How to Win a Writing Contest - Amazon S3

[Pages:104]HOW TO WIN A WRITING CONTEST

A Guide from The Write Practice

by Joe Bunting

Copyright ? 2016 by Joe Bunting

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Printed in the United States of America Cover and book design: Joe Bunting

Published by The Write Practice 174 Carroll Street SE

Atlanta, GA 30312

Table of Contents

Table of Contents 5

Introduction

7

Part 1: Before You Begin 16

Where to Find Writing Contests 17

How NOT to Win a Writing Contest 19

Part 2: The Secret to Winning a Writing

Contest: Write a Great Story 22

From Start to Finish: A Short Story

Timeline 24

Mood-Driven vs. Event-Driven Stories

34

3 Key Elements of Interesting Short

Stories 38

How to Write a Short Story that Wins a

Writing Contest

43

Bonus: How to Win a Pulitzer 52

Part 3: Rewrite to Perfection 67

How to Edit Your Story 68

The Secret to Helpful Critique 73

Part 4: The Essential Step: Submit Your Sto-

ry 80

Submit 81

How to Deal With Rejection

83

Part 5: Wisdom From the Editors of Literary Magazines 91

Tips from Emily Wenstrom, Editor of Wordhaus 92

An Interview with Linda SwansonDavies, Editor of Glimmer Train 96

Part 6: More Writing Contest Resources 103

Introduction

Some enter writing contests to get practice. Others enter to motivate themselves to finish their stories.

But there's one thing nearly everyone who enters a writing contest wants...

To win.

Except winning isn't easy, right? Each contest can only have one winner, but what if there are hundreds or even thousands of entries? How do you compete in the midst of so many?

Also, writing is subjective. The story I like, you might not be able to stand. The story you love, I might think is mediocre. Each judge brings their own personal taste to their role. You can't read the judges' minds. So how do you win a writing contest in the midst of people's unpredictable whims of taste?

As the editor of The Write Practice, one of the top websites for writers and aspiring writers in the world, I've judged more than fifteen writing contests, and I've learned what makes a story that wins and what will ruin your chances.

In this guide is everything I've learned about how to win a writing contest, from

HOW TO WIN A WRITING CONTEST

finding the right contests to understanding the rules to writing and editing a winning story.

Why Writing Contests?

Writing contests can be some of the best practice you can get for your writing. They offer motivation (prizes!), deadlines, inspiration (contest themes!), and publication opportunities.

But they can also be very discouraging. I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be to lose a writing contest, especially when you have no idea why your story wasn't chosen.

So why participate in writing contests? There are seven main reasons:

1. Practice

Writing contests are deliberate practice.

When I first started The Write Practice in 2011, I knew how to practice a sport and how to practice playing an instrument, but for some reason, even after studying it in college, I wasn't sure how to practice writing.

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