 Contests & Activities: January 28, 2026 Issue [#13569] |
This week: Does the genre matter? Edited by: Dawn Embers  
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Contests & Activities Newsletter by Dawn
Taking a look at the concept of whether a contest does well when focusing on a genre or if having a general type of item is better. |
There are many different ways to go about writing on WDC and there are also different ways to go about having a contest. The question of whether one should focus on a genre or not is one of those options. A genre based contests sounds like a great idea on face value. As a judge, it's probably going to be a genre that you enjoy writing and probably also read, or maybe just one that you love to read. Don't have to write in the genre to enjoy it or have a contest based around the topic.
Take romance for example. Many people like to read romance stories and they sell well. Does make sense that maybe it might be a good idea for a romance contest. However, as someone who has both entered and owned those contests, I can say that it's not so easy as one might assume. There are times when romance contests don't get many entries in their rounds.
What about science fiction or fantasy?
That is a good question and I can say well, that is sort of the same. There are rounds that do very well because lots of people on here do write and read speculative fiction stories. I'm one who writes them and that's why I tend to write the Fantasy newsletter. However, there are still going to be rounds that don't get many or any entries.
How about those contests that don't have a genre?
That does exist here on the site because the common ones like Writer's Cramp, Daily Flash Fiction Challenge and such aren't genre specific unless there is a prompt for a day or short time that specifies one. There are also poetry contests on here that may or may not be genre specific.
So, one thing you might consider when trying to create a contest is whether you want to be genre specific or not. A poetry contest could be genre specific. Since we are almost in February, there could be a romance poetry contest. Or someone could create a science fiction poetry contest that used specific forms as part of the prompts. Many options are out there. But there is also the option to go more open so that you could get a variety of different genres for any given prompt. You might do a title prompt like having everyone call their item "The Path Untaken" and that path could be the start of a mastery story, something found on a different planet, have a troll under a bridge or any variety of things that will have to somehow be compared to each other. Which could be our next newsletter. I will get more into the judging aspect later. For the start, one just has to decide how you want your contest. Do you go with a genre specific approach or more open ended?
What type of contest do you want to hold? Figure that out and you are one step on a tall set of stairs to the path to creating and owning a contest here. Have fun! |
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
Do you enjoy genre specific contests or do you prefer ones that allow many options?
Last time, I discussed different items options: old, new, etc... There are no comments so instead we get to do a challenge in this section. I challenge you to look for a contest on the site that will allow the genre you enjoy to write and enter that contest. If you want a bigger challenge, write a genre you don't usually write for a contest and enter!
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