Reedsy and Other Contest Opportunities?

[P.M. Turner]

I need a kickstart to get myself out of this rut and into some fresh, new writing. A lot of you advised me to take a break from the novel and move on to something else.

So was wondering, what do you guys have to say about Reedsy? I've been aware of them for a long time, and I know they do weekly contests with writing prompts, and the winner receives $250. There is a $5 fee to submit an entry, which I am not thrilled about. I never understood why you had to pay to take part in a competition.

So, in a nutshell, I'm asking: is it worth it? Should I try participating in Reedsy contests? On the other hand, do any of you know of any other/better writing contests I could try my hand at?

Thanks!

 

[Wes B]

If you have to pay to enter, then it looks more like a moneymaking venture than an actual competition. But you can do something almost as good...

Whatever the entry criteria are, just write something according to their "writer's prompt," but don't submit it. You will exercise your writing muscles, you will try something you might not otherwise have tried, you will expand your writing boundaries.

...and you will win $5 by not entering...

 

[suspensewriter]

I agree with @Wes B , @P.M. Turner . That said, the $5 fee isn't much by contest standards. Anymore it's hard to find a contest that doesn't charge an entry fee.

 

[M. D. Boncher]

I have my two recent books on Reedsy, but it gets almost zero traffic for me, but I haven't applied to the contests, just for reviews. Unfortunately it's not generating any activity for me.

 

[P.M. Turner]

Thanks for the feedback! Sounds like there are better routes I could go. @Wes B , that's a good idea.

I'll have to keep my eye out for other contests too.

 

[Wes B]

Thanks for the feedback! Sounds like there are better routes I could go. @Wes B , that's a good idea.

I'll have to keep my eye out for other contests too.

Click to shrink...

You know... in other creative skills, the practitioners do all kinds of exercises and creative explorations, just as practice. Artists use sketchbooks, and do "throwaway" projects that are mere studies for the real work they plan. Actors and singers do all sorts of practice and development exercises. Athletes do vast amounts of training, outside the Main Event.

Some writers at least keep a journal, but that pales in comparison to the preparation done for other skills. With lots of writers, it's all Work In Progress, which may lead to disappointment. I can't speak for others, but I find it helpful to do a lot of "throwaway" stuff; it's all practice. Most of what I write is intended to be throwaway. (There's a danger here... I can overcompensate and never actually get down to Real Work...)

Most of my posts here are lengthy. That's not only because I can be verbose (though probably some of that, too... ) but because these posts are all little essays: writing practice. If you go up to the search box at the top of this site, and type in the words, amuse inspire enlighten entertain, you'll find that that's a sort of personal motto I've used in writing for years. (And that little phrase has been foremost in my "writing" mind, long before I mentioned it here...)

It may be way too vague to say, just write, but in the end, I think that's how we strengthen our writing muscles, and learn to express ourselves well. I do think that once we toss out the idea that everything is a Work In Process, and realize that lots of things are just exercise, we can easily start writing about all kinds of things.

 

[P.M. Turner]

@Wes B Good points, all of them. In other words, don't worry so much about the what, when, and why of my writing - but just write? So everything I write down can be practice, and I should always indulge in it. That makes sense.

amuse inspire enlighten entertain

Click to shrink...

Also, this should totally be on a T-shirt!

 

[lynnmosher]

We here on the site used to do a writing prompt. I don't remember how frequently we did it. But it was fun. One of my favorites was from this image...



Why not try that on yourself? Find an interesting photo and write a story from it.

 

[Wes B]

While my undergraduate years were deeply enriching, they were also an enormous financial burden. So while there, i resolved to squeeze every drop of benefit from them that I could. One way to do that was to take as many extra courses as they'd allow me to add in, without extra charge. i graduated with a lot of extra course credits, which couldn't be applied toward my degree, but I learned lots of stuff I might never get the chance to try, again.

So, sprinkled among all the math'y engineering stuff, were semesters of Hebrew (with me as the only gentile in the class...) and art studio courses, where I'd paint, and learn to use a potter's wheel...

