Writing Contests and Tips

For a quick set of suggestions, take a peek at the 11 writing tips at editorialservice.com. I particularly enjoyed Tip 9. Using “which” instead of “that” is a nasty habit that can be difficult to break. Their general guide is easy to remember while you're writing. The tips all give good pointers for everyday communication and some of them are particularly applicable to copy writing for business web sites.

While you're studying the web for opportunities, don't miss these writing contests and open submissions:

• If you're a fiction writer, or if you've got a few short story attempts lying about gathering dust, try submitting them to Too Write, where there is an on-going competition. You can enter up to five stories, 1,500 words or less, and the prize is £1,000. Entries for the current round of competition are accepted through September 20, 2007. Authors retain copyrights to their stories.



• While you're at it, try submitting them to the Writer's Digest short story contest. They offer prizes for the first 25 places. Their deadline is December 3, 2007.



• If you'd rather submit for up-front payment, check out The Stickman Review. They pay for short stories, non-fiction literary essays, poetry, and art. The site also runs the occasional contest.



• If you'd rather write to a non-fiction, personal theme, try the Funds for Writers annual contest. You can win up to $200. They may also pay you $35 if they choose to publish your submission. All this for only 750 words or fewer! Submission deadline for this round is October 31, 2007. While you're there, check out their job listings.



• I'm sad to have missed out on the True Life Stories annual contest. The dates are a little wacky but the prizes are great. I will keep checking back and let you all know if they are open for the next round of submissions.

While you're writing for these contests, take a gander at the writing contest tip sheet at writers-editors.com. There are some good points for writing in general and for contest writing in particular. They also maintain a list of writing contests.