Noticing Newbies Newsletter- 38 9/2/07

N0TICING NEWBIES NEWSLETTER

Noticing Newbies Newsletter is geared to help members get acquainted with Writing.com. There are many things to do and learn. Our goal is to help you make your time here more fun and manageable.

Each week we select and showcase new items (poetry, lyrics, short stories, essays, campfires, polls, etc.). Exposure for an item (your writing) helps to bring you more rates and reviews by fellow members and the general public...of course depending on how much exposure you want your item to have. Some writers like to keep their work private. When your work does receive exposure, it also helps bring more member interaction, which will give you the opportunity to build new friendships. Remember, it is a two-way street...try to make an effort to reciprocate reviews.


"There's someone that you haven't already met, go introduce yourself to him or her. Walls and labels can't keep you from the people who are so similar to you in spirit. There's a friendly face behind every door if you pick the right moment to knock. Once you start your wave of creative outreach, it turns into a contagious force. People are waking up and smiling at each other, sharing their dreams without hesitation. This community is worth something."

-- Author Unknown

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EDITOR'S NOTE:

Hello Newbies!

Have you ever entered a writing contest? Well, this is a great time to take that leap! I'm going to give you some handy tips for submitting an entry for a contest...get your creative juices flowing!

Tips for Entering A Writing Contests:

 Begin with a bang! Make sure you immediately grab the judges attention in the first paragraph of a piece. If the person doesn't care right off the bat what you have written, most likely they are not going to finish reading. A helpful thing to teach yourself is to read every article or book chapter you can find on openings, beginnings, leads. Then compare yours to what the experts say. This applies equally to fiction and nonfiction. Also, find a few books that you love and see how they opened their paragraph.

 Try to introduce an element of uncertainty or suspense at the beginning. Make the reader wonder how the article or story is going to turn out. You can do this by introducing an unsolved problem or putting the central character into a complicating situation. Too many stories have predictable content and predictable endings. If the reader (or judge) can figure out what's going to happen, then why bother to read the piece?

 Make your characters come alive! Make them talk like real people. Every word of dialogue is important...move the story along.

 Make your story different. That means a different setting or unusual characters or a different plot. If it's cliche get rid of it.

 Think about the length of a story you want to submit. If there is no length restriction or requirement, send a story or article of medium length (1,500 to 3,000 words). Sometime judges feel overwhelmed, especially if they do not have time to read more than 3,000 words. If you have a long story, and really want to submit it, you may want to ask the judge and make sure they don't mind if you enter it. If they do, well, then see if they wouldn't mind reading part of the story. Like a publisher, if it is really good, they will probably want to read the rest of it.

 Theme should stay focused. Make sure your story or article has a clear central theme that you follow throughout the story. You should be able to say, "This article or story is about . . ." and finish the description in one sentence. Get rid of things that don't relate to the theme.

 Follow the contest rules. This seems too basic and simple, but you would be surprised how many people will overlook this. Rules are there for a reason, and if a judge has to wade through a hundred entries, those breaking any rule are easiest to throw out.

 Edit and spell check your item. Watch for spelling errors, grammar, syntax, punctuation, paragraphing, capitalization, etc. Some judges are lenient when it comes to stuff like this, but personally I feel it makes a big difference and will decide if it is a keeper.

Summer Contests:

http://www.writersdigest.com/contests/shortshort/
http://www.fanstory.com/index1contest.jsp
http://www.glamour.com/news/articles/2007/04/nonfictionrules
http://www.familycircle.com/fc/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/fc/story/d...
http://resuki.deviantart.com/journal/13447604/
http://www.oncewritten.com/Contests/PoetryContest.php

Contests on Writing.com:

"The Writer's Cramp" 
"Burn My Letter - Volume 5" 
"COUNTRY MUSIC LOVERS FORUM" 
"Poetry's Prism " 
"Invalid Item" 
"Short Shots: Official Contest" 
"Writing Contests @ Writing.Com!" 

Most of the contests I selected are reputable, but I cannot guarantee that all contests listed are run responsibly or organized properly by the Contest Administrator.

Until next time...



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 NEWBIE SHOW ITEMS SUBMITTED FOR NEWSLETTER: 

ID: 1282930   (Rated: 13+) The Battle and The Truth  One's battle with a true enemy. by Blade

ID: 1281349   (Rated: E) The Stacked Deck  Who said anything had to do with cards? by Pink Kaleidoscopes

ID: 1284400   (Rated: E) Glorioso  It's about "feeling infinite". The idea sprung from "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Neurophoic+Perfect

ID: 1283582   (Rated: E) Whither My Soul  A poem inspired by a word prompt that developed into an emotional piece. by WoW

ID: 1285789   (Rated: E) The Movie House  Prompt: 3 People, Cold Morning, Vacant Movie House by Christy

ID: 1286870 Invalid Item  This item number is not valid. by Not Available.

ID: 1285657   (Rated: 13+) The Jade Swords; Prelude  Jack gets transfered to another dimension when his bus gets hit by a train. by waterfalcon6

ID: 1287047   (Rated: E) First Impressions or What We See  social satire both of subject and narrator by Katelynn

ID: 1279494   (Rated: E) The Proposition  A woman of high birth is being forced into a marriage, but she is in love with another. by Little Miss Leigh-Lee

ID: 1280015 Invalid Item  This item number is not valid. by Not Available.

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ASK & ANSWER:

I can't remember the requirements for being a newbie regarding your newsletter. Thanks, Peanuts
Peanuts

There are no specific requirements such as feedback or to submit items to be posted in the newsletter. I will say that I personally do not take items from new members who have been here longer than two months. I welcome all feedback.


How do I get one of my poems highlighted in your newsletter like these folks were able?

Rick
tagit

All you have to do is to first off, receive a newsletter, which you can select in "My Account". Newsletters are published once a week, and when you receive a newsletter in your mailbox, scroll down to the bottom of the screen and you will see where you can either submit your item or feedback.


Awesome newsletter to help out newbies!!
Veronica is back!

Thank you very much!


Laurencia,

Great Newbie newsletter again! I wanted to add a link which Demon Squirrel of Doom! gave me to your market searching resources: http://www.duotrope.com . It's a fully searchable market listing for everything from flash fiction to full novels, with several different filtering options. It also has an integrated submission tracker which feeds its acceptance/rejection stats for each publication. Keep up the great work educating us "newbies"!

http://www.duotrope.com/
Seisa-sleepingcatbooks.com

Great! Thank you very much, I appreciate contribution. Looks like an awesome site!


Thats a fantastic quote about community.
Also - really enjoyed the article about the publishers. It's something that I think I will find really scary - when I first submit my novel to them.
Anyway - when I finally finish it - I know that I'll be armed with a bit of knowledge.

Thank you!
Leigh
Little Miss Leigh-Lee

I'm glad you like the quote, I do too. Just concentrate on finishing your novel. As long as you do the necessary research for appropriate publishers for your novel, you will be fine. Try not to be disappointed if you receive rejection letters, it is a normal process, most writers receive them before they get published...don't give up!

Thank you for reading the newsetter and look forward to your feedback.

See ya August 8th!

Laurencia

© Copyright 2007 Laurencia (UN: laurencia at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
Laurencia has granted Writing.Com, its affiliates and syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.