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Great Find: Very Short Story Contest

Filed Under Great Finds, Successful Blog, Writing | 9 Comments

Can You Say It in Six Words?

Robert Hruzek at Middle Zone Musings is having a contest that opens Monday.

Great Find: Very Short Story Contest at Middle Zone Musings
Permalink: http://middlezonemusings.blogspot.com
Audience/Topic: Folks up for a quick fun contest.

Content: Robert is taking his lead from a Wired article, Very Short Stories. He suggests you read the article for examples of how to write a story in just six words. Here are the rules as he states them:

  1. Read (if you like) the stories in this Wired article to get a feel for how it’s done.
  2. Write a six-word story (a kinda obvious step, I know). In fact, write a group herd bunch - the more the merrier. (There are really only two rules to this contest: a) use exactly six words, and b) because this is for general consumption, I would appreciate it if you would please keep them G-rated!)
  3. For those of you with blogs, post your entry on your blog, and link back to this post here at Middle Zone Musings. Then send me an email to let me know.
  4. For those of you without blogs (and why haven’t you started one yet?), you can enter your submissions via the comments on this post. No need to email me in this case.
  5. In return, I will link back to your post (or mention you by name, if you don’t have a blog) several times during the week, and once more in the archive post.

Good Luck and enjoy the contest!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Why Dave Barry and Liz Don’t Get Writer’s Block
Writing YEAH! 10 WHOLE NEW Reasons to Get Jazzed About Writing

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Get Edgy: Contest Ideas to Push ANY Blog to the Remarkable Edge

Filed Under Community, Guest Writer, Motivation/Inspiration, Successful Blog, Writing | 8 Comments

Writing Contests as Edgecraft

Power Writing Series Logo

Writing contests, I know you’ve seen ‘em so have I. I’m a writer and I don’t have time to enter them. I imagine that most techies and other nonwriters pass them by completely.

If you want my attention, doing two things is important.

Mix something successful from over there to something you have here.

Find the edge of here — be noticed, outstanding, and remarkable.

Seth calls moving out to that remarkable edge edgecrafting. It’s knowing who you are, knowing what business you’re in, and not letting tradition or the perceived risk — that perceived risk that edging out comes packaged in. It’s investing in, inventing, or trying new things to make a mark that will get people remarking about what you’re doing.

A nonwriting blog — say a techie blog — having a writing contest is a remix with posibilities. Curious at the very least, don’t you think? Gotta get past curious to way out there, in order to be at the edge.

I’ve got some ideas . . .

How to Set Up a Contest that Works

Nothing is less fun than a contest where no one shows up. So let’s start with the basics that tilt the balance in your favor.

  1. Keep the rules few and the task simple.
  2. Keep the deadline definite and the timeline short, but not too short — a week is good.
  3. Announce it as many ways as you can. Remind folks daily on your blog. Send out email. Ask friends and colleagues to pass the word. Seek out and list your contest at sites such as competizione.

That being said, what kind of writing context might catch readers’ attention and get them to participate?

I’ve got a few ideas. . . .
Read more

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Great Find: List Your Writing Contest At Competizione

Filed Under Branding, Marketing, Successful Blog, Writing | 9 Comments

And the Winner Was . . .

Are you getting tired of finding out about writing contests AFTER they are over? Musingwoman was too — enough that it spurred her to action. A new blog was born so that folks could keep up woth upcoming contests and rules. So, competitors, start your keyboards.

Great Find: competizione
Permalink: http://musing.typepad.com/competizione/

Audience/Topic: Folks interested in announcing or participating in writing contests.

Content: This new blog which started just this month already has a list of competitions, and invites you to send in competitions you’re having so that you can attract more entrants. The guildelines are clearly stated. To briefly summarize them:

    Contests can be for blog or for a task — win a ___ by writing a ___.

    Information should submitted by email and need to include a link to the contest announcement post, the deadline date, limit to entries (if there is one) and any other pertinent information.

    No profanity, pornography, or discriminatory content.

    Sites with adult/mature (R-rated content) should be labeled when submitted so that competizione can alert audience visitors.

    Contest submitters are asked to link to competizione. The submitter’s site link will remain on competizione after the contest post has been deleted.

Have a contest! It’s a great way to show off your blog and attract new readers. Let Musingwoman tell folks about your contest — free promotion is an excellent deal. It’s a chance to expand your network of relationships. Stretch your brand a bit. I can see your blog growing already . . . yep. Click on the title to see what’s there for you.

competizione

A writing contest is even more exciting outside a writing blog. . . . On a techie blog? a real estate blog? a travel blog? Really? You bet. All bloggers have to write, don’t they? Imagine the kind of contest you might invent.

UPDATE: NOT ALL CONTESTS ARE FOR WRITERS — ALL THE MORE REASONS TO CHECK COMPETIZIONE OUT!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related articles
Writing–Ugh! 10 Reasons to Get Jazzed about Writing
Why Dave Barry and Liz Don’t Get Writer’s Block
Writing YEAH! 10 WHOLE NEW Reasons to Get Jazzed About Writing

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Bookcraft 2.0: Why No Bound Book Has 666 Pages and Get Your Free Blank Bookmap

Filed Under Business Book, Content, Strategy, Successful Blog, Writing | 11 Comments

Done with the Rough Cut, Time To Map the Book

books

After I found the 140+ pages, I discovered that Phil actually had 6 more months of archives. What a bonus!

So I now sit with close to 170 pages — sorted into 5 categories. Those 5 categories will soon become 7 or 8 book chapters. That will happen when we’ve reviewed the larger ones to break them into more readable chunks.

The next step is to plan how the pages map out.

We’re actually going to make a bookmap.

No Bound Book Has 666 Pages

You may never have thought about it, but it’s a fact:

You can’t have a page 1 without a page 2.
Every sheet of paper has a front and a back.

That’s the first reason that page counts matter. Paper is tangible.
There are some things that paper won’t do.

It’s also a fact that:

No bound book has 666 pages.

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Bookcraft 2.0: How Many Words Does It Take to Make a Book?

Filed Under Business Book, Content, Strategy, Successful Blog, Writing | 51 Comments

An Average Book . . .

books

As an introduction to Bookcraft 2.0, I wrote Write a Book? Assemble the One in Your Archives! In the comments, Chris showed serious interest in finding out more about it.

. . . My new venture, SuccessCREEations has been up and running for less than a month and already has 23,000+ words, all fairly focused topically. So perhaps in a few months I’ll have enough there to put something together (provided I keep the pace steady).

Of course it begs the question, how much material does it take to become publish-worthy? If you figure an average of about 250 words per page, then what about 60,000 words or so for an average book? Is that anywhere near right?

My apologies. Chris, for trying to answer a BIG question with a small answer. I should have said, “Yes, Chris. you’re more than near right . . . because you write well, you might even have two books there.”

Let me try to explain it better in this post.
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