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I'm currently in Israel for a few weeks doing a study abroad and I realized that there might be a WdC friend nearby I could meet up with. Anyone? |
It pays to participate in
I recently sent everyone who had done a month between January and April 2022 1k per month they completed.  If you worry that you can't work on "The Contest Challenge"  every single month, it's totally fine. Your entries never expire. Come and go as you please. You only need 12 consecutive months and they don't have to be done over a 12-month time. If it takes you 30 months or 3 weeks (because you work on past months as if you are catching up), it only matters that you finish. I don't care how long it takes.  Get started today!  1. Choose 1 contest from the list of highlighted contests below. 2. Enter as usual. 3. Post proof that you entered the contest by posting a link to the contest forum with {post:#######} in the forum of "The Contest Challenge" . (I don't need a link to your item because I can find it by clicking on the link to that contest's forum where you submitted your entry.) It's as easy as 1, 2, 3. 
Now, pick a contest (preferably one of the 1st 2 since they still need more entries from "The Contest Challenge" , but you can technically choose any of the 3) and get started! Rewards For completing 12 consecutive months--any 12--you get... 2 exclusive MBs Newsfeed Celebration in which you are guaranteed another 5 MBs but you will probably get around 15-20  Random rewards when I feel inspired/bored. |
Earn 15k per Heartfelt MB You Send! You can send 12 MBs with a heartfelt writeup, but they must count for CRs. (Community Recognition means you didn't see the red warning when you sent it.) You can send 2 MBs to a friend and 2 to a stranger. You can choose the same friend and same stranger, but in that case, you must wait 2 weeks between MBs. Or, send one to 2 different friends and 2 different strangers for faster results. Send 2 MBs to: Elle (she/her) Jayne Lilli ☕️ for all they have done and continue to do for "The Quills" or whatever reason you want to send them a MB for, but they must count for CRs. And you can send me 2 MBs, again CRs. This is an actual contest round for "The Whatever Contest" so to get reimbursed, you must include a link to the contest in your writeup using {item:whatever} and you must post the MBs in the forum with {badge:XXXXXX}. When posting friend and stranger MBs, please specify if they are a friend or stranger. To recap the MBs... 1. Friend 2. Friend (same or different friend, but if same, must be 2 weeks later) 3. Stranger 4. Stranger (same or different stranger, but if same, must be 2 weeks later) 5. Elle (she/her) 6. Elle (she/her) (2 weeks later) 7. Jayne 8. Jayne (2 weeks later) 9. Lilli ☕️ 10. Lilli ☕️ (2 weeks later) 11. Schnujo 12. Schnujo (2 weeks later) Judging is not based on the MB you choose (exclusive vs. community), but on the heartfelt message you include. Examples: Less likely to win I'm sending this MB because I'm entering "The Whatever Contest" More likely to win I'm sending you this MB because I'm entering "The Whatever Contest" and I can pick any stranger I want. I chose you because I was looking through your port and was truly inspired by what I read. Wow! You are so talented! Thank you for sharing your experiences and advice about dealing with long illnesses and your information about getting published was just what I needed to hear! I'm so grateful that I ran across your portfolio. You give important information in encouraging and inspiring ways and you make the reader not just want to keep reading, but to both take action and to get to know you as well. I'm so glad you came to WdC and I look forward to reading more of what you have to share with us! |
Have you submitted your entry for this month's
We have 2 contests that are being somewhat ignored, so feel free to enter
and/or
I get it. They have the same prompt for a whole month. But still... Our popular contest this month (and every month I highlight it) is
Whichever contest you choose to enter this month, be sure to fill out all 3 genres on your item! Doing so will increase your odds of...  Winning "The Quills" , should your item get nominated Finding readers/reviewers who search by genre, as most do Getting into a Newsletter because Mods search by genre for items to include |
| As a fellow Mod and a newsletter editor, I can tell you that I certainly do search by genre for items to feature in my newsletters! |
