Longing for Romance...Writing that is.

Some years back I won a contest that promoted romance. The guidelines for the entry was to tell a story about a romantic date. The prize included a trip for two for a weekend stay at a hotel. There wasn't one winner but several and we all met at a luncheon in our honor. It was interesting to meet the other writers. Some were newspaper reporters, others freelanced for magazines or just wrote for their own love of writing. I fell into the last category at the time. I wrote for the joy of simply wanting to tell a story. I was shocked when I won. But I didn't think about it in terms of being honored for my writing but rather for the fact that I won a contest.

I still enter contests that consist of writing something that will be judged for its writing merits. I don't particularly like entering contests that are based on popularity.  This is where you contact all your friends to "like" your story. The common denominator with these popularity contests seems to be seeing who can write the most heart wrenching story - you know the one where the couple planned to get married but her dad went into a coma a month before the wedding but they really didn't want to put off the wedding as the bride was pregnant. Then low and behold Dad comes out of the coma only to have the soon-to-be husband get in some kind of accident and he's hobbling around in crutches. What tops it all off is that the bride's twin sister is able to come back from a tour of duty in Afghanistan and be her maid of honor as a special surprise. You've got to put the most pathos in the story possible.

I don't like the concept of having my story voted on by people who aren't writers. These open contests on commercial websites aren't meant to promote the best writers but rather the ones who can get the most people to "friend" them. You can actually win a money grants this way by getting the most people to vote for your idea. The contests I detest the most are those where you have to post your entry on Facebook. That way the advertiser can get access to all your friends to post their advertisements.

I may not always win the writing contests that are judged by current published authors, but I enjoy the challenge of writing on a specific topic to stretch my writing skills. I need those occasional spurts of short writing to keep me motivated. I have a goal to submit a new writing piece every month and contests are a fun way to do it.

If you'd like to enter a fun contest, here's one I like...It's from Black Lilac Kitty with an April 1 deadline.

The story must include a cat and a Rottweiler.  The Rottweiler cannot be a "mean" dog. The cat and Rottweiler can belong to the same person or have different owners. Somewhere in the story must be the phrase "it was a dark and stormy night." The word count must be at least 2,000 words and no more than 7,000 words. For complete details click here.

 

Following Directions

For Christmas I got a mini pie maker as part of a group gift exchange. I thought it was a great gift as I love the cute mini pies you can get at bakeries that look so yummy and perfect. I'm a good cook but desert making has not been my forte. I used to make candies and truffles that were loved by those who received them, but pies and cakes need to look just so and mine didn't.

The picture on the box and the instructions made it look so easy, but the results didn't look like the pictures as you can see. Part of the problem is that I didn't really follow the instructions. My husband had to remind me that the crust needed to be chilled before putting in the pie maker. I also didn't notice that the crust cutter had 2 different sizes - one for the top crust and one for the bottom. The recipes called for putting in a specific amount of filling, but I just eyeballed it and hoped it wasn't overfilled.

The results of my first two pie making adventures are as you can see.The first ones had a top that perched over the lower crust more like a hat than a cover. The second ones set better in place but they look more like two bowls put together. Neither batch have that picture perfect look - so I will keep trying.

What does this all have to do with writing you may wonder unless I am producing a cookbook? It has a lot to do with writing. As an example... this month I entered a fiction contest that is put on yearly by Highlights Magazine for children. The contest had specific instructions to be used. The "recipe" included reading several issues to see what "filllings" or stories that would work for their magazine. It had specific guidelines for "amounts" of words that you couldn't go over. Lastly it had a specific "time" frame that it needed to be sent in to be considered.

I followed their instructions exactly only now I will have to wait until my "pie" or story is reviewed. It still may not be the perfect story, but writing, like baking, takes practice until you get it right. We can't all be master bakers but every once in a while it comes out just right so we keep on trying. So keep on writing and reading submission guidelines to get the best results!