fever might have you itching to close the laptop and spend some quality time outside. Pity your poor manuscript that needs to be finished. I've found the perfect motivational tool, and you might even win some prizes in the process.

My family competes every year to see who can get the most basketball picks correct for March Madness. I lose every year, since I'm not a big sports fan.

But I've found a better contest to join.

A group of five bloggers has teamed up to host March Madness. You get to decide your goal for the month--and it doesn't have to be huge like NaNoWriMo. Maybe you want to edit your manuscript, or finish a certain number of chapters. Perhaps you're brainstorming a new novel, or catching up on reading books in a particular genre. 

The way you win prizes is based upon being accountable. You'll check in by commenting on one of the five blogs each weekday, letting the group know how you're working toward your goal. Your name is entered in the drawing each time you comment.

Each blogger will share a short, but encouraging post on the days they host the contest. It's a great, low-pressure way to increase your output this month.

Here are the blogs to visit:

Mondays, http://www.denisejaden.com/Blog.html
Tuesdays, http://www.shana-silver.com
Wednesdays,  http://yascribe.blogspot.com
Thursdays, http://sharigreen.wordpress.com/blog
Fridays,  http://www.craigpirrall.com/craig/craigs-blog/

Anyone ready to give it a try?

Writer's Groups: Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope Allstory

This is truly fascinating. I recently stumbled upon the website of a filmmaker, who supports the arts in all kinds of ways. Francis Ford Coppola not only makes films and wine, runs restaurants and a travel agency, he also supports a literary magazine and a virtual film studio.

Zoetrope: Allstory is a magazine that publishes short fiction. It is a winner of the National Magazine Award for Fiction. Coppola began the magazine in 1997, "to explore the intersection of story and art, fiction and film", according to the website.

Each year, the magazine holds contests for short fiction and screenplays, and finalists are considered for representation by ten different literary agencies. Not to mention the thousand-dollar prize.

One of the best things about Zoetrope: Allstory, is their commitment to writers. They offer free memberships to Zoetrope Virtual Studio, a community with workshops dedicated to writers of fiction, screenplays, poems, and songs. They also include photographers, storyboard artists, and filmmakers. It sounds like a great place to find a supportive community to critique your work.

The nice thing about the Virtual Studio, is that they create a "virtual private office" for you. In your office, you have ten megabytes of file space, which you can share only with those members you select (or everyone, if you choose).

If you are interested in submitting a story to Zoetrope, read the submission guidelines. You may also want to order a few back issues, or read some of the stories posted online, to get an idea of what they publish.

Interested in more writing groups? Check them out here.

Writer's Groups: Writers Cafe, The Online Writing Community

The next writer's group is yet another good one. It boggles the mind how many excellent writing groups exist in cyberspace. Writers Cafe bills itself as "an online writing community where writers can post their work, get reviews, befriend other writers, and much more".


No matter whether you write poetry, novels, short stories, novels, scripts, or screenplays, you'll find similar-minded writers at Writers Cafe. And it's free.


Connect. You can join one or more of a dizzying number of groups in every genre you can imagine. Or hang out in the forums, chatting about craft, publishing, and genres. Search their list of publishers, literary agents, and literary magazines.


Craft. Choose from a variety of free courses on everything from dialogue to defeating writer's block. Post your work for critique, or sharpen your skills by critiquing others.


Contests. There are hundreds of free writing contests available at Writers Cafe. Poetry. Short story. Graphic novel. You name it. The list of contests is searchable by genre so you can find exactly the one you want.


Want to check out the many other writing groups we've featured so far? Click here. If you've joined an online group worth checking out, let us know in the comments. 

Writer's Group: Poets & Writers

Poets & Writers is a magazine I hadn't come across before, and it's too bad. I found a wonderful magazine. Though I don't do a lot of poetry, leaning more to fiction, I found quite a bit of helpful information on the Poets & Writers website.

The organization that publishes the magazine and maintains the site bills itself as "the nation's largest nonprofit organization serving creative writers". They've been operating for 40 years.

The website offers a large array of information, which helps writers to discover if the magazine is a good fit for them. Some magazines give tidbits of articles to non-subscribers. Not so with Poets & Writers. Of the 15 articles listed in the latest issue, 10 are available for reading online.

My favorite section is the Tools for Writers page. Here, you'll find all kinds of links to great information. There's a list of grants and awards, in order of deadline, including writing contests. A database of literary magazines who might publish your work, with their contact information. A listing of small presses, publishers who are more nimble and open to new writers. Interested in pursuing further education? Poets & Writers has posted a list of MFA programs for you to check into. And they have links to articles on the "top ten topics for writers". There's even a link for job listings.

Besides all the articles and links they offer, Poets & Writers has a forum, the Speakeasy, where you can join other poets and writers to talk about the craft. With nearly 40,000 users, the conversations are varied and lively.

Check the P&W site also, for breaking news in the writing world, and to sign up for their free newsletter. There's also a multimedia page, where you can view or listen to video interviews, slide shows, and pod casts.

Here are a few Poets & Writers articles to get started:

Digital Digest: The Changing Economics of E-books

Literary New Orleans, Post-Katrina

Everything you need to know about Literary Magazines, from selection to submissions.

A crash course in Publishing a Book.

Resources from The Writer Magazine

I've posted quite a few links to the excellent Writer's Digest magazine. However, I realized today, when reading C. Hope Clark's Twitter post, that I've neglected to mention another great publication for writers. The Writer Magazine.