| The current round in my contest is Broken Masquerade - basically, what if the Memory Eraser Device/Spell used by the Men in Black, or Ministry of Magic failed to work, and now Normal Humans know that Aliens and/or Magical Beings exist? What happens as a result? |
Remember to fill out all 3 genres when creating an item! It boosts your chances of winning "The Quills" !For example... Choconut ~ 7 Years Young! wrote
She was a finalist, but didn't win Best Flash Fiction.  However, she filled out the genres of Children's, Holiday, and Friendship.  In the genre awards, she won...  Quill for Best Children's Quill for Best Holiday  Honorable Mention for Best Holiday Imagine if she hadn't filled out all 3, or worse, any of the genres!  Another person I won't name (to protect the guilty) was a finalist but didn't win their category. But in genres, they listed Genre 1, Genre 2, and Contest Entry. (I'm not listing the genres because you will be able to figure out who it was and they aren't online, so I don't have permission to point out their error.) They won... Quill for Genre 1 Honorable Mention for Genre 2 There's no "Contest Entry" genre, so they missed an opportunity at possibly another Quill award. One Honorable Mention winner earned that for their category, but they filled out 0 genres so they lost 3 more chances to win. Plus... People search by genre for things to read/review.  Mods search by genre for things to include in their Newsletters!  Fill out all 3 genres! Contest Entry, Other, Contest (unless it's really a contest) and Activity (unless it's really an activity) don't count! Boost your odds of winning
|
Don't make her yell at you while she's supposed to be working in Israel, either!  |
| If Schnujo doesn't yell, I will do it for her! I was already having a private rant about this very thing and was considering how to make it a public rant, she just dove in and beat me to it. She is also a bit more persistent than I am, which frankly makes her more effective. Go, Jody, go! |
| How exciting is this?! And, yes, guys, GENRES, GENRES, GENRES I think I'll spend the day walking around with my face like this: |
 CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS OF THIS YEAR'S
To find some awesome things to read and/or review check out our nominees and winners! Alas, there's no ceremony this year, but you can still browse and share people's excitement!  Also, remember to nominate things you love for next year! It's free and easy--though they need to have been written this year...except in January when you can nominate things from last year or this year. Nominate through...
It has it's own item alias so you can easily create the link yourself with {item:quillnominate}. AND BE SURE TO INCLUDE ALL 3 GENRES IN YOUR ITEMS TO MAXIMIZE WINS! Contest Entry and Other don't count. |
| And not to beat a dead horse or anything - GENRES!!! Chose wisely GRASSHOPPER! |
I found the Facebook page of author Gemma Rogers and was scrolling through. I just finished listening to her audiobook, Payback. In paperback, it's known as The Secret.
On her Fb page, she did a couple of things I thought were good ideas. Aside from the typical posting about books she's reading and asking fans to post what they are reading, along with posting reviews and thanking the reviewer and doing signed book giveaways, she did an unboxing video of her latest book. That's a cool idea! I see unboxing videos on YouTube a lot and never considered doing one for a book reveal. Fun idea! She also posted an interview with her main character from her latest book. I thought that was another great idea! For those of you with author pages, consider trolling other authors' pages for ideas to use on your own. | |||||||||||||||
I don't need judges at the moment, but if anyone wants to be added to my list of potential future judges, I pay 100k and you get this... ![Merit Badge in Judging
[Click For More Info]
Thank you for judging the April round of [Link To Item #whatever] for National Poetry Month!](https://images2.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Judging-235.gif) No previous experience needed to volunteer! Email or comment below. |
| How very cool -- I'd love to volunteer. It would be a great way to discover new writers on here! Sign me up! ~MiddleSon |
Thanks everyone for being so awesome and volunteering so I don't have to!   ( you, Schnujo! ) |
| I've added you to the list, James Matthew. Thank you for volunteering! Buddhangela's Brave & Crazy, you are ridiculous! |
