  Contests & Activities
This week: Carving Time Edited by: Legerdemain  
More Newsletters By This Editor 
1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions
The purpose of this newsletter is to highlight some of the current contests and activities on the site, help educate members on how to host contests and activities, and provide clues to submit quality entries to contests. Write to me if you'd like something in particular covered.
|
| ASIN: B07B63CTKX |
Product Type: Kindle Store
|
Amazon's Price: $ 6.99
|
|
Carving Out Time
It's that crazy holiday season where we run, run, run and never seem to get anywhere. It's the fun time of the year for seeing family and friends we didn't have time for. It's the season of raffles, contests and activities. It's the season of so much to do and so little time.
How do you carve out time for writing and entering contests? I decided I spend much of my shopping time standing in line. While this time might ordinarily be spent reading email or playing Words with Friends on my phone, I also use it for brainstorming new story ideas. Daydreaming about stories is far better than listening to the guy in front of me complain. The temptation to whack his head a few times with the roll of wrapping paper I was buying was intense. I typed in a few ideas on my phone and ignored such lovely temptations.
If you only have a limited time for the internet this season, consider donating to activities. Donate a review or two that will be completed in January. For my part of the planet, cozy in a blanket and reviewing sounds more comforting than venturing out in the cold. For those of you in the opposite season, perhaps lolling in the air conditioning sounds better.
Raffles! Okay, they're games of chance, I know, but think about buying a ticket here and there. Many of the raffles donate part of the pot to charities that help other members in our community. Everyone benefits.
Contests...what better place to enter your holiday anecdotes? Yes, the bat in the dining room on Thanksgiving is a fun story about your Aunt Carol, but it can also win a story contest on our site. Plus you get to share the fun shenanigans with your friends here at WDC.
So enjoy your holiday season and I'll be back at the end of the month to talk about your New Year's resolutions...
Write on!
This month's question: When life is busy, how do you carve out time for writing? Send in your answer below!  Editors love feedback!
|
| |  | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1964971 by Not Available. |
Excerpt: This is your chance to create an insane world of your own! From melting clocks and fluctuating reality to impossible creatures roaming a quartz world. Inspiration for this contest has come from the Looney Tunes episode Duck Amuck, The Sopranos' dream sequences, Reddit's r/heavymind, and (of course) Salvador Dali!
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1962094 by Not Available. |
Excerpt: The winner of the contest will receive 5000 GPs and a Merit Badge of his/her choosing.
If there are more than five entries, the runner-up will receive 2000 GPs. As of now, the contest is set to conclude on December 31st.
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1354469 by Not Available. |
Excerpt: Each day from December 1st through the 25th, the countdown will be celebrated with a small gift to one Writing.Com member.
Excerpt: The giving period will be from Dec 12 - Dec 24. Gifts can be a cNote, a review, or small gift tokens like sigs or tickets to a raffle. At the end of the holiday, your Secret Santa will be revealed.
Excerpt: This contest will run from December 1st to 11:59 WDC time on December 30th, 2013
Excerpt: What is free form or free verse poetry? Well, the formal definition is poetry composed of either rhymed or unrhymed lines that have no set fixed metrical pattern. But the exact definition is written by the poet.
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1960627 by Not Available. |
Rule #1: Be really proud of any old or new sonnet.
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1964072 by Not Available. |
Excerpt: Virtual Dice decides the winner!
Excerpt: As for prizes, well... in the spirit of the Season of Giving, most prizes are SECRET! One lucky Winner will take home the Jackpot, which will be the total GPs raised by Spin purchases (minus the house percentage that WDC takes off the top for survey responses). Consequently, the Jackpot won't be known until the game's over!
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1190255 by Not Available. |
Excerpt: EVERY submission must follow Christmas genre. Our theme is Christmas, thus your creations must contain the word Christmas, the date DEC 25 or reasonable wording pertaining to this winter holiday & HOLY DAY. Genre combos are fine e.g. a Christmas setting for a mystery, a comedy fiction piece, etc. Ideas are numerous, especially shifting centuries ... all inclusive of Christmas Genre.
|
Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
Don't forget to support our sponsor!
| ASIN: B083RZ2C5F |
|
Amazon's Price: $ 19.99
Not currently available. |
|
This month's question: When life is busy, how do you carve out time for writing?
Replies from readers are like sugar plum fairies, every editor is excited to see one!
Last month's question: What do you do to help your creativity flow?
startrek21: I usually always have a journal in my purse. So whenever I am out and I don't have anything with me, I grab it and write. Sometimes I even use the Notes app on my IPOD or cell phone for my ideas. Or I will even text myself ideas.
GeminiGem survived GoT  : To get my creativity flowing, I need to cut off incoming distractions: television off (for sure!), I need peace and quiet. I am known to use my custom made ear plugs to create the quiet when it is scarce.
Budroe  : I know this is going to sound totally cliche, so apologies. My answer is:
I write. I have this "thing" about a blank screen. My mind tells me that, no matter what words appear, the screen must not be left clean. It is the production of words that ingite my creativity. I think this is a learned (and learnable) trait.
dejavu_BIG computerprobs : I find both listening to music or reading poetry helps get my creativity flowing. If they fail, playing around creating a really interesting character can lead to some great story ideas.
BIG BAD WOLF is hopping  : I get my ideas from all over- TV, movies, music, books, stuff other people write, and so forth. So, if I get stuck on something, I borrow some inspiration from someone else.
dragonwoman  : Change rooms or look out the window. Better still get out there and think outside the box.
lazymarionette: To get my creativity flowing I usually take a walk and try to notice everything around me. In doing so I create new stories or suddenly realize what I've been missing in an older story. Thanks for a great newsletter!
Mia - craving colour : Hi Leger. Like your comment: 'You don't have to sit to think.' My creative energy takes off when I'm engaged in activities that don't require a lot of attention, like taking a shower, folding laundry, hand washing dishes, walking around the community etc. I'm also a part of a writing group. We lunch and socialize (believing eating and socializing stimulates the muse), throw words into a pot and then create a writing around them.
Angels in my Ear : Sadly, I write in my head at night as I'm falling asleep. I get great stuff too, except it disappears with the moon. I wish I could get up and get it down, but it never stays put long enough to justify it. It seems all I do is wake up my husband, and drive myself mad. Gotta love ADD!
Vampyr14 : I always find my head is cleared for inspiration when I'm at the gym. Which is always nice because I can explore my imagination and avoid thinking about how much exercising hurts!
|
| ASIN: B01FST8A90 |
Product Type: Toys & Games
|
Amazon's Price: $ 24.95
|
|
To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.
|
Contests & Activities: December 04, 2013 Issue [#6032]
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
