by Wayne Leon Learmond

Created on: November 02, 2010

Writing contests are a fantastic way of exposing your talent to the reading world. By entering contests you are getting your work 'out there' and seen by the general public. By winning such contests you are being confirmed by judges and the reading public as a very good writer indeed - and someone who holds potential.

Writing contests will always remain popular with writers because the ball is in the authors court to produce the best work that he or she can. If one has followed the rules of the competition to the letter, then it depends upon the judges to decide which one is best. Although your writing may be free of typographical errors, is spaced correctly, and is the correct length - and also in the right category - then the rest falls to the personal likes or dislikes of the judges.

Entering writing contests and more so, winning them too, are a great way of getting your work noticed. Of course the more competitions you enter the greater chance you have of winning. Bare in mind however, that entering the same piece of work in different contests is usually a no-go area as this is frowned upon in the writing fraternity.

Writing contests will always be a positive way of exposing your talent. They can become a great leveller as to how far you have come as a writer. However, winning is not the be all and end all because even if you come in the top three, four or five, that is an achievement still to be proud off. One could still be plucked out of the jaws of obscurity by a publishing house and offered a contract -  if your potential is there for all to see.

It is all about being in the right place at the right time - and not just about talent either. Luck does come into play as well, when one enters writing contests. However, having said all of that, what the judges are looking for is a list of things in reference with your entry: Is your piece the one they are looking for for this contest? Does your piece stand out from the rest? Is it original and fresh? Does it stick to the rules of line and word length? All of those factors will determine whether or not your entry will succeed.

On the Internet there is a whole plethora of writing competitions/contests that the writer can enter. Most of these are for a standard fee, [which is usual]. However, some of them are free. What most people tend to do is make the mistake of entering the competitions which only give out the biggest prizes. This is a major error, unless you know that your work is of a certain

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