I missed my flight from New York to Rome (and thus my flight to Tel Aviv). In my defense, there were 2 flights to Rome leaving only 5 minutes apart. I was at a gate, just not the gate.  I lost my awesome row 9 seat and now have a nonstop flight, nixing the 5 hours to roam the Rome airport. I was looking forward to that. The 5+ hours to New York hurt a lot, so I'm not looking forward to a nonstop flight to Israel...probably 10-12 hrs. But I did get an aisle seat...and more importantly, NOT a middle seat! Anyway, if anyone wants to cheer me up, you can enter this round of
Like that segue? I'm not asking for MBs for me (in this post...though I'd never turn away a lonely MB...   ), just entering my contest will make me happy, even if you are sending a MB to a stranger. Though please specify that it's a stranger you sent it to when posting the badge. Each category is judged separately and "stranger" is a category. To get paid your 15k, post the badge in the forum with {badge:XXXXXX}. Note: You are supposed to send a heartfelt MB writeup, not just something you slapped together. Be thoughtful. If anyone is surprised I missed my flight, you don't know me as well as I thought you did. |
| WOW! You do get around a lot. I remember when my job required me to travel, but never out of the states. It was like a sea of airports. After a while traveling was no longer exciting, but more of living out of a suitcase and missing my children growing up. I do not ever remember missing a plane, and I ALWAYS preferred non-stop travel—no interest in floating around any place. On the flip side, if the job required two weeks, I always took an extra week or two to explore the city of the surrounding area just inc case I would not be returning. Sorry to hear that you were in so much pain. Do you use Tumeric? I live on it, and I can always tell when I have skipped a day or two. It will not eliminate all of the pain (joint and muscle), but it does reduce it tremendously. Safe travels and a safe return home. |
| Hi, Jody, you’ve just described my worst nightmare. Travel and I don’t get on. The only reason I still live in Australia after fifty years is because I couldn’t face the trip back to England.😂 |
We have the winners of the April/National Poetry Month round of
Are you impressed with how quickly I judged it? Don't be. It wasn't me. You can thank Solace.Bring  and Beholden  for that. I only made final choices about ties and such from their list of winners...and that took me a couple of days.  Tied for 1st Prize
"Hair" by Warped Sanity  Tied for 2nd Prize
"Carving Knife (Pantoum)" by Brian K Compton, Thankful 🪶 "Taken by storm [The Whatever Contest, 4/2022]" by 🙉 Mischievous_Mike🙉 
Tied for 3rd Prize
Yeah, I couldn't decide who should get an awardicon vs. who should get just GPs this round (honorable mention), so there were a LOT of ties. 1st Prize = 10k and a "The Whatever Contest" awardicon 2nd Prize = 5k and a "The Whatever Contest" awardicon 3rd Prize = 2500 GPs and a "The Whatever Contest" awardicon  Congratulations to all the winners! It was a tough competition! Beholden and Solace.Bring had to sort through 41 poems to pick a winner! (Now responding to all the emails from people who had previously offered to judge that are now withdrawing their statements. I'm paying judges 100k and a MB, people! What do you expect? If it were easy, I'd always do it myself. ) The next round will (hopefully) open today! What is it? Sending heartfelt MBs! The judges will be my new friends, Majestic moose   and Ben . Earn 15k per MB you send, but they must count for CRs! If you get a red warning when you try to send your MB, wait until 15 days (or 14 days and 1 min) have passed from the previous one sent or your entry won't count! See "The Whatever Contest" for full rules (when I get them posted later today) so you aren't disqualified! Nearly every round at least 1-2 entries (sometimes several) are disqualified for not following the rules. |
| First, I congratulate all winners. I also congratulate the rest of the participants. Without their participation, the contest cannot be such successful as it is now. In the end, I congrats dear Schnujo for this beautiful event. |
Open until June 30 for a MB contest! Send a heartfelt MB to Elle (she/her), Jayne, Lilli ☕️, me, a friend of your choosing, and a stranger of your choosing. Earn 15k per MB. Each person can receive 2 MBs from you, but they must be at least 14 days and 1 minute apart to count for CRs. If you see the red warning when you are sending them, they won't count.  Your MB must also include a link to "The Whatever Contest" with {item:whatever}. Then post the badge in "The Whatever Contest" forum with {badge:######}. If you need GPs to get you started, check with Adherennium. He'll help you out. See the forum for complete rules! Our judges this round are Ben and Majestic moose. |
