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FAQ Friday: Writing Contests

by Ally

910900_splatter_question.jpgDear Writers Unbound, I noticed you stopped writing about Writing Contests. Do you not recommend them anymore?

and

Allena,

We have a writer’s contest we  thought your readers might be interested in here at ________________. The entry fee is XX and the winners will receive their work published in our anthology.

and

Writers Unbound,

I recently entered a bunch of writing contests and got absolutely no response. I’m wondering if I should throw in the towel on this whole “writing” thing. If I can’t even win a $50 contest, how will I ever get anyone to publish my book? Are these contests a good indicator of a writer’s quality?

Hi everyone. Actually, I took over this blog in October, so any mention of writing contests since then was from the writer before me.

But, do I recommend contests? I sometimes do. I simply don’t write about them as much because I lack time to enter them myself! As with any writing endeavor, you’ve got to carefully consider what you spend your time on. Do some background work on any contests that you are thinking of entering, check out their past winners, and make sure that your time is worth it.

For example, the contest above that I’ve been asked to advertise to you, dear readers, seems a bit scammy to me. Past “winners” were lacking in core quality and the “prize” isn’t really all that.

However, don’t misread me. There are contests that I’ve been interested in and would endorse. Some of the big name contests, often run by Universities or well known publishers will be able to pull out some really talented writers from the pack. On the other hand, losing these contestsdoesn’t necessarily mean that you’re completely out of the game. You have to remember that there’s a certain amount of subjectivity in each one. 

I’ll be sure to pass on any good contests/links in the future.


Posted in Writing Contests on February 15th, 2008

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One Response to “FAQ Friday: Writing Contests”

  1. Writers Unbound » Blog Archive » It’s Mail Monday Writers! Says:
    February 18th, 2008 at 1:58 pm

    […] Mail Monday Writers! by Allena Tapia Ok, so I actually cleaned out the mailbag when I did FAQ Friday last week. However, I did have a fellow writer ask me an interesting question regarding my personal […]

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Writers Unbound aims to be your one-stop shop for the writing business. Whether you’re a veteran or a newbie aspiring to publish your first works, we want to be your resource. We’ll share success stories in publishing, tips from working writers on style and craft, and keep you in touch with developments and changes in the publishing world. We’ll cover fiction, poetry and nonfiction. We’ll also profile different publications who offer pay for content. Looking for a network? We plan to provide information about professional networks that may be of benefit to you. We invite you to email us with questions about writing—we’ll feature some of those in upcoming columns. Meanwhile, check out Writers Unbound each weekday. We promise you a lively journey into the world of words.

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