Writing Contest Magic - Make Cash From Fiction Competitions More Pleasurably
To win story contests regularly, you have to regard your writing hobby as a business. That means looking at contests as a job you go to every day, five days a week. One contest win may not amount to much but several wins each week mount to a rewarding sum. To change the habits of a lifetime can seem impossible but every successful achiever in this field has had to adopt a new mental approach.
Your first step is to set up a log book. Paper files quickly get out of date so use a spreadsheet program like Excel. But spreadsheets are hard to master. It's easier to use the Table utility in Word for this simple application. Good records are vital so you know where you've been and where you're going. Professionals set up a plan and work their plan, systematically.
Research every contest that looks promising. Do a web search. Copy the contest details and closing date into your table and arrange the closing dates chronologically so you don't miss one. Seek out the many opportunities available to you. You will find a wealth of stimulating ideas in your search that will lead on to further fruitful enquiry.
Don't be distracted! This is no longer a hobby. It's your job. Allocate yourself a given time to tidy and submit each entry. Investigating the market fully can become addictive. After a period, close your research. Or you will never get started on the main task!
Set priorities for the contests you will research. Use specific key words in your search. For example, "story contests UK 2010". The long tail keywords will bring you the best results. Set yourself a personal goal. For instance, ten stories submitted in one month.
Keep a record of the fees you spend on all the contests and the time and money you invest over a period. What payback are you getting in prizes? If it's not impressive, maybe you need to improve your stories or choose your contests more ruthlessly. Learn from failures and correct your approach as you go. As you persist, your success rate will measurably improve.
To keep yourself motivated, plan what you'll do with your winnings. Once you've mastered the system, you'll be able to fund a lot of small luxuries. As your experience increases, you'll get big wins almost every week. It's a win-win contest plan. Remember that, if your work is merely good enough, persistence wins whereas works of genius will fail if not submitted systematically. Work your plan and the plan will ultimately bring you substantial rewards.
Simply put into practice these proven formulae and very quickly you'll enjoy more contest wins. They're straightforward to put into practice and all are very profitable to do!
Your first step is to set up a log book. Paper files quickly get out of date so use a spreadsheet program like Excel. But spreadsheets are hard to master. It's easier to use the Table utility in Word for this simple application. Good records are vital so you know where you've been and where you're going. Professionals set up a plan and work their plan, systematically.
Research every contest that looks promising. Do a web search. Copy the contest details and closing date into your table and arrange the closing dates chronologically so you don't miss one. Seek out the many opportunities available to you. You will find a wealth of stimulating ideas in your search that will lead on to further fruitful enquiry.
Don't be distracted! This is no longer a hobby. It's your job. Allocate yourself a given time to tidy and submit each entry. Investigating the market fully can become addictive. After a period, close your research. Or you will never get started on the main task!
Set priorities for the contests you will research. Use specific key words in your search. For example, "story contests UK 2010". The long tail keywords will bring you the best results. Set yourself a personal goal. For instance, ten stories submitted in one month.
Keep a record of the fees you spend on all the contests and the time and money you invest over a period. What payback are you getting in prizes? If it's not impressive, maybe you need to improve your stories or choose your contests more ruthlessly. Learn from failures and correct your approach as you go. As you persist, your success rate will measurably improve.
To keep yourself motivated, plan what you'll do with your winnings. Once you've mastered the system, you'll be able to fund a lot of small luxuries. As your experience increases, you'll get big wins almost every week. It's a win-win contest plan. Remember that, if your work is merely good enough, persistence wins whereas works of genius will fail if not submitted systematically. Work your plan and the plan will ultimately bring you substantial rewards.
Simply put into practice these proven formulae and very quickly you'll enjoy more contest wins. They're straightforward to put into practice and all are very profitable to do!
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