Hope's tweet took me to a wonderful article, called 50 Simple Rules for Making it as a Writer. Of course, one click led to another, and before long, I had a long list of articles bookmarked. See if you feel the same way.

There's a free newsletter to sign up for, and if you'd like to preview the magazine, you can flip through some of the pages to get a feel for it. Some of the content is for subscribers only, but there's plenty of information available free.

The Writer Magazine lists contests you can enter, upcoming writer's conferences, a great database of local writer's groups, and a huge number of writing links, which I'll have to take time to explore. There is a writer's forum boasting nearly 20,000 members. The forum is free to use, you'll just need to complete a short registration.

What else will you find? A comprehensive list of articles to read, an active and informative staff blog, and a wonderful archive of past columns.

If you like what you see online, check out some actual copies at the library. And if you can't live without your own subscription, consider adding it to your birthday wish list.

Writing Contests: How to Find Them

Recently, I listed 6 Ways to Win With Writing Contests. Today, I'll  show you where you can find some of the many contests there are to enter.

Writing contests are not created equal. There are mini-contests on individual blogs, regional and organization-sponsored contests, corporate and publishing contests, and contests in magazines and newspapers.

Look Local. When you're starting out, local contests are a great way to hone your skills, help you get used to the process of working under a deadline, and learn to follow guidelines. Because regional contests are not widely publicized, your chances are better, too.

Check your local newspapers and regional magazines. You can call the publication's office to find out what contests they run. Our newspaper hosts a Christmas writing contest every year.

Keep an eye out for contests hosted by businesses, including your local library. A nearby library recently ran a poetry contest, publishing the winners in booklets placed all over town. Ask your friends to let you know of writing contests they hear about.

Go with Groups. Would it surprise anyone that writer's organizations sponsor writing contests? Most of these groups do not require you to be a member in order to participate, however if there is an entry fee it might be slightly higher.

Local writer's groups will obviously give you a better chance than national groups, but don't let that stop you from submitting. Be aware that most national groups have regional chapters that host their own contests.

Check out a list of some of the national writer's associations in the United States. Here is a list of writing groups by state (although there are more regional groups than are listed here). I also found a list of associations in the UK.

No matter what genre you write, or what topics interest you, there is likely a writing group connected to it. Like the Cat Writer's Association, the Baseball Writer's Association, and the Garden Writers Association. Do an internet search for your topic or area to find more.

Corporate Contests. You may already know that Writer's Digest holds both monthly and yearly contests. But did you know that Amazon hosts a Breakthrough Novel contest?

Many companies dream up contests each year to promote their products. I remember one a few years ago from the cotton industry that solicited stories connected to cotton clothing.

Oodles Online. By far, the biggest source of contests is on the web. From small blog contests (several agents run these, like Rachelle Gardner's recent contest), to contests hosted by online or print magazines, and even publishing houses, you're sure to find something that's in line with what you write.

Where can you find these online contests? One way is to set up a Google Alert with your specific criteria. Google will email you whenever someone publishes a post with those words.

Sign up for C. Hope Clark's free newsletters, and check her blog once a week. She scours the web, so you don't have to.

Check out the database on Duotrope Digest, a list of online magazines soliciting fiction and poetry. Many of these publications run contests, which are tracked on Duotrope Digest.

Most important of all, make sure to dedicate a calendar to your contest deadlines. Follow all instructions to the letter to increase your chances of impressing judges, and get writing.

Six Ways to Win With Writing Contests

On the road to publication, it's nice to have some folks cheering you on--besides your friends and family. You may not win the contest, but here's how to win no matter where you place.

Know the Benefits. Entering a writing contest can do several wonderful things for you:

1. Help you meet a deadline.
2. Force you to prepare for submitting to agents by following manuscript guidelines.
3. Give you valuable feedback from publishing professionals.
4. Develop your confidence in letting others read your work.

 Choose a Goal. Is your mission to gain publicity? To get feedback? To interest an agent? Or maybe you just want to force yourself to stretch your writing. Some contests give a prompt, whether written or visual. You might discover the seed of a novel you never would have thought of before. It was through a writing contest prompt that I began my current novel.

Stretch Yourself. If you write romance, don't limit yourself to the hundreds of romance-oriented writing contests available. Try something in another genre or format (like flash fiction, if you're a novelist, or write some sci-fi if you like to write mysteries). Often contests outside your comfort zone can help you uncover a previously unknown ability in a certain genre. 

Uncover the Details. If the contest has a fee, evaluate whether it's worthwhile for you. Many organizations run contests to raise money through contest fees. This is legitimate, but stop to evaluate your chances of winning, and what you'll receive. 

I enter the Pikes Peak Writers Paul Gillette Contest every year. There is a fee, but I receive two in-depth score sheets from professional writers, along with a chance for a cash prize or attendance at their writing conference. 

Make Like a Professional. It's never too early to learn to follow directions. Sure, a contest's directions for entries may seem strange, but consider it your boot camp to becoming a published writer. If you can't follow (seemingly) arcane instructions now, what will you do when the twelve agents you plan on submitting to each have their own do's and don'ts?

Don't Forget to Debrief. After the contest is over, evaluate how it went. If you received score sheets or judges critiques, spend some time reading through the comments. If the opinions hurt, set it aside for awhile, or go over it with a critique partner. 

If you entered an online contest, like one hosted on a blog, you can often read the winning entries. Take the time to go over the stories that placed, and try to determine why they are different. Did they just follow the guidelines better? Are there craft issues you can work on? Think of it as just another learning experience that will hone your skills as a writer.

How have contests helped your writing?