@Wes B Good points, all of them. In other words, don't worry so much about the what, when, and why of my writing - but just write? So everything I write down can be practice, and I should always indulge in it. That makes sense.

Click to shrink...

...and among all those art students, were sketchbooks; everywhere, there were sketchbooks. Often, in a quiet, spare moment, they'd pop one open, and start drawing random, disconnected things. Those pages were amazing to look at; hodgepodges of different images, morphing into one another. Some were in black ink, some with splotches of color, added later. They were beautiful, crazy/insane exercises to just get their brains conditioned to think about shape, and space, and texture, and shadow.

No one dismissed them with, "That's not the way I draw"; in fact, most weren't interested in drawing. These were often studies, examining what they might commit to a painting, or sculpture, some time later on. They were pushing themselves outside their own comfort zones, and learning to think in new ways.

There were also some writers, carrying around composition books they'd write in. I only got occasional peeks at these; you couldn't simply glance over someone's shoulder, like with a sketchbook. But most of these were serious literary writers, who wanted to be the next Joyce Carol Oates, and their stuff was filled with confusion and angst, almost as disconnected as the stuff on the sketchpads. Still, it was all exploration, learning their craft, and training themselves to see their craft (or art!) throughout everyday experience.

I never saw much more of this as the years/decades passed. I suspect that as people get more consumed with the cares & problems of Life, they get distracted. But also, I don't think our brains and our ability to learn are nearly as pliable and trainable as when we were younger. It can still be done, but it's more like forming very stiff wet-cement, rather than forming soft clay...

Take the time now, to mold and form your ability to create, and to create by trying new things that are hard. it's funny; they're not so hard the third, or fifth, or tenth time... was I just imagining that it was?

Also, this should totally be on a T-shirt!

Click to shrink...

Hopefully, my missive above did one of those things (or more!) The phrase itself is no one's intellectual property. If you want to put it on a T-shirt, then be my guest, and enjoy...

 

[BAMB]

It's not a Christian site, but IronAge Media also offers up a weekly free story prompt from an image and a title:

IAM - Prompts Center

A Site for Indie Creators

ironage.media

 

[M. D. Boncher]

But it is friendly to Christian writers who are looking to entertain, not evangelize, first. They want good indie content, Christian or otherwise.

 

[quietspirit]

I have kept a journal off and on for several years. Lately, I have been journaling my thoughts about the scriptures I read. It helps me to think on the Word and it helps me to study God's word. My entry, "A Day of Remembrance" was one I posted here as well as mu personal blog. This practice keeps me actively writing as I go through some tough times.

 

[P.M. Turner]

@BAMB Thank you for pointing me in their direction. I had a look at their site and it look very interesting. The only downside I noticed was, am I understanding correctly that I can't submit my work directly to them? Like I have to have it posted online elsewhere? ecause currently I have nowhere to do that. No website, blog, or anything like that.

 

[BAMB]

and there are other Christians who are posting there, too.

Their website is a little convoluted, though; MD still hasn't figured out how to create a circle lol

@BAMB Thank you for pointing me in their direction. I had a look at their site and it look very interesting. The only downside I noticed was, am I understanding correctly that I can't submit my work directly to them? Like I have to have it posted online elsewhere? Because currently I have nowhere to do that. No website, blog, or anything like that.

Click to shrink...

Yes, that is correct - they don't post the stories on their sites, but link back to the author's sites. Which gets traffic to the author's site and hopefully inspires people to read more of what else they've written, so it's not a bad thing!

Most folks who post create a substack page if they don't have a full on website. Or Wattpad or any free places like that. You could possibly even post it to a facebook post if you post the story on your facebook page or something similar. I'd ask the prompters firs, though, before using the facebook idea to make sure that would count.

Otherwise, I don't think substack is difficult; I've just never set one up myself. I've been toying with the idea of creating one for short stories to share, but haven't gotten the stories written yet.

It could be a good way to post your practice stories, build an audience, and get feedback on your writing though!