NEW ROUND OF
What am I up to now? A MERIT BADGE SENDING CONTEST! You are to send a heartfelt MB to me, Lilli ☕️, Jayne, Elle (she/her), a friend of your choice, and/or a stranger of your choice. (Please comment in the forum if it was a friend or a stranger you sent a MB to.) You can send each of us 2 MBs over the course of the contest (closes June 30), but THEY MUST COUNT FOR CRs!!! That means if you see the red warning on the screen by their name just before your final confirmation, it won't count--wait 15 days (or 14 days and 1 minute) after the last one you sent that person. You are reimbursed 15k for each MB sent. If you need GPs ahead of time, Adherennium  will be running things while I'm in Israel. MBs must be posted in the forum using {badge:######}. There are instructions in the forum for how to send and how to edit your MB. Note that if you make a mistake, you can edit the words, not the recipient or the specific badge sent. All entries must contain a link to "The Whatever Contest" with {item:whatever} to qualify for rewards. (If you forget, edit your MB.) |
| What happened to 'no such thing as a stupid question'? If one person doesn't understand the rules, the chances are super high that others don't either but are too timid to say so. |
| Yes, you all are right. Here are 2 examples. Not very heartfelt... Thanks for being my friend. More heartfelt... Your friendship means so much to me. I genuinely value the comments and suggestions you provide on my work. Because of you, I'm a better writer and a better person. Thank you for being you! |
| "You are my sun, my moon, my starlit sky. Without you, I dwell in darkness." ~Madmardigan, Willow |
Have you written a book? Are you interested in writing a book? Vivian owns a publishing company, 4RV Publishing, and has a round table discussion each month. This month they are discussing promoting your book. It's free, but you must register. It's this Sunday at 3:30 WdC (Eastern) time. This is the last time it will be available live for people to attend! Come while you can! After this, it will only be available by registering and seeing it on their YouTube channel. If you have questions, include them in your registration to have them answered by the panel. Go to "Note: Sunday afternoon will be our next Between the Cove..." for the original post. |
I've been doing acupuncture for weeks now and it seems to hurt more each time. I think it's because he's putting needles into where I already have visible bruises.  Many don't hurt, but the ones on my feet and hands hurt a lot. My face and legs hurt some, but not too badly, even though I don't have bruises there. My stomach and arms are fine. Then he makes me exercise with them in. That usually hurts a lot! The 1st time it hurt badly enough I cried. |
| We didn't want to stop our Between the Covers discussions, but finding time to have a live session at a regular time was becoming an impossible task. So, we had to compromise. |
I just gave away 107,000 GPs to participants of
They got 1k per month they'd done between January and April 2022. It pays to participate--sometimes literally. |
Exciting News!
now has an item alias! That's right! Thanks to so many of you abbreviating it as TCC, I've now created {item:tcc} (also {bitem:TCC}, of course) so you can link to it quickly and easily. In other news, we are having a lopsided month, for sure. Definitely consider entering one of the 1st 2 contests as they've been almost or completely ignored so far.
Finally, I plan to give 1k to everyone who has posted an entry for January - April 2022. Be sure you have gotten your entries in! To participate in "The Contest Challenge" , choose one of the contests above, enter as usual, then go to the "The Contest Challenge" forum and provide proof of your entry by posting a link to the contest's forum post with {post:#######}. Easy peasy! "The Whatever Contest" also has a new item alias with {item:whatever} and, of course, {bitem:whatever}. |
| Just so you know, Rupali Goswami, "The Whatever Contest" doesn't run every month. It runs whenever I get to it. Right now, I'm waiting to hear back from one of my judges for the upcoming round. Then I will post it. It will probably last until the end of June, then I may take the summer off. We will see... |
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When I was in New York in 2009, I met with Carol St.Ann
Hope you find someone to meet with.